The plan...
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The guy who built the driveway did the initial clearing for the shop, but he left some stumps and debris, and he didn't level it so there are some mud pits now.

We removed a few more trees (unfortunately), dug up the mud, and pushed it out to the sides to dry.

We removed a few more trees (unfortunately), dug up the mud, and pushed it out to the sides to dry.

Then we started bringing in good clay.

It took about a dozen well-packed loads to bring it up to grade

It took about a dozen well-packed loads to bring it up to grade.

After a couple of months settling, we set forms & started digging.

After a couple of months settling, we set forms & started digging.

The plumber started tearing up the pad, bringing in water from the well, and running a septic line back to the house.

The plumber started tearing up the pad, bringing in water from the well, and running a septic line back to the house.

Then the turn-down was dug...

...followed by the seven 4x4x4' column footers.

The trench drain was set in, and a grease trap was built before it dumps outside.

The green pipe is a valve box for future expansion of my water system.

The anchor bolts are hanging, and the first of a LOT of rebar is going in.

They're working on the 7th footer, for the inside mezzanine column.

We poured the footers & some of the turn-down the first day.

We poured the footers & some of the turn-down the first day.

Afterward, we set up for the rest of the turn-down & the main slab.

Ready for tomorrow...

The slab foreman forgot to order the concrete, so we got a really-late start. It took about 2 trucks to top it off.

The last truck cleaned out around 3PM, which is ridiculously late for such a small slab, and it put the finishing crew way behind schedule.

4 hours later, it was barely tight enough to start trowelling.

They finished around 10PM, but they did a helluva job. This slab looks better than the house slab did.

It was sawcut the following morning, and then I hosed it off.

Three days after the slab was finished, we took delivery of the building.

I have an erection...

The main structure went up relatively quickly, but we found several small errors that the manufacturer made.

Even though it wasn't part of their contract, they set some of the mezzanine beams for me.

The East wall sheeting went on quickly because there's only 1 framed opening in it.

The North sheets went up next.

These windows were left over from the house, so I decided to use them here. That caused some problems because the trim was pre-cut.

The South sheeting took a lot longer than the others because of the 3 framed openings (1 sheeted over for now).

With the South sheets up, the cantilevers could go on.

The pile in the foreground is the mezzanine, which I'll put up later.

West sheeting is started, and the roof is complete. They plan to finish tomorrow.

It's almost finished, but that rake trim wasn't shipped, so it'll have to be ordered in. The fan is scheduled to arrive Wed PM.

The replacement fan arrived in better condition than the first.

I moved the mezzanine framing inside, but I'm not looking forward to lifting the 4 large beams.

The rake trim arrived, and the erectors came back one evening to put it on.

My neighbor offered to lift the beams with his tractor, so it took a lot less time & effort than I expected. The framing in the corner is for the shower/toilet.

We also set the fan, but it's not wired up yet, or even screwed in. I just put some straps around it temporarily.

The electrical inspector required that a ground wire be added (even though I put a local ground rod beside the building) and tracer tape over the conduit. So the landscaping crew put them in for me.

The electricians returned to tie the shop wiring into the meter base.

It took a while, but the overhead doors are installed, so I can start moving junk inside.

The installers didn't put the tracks where they belong, so they had to come back & re-do 2 of the doors. Then I cut off the excess & moved the supports so there's less overhead interference.

I started laying out the stairs, cutting the stringers to shape, bending them, and grinding off their paint where the treads will be welded on.

I had to re-hang one of the mezzanine beams, and cut a little off its flanges to make room for the stairs. Otherwise, I'd have had to cut all 15 treads down, and keep all those cuts square. After this pic, I bolted the stringers to the floor & to the mezzanine.

After a lot of careful measuring, they're in & solid.

My welds came out pretty good - even the verticals & overheads. I'll clean & re-prime them later.

I had to negotiate with Lowe's for a while to get them to send a delivery driver who'd drive the forklift inside & set the stack of subflooring up here for me, and we had to remove the ROPS for it to fit through the door, but it's done.

I had to negotiate with Lowe's for a while to get them to send a delivery driver who'd drive the forklift inside & set the stack of subflooring up here for me, and we had to remove the ROPS for it to fit through the door, but it's done.

The stairs came out just the way I imagined - large enough to carry big stuff up here, but still out-of-the-way. I wasn't sure if I'd need handrails, but it seems OK without them now.

I found a 60' roll of 2" grip tape for $24, so this is 2 strips on each tread. I even managed to get each pair's stripes to line up so it looks like one 4" strip.

I thought about making this height-adjustable, but I couldn't think of a way to do it that I thought would take the stress. So I just welded a short piece of receiver tube to the column to accept the vise's portable mount that I built a few years ago to fit into my truck's bumpers.

Moving such a big compressor alone over rough ground was challenging, but it worked out.

It's not bolted down or connected to anything yet, but it's in-place. A SpeedAir Maxline M7500 kit is on-order.

I'm having trouble finding a plumber to come finish things up so I can use the sink, toilet, shower, & spigots.

The $32 (shipped) 4' compressor hose (PN: 54075K57) came from McMaster-Carr.

In the meantime, I have a temporary manifold hanging off the compressor, which is wired up & running, but still not bolted down.

This RapidAir Maxline M7500 kit is lower-priced (per foot), easier, quicker, & better than PVC, Iron pipe, Copper pipe, PEX, or even DIY PEX-Al-PEX. It doesn't include the quick-connectors (of course), or the 3/8-1/4" adapters (needed for most connectors), but it's nearly complete. I had to order an extra L, but that was just because of how I chose to route it through my shop.

This is the nominal 3/4" line, which is ~7/8" OD and uses 1/2" pipe threaded fittings. The three outlet blocks each have a top & a rear 1/2" inlet, a 1/2" plug for the unused inlet, a front 3/8" outllet, and a 1/4" bottom drain valve. The kit also includes 2 Tees, 4 male ends, a cutter, a reamer, and a bag of ~20 black plastic support clips (without mounting screws).

I carefully sloped all the air lines so most of the condensate will drain back to the tank, which then dumps into the sink drain pipe.

I ended up with about 35' of tubing left over from a 100' RapidAir MaxLine kit in a 32x38' shop with 3 drops.

UPDATE: I used it all running lines to the hose reels. I might actually need a little more.

It took a long time, but I found a concrete finisher to put the aprons around the shop, spread gravel, and bury 2 culverts.

It took a long time, but I found a concrete finisher to put the aprons around the shop, spread gravel, and do a few other little jobs.

This driver had no trouble getting this truck backed in along the building & turned for the first pour.

While the concrete was curing, the gravel arrived. There's also a large gravel turning/parking area on the other side of the building.

After a couple of hours spreading gravel, the track broke. It took the rental company a couple more hours to bring a replacement, which the crew installed quickly so they could get back to work. But the replacement was an old used track, and after a few more hours, it started to tear.

The ~8 hours I spent moving logs, digging stumps, & carrying dirt the previous evening after the crew left might have had something to do with the first track breaking, but I take no blame for the second. They're supposed to come back next time they have a machine, to finish spreading the gravel & grading around the shop.

This ~$50 dusk-to-dawn LED from Sam's (above the fan louver) lights up the whole area, all the way to the house ~200' away.

I've been dreading cutting all this cement board for the shower/toilet, but it was overdue. Now, I have to find someone to tile it for me, and grout the toilet in.

These 80' 1/2"ID hose reels were on ridiculously-low sale at TSC, so I snagged 3.

I modified this SkatBlast cabinet, and routed the exhaust out the side of the shop so there will be far less dust around it.

Another Christmas sale item from TSC!

Sam's online had this 10-pack of shop lights on sale, so I ordered a box to go with the ~6 similar ones I had already bought.

I backed into the sump vent pipe with the excavator, so I hole-sawed out the broken bung, and replaced it with this inverted drain fitting.

I guess I should be happy the toilet isn't installed yet.

This is where my Rotary SM122-122 sat behind my friend's house for about 3 years after taking it down from a decade outside the original business. After I bought some land, I hauled it there, where it sat for another few years while I built my house & shop.

This Rotary 4-post lift was installed outdoors many years ago, and used there for at least a decade. When it became mine, I moved it to a friend's back yard (woods), and eventually here, where it has been for almost 3 years. Now, it's time to get it cleaned up, painted, & inside the shop.

My original plan was to clean & paint it outdoors, and then figure a way to move it inside and install it. But it rapidly became apparent that it needed more cleaning than I could do with it assembled, so I decided to take it apart, to do a thorough job. The yokes (the cross pieces) are almost too heavy for me to carry, but not quite. The runways are so heavy that I can barely shift one end, or roll them over one at a time, so they'll stay on the trailer.

This column is relatively thin, and something apparently ran into it. With some lumber bracing, I found a way to pry it gently back into shape.

The runways were apparently lowered onto solid objects a few times, so they have several bends in their THICK steel.

This floor jack hasn't even lifted a car yet, but it was perfect for un-bending the runways.

Everything was filthy; both from years of use, and from sitting in the woods for a few years. So after straightening most of the bends, I started pressure washing all the pieces to remove grease, mildew, decayed stickers, bugs, & flaky paint.

I flipped the runways back & forth a few times for pressure washing over several weeks before painting their undersides. I chose the same Rustoleum Sail Blue that I've been using on my other shop equipment; both for continuity/ID, and because it's the closest ready-mixed color I could find to the original Rotary blue. I think I got 3 quarts.

The yokes & columns got pressure washed again before painting inside (the columns) & out.

I wirewheeled the threads clean before painting the latch bars.

The ram had been pressure-washed earlier, but I scuffed & washed it again before painting it gloss black.

I had already cleaned the sheaves & cables months ago, but all these little pieces got wirewheeled &/or washed. The pins got painted with graphite, and some of the others got flat black. I couldn't figure out how to disassemble the air cylinders, but I managed to blast out enough rust for their internal springs to work again before adding a few drops of air-tool oil. I'll have to make 2 more hard plastic covers (in the background) because they're NLA - replaced by rubber flaps, which I don't like.

Using the Bronco, the POS trailer, the engine hoist, some furniture dollies, some chain, and a few ratchet straps, I hauled the big HEAVY runways inside, and flipped them right-side-up onto the yokes.

It wasn't easy getting all the pieces in, arranged, and attached - working alone. But it was probably easier than trying to explain to someone what needed to be done, and how I wanted to do it (as I was figuring out what needed to be done & how I wanted to do it). Anyway; I managed to get it put together without injuring myself or damaging it. I don't think I even scratched the paint.

After squaring it, centering each column on its yoke end, marking them on the floor, and removing the runway bolts, I put the last quart of paint on the runway tops to dry overnight.

The shop isn't actually as clean as it looks here.

I goofed...

When I designed the shop, this lift was in the woods, and I didn't feel like measuring it there. So I measured the one at my friend's business, and designed for that.

Turns out, this one is the extended-length version (Rotary SM120-122), which is 2 feet longer than his. I can't put it any closer to the overhead door, and I still have to figure out a ramp system before a car could be driven on. I might pour concrete ramps outside, and just drive over the gaps where the door goes.

I used a long prybar & wood blocks to raise the lift enough to get the floor jack under it, to raise it this far. I might need to go higher to get the ram in, but the columns aren't bolted down yet. That's why there are 5 jackstands & a floor jack still under it.

I made the other 2 yoke covers.

Parts arrived, including a hose 4' longer, 2 new sheaves, anchor bolts & shims, and a few plastic parts. Hard to believe that's ~$400.

With the new sheaves, I could make the final adjustments on the cables so the lift is suspended ~3/16" above the column baseplates. That made it MUCH easier to position the columns so I could drill & set the anchor bolts. I also routed the air & hydraulic lines. Later, I may add wiring for LED strips in the runways.

It's liftivating...

After stealing back its pump, the lift is back in action. But the lock-release air valve leaks badly, so a new one is on the way.

This is only about half its capacity, but I needed to check it with something.

View from the 2nd floor.

To free up my flashlight hand, I added these 110VAC LEDs to the lift. They're attached to flexible plastic so they won't break off if bumped or run over, and they're supposed to be waterproof. This 12' string of 20 cells of 3 cost me ~$4.

To make the LEDs automatic, I wired them to this paddle switch. When I lower the lift onto the locks, the cable goes slack, allowing the springs to pull the 2ndry locks in, which operates the switch to turn the lights on.

I found 2 of these cans on sale, but it looks like I need one more.

To stop the cylinder dumping the fluid that leaks by the piston onto the floor when the lift is fully raised, I added a fitting & a return line to the fluid reservoir. I thought about extending it to the bottom so the cylinder would stay full & not rust, but I'm not sure this little tube can pass the fluid as fast as the pump runs.

Grouting the shower wasn't fun, which is why my friend who did the tile didn't want to do it. But afterward, I got the faucets & curtain installed. He's coming back later to do the floor & grout the toilet in.

I ended up grouting the floor & setting the toilet myself, but it came out pretty well.

This might be my best shop equipment. And since it's also a shower, I'll never have to scrub it to keep it looking like this.

Since these 4' shop LEDs are becoming common & affordable, and they come with 6' cords, I put up switched outlets for the lighting circuits. A common 15A switch can handle 37 of these LEDs - right now, I have about 16 total, but 2 are on a slave switch for the upstairs.

The 2nd welder outlet is in the stair stringer.

The upstairs lights are on a switch slaved to the main lighting circuit (which has 2 3-way switches). The toilet/shower light also has a slave switch, so if I turn off either main switch, all the interior lights go off.

The wall outlets are welded high so they won't get wet if I have to wash the floor, and I've started some of the exterior light & outlet circuits.

The light above the fan is a dusk-to-dawn LED flood, which is MUCH brighter than it appears here. The one above the scaffold is a 2-head motion LED flood (the same model as on the house). The other 4 (one hidden by the nearest cantilever) are the same as the interior lights (which are rated for wet locations), and they're plugged into switched outlets, like inside.

The ramps were bent years before I got the lift, and I decided to fix them today. I used the lift (with a truck on it) to bend them down; then attached them & lowered the lift to bend them where they need to be.

I may paint them eventually... For now, I have to pulll their hinge pins & slide the ramps away every time I want to close the door. So they're usually outside.

A local business is moving out of a leased building, and they couldn't move or store all the lifts, so I bought this Rotary SPOA10 (2-post asymmetric 10Kip). It's the same as those in the background. Now (after I install it) I'll be able to lift bodies off chassis more-easily than with my homemade 2-post hoist.



I also got the refrigeration machine which works but needs to be refilled. The 2 Nitrogen machines are going elsewhere.

After a few months, I bolted it down. It works, but now I have to get the '93EB out of there to use it.

The same business was clearing out some parts cabinets & shelving, so I brought a couple home.

This light-duty pivoting boom should be strong enough for skinning deer & lifting lawn mowers, AFTER I add a brace to keep the red I-beam from twisting. If that's not enough, I'll probably take it down.

It's made from a scrap of Aluminum I-beam (painted blue) with some welded reinforcements bolted to a rear wheel bearing & hub assembly that had started growling softly - it wasn't rumbling or sloppy yet. The unistrut hangs from a wheel lug stud so that it's easy to remove. It's just long enough that I can barely reach to hang it up there, so it's not likely that anyone else will be able to take it down. But when I'm not using it, it will be inside. The chain has a bolt to make a loop or shorten it, and there's also a hook on the end of the boom.

UPDATE: a beam trolley & 110VAC winch made this unnecessary, so it came down. But I might put it up inside...

I had thought this couldn't happen for years, but it turned out to be easier & quicker than I expected.

The first lift was a light load.

This cheapo 300kg (660 lbs) winch on a cheapo 1-ton beam trolley will make lifting & loading easier. But it'll probably be used mostly for field-dressing deer. I had to replace all its wiring because the mfr. only put ~4' of remote cord, and ~1' of power cord on it. I also had to build the brackets to attach it to the trolley.

UPDATE: The winch motor stopped the first time I put a mild load on it. I haven't climbed up to see exactly what the problem is.
UPDATE: The cheesy limit switch was stuck, so it thought the cable was fully-reeled-in. It's back to working.

After a lot of thought about its position, I decided to cut the exhaust hose port 5' above ground, to reduce the animal intrusion. And I put the flap on the inside, but I might add a 2nd outside so birds don't try to roost or nest in it.