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Hi - been gone a bit, but …

Dark Horse

Dark Horse

Jul 31, 2008
11,869
21,977
Austin, TX
#1
…I’m still alive :P

The past year or so has been a challenge, but I’m starting to make some progress in this fight against cancer.

Anyway, with my limited energy, strength, and funds, I’ve been pouring whatever I can into redoing my shop. The shop was literally falling down. The roof had a big hole in it, the ceiling was falling in, etc…

I decided that instead of trying to juggle building guitars AND rebuilding or finding a new shop, that it would be better to use my resources to start a clean slate, and build my dream shop….or at least as close to it as I can afford

There’s a lot of satisfaction in dealing with the health things I’m fighting, yet still being able to get stuff done. The docs said I should have been dead a year and a half ago, but I’m a fighter. This project has been a great motivator…keeps me moving forward, both physically and mentally. I have spent hundreds of hours planning, building fixtures, wiring, insulating, and so much more. We are capable of FAR more than we think…willpower and the drive to make your life truly better, it’ll really keep you moving forward! Plus, as a side effect, I spend a lot less time worrying about dying :D I definitely overextend myself physically, but when I’m working in the shop, I’m not worried about the rest of the world… I’m just in my “work zone”

The shop isn’t done yet… I’m currently plumbing the dust collection…and then I have a lot of other things to do.,,, but I’ll share some pics of it, and a few words on my design thoughts and such.

First set of pics will be the “before” pics of the general condition of the shop, when I decided I needed to do something drastic…
 
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#2
These pics should give you the general idea of what the shop looked like, and the condition overall. Certainly it was workable, and I was grateful for it, but it was only gonna last so long…



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#6
I took the opportunity, since it was being stripped to the frame anyway, I decided to change around a few things… Add more windows, moved the entrance, I also decided that I wanted to do away with the falling down 10 foot busted garage door, and I wanted to replace that with a smaller one. A friend of my neighbors does custom garage door and roller door, etc. installed, and he cut down a garage door to a 6 foot size, which is absolutely perfect for the shop. Pretty easy to deal with insulation, 6 feet is more than enough to get tools in and out, it’s an ideal setup for me personally

We decided to go with Hardie siding… it was a good choice. We still have to paint it, but it’s a whole new exterior ! IMG_7727.jpegIMG_0679.jpegIMG_0766.jpegIMG_0767.jpegIMG_0768.jpegIMG_1079.jpegIMG_1080.jpeg
 
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#7
Inside, I decided to not add a ceiling… just kept the raw beams. It was the right way to go.

I also insulated with foam board. It’ll help keep things a little cooler in these Texas summers. The shop is now averaging around 15-18 degrees cooler inside, so that will help immensely.

My buddy, Mike Elkin, who’s a really good bassist himself, spent a couple weekends at my place, helping me with the rebuild. He’s just an awesome guy, and I’m so grateful for his friendship.

Note that whoever built the shed way back when, they clearly didn’t believe in measurements like keeping your studs at 16” … or parallel to each other…or not twisted…. Ha !! Anyway, what should have been an easy foam board install became a major pain in the ….task. But I eventually got it done

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#17
DH, I can't tell you how happy I am to read this thread. As a builder of very cool instruments over the years you were already an inspiration to many of us on TB. The fact you're dealing with and overcoming every hurdle thrown in your path just elevates that inspiration.

Build on, my friend! So great to see you rejuvenate your shop for your future builds. Wishing you many years of great projects.
 
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#20
That’s awesome, I love seeing older buildings salvaged instead of just torn down. The dust collection is key, and one of the big deficits in the shop I share with my brother. Everything is coated with a talcum-fine coating of dust, so I have to wear at least an N-95 mask all the time or my nose starts running. To remedy it I’d have empty every square inch of the shop and vacuum it all up, better to start with some dust collection in place, it’s really pretty bad for your health. Glad to hear you are doing what you want with your time and energy, I still work full time, so shop time is limited, but I love it, addicted!
 
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