Making things easier

[mite5255]

Something like this Frank, we use a similar set up at work for putting purge material into the extruders when we're starting them up or shutting them down

[F.C.]

Yep, I laid in bed last night envisioning something very similar to that before drift'n off to sleep. The only snag is space availability... I'd have to make both units attached closely to each other on a single framework and as low as possible so I can still have shelving space above it, or.... same configuration as stated but on wheels so it'll be mobile and I can park it out of the way when not in use. A 30x50 shop w/an office and compressor room, molding station, welding station, furnace operations, plus work benches, shelving, and a full gable end wall of shelving clear to eave height makes that shop a bit Closter phobic when projects are underway. I'm already leaning toward building a 50x30 ft. extension on the backside of the shop so I can separate my welding activities, modeling activities, sand molding and furnace operations. As it is (no different than what I had back 20 years ago) I'm already step'n over shit I've got strewn about to get to other necessary work, plus having to clean the entire shop after welding & grinding a project, then clean it again after sculpting/modeling a project, then clean it again after sand molding, then again after the foundry work. Then there's always the chore of clean up and clearing things out of the way when I got to work on my bike, 4 wheelers, or one of our vehicles. I may opt to build an awning and move my furnace operations outside which would reduce the misery of heat exhaustion when the temps are near triple digits. That alone would free up considerable space, but then I'd be having to carry molds much farther to fill. I would prefer to have everything under a roof, out of the weather, under one climate condition. If you visit any commercial art foundry operations you'll see they all separate each phase of operations into separate, isolated work areas portioned from one another by walls. For me to have my ideal work heaven I'd need two 30x50 shops connected to each other... but I can't afford another $30K expense, and the local govt. would rape me on permits and inspections especially after I squeaked the shop I did build past their approval when I took advantage of their error on what they printed on their "outbuilding permit" classification which literally gave no indication of any limitation in size. HAHAHA... They threw a fit I built what I did without scheduling for inspections at every phase and they intended to have me fined... but... the omission of size limitation on that permit I used gave me all I needed to take it to court and WIN, so they backed off and now my shop is grandfathered into their so-called ordinances. So now they're watching me like a hawk. That's why I'm thinking of what's considered as a "temporary storage structure" that's on footings rather than a foundation. They make a metal tubular frame garage/storage shed kit that's 24x30, all metal siding and roofing... no insulation. What opens the door for inspections and permits is when a permanent foundation is created. My shop sits atop a layer of basalt rock that's about 2ft beneath the surface. I can anchor footing attachments to that basalt and erect a storage unit attached to the back wall of my shop... I've already planned on that by framing in a second set of double bay doors at the mid wall of the back wall of my shop when I built that years ago. Two of those 24x30 kits will near equal the width of my 50 ft. shop and give me another 30 ft. work area (uh... storage space, that is, hahaha), and I can level and compact the ground then lay cast concrete tile pieces (3ft x 5ft) that will interlock to each other and prove to nosey authorities they're removable and not a permanent concrete slab. There are no limitations of wiring a storage unit on their books. HAHAHA... and those kits run about 5K each, and they each are simple to erect just like an erector set we played with when we were kids. Also, nowhere on their books does it say you can't "insulate" a storage structure. So, give it another year or two and I'll be expanding twice the size of the studio I have. I dearly LOOOOVE fuck'n with authorities and the RULES they put to print. HAHAHAHA....

[mite5255]

Frank, What about a couple of shipping containers on the ground and build a roof between then

http://qldshadeshelters.com.au/commerci ... -shelters/

[F.C.]

Shipping containers cost as much as that 24x30 garage kit. I need ROOM to expand.... not necessarily storage space. One thing I failed to mention is I've been offered (FREE) a CNC machine with an 8 ft. table, the only thing wrong with it is the computer cable lead is severed. This rich dude here in this area came over during that last casting session (his wife is one of the students I've been teaching) and was well impressed with my work and set up. Friday, him/his wife/and two other students with the best potential invited me to join them on an all day excursion visiting art foundries in the immediate region. He's still of the mind to fund building an art foundry here in this town and wants to staff it with good artists and those capable of taking my instruction on casting metal. Further, he's of the mind a CNC would be a major plus on turning out patterns and sculpture much quicker than by hand on a larger than life scale. So... on the way back he tells me this story of how he backed a fella building a machine shop business which included fronting him the money to buy a 250K CNC set up... then he later realizes he's backed an alcoholic and to top that right before he officially went under in business the shop caught fire and the workers chopped the CNC's cable in half and frantically drug the CNC out of the shop to salvage it. Well, this rich dude's on the hook for the loss because he's the primary investor and he said the insurance company reimbursed for the CNC and ever since it's been under wraps at his house. He said he's tired of seeing it sit'n there doing nothing and knows he could sell it online but figures if I could use it (more like get it operative and back in service) he'd give it to me as a gift for teaching his wife sculpture which she's wanted to do ever since she's been a child. A connex unit wouldn't give me but 9 ft. max in width. I would need at least 24 ft unencumbered space to set up that CNC and still have some storage around it and ease at manipulating 8 ft. stock to feed that machine with. I'm think'n of get'n just one of those garage kits first, get it up and wired, set up that CNC then focus on providing internment marker services to fund buy'n another garage kit and getting that connected and wired. Those garage kits are about $6K each. Internment markers run 1600 to 2800 on the average. Folks are literally dying to get one (pun intended). The rich dude's goal is to fund a viable business in the community that's capable of good profit and the ability to train and hire at least 6 to 10 personnel (or more eventually). He purely LOVES sculpture art and feels that an art foundry would be the feather in his cap as his legacy to leave behind when he's gone. He also intends to commission several public art pieces in this county which he's talked about on several occasions in our meetings.

So, the more congested my work space is the more amateur I'll appear in his opinion. As it is I'm par for the course for congested space compared to all the producing art foundries we visited but they were strung out in multiple spaces each compartmentalized from one another. I know this is what I need to do but for getting the ball rolling it's not that critical as I've done a shit load of work over the years in a 30x40 space. So, if he's gonna offer me that gift to assist in getting me kick started into production I'm gonna accept it gratefully and focus on getting it up and running and producing product.

Now, All I need to do is figure out how to run and program one of the damn things, HAHAHA.... I assume there are wiring harnesses available to replace that one that got chopped in half. I also assume there are intuitive programs available for that machine I can screw about with at night on the computer. But this is one gift horse I ain't look'n into the mouth at.

[Rasper]

Another option in many localities is greenhouses. In California you can build a greenhouse without all of those bullshit regulations. And they make fantastic workshops due to the light. There is the heat problem. I had one for several years in Northern California. The light was wonderful. I made a wood heater from a 55 gallon drum and just threw the wood to it in the wintertime. A 55 gallon drum wood heater will get so hot that you can't get within 5 feet of it. And wood is cheap if you cut it yourself.

Richard

[mite5255]

Wow Frank that's fantastic, I'm sure you'll put your heart, soul, blood and sweat into this and make it a success,you'll do well Frank

[mite5255]

Did a little more on the muller today, drilled and cut adjustment slots on the main beam, plus I added a upright to carry the paddles, tomorrow I hope to add another paddle on the middle upright.. I'll also add something to break up the sand as it pass's under the wheels.....This is all coming along rather slowly at the moment