Frame builder shop photos

[false_aesthetic]

Hey Folks,

Long story short, locals thought we were growing weed at our shop. That info got to some gang members and they decided to roll up on my best friend/shop mate.
Shit went sideways. And, while we're physically fine and legally in the clear, there would be a serious and continuing threat to our safety if we stayed.

Rent being what it is in Los Angeles (especially with grow operations . . . FML) and for safety concerns my bud has decided move out of LA. My machines were sold. His stuff goes into storage until the move. There's no way I can afford my own work space with $/sq ft now being 3-4x what we were paying.

So into the garage I go!

I've re-roofed the garage, dealt with termites, cleaned out rat + raccoon shit, disposed of all my landlords shit from 1987, installed in door springs, built a partition, sheeted the walls in OSB and will be figuring out the electricity this weekend.

9x16' is "cozy" but doable. And, to that end, I'd love to see photos of other folks with small shops. What issues did you run into? How'd you solve the problem?

Thanks!
-T-

[VertigoCycles]

Hey Tom,

I'll take some photos this week. I spent a week in March building cabinets for my 19x11 shop that has helped quite a bit, but it's still very much a work in progress that get some more attention in a couple of weeks when I can make some time. There are some photos in my IG account of when I was building them if that helps.

I build guitars here and there in addition to the bikes so theres a bit more stuff to organize and I have to admit, it's hard not to let things accumulate on all the flat surfaces. My strategy has been to cover the walls with cabinets and shelving in ways that aren't too cumbersome to my work flow. I have two Harbor Freight 44" rolling cabinets for tool storage and a bench top. I built an 8' long open cabinet above that to hold frequently accessed wood working tools and other things that I need to grab. The underside of that cabinet is covered with 4000 lumen of LED lighting for the work bench. On the wall between the cabinet and bench is a sheet of ply that I use to hang everyday use small tools and frame finishing tools. Under the tool chests are awkward and seldom used items like an extra rotary table, a moto wheel balancing stand and a spare lathe chuck. Basically, from floor to ceiling, there is no unused space...it's like this all around the shop.

Don't neglect the ceiling either. I have a Festool MFT table that I use pulleys to pull up to the ceiling. It nestles above the open roll up door.

One of the decisions that helped a lot was to ditch the standard chain driven garage door opener and all its hardware save for the anchor brackets. I have begun to fabricate hanging stands that will hold my Sputnik fixture and a welding clamp that can be folded against the ceiling when not in use. The Sputnik fixture has a massive footprint for a small shop like mine.

[claritycycler]

.

Rent being what it is in Los Angeles (especially with grow operations . . . FML) and for safety concerns my bud has decided move out of LA. My machines were sold. His stuff goes into storage until the move. There's no way I can afford my own work space with $/sq ft now being 3-4x what we were paying.

So into the garage I go!

9x16' is "cozy" but doable. And, to that end, I'd love to see photos of other folks with small shops. What issues did you run into? How'd you solve the problem?
-T-

Not going to build anymore, or all by hand? Hope it all works out for you. I also would like to see smallish shop space pics.

[false_aesthetic]

Hey Tom,

I'll take some photos this week. I spent a week in March building cabinets for my 19x11 shop that has helped quite a bit, but it's still very much a work in progress that get some more attention in a couple of weeks when I can make some time. There are some photos in my IG account of when I was building them if that helps.

I build guitars here and there in addition to the bikes so theres a bit more stuff to organize and I have to admit, it's hard not to let things accumulate on all the flat surfaces. My strategy has been to cover the walls with cabinets and shelving in ways that aren't too cumbersome to my work flow. I have two Harbor Freight 44" rolling cabinets for tool storage and a bench top. I built an 8' long open cabinet above that to hold frequently accessed wood working tools and other things that I need to grab. The underside of that cabinet is covered with 4000 lumen of LED lighting for the work bench. On the wall between the cabinet and bench is a sheet of ply that I use to hang everyday use small tools and frame finishing tools. Under the tool chests are awkward and seldom used items like an extra rotary table, a moto wheel balancing stand and a spare lathe chuck. Basically, from floor to ceiling, there is no unused space...it's like this all around the shop.

Don't neglect the ceiling either. I have a Festool MFT table that I use pulleys to pull up to the ceiling. It nestles above the open roll up door.

One of the decisions that helped a lot was to ditch the standard chain driven garage door opener and all its hardware save for the anchor brackets. I have begun to fabricate hanging stands that will hold my Sputnik fixture and a welding clamp that can be folded against the ceiling when not in use. The Sputnik fixture has a massive footprint for a small shop like mine.

Sean I'd love to see those picts. I'll go back through your IG acct this week and see what I can glean.

@claritycycler. I'm just going back to mitering by hand. I'd certainly like to find a way to use my Sputnik SS + CS fixtures again but that's more because I'm lazy. Maybe I can rig something up for my beast of a drill press.

[Amaro Bikes]

This is from some time ago, but pretty much same situation, just a different wall decor.
Picture is just missing the Jig, but is about my own size, with wheels, so you can get the idea of it being placed wherever is needed for the handmitering or the tack process.
The total surface actually being used for all process is 4x3,5 meters.

Hope it helps

[randonneur]

Maybe take a look at what Cjell Mone is doing? He builds out of an ice cream truck.
Don’t Fake that Funk with Cjell Mone – Spencer Harding | The Radavist | A group of individuals who share a love of cycling and the outdoors.

Marco Pringle

[Jonny Cycles]

The long story sounds like it would interesting.

Flickr is not as active as it once was, but you may be able to find some inspiration over here - Flickr: The Frameshop Pool

[false_aesthetic]

The long story sounds like it would interesting.

Flickr is not as active as it once was, but you may be able to find some inspiration over here - Flickr: The Frameshop Pool

Thanks for the link!

The long story: As much of a dove as I am, I'm very happy my friend has firearm/tactical training. I'm happy we had security cameras running and that law enforcement responded in a calm/collected manner (he's black/native american).