Well, I took a break from my progress to join some really great members at the recent Shop Crawl. The first day I traveled to Mike Shelley's house and shop to pick up my Record 52 vise. While there Mike opened up his shop and house to me and what a treat! Mike is truly a master craftsman and it was a distinct honor to visit his shop; see his magnificent art and to sit and talk with him for while. Thanks again Mike.
I then continued my trip onto Burlington where I stayed at the local Marriott and joined all the others the next morning for an enjoyable and extremely educational day. If you have not been to one of these shop crawls before; I highly recommend it! It was well worth my 10 hour round trip drive.
Since returning home; and in between several 3-5 trips for Uncle Sam, I finally finished putting down the 3 coats of MINWAX Floor Poly in my shop. I was able to borrow a very large industrial fan, opened my windows, and used a respirator to apply the poly. The first coat I applied with a 4 inch brush using knee pads but my legs and back are still feeling the ordeal. I waited 24 hours between coats with a light sanding using 220 grit between coats (instructions recommended this just to provide a better surface for the poly to adhere to) and the last two coats I applied with an extendable pole and a deck painting pad. I have to say I am very please with the result:
Since finishing the floor; I have waited 72 hours and finally moved a few items in yesterday (dust collector, planer, shop vac, assembly table etc) and I am actually starting to see the proverbial "Light at the end of the tunnel". I know this shop will always be a work in progress but it feels great to start moving the tools in! I still need to finish a few items: faceplates on receptacle, baseboard, insulate the garage door, insulate the overhead, finish caulking and painting the soffitts, and installing the soffitt vents. I also want to install some better locks for security on both doors. But hey! I can actually say I now have a workshop!!:banana:
ccasion1
Thanks again to so many of you for all the advice, seasoned lessons learned and support throughout this build,
Tim