Mid-rise Scissors Lift in Action

The Atlas Scissors Lift comes in very handy for servicing lawnmowers and snow blowers. I built a 4’ x 8’ platform that sits on the lift and becomes an adjustable height work surface. This allows a snow blower oil change to take place at waist level.

Atlas Scissors Lift

After carefully considering many options I purchased an Atlas Scissors Lift from Greg Smith Equipment to use in the third stall of the “L” Shaped Garage. The lift has proved to be remarkably versatile tool that not only makes car work easier but also provides an adjustable height base for a work surface.

The two photos below show off the range of possibilities for using the lift nicely. In the first the 2008 Lotus Exige is lifted 48” off the floor. The second shows the adjustable work surface in use while building Nordic ski waxing stations.

The images below show the lift in use on a wide variety of jobs performed in the space (so far).

 

Milling Machine (setup)

I finally got around to unpacking and setting up the Grizzly Milling Machine. I brought the crate home in the Remackle trailer along with the stand I decided to by from Grizzly. The jib crane in the garage makes this sort of operation fast, easy, and safe.

First up assembly of the Grizzly machine stand (Part # G5944). The stand is light weight but surprisingly stable and well built.

Next disassemble the shipping crate to reveal the Grizzly G0619 milling machine. The machine and crate arrived in good shape with all the parts nicely packaged.

A single strap wrapped around the spindle casting provided a nicely balanced lifting point for the chain hoist. lifting the machine off the pallet and moving it to the stand could hardly be easier.

I’ve temporarily left the mill sitting on a couple of 2 x 4’s  as I decide exactly how to make a base under the mill to provide clearance for the vertical hand wheel. I think I’m going to make a simple wood base that raises the machine almost 3” higher than the stock height.

Hardware Warehouse

I’ve been experimenting with different ways to house hardware in the garage workshop. For the time being the plastic bin approach seems to work best.

Milling Machine

After thinking long and hard about machines in the garage I decided to “take the plunge” and purchase a milling machine. I decided the Grizzly model G0619 machine had the right combination of capabilities and small size. There are many nice small machines available and choosing one is surprisingly difficult. This machine is built in China by the Sieg Industrial Group. They have been producing machinery since 1988. The quality of their machines is remarkable for the price.

The machine arrived from Grizzly late last week. I am getting ready to bring it home from PICo as soon a spring arrives here in Minnesota. look for more postings about this new addition to the “L” Shaped Garage soon!

Work Bench

The workbench and toolbox in the “L” Shaped Garage pretty much speak for themselves. the only item I might call out here is the metal pegboard from Wall Control. Their products are very nicely built and well worth the expense.

Garage Tools

A list of important tools to include in any well equipped home garage.

Vehicle Lifts… The “L” Shaped Garage includes a both a four post lift and a portable Scissors lift. Both were purchased from Greg Smith Equipment.

Crane… The “L” Shaped Garage has a Jib Crane installed on a steel post separating the 3rd and 4th stalls of the garage. We designed this feature into the space from the beginning. A special footing was poured in the garage floor to support it and the steel post includes custom plates for mounting not only the Jib Crane but also other accessories.

Chain Hoist… The Jib crane is equipped with a 1000 lb Ingersoll chain hoist and I have recently started using a Warn Pullzall portable winch as well. The Pullzall is a really nice tool for lifting from the crane. It has a variable speed “trigger” that works perfectly for this purpose.

Drill Press… I have a bench top drill press purchased from Harbor Freight many years ago in the garage. Despite the fact that it is poorly built and too small it is actually fairly adequate. look for an improved version here soon!

Magnetic Drill… The Bora Magnetic Drilling System from Evolution Power Tools makes drilling holes up to 1 1/8” diameter a breeze.

Metal Saws… I have four metal saws in the “L” Shaped Garage. First is a 14” Delta band saw. Unfortunately it looks like Delta has quit making this tool but there are other manufactures build comparable versions. I also have a Porter Cable Portable band saw that is a very useful tool (it is also no longer built).

Next… I (somewhat reluctantly) purchased a Rockwell Blade Runner. Rockwell describes this as “The Ultimate Cutting machine”. While I might pull back from that description a bit this is an extremely capable and useful tool that I highly recommend.

Finally… A Rage 2 Cut Off saw from Evolution Power Tools. The saw uses a carbide tipped blade that cuts everything from wood to steel.

 

Air Compressor… I installed an Ingersoll rand Garage Mate air compressor under the stairs and plumbed a set of simple permanent air lines to the wall behind the workbench. I also ran compressed air lines to two cord reels; one on the ceiling and one on the back wall of the garage.

Welding and Cutting… We have a small Hobart wire feed welder (Handler140) and a Colossal Cut 50D Plasma Cutter. Both are 120 volt systems and work well for steel under 1/4” thick.

In addition we have a Strong Hand Nomad welding table and assorted clamps, magnetic squares, and tools.

Arbor Press… A Torin 20 ton Shop Press

Sanding, Sharpening, and Deburring… The Ridgid Oscillating Belt Sander is a fabulous tool for a garage shop. It can take the place of a regular belt /disk sander and give you the added advantage of radius sanding with the drums. It works well for any materials.

The Work Sharp 2000 Metal Workers Tool Sharpener is another tool you should seriously consider for any garage shop. Stick on abrasive pads are available for almost any material and you can achieve remarkable finishes with the smooth running system. Finally no shop is complete without one of the easy to use drill sharpeners from Drill Doctor. I chose to get the model 750 because I want the 3/4” capacity.

Wheel Stand MOD

Although the wheel stands include a set of “wings” that prevent a vehicle from rolling off the front or back of the stands there is nothing to stop the car from moving side to side. Since I plan to use “slip plates” under the wheels for some tasks I decided to fabricate a set of guards to “capture” the wheels on top of the stands.

First a simple layout of the bits and pieces necessary…

Then on to drilling holes in the straps…

Drilling and tapping the wheel stands…

And finally the finished guards…

Atlas Wheel Stands

Working in the “L” Shaped Garage on few projects made it clear that the ability to set a vehicle down on its wheels providing clear access to the underside is highly desirable. The four post lift in the fourth stall provides this sort of access but is very difficult to work around in a space the size of a garage stall. After considering more than a few options I decided to purchase a set of Atlas Wheel Stands from Greg Smith Equipment.

The wheel stands are 34” tall and support 1500 lbs each. They include a 3/8" steel top, heavy duty legs, and adjustable feet. The stands were kind of a PIA to assemble because the holes only barely line up (nothing a couple of pipe clamps couldn't handle). As you can see in the image below the Lotus sits nicely on top of the stands.

Adjustable feet on the legs of the stands provide the ability to set the tops in the same plane. A 78” carpenters level makes it easy to get the stands aligned.

A laser line level makes it easy to fine tune the alignment of the stands even further. The image below shows the Atlas Jack Stands I purchased along with the wheel stands. The “short” tripod stands support up to two tons and include an acme screw that allows you to lift as well as support a load. The 30” minimum height makes them a perfect addition to the wheel stands.