suggestions/advice for potential shaping room area

General Discussion
1

Ok, here’s the story. I just started shaping boards about a year and a half ago. I have shaped 11 boards and am very, very hooked. I originally had converted about 3/4 of my garage into a shaping room me and my buddy put together. We had pretty much all we needed (lights, stands, dark walls, tools, respirator, etc.). But i have just recently moved and had to leave that precious space behind…

NOW, i have moved up by Jalama (for those of you familiar with central cal) and on the land that i am renting (think countryside, cows) i have a chain link structure that i have at my disposal to use and i think it has the potential to be the perfect set up. It is very basic, no floor or roof; it is simply an enclosed fence. Yet i can’t help picturing turning it into a shaping area.

Here is the thing though. I am renting and do not want to pour money into this project. I want to do it as cheap as possible, but i don’t want to skemp where i shouldn’t.

Some obvious issues are:

No floor, no roof, chainlink walls

enclosed area consumed by natural vegatation and weeds

…actually, that’s pretty much it…i think the potential by far shadows the set backs.

Here are my main questions:

What should i use for a roof? (let’s think cheap for this whole project, i was thinking corrigated plastic at an angle or something?)

What do i used for walls? (i’ve been a vulture on craigslist for any large panel wood scraps people are giving away, sounds like a start, but open for suggestion. I do have the chainlink to work with here, so i’m not sure if just covering it would be the way to go, or somehow using it to my advantage)

What do i use for the floor? (I have been collecting good sized flat rocks at the beach recently i think i want to use in the 8’ x 16’ section. Now this does pose some issues because there is no foundation. I was thinking keep it simple…put something down to eliminate the undergrowth, then some sand, then the rock, but open to suggestion all the way around)

So that’s it for now…look at the drawing (my digital camera broke, otherwise i would have just taken a pic) and let the creativity flow.

*edit

I’m not worried about power, this is very close to my house and i can run an extention cord. Also, i also need to raise the roof since the fence is only 6’ high)

…and thanks in advance!

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2

Hi Bizgravy,

Black concretors plastic is cheap, strong and easily available.

I don’t know about your part of the world but here there are a number of building recyclers that just about give stuff away like old corrigated iron and the like.

Look around for rich folks demolishing old beach shacks.

good luck

Daren

3

From a guy who has turned a chicken pen" into shaping rooms and a glassing factory: here are a few tips. Floor; use concrete pavers of the type that you can buy at Home Depot. They are 12" or 14" sq.(can’t remember). Lay down a bed of sand or road base, then lay your pavers. Fill with sand, broom off excess sand and then hose down. Refill joints with a mixture of sand and cement, broom off and lightly spray with a hose. For walls you can always use the industry standard of “Tyvek” spray painted the blue of your choice. Roof : Fiberglass panels of the type that can also be bought at Home Depot. Otherwise plywood everything and put a blue tarp on it for a roof.

4

Thanks for the info mcding…pavers sound like the best move for sure. Could you tell me a bit more about tyvek? I looked it up but found only the use for insulation (for construction anyway, many other uses). You make it seem you can buy sheets of this stuff…is it like a plexy glass kind of thing? Sounds expensive too.

funny you mention chicken coup, because that’s exactly what the smaller area used to be…

Thanks again

5

This is how I’d do the floor.

start by making a wooden frame, use string and a spirit level to check the whole thing is level and sure it up from the out side if needed, fill the bottom with about 2" of sharp sand, then up to up to about an 1" or 2 from the top with hard core (rubble from broken up bricks, tiles, rocks anything really) if anyones haveing any building work raid their skip.

Fill the frame to just below the top with course cement and as it sets key in the top with a trowl or piece of metal. When thats set get a large peice of flat wood or board that is long enoght to reach across the frame, fill the rest of the frame with a thinner mix of concrete and use the board to smooth it off to the top of the frame, get a friend to help.

When its fully set up you can use a concrete floor sealant on the top.

Then you can romove the suring and screw your up right beams straight on the the frame. box out doors and windows and fill in the rest with lap wood like a shed.

for the roof I’d use thick ply finished with ashfelt.

6

Old garage doors. Go to someone in the area that sells & repairs garage doors,and get dem ol broken down garage doors. Use them for everything, walls, floors , roofing. Put them together with bolts.

But your going to have to fight the Mexicans for them. #1 US export to Mexico, old garage doors.

Plus it will be a great funky look too.

7

As i would love to true the floor up and get it all level and put down a frame and concrete…this is the more expensive, time consuming and labor intensive way to go i think and what i’m trying to avoid. Mainly, i don’t want to spend the money on the lumber or the concrete, although this would undoubtedly be the best way to go.

I DO love the idea of recycling.

Old garage doors sounds awesome and is more the style i’m going for. A little of this, a little of that…cheap and waterproof, that’s all i need really.

Thanks for the ideas, keep them coming.

8

might wanna check but there is a size limit before you need

to get a permit. i was told by a friend that i could build 8x14

without a permit. i haven’t actually looked into it further though.

if your’re trying to keep things on a budget, a permit can be

spendy. also, not having a permit when you should can be spendy

depending on your neighborhood

9

You know i’ve thought about that, but i’m on 100 acres of farmland in the countryside, so i haven’t thought too hard about it. The property owner (my landlord basically) gave me the ok to do whatever i want with it, so i’m just throwing around ideas. Anybody know if i’m breaking any codes doing this? Like i said, i want to keep it simply. To be honest, i’m about to just thow a tarp over the whole thing cuz i have a blank burning a hole in my shed.

10

get some power . . .

oh and lights man. The horizontal lamps and single vertical lamp make a diff . . . good luck on the projc

11

Cover the whole thing with blue tarps. They come in several grades of thickness. Use the thickest that you can afford. For the roof, look into 1" PVC pipe. You should be able to join pieces and curve them Quansit Hut style from opposite posts and then cover with tarps again.

12

I’ll second Surfifty’s idea of PVC pipe and tarp roof. With the arc you’ll get plenty of head room. If the fence is constructed of pipe, you can use PVC “T” fittings to attach the “rafters” to the fence. Saw the “T” in half lengthwise so that your left with a semi circle for the fence pipe to rest in and a whole 90 degree hole for the pvc rafter to sit in. Attach to the fence with metal, pipe clamps. The ones used for plastic tubing. I’d just go with packed gravel for the floor. Its cheap and less dusty than sand. Be very careful with the power. The longer the power cord the bigger the wire needs to be. Same if your carrying more current. If your using a power planer or sander with the lights on you might start blowing fuses, melting wires or go down in the flaming ball of melting plastic death that was formally your shaping room. Send pictures!

You could use the tarps for your walls too. Might be a consern in high wind areas. Not to mention that your local Drug Task Force might come to pay you a visit. Have fun!

13

We pulled a redwood garage door off of the pile at Consolidated overhead door in SB just a few days ago. Painted white on one side, clear redwood on the other. Full dimension 1” thickness. They get aluminum ones sometimes as well. They make great pre-made walls 3’ on centers, 12’ x 7’ high. All you need is two guys and a truck to carry them.

14

this may sound crazy, but has anyone looked into used shipping containers?

if you’ve got the space for them (and it seems like you do), they can be as cheap as one of those kit lawnsheds for your mower. all you need is a couple of railroad ties and some flat ground. where i work (way out in the woods at a retreat) we had to demolish an old doublewide we were using as a storage shed. we ended up getting two 20’ shipping containers delivered air and water tight for $1200 & $1500 each to replace the space. in it’s own way it’s recycling. it’s bomb shelter solid, they’re pretty easy to customize, and if you have to move it can be hauled pretty much anywhere a truck can fit.

-jar

15

Yes, Tyvek is a moisture barrier used in construction. I have stapled it to wooden frames to make temporary rooms. It is white so it let’s in light , but not direct light like clear plastic would. Since you are working with chain link you may want to use blue tarps and attach them to the chainlink with what are commonly called “hog-rings”, a metal ring that can be collasped thru a grommet and aroung the wire of the chainlink. If you use these, buy the special pliers to collaspe them. Much easier than using regular pliers. Can most likly be found in hardware, or fencing at Home Depot. Another thought (even easier), use nylon tyes like they sell at the Depot.

16

Well if you want rycled, strong and cheap, how about making a Buckminster Fuller style geoesic dome from cardboard like and cover it with PVC or a tarp.

Should be ablre to find the patter for ther triangles on the net some where, these thinks can be seriously strong. all in one roof an walls.

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PS ---- I have also used the old garage doors. Great idea. Then just fill in with scrap plywood and 2x4’s from one of the many construction sites in Lompoc or SM. Garage door companys usually let the old doors pile up at their shop until they get so many they have to haul them off to the landfill. They are usually happy to get rid of a few

18

Well, 7 months later and i’ve actually found the time to start this project. Here are some pix of how thing are going. I just put down a floor under my “medium portable garage” from HF.

She’s coming along…