# Xalky's shop! Don't mind the mess.



## xalky (Jan 24, 2014)

Here's some pictures of my shop. All this is stuffed into a 20x22 garage. I have heat and a desktop with internet connection. Who needs a house??:lmao::whistle:











There's a lot of money in there. About 30+ yrs of tool accumulation. All the machinist stuff has been aquired only the past 3 years. Some of the mechanics tools and some of the welding equipment I've had well over 25 yrs. The drill press has been with me for about 30 yrs. Time flys.


Marcel


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## Grumpy Gator (Jan 24, 2014)

Marcel.
Nice use of space.You got enough room in there to get things done.
My shop is so cramed up with stuff I got to go outside to change my mind.
************G*******************


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## valleyboy101 (Jan 24, 2014)

Hi xalky,
I think that you have your space fully utilized, but still have enough room to work.  Lots of beautiful equipment.  Like most shops it seems that you have the world of space - but once you add machinery and more machinery, well you become a master of organization.
Michael


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## xalky (Jan 24, 2014)

Everything has it's place. Not everything is always at it's place however.:lmao: When I spend about an hour cleaning up, everything goes back where it belongs.  I spent endless nights and weekends organizing and labeling and sorting through stuff. It sure does take a while to get it where I want it, but worth every minute. 

When I need to do something, I can find it quickly, get the task done, and put it all away where it belongs fairly quickly.... That wasn't always the case. I remember spending hours looking for that special little widget that I knew I had but couldn't find. It still happens occasionally!:nuts:

Marcel


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## Dave Smith (Jan 24, 2014)

Marcel--a very nice shop--congratuations on having it all organized so handy---Dave


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## Ray C (Jan 24, 2014)

xalky said:


> .... That wasn't always the case. I remember spending hours looking for that special little widget that I knew I had but couldn't find. It still happens occasionally!:nuts:
> 
> Marcel



Marcel,

I'm sure you know that losing things under those circumstances is more likely a case of temporary distraction.  If you stay focused and remember where you set things down, life is good.  The minute you get distracted and start walking around or reaching for things and setting things down haphazardly... -Bingo!  You won't be able to find a wrench that you were using 30 seconds prior.

My shop is now about as "compressed" as yours and I agree with you...  Keep clutter under control but there's little point in being obsessively tidy because, the very instant you start a project, entropy takes over and un-does hours worth of cleaning in a couple seconds.

If I had twice the space and the same amount of equipment, I could probably maintain a better looking place.

Moral of the story:  No need to apologize for what your shop looks like.

Ray


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## xalky (Apr 16, 2014)

I'm working on setting up my shop built CNC plasma table in a section of my basement we call the "wine cellar". I had to dismantle it and put it in storage about 6 months ago to make room for the surface grinder in my garage. I had my brother in law and sister in law come down and give me a hand clearing out all the junk storage in that area so that I could put the machine back together. I'm looking forward to getting her all setup and functioning again. This space is 9x16 and should serve me quite well for this purpose. The machine uses a simple downdraft setup that I implemented by installing a fire blanket skirt all around the bottom of the table. A 1000cfm tube fan provides the suction to create the downward air flow to minimize the airborne plasma dust. It works quite well, and was fairly inexpensive to do. 

I spent about 4 months Thinking about and planning this out in my head. I should be cutting parts in there in about a week or 2. 









This is where I'll be focusing my energy for the next week or so. I need to run a 50amp 220v circuit for the plasma cutter and a 20amp 110v circuit for fan and PC power, plus install some inexpensive lighting. I already ran a pipe underground from my compressor in my detached garage to the "plasma room" this past week. I buried a 1/2"PEX line. The run was only about 30' from the corner of my garage to the corner of this room.

If anyone is interested in the plasma table build theres a write-up here with pictures and videos: http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php?t=7436&highlight=xalky+plasma

Marcel


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## chuckorlando (Apr 16, 2014)

I see concrete so it looks clean to me. I'm in a pretty decent sized shop for the tools I have and it takes all of 5min to un clean it. ahahaha. One of these days I'll have a plasma table. So much you can do with one and do it so fast. Nice shop and set up man


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## xalky (Apr 17, 2014)

chuckorlando said:


> I see concrete so it looks clean to me. I'm in a pretty decent sized shop for the tools I have and it takes all of 5min to un clean it. ahahaha. One of these days I'll have a plasma table. So much you can do with one and do it so fast. Nice shop and set up man



The plasma table is being installed in a section of the basement of my home while the rest of the shop is in my detached 2 car garage. The concrete ceiling you see in the plasma picture is  under my back porch. The house was built by the owner, in the 40s , an Italian mason. The whole shell of the house and detached garage are built with cement blocks and hand parged with stucco on the exterior. The Big Bad Wolf aint blowing this house down. 

I simply ran out of room in the garage to keep the plasma table in there. It was a shame to have built it, and then have to dismantle it for space reasons. I will be running a machine/welding fab shop out of my home in the very near future. The business cards are printed and that's the direction I'm going in. 

Marcel


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## zmotorsports (Apr 17, 2014)

Wow.  I thought I had cramped quarters.  There is a lot of equipment in that space.  Nice equipment and tools though.

Mike.


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## chuckorlando (Apr 17, 2014)

Plasma table is what started my machinist desires. The suspensions and center spools and engine cradles being made by guys like protodie and yoshi all come off a plasma table. Thousands of dollars in parts with very little material cost. Then I learned my heim bungs come off a lathe and it all went down hill from there. ahahaha I have paid more to buy bungs then my lathe cost. I figure if you can build it, someone will ask you to


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## Glitch (Apr 28, 2014)

Damn dude!  That shop looks like a friggin Swiss Army knife! Perfect collection of all the needed necessities...   Rockin shop! I'd love to spend some time around someone with a surface grinder...
looks great!


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## xalky (Apr 28, 2014)

Thanks for digging the "swiss army knife"! Believe it or not, I'm gonna be squeezing this behemoth in there. 





Something will be moving out into the basement, most likely the blasting cabinet.:whistle:

Marcel


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## itsme_Bernie (Apr 29, 2014)

Wow COOOL!!!  No way!!  



Bernie


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## hvontres (Apr 29, 2014)

Ok, We definetly want to see pictures from "Lathe moving day". Threading your new tool in there will be interesting 

- - - Updated - - -



Ray C said:


> Marcel,
> 
> 
> If I had twice the space and the same amount of equipment, I could probably maintain a better looking place.
> ...



Who are we kidding here, if any of us had twice the space we'd have three times the equipment


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## xalky (Apr 29, 2014)

hvontres said:


> Ok, We definetly want to see pictures from "Lathe moving day". Threading your new tool in there will be interesting
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> There will be pictures...if I can remember to take them!






hvontres said:


> Who are we kidding here, if any of us had twice the space we'd have three times the equipment



I keep finding room in this garage for stuff. It's like Jesus with the loaves and the fishes. I thought I was at capacity 2 years ago but somehow, I rearrange a few things, move out unneccesary things, get rid of a few duplicates, consolidate things, and presto, there's room! :lmao:


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## Bill Gruby (Apr 29, 2014)

I could move things around in your shop and have room enough when done for five more machines but then your wife wouldn't let me in there anymore. :lmao::lmao::lmao:

 "Billy G"


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## xalky (Apr 29, 2014)

Bill Gruby said:


> I could move things around in your shop and have room enough when done for five more machines but then your wife wouldn't let me in there anymore. :lmao::lmao::lmao:
> 
> "Billy G"


I couldn't have a better wife for me. She just lets me do my thing...which is just awesome!:halo:   Truth be told....I did catch a little flack when I told her I was buying another lathe.:bitingnails:It didn't last too long. She got over it in a matter of minutes.
I'm slowly creeping into the basement now too.:lmao:

Marcel


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## Rbeckett (Apr 29, 2014)

Xalky,
I got me one of them kind of wives too.  She just smiles and indulges me because we don't share money.  Hers is hers and mine is mine.  We each have certain responsibilities to the house but the rest is ours to spend or not spend as we see fit.   Even when I was traveling on my mid life adventures she just smiled and knew I would be home again soon and never pressured me to come home or to spend more time at home either.  God's good to me to have given me such a supportive and smart woman to have in my life.  Did I mention she is also an ornamental iron welder and can run my plasma table as good or better than me too.  And I asked her to look into getting certified as a diver so we could go to Mexico and she didn't hesitate and jumped right in and got her certs and we had a blast in Cozumel.  Cant ask for a better friend and playmate.  So just expand slowly and don't forget to reach out and tell her how much she means to you and all will be good for many many many years to come.

Bob


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