20 Foot Shipping Container Metal Shop

[samthedog]

I'm enjoying your thread immensely.

I'm going to be interested to see what your "platform" turns out to be. Primarily, do you intend to lower/raise it when opening/closing the door(s) (my preference) or will you build a stationary base platform and add something to bring the surface up to floor height after the doors are open, or move the whole thing? Moving bits around is probably cheaper but a PITA and besides, you have to store them when not in use. Non-trivial project, either way.

Thanks! The platform will be stationary and I think I will just opt for ramps to roll the machines in and out. The door hitches are what cause the most problems as they extend so far down. I could remove 2 arcs from the platform to allow the doors to swing open, allowing me to have the platform match the height of the container. I am still not decided.

I have not done anything more since the weather is wet at the moment.

Paul.

 

[Firestopper]

Really coming together nicely. Reminds me of a shop found aboard a small Navy ship (only nicer).
Keep the updates coming Paul.

 

[Round in circles]

I considered using OSB for the interior walls of my converted carport, but opted for 3/8 BC plywood. Styrofoam is pretty good insulation. I used 5.375" slabs between the rafters. It is messy to work with. You'll have little white static charged specks everywhere for quite a while. I've found that a bandsaw is good for trimming foam to size.

You've probably already made your deal on the container, but I should mention that you can get an insulated refrigeration container that has insulated and skinned interior walls. The refrigeration compressors and stuff is removed. A friend who lives on the Gulf Coast got one for his shop.

The ex fridge/ freezer containers are fantastic .. we had two mobile mortuary / pathology containers for the honey production side of the farm.
One still with sink, bench and all manner of marine grade fittings & internal electrics . We disconnected the redundant wiring where the generator had been , sealed the holes with a gasketed plate and put in our own 3 phase male socket , bringing the power in via a heavy fly lead from one of the pout buildings .

No problems in winter due to condensation for we had 2 x 25 watt bulbs wired in parallel on in each container 24/7 and a small fan to circulate the air.
In the store container we also added a stand alone dehumidifier to stop any chance of the finished jars getting rusted lids ..it worked well.

 

[Round in circles]

Make a removable wooden or metal slope to get in & out once the back door is open if you make it like a draw bridge you can pull it up and close the door whilst working inside so long as you have plenty of fresh air coming in & bad air being taken out .

That CSC does it not allow sealed fixings to be used in the side walls & flooring ? I seem the recall that in the fridge bodies we had had no end of sealed anchoring on them that held internal bars & beams to fix the equipment and wall coverings so there was no cold bridge path present .

Fixing things.
If you have a standard corrugated mild steel sheet outer skin can you use all manner of bolts such as coach bolts or TEC screws to put in from the outside in the depressions of the corrugations and then bolt or screw them to internal bearers or runners runners just ensure that all the bolts & screw heads have decent sealing washers on them.

I'd also have a serious think about raising the container up on some concrete block piers to allow you to get underneath for you might find it advantageous to put through bolts up through the floors to secure machinery ..
You may need reinforcing strips for each bolt hole and again a decent compressible rubber seal to keep things water tight . You can use square steel stand off sleeves /round tubes of steel with nice big thick washers fitted to stop you dragging the metal & flooring together

 

[samthedog]

Make a removable wooden or metal slope to get in & out once the back door is open if you make it like a draw bridge you can pull it up and close the door whilst working inside so long as you have plenty of fresh air coming in & bad air being taken out .

That CSC does it not allow sealed fixings to be used in the side walls & flooring ? I seem the recall that in the fridge bodies we had had no end of sealed anchoring on them that held internal bars & beams to fix the equipment and wall coverings so there was no cold bridge path present .

Fixing things.
If you have a standard corrugated mild steel sheet outer skin can you use all manner of bolts such as coach bolts or TEC screws to put in from the outside in the depressions of the corrugations and then bolt or screw them to internal bearers or runners runners just ensure that all the bolts & screw heads have decent sealing washers on them.

I'd also have a serious think about raising the container up on some concrete block piers to allow you to get underneath for you might find it advantageous to put through bolts up through the floors to secure machinery ..
You may need reinforcing strips for each bolt hole and again a decent compressible rubber seal to keep things water tight . You can use square steel stand off sleeves /round tubes of steel with nice big thick washers fitted to stop you dragging the metal & flooring together

I don't think I am allowed to make any changes to the outside at all. This was one of the reasons I opted to use glue for the walls and scoured all the shops for screws that wouldn't penetrate the floor. I will be lifting the container onto concrete blocks. In fact the delivery guy was supposed to have dropped it off on the blocks I set out for him but like a fope, he just left it wherever he wanted and left. I had so much drama with the company I opted not to bother with trying to get them back to do the job properly.

Paul.

 

[samthedog]

I was looking for a small tool and cutter grinder since I have several hundred HSS endmills, shell mills and boring bars. I came across a Clarkson MK II for 600 USD. It was in great shape since the owner had it from new and ran a single man job shop. It is quite basic however it has a tiny footprint compared to most other grinders I have seen and will allow me to sharpen all the various cutting tools I have. Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words:

 

[bjornsh67]

Hi Pauls,

That one is perfect for your shop!

Bjorn

 

[samthedog]

Hi Pauls,

That one is perfect for your shop!

Bjorn

Thanks Bjørn. I think we are finally getting to a point where our shops are equipped for most tasks. We just have to start using all the equipment

I picked up a huge grinding wheel from work today that I'll be taking to the waterjet cutters to have converted to grinding wheels for the Clarkson. I think I may be able to get at least 1 or 2 usable wheels from it....

 

[uncle harry]

I was looking for a small tool and cutter grinder since I have several hundred HSS endmills, shell mills and boring bars. I came across a Clarkson MK II for 600 USD. It was in great shape since the owner had it from new and ran a single man job shop. It is quite basic however it has a tiny footprint compared to most other grinders I have seen and will allow me to sharpen all the various cutting tools I have. Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words:

Thou shalt not complain !

 

[Franko]

I know squat about tool grinders, but that one looks like a doozie, Samthedog.