Jack Bally's Workbench

Hey Guys

Found this workbench when we were at Bally's place in Illinois.  I was excited by how different it was.

Jack built two of them when he was working as a carpenter.  The bench is built to sit in the center of the room and is capable of being plumbed into shop air and power.  It also has a very nice vise, a drawer, cupboard, and a shelf that spans three of the four sides.

What are you working on tonight?

-Race 68

Yesteryear Workbench

Hey Guys

I got the chance while we were back east to check in with Dave Groh at Yesteryear in Michigan, I apprenticed under Dave in Highschool and College before moving to Mojave to join Nemesis and Scaled Composites.

The bench-top is butcher-block covered with a 1/8" steel plate with rolled edges on the working faces.  It is built out of four 4" square steel uprights and 2" square runners for shelf support.  The bench is between two building supports that end up being great places to hang tools that get used often.  Centrally located between two high traffic areas the bench becomes a continual great place to work, which doesn't seem like it should work as well as it does.  The loft above supports two fluorescent task lights that end up a little higher than you'd expect but they still do a great job lighting the work area.  There is plywood shelving below, and a shelf above on both sides just tall enough for a standard aerosol can.

Dave's shop reflects his refusal to do the same task/operation/process longer than it takes to learn how to do it right the first time.  Despite having several products in production, Yesteryear doesn't revolve around those production runs, instead the shop remains versatile, like Dave.  A shop changes and grows with its operator, it grows organically, sub-processes leaning on sub-processes.  When I worked for Dave his shop was one thing, as Dave has grown and learned new skills his shop has reflected those changes.  Dave is now learning a new CNC mill and how to operate his new Magnaflux, like every other skill Dave has learned these new skills will change Dave, and therefore his shop.  I like to think this will bring him (like any other builder) closer to some sort of absolute, some sort of master of fabrication, a monk in a temple of/to/for machinery.  The center of this temple is this awesome workbench.

What are you working on tonight?

-Race 68

Tool Box Mod

Hey Guys

The last time our sponsor and friend Andy Chiavetta of Aero Chia was in town I was finally able to get some pictures of his most awesome tool box.  Andy has outfitted his Toyota pickup for fabrication on the road, and anyone who has seen Andy burn through a week of Reno will have no question about whether all that he needs is there.  In particular though I have long envied his toolbox.

Like Andy I have been using the Plano Stowaway tackle boxes for years, they are great but thats not anything new.  What impressed me about Andy's rig is he was not only using the Plano Stowaway but the associated organizer rack built by Plano.  I was surprised how well the Plano Stowaway Organizer Rack, fit in my old Craftsman Two Shelf Side Chest.  This seemed like something worth passing on.

What are you working on tonight?
Elliot Seguin

Cowling Screw Organizer

Composite cowlings tend to vary in thickness, with that change in thickness comes a change in grip length for your cowling screws.  I was recently inspired by a fellow Scaley who used mini ice cube trays to organize his cowling hardware for his long ez.  Not to be out done and inspired by the supply of MTM Case Gard ammo boxes at Karl's Hardware in Rosamond, I adapted an ammo case for the task.  Like the Spark Plug Caddy hack, the big advantage is you can close the lid and reduce the risk of spilling the screws.

The Chassis is the P-100-9 Handgun Ammo Box (I paid $4 for these at Karl's).  The challenge with this requirements for this box is the need to hold both the short screws and the long screws.  The small screws fall down into the pockets and are a pain to get out and then move between pockets when the lid is closed.  But if you fill in the pockets then the long screws won't fit.  So I cut some 3/8 inch fuel hose  into 1/4" lengths and glued them into the pockets.  The ID of the hose is big enough for a long #10 but a short screw in upside down still pokes out far enough to grab with a greasy finger.  Then I put some half inch foam in the lid to keep the short screws from moving between pockets.

What are you working on tonight?

Design Build Test
-Race 68