Muley
Cruisin' Guzzisti
I have always longed for a nice shop or garage, roomy, well lighted, fully equipped with tools of every kind, neatly arranged in drawers, cabinets, or hanging up on special tool boards. I would have a motorcycle lift on one side and even a pit for auto and truck oil changes on the other side. The entire place would be plumbed for compressed air at strategic locations. Of course, my shop would house several motorcycles, from antique to new, as well as an old, restored pickup truck and maybe my dream car, a Cobra A/C:cheer: .
An area reserved for welding and light machine work complete with all the necessary equipment (not to mention the knowledge to operate said machinery
) is in the plans.
For comfort, there would be ceiling fans, air conditioning, and a pot-bellied stove surrounded by rocking chairs and perhaps a recliner or two. The floor would be pristine, covered with epoxy paint and not a drop of oil would be found there. A large refrigerator fully stocked with various beverages is required. I can see a double sliding door leading out to a patio or deck with a state of the art BBQ grill. A kickass sound system programmed to play my choice of pop 50’s and 60’s tunes along with classic country is in the vision.
I have had the privilege to see several such shops, and I can think of nothing else that impresses me more (at my current age anyway), but getting to that point myself seems to be nothing less than impossible.
To begin with, I wouldn’t know how to use all the equipment even if someone gave it to me, much less afford to buy all of it. I absolutely cannot straighten up a mess for very long, and as years go by, the stuff just keeps piling up. If I ever get around to sorting out my tools, I would not be surprised to find two, three, or even four of everything since I tend to misplace things and go buy a replacement on a regular basis.
My garage started life as a place to house two cars, a couple of freezers and a spare refrigerator. The cars were finally evicted when my mother-in-law failed to stop and nearly drove through the laundry room wall, then kept backing into a closed garage door, and added insult to injury by clipping the side of the door with her side mirrors when she backed out. After the cars were put out to pasture in the driveway, I moved the lawnmowers and one motorcycle in. I had already added cabinets along a wall to house miscellaneous tools, and the cabinet top was to be a workbench of sorts. I believe it is against the laws of nature to have an empty surface in a garage, and now the work table is completely covered with junk. The two dogs that sleep under one side of the table don’t seem to mind one bit. They come and go through a built-in, swinging dog door that seems to be the only unobstructed area in the room. Then came the large, woodworking machines like a table saw and router table. Next came a second motorcycle and all of my large stash of Amsoil which I use in everything from mowers to farm tractor. The final straw was the old cabinets, counters, and appliances which were removed in a recent and complete overhaul of the kitchen. The wife has a nice, new “shop” anyway.
The place is almost beyond hope, and I am completely out of room in the 450 sq. ft. area. When I went out there tonight to attempt to put away some tools the idea struck me to see if some of you would share pictures of your shop or garage. Seriously, which of us doesn’t lust for a nice place to get away and tinker with all of our toys?
I hereby submit pictures of the interior of my garage and challenge anyone to prove they have a bigger mess than me.
It is my wish that sometime in the not-so-distant future I can post pictures again showing remarkable improvement. Let’s all make New Year’s resolutions, albeit a little late, to clean up our garages and create something to be proud of. Of course, those of you who have already achieved perfection are invited to show the rest of us pictures for inspiration.
P.S. I finally posted enough BS to achieve the “tuned and synch’ed” category. I was determined to do so until the “finishing the test ride” went away.
An area reserved for welding and light machine work complete with all the necessary equipment (not to mention the knowledge to operate said machinery
) is in the plans. For comfort, there would be ceiling fans, air conditioning, and a pot-bellied stove surrounded by rocking chairs and perhaps a recliner or two. The floor would be pristine, covered with epoxy paint and not a drop of oil would be found there. A large refrigerator fully stocked with various beverages is required. I can see a double sliding door leading out to a patio or deck with a state of the art BBQ grill. A kickass sound system programmed to play my choice of pop 50’s and 60’s tunes along with classic country is in the vision.
I have had the privilege to see several such shops, and I can think of nothing else that impresses me more (at my current age anyway), but getting to that point myself seems to be nothing less than impossible.
To begin with, I wouldn’t know how to use all the equipment even if someone gave it to me, much less afford to buy all of it. I absolutely cannot straighten up a mess for very long, and as years go by, the stuff just keeps piling up. If I ever get around to sorting out my tools, I would not be surprised to find two, three, or even four of everything since I tend to misplace things and go buy a replacement on a regular basis.
My garage started life as a place to house two cars, a couple of freezers and a spare refrigerator. The cars were finally evicted when my mother-in-law failed to stop and nearly drove through the laundry room wall, then kept backing into a closed garage door, and added insult to injury by clipping the side of the door with her side mirrors when she backed out. After the cars were put out to pasture in the driveway, I moved the lawnmowers and one motorcycle in. I had already added cabinets along a wall to house miscellaneous tools, and the cabinet top was to be a workbench of sorts. I believe it is against the laws of nature to have an empty surface in a garage, and now the work table is completely covered with junk. The two dogs that sleep under one side of the table don’t seem to mind one bit. They come and go through a built-in, swinging dog door that seems to be the only unobstructed area in the room. Then came the large, woodworking machines like a table saw and router table. Next came a second motorcycle and all of my large stash of Amsoil which I use in everything from mowers to farm tractor. The final straw was the old cabinets, counters, and appliances which were removed in a recent and complete overhaul of the kitchen. The wife has a nice, new “shop” anyway.
The place is almost beyond hope, and I am completely out of room in the 450 sq. ft. area. When I went out there tonight to attempt to put away some tools the idea struck me to see if some of you would share pictures of your shop or garage. Seriously, which of us doesn’t lust for a nice place to get away and tinker with all of our toys?
I hereby submit pictures of the interior of my garage and challenge anyone to prove they have a bigger mess than me.
It is my wish that sometime in the not-so-distant future I can post pictures again showing remarkable improvement. Let’s all make New Year’s resolutions, albeit a little late, to clean up our garages and create something to be proud of. Of course, those of you who have already achieved perfection are invited to show the rest of us pictures for inspiration.
P.S. I finally posted enough BS to achieve the “tuned and synch’ed” category. I was determined to do so until the “finishing the test ride” went away.
hmy: 
I never knew it could be "worked" with blades.
