Barncave Shipyard by mbp521 - Scale 1:1

[Cathead]

Mini-splits are great, years ago we removed our furnace and installed a couple instead. They're more energy-efficient and eliminate using all that ductwork that can get dirty/dusty/moldy. Won't work for every house design (e.g. if you have lots of isolated rooms) but we have a fairly open floor plan that allows air to circulate (installing a few ceiling fans helps with this). We heat primarily with wood but the units provide a backup, and are far better than window A/C in the summer. Plus it's easier to close off rooms we don't want to heat/cool as much (such as spare bedrooms) by just shutting the door, rather than closing a vent but still having all that hot/cold air blown through ductwork to a dead end. Definitely a great choice for a setting like Brian's.

[leclaire]

Thanks for the explanation Brian. Makes sense for what you are building.

 

Bob

[mbp521]

Moving right along,

 

Day 14:

The kids and grandkids came over and my son's once again graciously volunteered to help install the mini-split (it's amazing how easily they can be bribed with food). As our kids were growing up, we did what a lot of parents did and kept track of their growth by measuring them on the wall and marking it down. I do the same with the grands, they each have a column in the barn that we keep record of them on. Well just before we started working we decided to update each kids height since they were all there. It was while we were doing this that my kiddos reminded me of something that we did when they were young. I was remodeling our house years ago and we traced each of our kids outlines on one of the walls of the house. The wall was eventually paneled over, but if anyone were to remove the paneling, they would see our kiddos silhouettes behind it. I though why not continue the tradition and trace the grands. So we did. I think my kids had just as much fun reminiscing of their time doing this as I had watching them trace their kids.

 

The granddaughters:

 

The grandsons:

 

After that it was time to move on with the mini-split installation. Initially I was going to use wood flooring for the walls, until I found that the only color that I really liked was way too thick and even more expensive. So I did some searching on the internet and found wood paneling that was close enough to the scheme that I was looking for and a lot cheaper. So I went with the paneling instead. The first wall up was the one with the indoor half of the mini-split. I didn't want to cut in the paneling around it so I threw it up first and we installed the indoor unit.

Now the outdoor unit installed.

 

Day 15:

With day 14 spent installing the mini-split and again my hired help gone, it was back to working on my own. The taping and mudding was completed (we had to leave part of the wall and ceiling open to run the copper and control wires for the mini-split) and I was able to get all of the paneling up. Once again I miscalculated. One sheet short. Oh well, there are plenty of other things that can be done in the meantime until I can get back into town to pick up an additional sheet.

 

Day 16:

With all the paneling in place, It was time to clean up this mess. I was tired of tripping over boxes, ladders and other assorted items that were in the way. So the floors were swept and vacuumed and the walls were wiped down. Looks like the floors are going to need to be cleaned up a bit more before the flooring goes in though. I may have to invest in a cheap mop, not sure it will be of much use once I get done with it.

My plan is to put up beadboard behind the built ins, that is the reason for the gaps in the paneling. The remaining paneling will be installed between the workbench and the upper cabinets. Some time today, my ceiling tiles should be delivered, and I will work on getting those installed. I also need to start working on the door so I can close this room off and make good use of the AC, the days are starting to get a tad bit warm.

 

For now, this is as much progress as I have been able to make. Thanks again for stopping by.

 

-Brian

[Cathead]

Looks beautiful! I thought of a question about your mini-split. Are you planning to leave it on all the time to maintain some consistent temperature and humidity, or only turn it on when you plan to be in there and leave the room to the elements otherwise? Seems a tough tradeoff between too much energy use on one hand but potentially problematic swings in environmental conditions on the other.

 

Although we like our mini-splits, one thing that does annoy us is that they have a relatively narrow range of temperature settings that doesn't go below 59ºF. So for example, if we're traveling in winter and just want to keep pipes from freezing, we'd rather set the house at, say, 45º; 59º is a waste of energy. It's a bit easier in summer when you can set temps in the 80s. So I was wondering what temperature range your unit has and how you plan to handle that dilemma.

[mbp521]

14 hours ago, Cathead said:

Looks beautiful!

Thank you Eric. 
 

14 hours ago, Cathead said:

Are you planning to leave it on all the time to maintain some consistent temperature and humidity, or only turn it on when you plan to be in there and leave the room to the elements otherwise?

For now the plan is to just turn the unit off when I’m not in there, but that plan may change. I’ve got the room well insulated so I’m hoping that it will retain some of the heat/cooling, but that remains to be seen, so I’ll play it by ear. It helps that the unit can be controlled via wi-fi so I can monitor things remotely and adjust them as needed when I’m not there.  
 

As for the temp settings, I know the AC will go down to 60, not sure of the heat. Since it is a heat pump, I would assume the inside temp would be relative to the outside temp, but all I really need is for it to stay a comfortable 72 in the winter and I’ll be fine. And just like any typical guy, I haven’t read the instructions (and possibly threw them away during my cleaning spree) so can’t say for sure what the temperature range is. 
 

-Brian

[Keith Black]

57 minutes ago, mbp521 said:

And just like any typical guy, I haven’t read the instructions (and possibly threw them away during my cleaning spree)

 Too funny and way too true, Brian.

 

 I'm not a big fan of paneling but the paneling you're using is interesting. If paneling was my only option I would certainly consider using it. If it was a bit lighter I'd be all over it. 

[mbp521]

21 hours ago, Keith Black said:

I'm not a big fan of paneling but the paneling you're using is interesting. If paneling was my only option I would certainly consider using it. If it was a bit lighter I'd be all over it.

Thanks Keith. Paneling definitely wasn’t what I planned to use initially, but since it saved me about $400 in building materials, it was my best option. I wanted to go with more of a brown color for the walls, but when I found this, I couldn’t pass it up. Once all the cabinets, work benches and shelves are in, a lot of it won’t be seen. The Admiral and a few others have already told me that darker colors tend to make a room feel smaller, but I’ve always liked that look. Guess that’s why the Admiral won’t let me decorate the house. 😁 To me the darker colors seem to make it feel more cozy. 
 

-Brian

[Keith Black]

3 hours ago, mbp521 said:

To me the darker colors seem to make it feel more cozy. 

 I tend toward the tan to mid brown colors but hey, that's why they make chocolate and vanilla. There's only one person that it needs to please and that's you! 

 

 Now you're going to have a heater/AC and paneling making you feel all cozy.......are you putting a recliner and a TV out there too? 

Edited June 2, 2023 by Keith Black

[mbp521]

4 hours ago, Keith Black said:

are you putting a recliner and a TV out there too?

TV yes, recliner unfortunately no. 😁 I will have a min fridge though. The Admiral told me all I needed was a toilet and I wouldn’t have to come in the house anymore. Thinking, thinking….
 

-Brian

[Keith Black]

2 hours ago, mbp521 said:

The Admiral told me all I needed was a toilet and I wouldn’t have to come in the house anymore. Thinking, thinking

 Men don't need flushies.............. Microwave? Can't forget the microwave. I'd throw in a recliner just in case you got snowed in. 

[mbp521]

More progress on the shipyard.

 

Day 17: The ceiling tiles arrived right on schedule, beginning the tedious process of getting them installed. Each tile is glued and stapled into place, just to make sure it doesn't come down on me. I decided to forgo the use of the track system to hang the tiles on since they take up an additional 1/2" and my walls are already short enough as it is.

 

First few courses going in. Making sure that they maintain a straight line is the most difficult challenge, but so far so good.

End of a long day and I'm halfway there.

 

Day 18: Finally finished with the ceiling. 

 

Day 19: Not much work here, but I did get the bead board installed where the bookcase is going. This will eventually be painted either black or a dark gray once the shelves are installed. I will also be using a couple of these shelves as a display case for my Chaperon & KotM kits.

 

Day 20: The AC works great and keeps the room ice cold. It's almost hard to go outside with the comfortable working conditions in here. Unfortunately I am not getting the most efficiency out of the unit with the blue tarp strung up over the door opening, so I decided it was time to get working on the door.

 

I kind of wanted to go with rustic looking "ship-like" door so I figured I'd build it out of 2x6's. 

 

Each board will be glued together and held in place with biscuits.

 

Most of the inner part of the door is glued together, I installed some clamps and braces to keep it flat. Now to let the glue dry and setup.

 

While the glue dries, I wanted to get a better idea of the bench layout so I drew everything up on the floor. Hard to see the chalk lines, but I think I'm going to have plenty of room to move around.

 

This is where I am at now. I still need to finish the outside panels of the door and work on the framing. One thing is for sure, this door is going to be heavy. Good thing I pre-planned and beefed up the frame opening. It will definitely be a true test of my engineering skills.

 

Thanks again for stopping by.

 

-Brian

Edited June 14, 2023 by mbp521

[Keith Black]

 Love the ceiling tiles. That's gonna be one spiffy workshop, it'll be neat to see the future projects that emerge.

[mbp521]

4 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Love the ceiling tiles. That's gonna be one spiffy workshop, it'll be neat to see the future projects that emerge.

Thank you Keith. I am definitely anxious to get back to building boats, they don’t wear me out near as much as building this room. 😁

 

-Brian

[mbp521]

As time permits, I am slowly making progress on my shipyard.

 

Day 21: More paneling going up for the upper cabinets and workbench. Nothing too spectacular here. I got a late start on this day and it was extremely hot in the barn so I wanted to work on something that I could take advantage of the AC.

 

Day 22: Early start while it was somewhat cool, I finished up on the door construction. Still needs to be trimmed down to fit the opening, but it is done for the most part.

 

Trimming out the door opening .

 

I found this little gem on eBay and had to get it. I think it will set the door off nicely.

 

Making way for the port hole.

 

..and finally the door is hung in place.

All that is needed is to trim out the inside with molding, but that will come later, as will the porthole installation. I first need to get the door sanded and stained. I just wanted to get it installed so that I could hold on to as much AC as possible.

 

Day 23: Time to lay down some flooring.

 

Since this room is in the barn, I wanted to put down something that would withstand the major temperature changes that Texas has to offer. When it is rainy it tends to be a bit humid and the concrete floor of the barn tends to sweat. Even though the room is climate controlled, I didn't want to run the risk of the moisture seeping under the walls, so I went with a vinyl tile flooring. The  tiles have a built in moisture barrier and since they are made of vinyl, they are waterproof. Shouldn't have to worry too much about the moisture with this product.

 

Day 24: My original plan was to completely build the upper cabinets on the wall as well as the lower ones for the workbench. While the Admiral and I were out buying the flooring, she wanted to stop by the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store and see what they had. Usually you can find some good stuff at this place (and sometimes downright cheap), I am forever running across good deals on trim work and other good items. That is actually where I found the windows for my shipyard as well. So we took a stroll through the store and when I got to the back I found a whole kitchen's worth of cabinetry they had just gotten in. Well needless to say, they had more than enough cabinets to do what I needed, and they were half the price of what I had budgeted to build them. They just need a good wiped down, some sanding a a coat of paint to fit my color scheme and I should be good to go.

 

First set going in.

 

Piecing them together.

 

All of the uppers in place.

 

Door installed.

 

Now the lowers going in. I got lucky with some of the lowers. There were several sections with drawers, which are always handy to have.

 

It's all starting to come together. Next on my to do list is to get the cabinets painted up and start working on the benchtop.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

-Brian

 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by mbp521

[Keith Black]

 Fantastic space and that portal looks great, that'll be a nice element. But I have to say, the inevitable tiny bit projectile is going to be as hard to see as summer in a snowstorm. 

[mbp521]

5 minutes ago, Keith Black said:

But I have to say, the inevitable tiny bit projectile is going to be as hard to see as summer in a snowstorm. 

Too funny Keith, right now I would gladly take a summer snowstorm.  Since the floor is somewhat smooth, I am thinking of investing in a nice dust mop. That way, if any tiny pieces do get launched into the void I can at least make a half-hearted attempt at sweeping them up an sifting through the debris.

 

-Brian

[NavyShooter]

That's coming along beautifully!  Well done!

 

 

[mbp521]

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I last updated my progress on the shipyard but I managed to find some time to get an update in.

 

Day 25

I was able to get most of the cabinets painted up and finally started work on the benchtops. I forgot to take pictures of the painting, but who really wants to watch paint dry anyway?

Started off with my workstation area, just a simple corner desk that will hold my monitors and other assorted computer accessories. This section will be a few inches lower than the rest of the bench, for ergonomic reasons. I've found it hard to spend 8-10 hours a day at work on a 36" desktop. 

 

All of the bracing up, painted and ready for the tops to be installed.

 

Corner top installed.

 

More of the benchtops cut and installed.

 

Day 26

My original plan for the benchtop was to build it out of MDF, paint it black, then print out a bunch of old ship pictures and plans and glue then to the benchtop, then coat the whole thing in clear epoxy resin. That was until I found out that the price of MDF has just gotten stupid expensive. So I did some re-thinking and decided to go with some OSB and matte black Formica. This cut the benchtop cost in half.

Prepping the first piece of Formica for gluing.

 

and the first section is in.

 

Moving along with the Formica.

 

Day 27

With the Formica all installed it was time to trim the edges of the benchtop out. I went the cheap method with this and used 2x4's to make the trim. I ripped the 2x4's and rounded them on both sides to give a nice bullnose edge that is easy on the forearms. Again I forgot to take pictures of the ripping an rounding process, but here is the first piece going in.

 

Day 28

With the trim work in it was time to start moving a few things in. I had to clear off my current adjustable workbench so that I could get it painted up and the top modified to where it will work in my new shipyard. The benchtop edging was given a coat of stain and varnish and I moved my organizers in.

 

Day 29

I had a few short upper cabinets left over that I couldn't figure out what to do with, when it finally hit me. The would provide great overhead storage for my reloading powders and primers. They would be high enough to keep the grandkids from getting into them and still be accessible to my reloading bench. Had planned on installing a piece of 1" flat steel on the wall in this area and use magnets to hold my building plans on. Instead I installed a piece of steel angle iron to help support the uppers and also function as magnetic plan holder.

 

Finally I started moving my stash in. I left this corner open for the sole purpose of storing my future builds.

 

And I moved my reloading bench in as well. There will be additional shelves above the bench mounted to the stringers that are currently on the wall. Just need to get those built. I'm going to also make a few modifications to this bench to help hide some of the clutter, but that will come later on.

 

I've got my adjustable workbench out of the house and is currently waiting on paint and some trim. I'll have photos of that project on my next update. Just a few more items on my to-do list and the room should be ready to start creating some sawdust again.

 

Thank you all for stopping by.

 

-Brian

 

 

 

[Keith Black]

 That is so nice, Brian. Such a super sweet job. 

[GrandpaPhil]

Very nicely done, Brian!

[Cathead]

Fantastic work. Getting anyone DMing you about custom workshop jobs?

[Canute]

Well done, Brian. Nicely laid out.

[mbp521]

Thank you all for the kind words!

 

No DM’s yet Eric. 😁

 

While it has been fun planning and building my shipyard, it’s not something I’m ready to do again for a while (that is unless the misses decides she wants a room as well). This project has seriously got me jonesing to get back to working on shipbuilding. Shouldn’t be too much longer. 
 

-Brian

Edited July 20, 2023 by mbp521

[NavyShooter]

VERY nice layout.  I see that there's still big Dillon press yet to be mounted there.  

 

I like how you did the formica work surfaces.  My reloading bench is  a 550 pound steel workbench with a 3/4" G1S sheet of ply that's been varnished on top with the whole thing bolted to the wall for sturdiness.  

 

 

[mbp521]

12 hours ago, NavyShooter said:

VERY nice layout.  I see that there's still big Dillon press yet to be mounted there.  

 

I like how you did the formica work surfaces.  My reloading bench is  a 550 pound steel workbench with a 3/4" G1S sheet of ply that's been varnished on top with the whole thing bolted to the wall for sturdiness.

Thank you Brad! The Dillon has been collecting dust since I got the Hornady a couple of years ago. I need to get off my duff and sell it. My bench isn’t quite as heavy as yours, but with the 4x4 & 2x4 construction it’s pushing 300 lbs. It sure was fun trying to move it in to place by myself and I don’t plan on moving it again anytime soon. 
 

-Brian

[Javlin]

Nice shop Brian almost laughed floor tile on the ceiling never knew they made those.I made a bench out of 2X4's  and capped the ends just like your door with biscuits  and the pine shrunk over 3 yrs I guess and it's indoors but maybe some humidity may prevent that.The door to my shop I made out of Aromatic Cedar been up for a year now exposed to rain doing well just a heads up?Nice work area enjoy the solitude and quiet.

[Landlubber Mike]

Wow, that looks amazing.  Even more impressive that you're building it yourself.  Add a big screen TV and a kegerator and I don't think my family would see me ever again.

[mbp521]

On 7/25/2023 at 9:22 AM, Javlin said:

and the pine shrunk over 3 yrs I guess and it's indoors but maybe some humidity may prevent that.

Javlin, I am starting to have an issue with the way that I built the door. With the cooler temperature and lower humidity in the room and the heat and high humidity outside, the door is starting to warp a bit and not closing properly at the bottom. I have been looking up different ways to to somehow latch the door at the top and bottom to hold it evenly in the jamb, but most store bought methods are pretty expensive, so I've been trying to come up with a DIY method. Still working on that.

 

On 8/8/2023 at 10:08 AM, Landlubber Mike said:

Add a big screen TV and a kegerator and I don't think my family would see me ever again.

Mike, I haven't posted updates yet, but I have a 42" 4k TV mounted above my work station area and a mini fridge is in the works. Won't be long and the only reason I'll need to go into the house is to shower every now and then. 😁

 

-Brian

[Javlin]

6 minutes ago, mbp521 said:

With the cooler temperature and lower humidity in the room and the heat and high humidity outside, the door is starting to warp a bit and not closing properly at the bottom.

Brian I have not had any issues with this door on the shop it's Aromatic Cedar main boards are 1" thick with the outside layers bring it to 1 3/8".I did like you glued and biscuit with clamps with a marine varnish.Termites had eaten 3 steel doors and two frames I live on the MS Gulf Coast so they are an issue here.

[mbp521]

Beautiful door Javlin! I love the smell and look of cedar and I have an over abundance of it on my property that I could harvest and make one like that out of (and would love to), unfortunately I just don't have the tools to mill it it. Definitely don't have to worry about the termites with that door though.

 

-Brian