Author Topic: New shop, slow progress! (Read 26113 times)

John Hill · « **on:** May 06, 2010, 11:26:41 PM »

We have bought the little plot of land and drawn up plans for our retirement cottage, 220 sq meters total and you will note the workshop is a generous proportion of it being 9x4 meters (about the same area as a double garage.

tumutbound · « **Reply #1 on:** May 07, 2010, 01:35:00 AM »

I've never seen a house plan with a Lego room before

dsquire · « **Reply #2 on:** May 07, 2010, 02:31:58 AM »

Ok John, you have me wondering. What is a Lego room?

Looks like a nice plan. If the shop gets a bit small just open the door and spill out into the garage while SHMBO isn't looking.

Cheers

Don

John Hill · « **Reply #3 on:** May 07, 2010, 02:33:23 AM »

Quote from: tumutbound on May 07, 2010, 01:35:00 AM

I've never seen a house plan with a Lego room before

Yes, thats right, we have been collecting Lego since 1973. Trains mostly.

John Hill · « **Reply #4 on:** May 07, 2010, 02:34:32 AM »

Quote from: dsquire on May 07, 2010, 02:31:58 AM

If the shop gets a bit small just open the door and spill out into the garage while SHMBO isn't looking.

Cheers

Don

There is a wide door into the garage for that very purpose, actually for a bit of vehicle maintenance.

dsquire · « **Reply #5 on:** May 07, 2010, 02:41:51 AM »

John

You do realize that you have more room for your Lego than a lot of the guys have for their whole shop. Be nice to see a few pictures of some of it sometime when you have a chance.

Cheers

Don

andyf · « **Reply #6 on:** May 07, 2010, 02:47:02 AM »

Quote from: John Hill on May 07, 2010, 02:33:23 AM

Yes, thats right, we have been collecting Lego since 1973. Trains mostly.

Faced with the task ahead of you, it might have been better to collect bricks

Congrats on getting the land, and may the weather hold during your build.

Andy

John Hill · « **Reply #7 on:** May 07, 2010, 03:13:50 AM »

Quote from: dsquire on May 07, 2010, 02:41:51 AM

John

You do realize that you have more room for your Lego than a lot of the guys have for their whole shop. Be nice to see a few pictures of some of it sometime when you have a chance.

Cheers

Don

Don, the Lego has been set up in an 8x20' shipping container but I have broken it down somewhat to pack and hopefully make room in the container for most of my shop stuff.

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #8 on:** May 07, 2010, 11:45:04 AM »

Nice going John!

We have an AFOL! Adult Fan of Lego!

I expect to see pictures of course.

Eric

Darren · « **Reply #9 on:** May 07, 2010, 11:58:31 AM »

220Sq mt doesn't sound very big John, at least you have got the priorities right though

John Hill · « **Reply #10 on:** May 07, 2010, 04:48:27 PM »

Quote from: Darren on May 07, 2010, 11:58:31 AM

220Sq mt doesn't sound very big John, at least you have got the priorities right though

About 2300 sq ft. We are selling the big house we are in now and downsizing for retirement. The difference will be spent on new toys.

Darren · « **Reply #11 on:** May 07, 2010, 07:05:44 PM »

I see, did wonder if that was what you were up to, makes good sense.

Money is no good tied up in a house is it

John Hill · « **Reply #12 on:** May 07, 2010, 09:11:41 PM »

Quote from: Brass_Machine on May 07, 2010, 11:45:04 AM

Nice going John!

We have an AFOL! Adult Fan of Lego!

I expect to see pictures of course.

Eric

The main layout was never 'finished' so no overall pictures exist.

Some of the trains in their parking area.

Track maintenance gang on their vehicle. (These guys are actually cheap immigrant labour from across the border in the Playmobile world).

Vehicle is built on a single 12V power bogie fitted with DCC decoder chip and wire brushes to operate on the 9V track.

Steam locos require a lot of TLC.

Very rare 4-4-4! It is an MOC with 9 with articulated chassis on the loco and a 9V bogie with DCC decoder under the tender.

Testing the geometry for a spiral, it is only really reliable for the downward direction or for a single loco going up. The track maintenance guys take this a full throttle, up and down.

We have 4.5volt battery trains, quite a few 12v trains designed to run with a double central conductor rail and a number of 9V trains that run on metal conductive rails.

The 4.5V trains have been converted to rechargable cells in the battery wagon with pickups underneath to contact sections of 12V conductor rails. If the conductor rails are live a simple circuit in the train stops the train and the battery begins charging, when power is cut to the section of rail the train takes off under battery power. Some quite complicated sequences can be arranged using these trains and timer circuits to drive the sections of charging rail. Sequences include a loop with a passing bay and contra rotating trains, the passenger train stops at the platform and the freight train stops inside a freight shed.

The 12V trains have been fitted with wire brushes to pickup from the 9V track and the standard 9V trains of course run on the same track.

The track voltage is about 14Volts frequency width modulated AC and the DCC (Digital Command and Control) decoder chips extract control commands from this, rectify for DC and feed pulse width modulated DC to the motor according to the settings at the remote control unit.

DCC also does things like control lighting on the trains and switches track points etc.

dsquire · « **Reply #13 on:** May 08, 2010, 12:00:59 AM »

John

Thanks for showing us this John. I guess that I never realized how complicated some of this Lego could be. I guess that is what keeps the kid in us interested in so called kids toys.

I used to play with 1/32nd and 1/24th scale slot cars and remember how much fun that was so know that there is a bit of kid in all of us just waiting for action. It certainly looks like the new house will give you a great place to set this up and enjoy it for many years to come.

Cheers

Don

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #14 on:** May 08, 2010, 10:13:09 AM »

Nice pictures John! I didn't know they did so many trains. Are some of the custom? Wish I still had my collection...

Hey Don, they are doing some really cool stuff with Lego. Check out the MindStorm Robotics stuff. Or even better, Go to Flickr and do a search for LEGO. Some really neat stuff out there.

Eric

John Hill · « **Reply #15 on:** May 08, 2010, 05:34:25 PM »

Quote from: Brass_Machine on May 08, 2010, 10:13:09 AM

Nice pictures John! I didn't know they did so many trains. Are some of the custom? Wish I still had my collection...

Hey Don, they are doing some really cool stuff with Lego. Check out the MindStorm Robotics stuff. Or even better, Go to Flickr and do a search for LEGO. Some really neat stuff out there.

Eric

Eric, most of the ones in those pictures are LEGO's design but the 4-4-4 is my creation and of course the track inspection jigger is mine too. It is actually quite hard to design good custom locos and I usually leave them 'stock'.

John Hill · « **Reply #16 on:** May 08, 2010, 05:48:56 PM »

There is a poster of most of the official company released LEGO trains at
http://web.archive.org/web/20071110190544/http://www.digitalbricks.nl/poster/LegoTrainposter2003_A3.zip

... the zip file is 3.5mb and produces a PDF. I think there are only two on the poster that we do not have and we have multiples of some.

ieezitin · « **Reply #17 on:** May 30, 2010, 11:30:55 AM »

LEGO Your hurting me!!.....

John Hill · « **Reply #18 on:** August 03, 2010, 05:49:32 PM »

Real progress!

dsquire · « **Reply #19 on:** August 03, 2010, 06:02:36 PM »

John

Glad to see that you have made a start to your future residence and workshop. I am sure that you will have a great following so keep the camera handy and the batteries charged.

Good luck with the build, hope that it all goes well.

Cheers

Don

John Hill · « **Reply #20 on:** August 03, 2010, 06:10:36 PM »

Thanks Don, I am not pretending that I doing this build myself so all we have to do is pay the invoices!

Also, and not the least, I have to clear out what is at our current home and decide just what among my treasure warrants freight to the new house!

dsquire · « **Reply #21 on:** August 03, 2010, 07:13:21 PM »

Quote from: John Hill on August 03, 2010, 06:10:36 PM

.....

Also, and not the least, I have to clear out what is at our current home and decide just what among my treasure warrants freight to the new house!

John

That can be a big challenge all in itself. Ask me how I know.

Cheers

Don

John Hill · « **Reply #22 on:** August 28, 2010, 12:32:01 AM »

More progress!

jatt · « **Reply #23 on:** September 04, 2010, 05:09:23 PM »

Hear it got a bit shaky over your way.

Hopefully you didnt cop it.

Christchurch looks to be in a bit of a mess.

John Hill · « **Reply #24 on:** September 04, 2010, 05:19:33 PM »

Quote from: jatt on September 04, 2010, 05:09:23 PM

Hear it got a bit shaky over your way.

Hopefully you didnt cop it.

Christchurch looks to be in a bit of a mess.

We didnt feel a thing here in Wellington but the new house is about 50ks from the Christchurch! The builder called to assure me the concrete was not damaged and the wooden frames didnt fall over!

Seems like a bit of a mess alright but extremely light damage to persons, a lot of the brick building just shook themselves to bits, fortunately those were mostly commercial buildings and all closed up when it happened.

I bet the chooks went off the lay for a day or so.

Cheers.

DMIOM · « **Reply #25 on:** September 05, 2010, 04:27:47 AM »

Quote from: John Hill on September 04, 2010, 05:19:33 PM

.... The builder called to assure me the concrete was not damaged ....

Well, I've seen guys using a variety of small poker appliances to vibrate out air pockets - but vibrating the whole slab

Glad everyone's OK

EDIT: Having now seen pictures of the fault disruption and the destruction it has caused, am even more glad to hear of the low number of injuries ...

John Hill · « **Reply #26 on:** September 09, 2010, 11:16:00 PM »

More progress..!!!

75Plus · « **Reply #27 on:** September 10, 2010, 10:02:19 AM »

I see that you are going with a metal roof. They are becoming very popular here in the USA. That's the way I would go if I were building a new home.

Joe

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #28 on:** September 10, 2010, 02:57:24 PM »

Wow John

That is coming along quite nicely!

Eric

jatt · « **Reply #29 on:** September 13, 2010, 10:53:49 PM »

Good to hear the house and you/family are fine.

Should see the 'lake" behind my reno at the moment. Cant do stumps for moment, so am held up.

jatt

John Hill · « **Reply #30 on:** September 13, 2010, 11:05:51 PM »

Quote from: jatt on September 13, 2010, 10:53:49 PM

Good to hear the house and you/family are fine.

jatt

Thanks Jatt.

John Hill · « **Reply #31 on:** October 06, 2010, 04:53:38 PM »

Progress on the new shop and house has been going well, wall frames up and wrapped, roof on, electrician been, plumbing done, bricklayer on site, aluminium windows arrived after being delayed by a landslip on the railway tracks for a week or so at a time when all emergency services were busy handling an earthquake.

Bricklayer looks at window frames and notices they are not the right ones!

Builder contractor called to the site but we have no record of what he said.

Bugger..

John Hill · « **Reply #32 on:** October 06, 2010, 05:02:49 PM »

No sooner had I typed the previous post and I get a progress report from the builders, windows are all in (I didnt ask any questions

), bricks will be finished today, plasterers ready to start on the interior. All sounds cool again.

andyf · « **Reply #33 on:** October 06, 2010, 05:10:10 PM »

Sounds like you have heard those fateful words which all who employ builders dread:

"I think you ought to come and have a look at this...."

Glad it all seems to have turned out OK, though.

Andy

John Hill · « **Reply #34 on:** October 06, 2010, 05:14:26 PM »

Yes, I guess the bricklayer got the wrong end of the stick, of course this 'information' came from my wife who got it from her sister who is the wife of the electrician!

dsquire · « **Reply #35 on:** October 08, 2010, 04:06:15 AM »

John

What did the Plumber have to say about it?

Cheers

Don

John Hill · « **Reply #36 on:** October 10, 2010, 11:10:35 PM »

Bricks on! It looks like it might be a house now!

W'shop is at the far end.

John Hill · « **Reply #37 on:** October 10, 2010, 11:21:11 PM »

This is the back of the house, the far away door way is the back door to the workshop (main entrance is through a roller door at the back of the garage), the workshop is 36 sq metres and there is about the same space available for jobs that really need to be done outdoors. I guess if I get it screened off I will be allowed to store junque there!

Bogstandard · « **Reply #38 on:** October 11, 2010, 02:27:50 AM »

Lookin' good John.

All this work, just because you are buying a new mill

John

John Hill · « **Reply #39 on:** October 11, 2010, 03:36:46 AM »

Quote from: bogstandard on October 11, 2010, 02:27:50 AM

Lookin' good John.

All this work, just because you are buying a new mill

John

I dont know about the new mill yet John! That depends on how much we can get for the present house!

Darren · « **Reply #40 on:** October 11, 2010, 03:56:25 AM »

Crikey John that's fast work. Nice brickwork, are they real bricks?

John Hill · « **Reply #41 on:** October 11, 2010, 01:21:07 PM »

Quote from: Darren on October 11, 2010, 03:56:25 AM

Crikey John that's fast work. Nice brickwork, are they real bricks?

"Real"? They are Australian bricks!

I am pretty sure they are baked but I do not know what goes into the mix, obviously there is a lot of silica sand as the bricks have glitters throughout.

Bogstandard · « **Reply #42 on:** October 11, 2010, 03:14:44 PM »

John,

Quote

obviously there is a lot of silica sand as the bricks have glitters throughout

Wrong!!

Beach sand, barbeque ash and ground up sequins, all bonded together with bullsh.

I won't mention where the sequins come from.

Bogs

John Hill · « **Reply #43 on:** October 11, 2010, 03:37:25 PM »

Quote from: bogstandard on October 11, 2010, 03:14:44 PM

John,

Beach sand, barbeque ash and ground up sequins, all bonded together with bullsh.

Australian to the core then eh?

Quote

I won't mention where the sequins come from.

Bogs

That would be "Kings Bloody Cross mate" ***

*** Nino Collota, "They're a weird mob", circa 1955.

News:

Author Topic: New shop, slow progress! (Read 26113 times)

tumutbound