Made my last major purchase tonight, at least until I begin having an income again.
Bought a 45' aluminum truck box for more storage. Unfortunate that it has no doors and will be "Fun" to move as it has no axles either. Good that it is only a couple of blocks away. Life in the sticks can be pretty good at times.
At $650.00 plus moving cost I think I did OK. If nothing else I may use it as an instant parking garage.
Tonights reading assignment will be the assembly instructions for the Tents. 
In the end I will have a 1440' workshop Tent on concrete, with a 2-post lift at one end.
1200' Tent on compacted DG for inside vehicle storage.
360' truck box, 176' truck box, and 192' truck box for parts/stuff storage.
All arranged in a rectangle creating 2400' of enclosed outdoor storage. Eventually I will put up gates at the gaps to make the outside space even more private. Oh, and I already have a wooden 12x24 storage shed that is overstuffed.
Despite all of this new storage I am still intent on thinning down the "Stuff", duplicate tools, excess clothes, camp gear, etc. In the end I must have an organized uncluttered shop!
' = Square feet, there is probably a key for the correct symbol but I am not finding it.
Managed to get the first truck box home, loading did not go smoothly. The forklift intended to be used seems to have an issue, it will not lift a significant load. In the end we had to abuse a backhoe and drill pipe. At least unloading was easy.
Still need to spot it properly, clean it out, and paint inside.
First truck box cleaned of dust, tomorrow I hope to paint the inside.
Should be properly set in place by Wednesday. Then I may begin carefully filling it up. This will be the short term storage box.
Second box is to be set up by the end of the week. It is going to be more of a chore to clean up and repair the floor near the door.
Made a deal to be rid of the box's contents, getting $300 for all the left over electrical contractor items. "Worth" much more, but I certainly do not have time or inclination to sort, research value, catalog, and feeBay it all.
Also by end of the week I will finally be getting some use from my concrete slab. The Tent is not up yet but I need a stable work area to finish my truck. It will not fit into the old shop I have been renting.
Also ordered the anchor bolts today so that the Tents will be done around the end of the month.
$300 for all the left over electrical contractor items. "Worth" much more, but I certainly do not have time or inclination to sort, research value, catalog, and feeBay it all.
$300 for a very low-effort sale is a great ROI, and allows you to spend your time and energy in ways that align with your goals. Well done!
Best of all, I no longer have to deal with removing the rest from the truck box prior to moving it. Buyer will come to the house and take everything I had already brought home too.
Started painting inside the first box, switching to sealer as the dry wood just absorbs paint.
$300 is a LOT better than having to PAY someone to clean it out!
Always think of that when I see bus seats for sale... uh, their kidding right?
Final shipment of the fabric arrived this morning. If I did not have so many other irons in the fire I could finally assemble the shop!
At least the slab is getting some use, brought my flat-bed Chevy home to finish putting in the engine and NV4500 conversion. Nice to have a stable floor and be able to use my creeper.
Hope the weather holds for a few days since the tent is not assembled.
Any update on this? Looking forward to some set-up pics and thoughts.
SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:
If I ever pour a shop floor again, I intend to have a couple locations where I imbed a piece of 2" square tubing so I can use something like this as a temporary anchor point.
It would be strong as crap, but removable, so there would be no trip hazard.
I would be worried about that coming out at the worst possible time since there's no way to lock it into that inset tube. I'd rather screw a monster eyebolt into a threaded receiver in the floor instead and just have a screwed-in plug the rest of the time. It's a good idea though.
Our local city shops have one of the fabric "quonset" tents. They put it on a base of concrete blocks about 4' high so you have some vertical wall before the arch begins.
dankspeed said:
Any update on this? Looking forward to some set-up pics and thoughts.
Wind and snow have been a pain, also rushing to complete my truck so that it will be running for me to move out of the rented shop by the end of this month. Truck is "almost" done, as it has been for several weeks. 
But at this point I may actually get to drive it by the end of the week.
In theory the shop can be assembled in only two days, might be true for the second unit but I'm going with three to four for the first one.
Hiring some semi-pro help in the morning, I need this DONE!
Keith Tanner said:
SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:
If I ever pour a shop floor again, I intend to have a couple locations where I imbed a piece of 2" square tubing so I can use something like this as a temporary anchor point.
It would be strong as crap, but removable, so there would be no trip hazard.
I would be worried about that coming out at the worst possible time since there's no way to lock it into that inset tube. I'd rather screw a monster eyebolt into a threaded receiver in the floor instead and just have a screwed-in plug the rest of the time. It's a good idea though.
Our local city shops have one of the fabric "quonset" tents. They put it on a base of concrete blocks about 4' high so you have some vertical wall before the arch begins.
I hear you, and you're right. There is no way to lock it into the insert tube. But all the pulling would be at 90* to the tube, and I see no risk whatsoever.
Picture a trailer hitch installed with no pin in the receiver. You can tie a rope to it and pull 90* to the receiver tube all day without risk of it pulling out.
It's not for lifting. It's for dragging.
I understand the physics, but I'd still be screwing mine in because you'll never be completely at 90* especially as you get close. And if you'll pulling hard, that vertical component may end up being enough for things to get exciting. The screw-in variant wouldn't be much more difficult to implement and use, so the effort/reward ratio is a good one.
They ended up putting this 30x50 up in my backyard in 4 days once everything was delivered. So I'd imagine they can put yours up pretty quickly.
https://youtu.be/9dMMxPi8H3w
1. Get the salesman to send you the link to instructions before delivery or pad preparation. I never got to see them until delivery, after my cement pad had been poured. This looked like a possible issue as they want two 4x4 post sunk into the ground as end supports. Fortunate that there is an alternative I will be using.
2. The self tapping screws are not impressive, they take a fair amount of force to get to cut.
3. Hammer drilling 100 or more holes in concrete to take anchor bolts is a pain. Maybe not bad for the young and buff, but that is not me.
4. Lifting an arch 15.5' into the air and holding it there long enough to repeat the process until a second arch (Truss) can be erected and tied to the first. Instructions suggest ropes, I suggest a man-lift of some sort, scaffolding can work but is a real chore to use.
5. Schedule help, there is no way one man can do this, two is possible, three is ideal.
6. Erecting the second unit will go much faster since I will have the experiance of the first.
I do not envy you all that drilling. The hammer drill is my least favorite tool to have to use.
Looking good! After pricing out the telehandler and the problem of finding reliable help I was happy to pay $9k for the install on mine.
Finally found a couple of younger guys willing to do a days work!
Now nearly moved out of the shop in town. Had to rush so everything is a jumble, so glad this is the LAST time I will ever have to move shop.
As always moving the Mill and Lathe are both just a bit more exciting and difficult than any sane person wishes to experience.
With the move complete I will be able to return to assembling the building, then rearrange everything one Last? time.
Pics, not the happy pics of a complete building but a lot of the contents are on the pad.
Hope to complete at least the hoop structure over the weekend.
Doesn't the stuff in the way make it much harder to finish the structure?
Not too bad as I've made a serious effort to have as much as possible on wheels. Also have a pallet jack.
Certainly not so bad as continuing to see $800.00 a month siphoned off to rent.
How is the shop coming along?
Some notes.
1. Get the salesman to send you the link to instructions before delivery or pad preparation. I never got to see them until delivery, after my cement pad had been poured. This could have been an issue as they like two 4x4 post sunk into the ground as end supports.
2. The self tapping screws are not impressive, they take a fair amount of force to get to cut. Do not run the driver too fast, heat kills the screw tip.
3. Hammer drilling 100 or more holes in concrete to take anchor bolts is a pain. Maybe not bad for the young and buff, but that is not me.
4. A scissor lift is best for assembly if you can get one, a Tele-handler cost twice as much to rent and requires two people. I have a borrowed scaffold with no wheels so a pain to use, and a platform carried by my forklift which is much easier to use. Without the old Clark 6K this would be going even slower.
Nearing completion of the structural hoops and end walls. I've got the cable supports run and am now tightening them and duct-taping over cables where they will contact the fabric.
I ended up relocating the ratchets to the outside when I realized that despite instructions stating they could be mounted inside or out, inside was going to create problems with the next few steps.
Finding it incredibly difficult to find sober and reliable help. I've hired a few guys, but once they have a few bucks in their pocket you may never see them again. Note to self, DO NOT fall for "I have to pay my bail supervision fee by the end of today" ever again!
The "These can be assembled in two days" is a myth unless you have done a few and have at least three guys. I am sure the second will go faster but the labor/help issue is unlikely to change. So I am doing nearly all the work on my own, a bit sketchy at times up on ladders or platforms in the wind, and I am unsure if this is even possible for putting the fabric on.
Recent pic.
This is the second time I've recently heard complaints about hammer drilling in concrete. I do this nearly every day, and frankly you are doing it wrong.
A decent SDS hammer drill and a good condition bit (preferably with 4 cutting edges) will make light work of this. I could easily drill 100 holes in about an hour or two.
Drills like this are available for rent cheaply at Home Depot.
If you are trying to do it with a cordless tool or a drill that's too small or a low quality bit, well yeah that will take forever.
