Pyro shed destroyed

[lloyd]

Can you bury the line, Patrick? I know roots are an issue, but a good ditcher would cut right through them like butter.

 

I did that for our house. There were trees everywhere, but we got through it in about a day-and-a-half of work, and it's a remarkable improvement in terms of lightning safety!

 

Lloyd

[OldMarine]

Lloyd, here now they require it to be a minimum of 24" deep with gravel 10" above and below it and the woods are so thick going up the hill it'd be a nightmare and the hill itself is at least a 30° climb for 80'. I have 5000 watts of solar up there now just to charge tools and whatnot but I may look into solar for the giant southern facing side of the roof and do the rest with a generator. I'm lucky that my brother is a manager at Lowes and can get deals on most of the stuff we need to buy rather than my scavenging from jobsite dumpsters.

[lloyd]

Lowes stores sometimes also have "commercial rental" shops within the consumer store.

 

Besides... are you trying for 'full code', or 'full safety'? <grin>

 

Lloyd

[OldMarine]

Unfortunately my brother is refinancing after my Dad left him in a pile of shit by cancelling his insurance and dying a month later s we have to bring everything up to codes for the bank. He'd already put in a claim to the insurance when the storm took the building down and of course the bank eyeballed that. We're at the limit on portable buildings right now unless I buy the lot (1/2 acre) on the other side from him and have it deeded to me. We could add another house or 2 more 12x20 buildings on that lot.

It's a small town full of NIMBY code Nazis and they own the utilities.

[NeighborJ]

I finally bit the bullet and took a weekend off work to clean up my crushed shed. Got the tree cut up today and have ample firewood now. Two of my neighbors helped so it went quickly.

Spent the rest of the evening cleaning out space in the second shed for everything I can recover. I hope to tear down the rest and sort thru whatever is left tomorrow. I am in desperate need for a new workshop and storage area now.

I want to rebuild my lost equipment ASAP but won't have space to store it unless my wife agrees to let me use the spare bedroom-not likely.

[OldMarine]

What did you lose and what did you salvage/save? I'd pull the machines and whatnot from the surviving shed and use it to house my chems and sensitive tools and just elevate and tarp the rest until you can get a roof back in place. It's triage: minimize the damage and treat the wounds in order of severity.

That's my theory on life in general.

[NeighborJ]

I still need to access the back half of the shed but so far I can see I'll need new retort drums, both ball mills, star roller, drying box,workbench,shelving and my 4# BP rocket spindle is gouged and bent. My rocket press is shoved into the ground but it may be OK.

I'm planning on just limiting things to a very small scale until I get time and space to upgrade. I also want to build better equipment next time. I'm glad it wasn't my magazine that got destroyed, the value of those chems far outweigh the cost to replace the equipment. The mag bldg is much sturdier and wouldn't have been as damaged but it's on the other side of my yard and isn't near any large trees.

[OldMarine]

I hope upon further inspection you find much more is salvageable but if not feel free to reach out for help here and elsewhere. There aren't many of us so we need to help each other all we can.

[FlaMtnBkr]

They don't call them 'widow makers' for nothing. Looking at the condition of the top of the tree it's not too surprising it came down.

 

Not trying to point fingers because I know we all have to do lists that don't get enough attention, especially with limited time. But maybe use this as a learning experience to look up and pay attention to the condition of the trees. Even if you just fall a tree or limb and let it lay to rot on the ground, it's better than having it come down unexpectedly. I actually have a few trees I need to drop and may use this as motivation.

 

Hopefully you will be able to re-use a lot of parts from your damaged equipment and rebuild them without too much cost. I need to build a new ball mill but always have something else to buy and being disabled doesn't afford much for hobbies.

 

Most would probably fall over laughing or have a hard time believing my ball mill actually works and can turn a 35# jar and media. Let's just say it didn't cost me anything to make except for the heater hose to cover the galvanized conduit rollers that ride on pressure treated 2x6 pine 'bushings' which is just a hole drilled thru them that I give a squirt of heavy oil before every run. The spinning and weight has burnished and hardened the wood and it works surprisingly well and turns easily when weighed down. It's complete with a rusty 1/2 HP motor I had laying around and all mounted to a scrap piece of plywood with various holes from it's previous role in life. But it keeps working so it's not a huge priority though I keep expecting something to fail but it's over 10 years old now.

 

Anyways, sorry for your troubles!

[NeighborJ]

The truth of the matter here is that the tree was a property corner marker of three separate owners. I had been attempting to reach all partys for a few years but was in able to reach one of them so I let it be.

Mostly everything which got destroyed was as you described, home made, pieces and parts assembled into a hideous and diabolical but working piece of redneck art showcasing the ingenuity of necessity.

My wife and I are going shopping today for a new option for a workshop. I'm keeping an open mind and she is too, surprisingly. The word garage was mentioned but I don't think she would think of it as dedicated to pyro as I would.

[OldMarine]

Hehe, a full sized garage door would make for some great ventilation and escape route but would also tend to draw SWMBO's car in there in the less pleasant months which unfortunately would coincide with your most needed times of occupation!

[NeighborJ]

It may be advantageous to leave the door out of the build.

I think a home built fume hood will be sufficient, but I'm thinking of a climate controlled space. Remember, this is my man cave, couch, TV, and pyro, she has the whole house. Loosing that she'd could be the best thing that ever happened.

[NeighborJ]

Oohhh Yeahhh, just placed my order for pyro shed 2.0 It is a stick framed 12x16 shed with a concrete floor, insulated, drywalled, heated and cooled. I will need to put most of my pyroventures on hold while I build it but this will be worth it. I'm stoked. I plan on building a storage room at the back for housing materials and tools along with a long counter for projects. I ordered a large window to place above the counter so I can place tools and materials within reach from the large awning outside it. I can't wait.

[lloyd]

Neat! I'm about to close-in a pump-house. Oh, joy! (already have a pyro shop! <grin>)

 

LLoyd

[NeighborJ]

Something tells me that yours is a little larger and has a few more toys. I'm just happy to be getting something that isn't an afterthought thrown together in a hasty manner to accommodate an immediate need for pyro functionality. This is my dream workshop and should definitely aid me in performing this hobby in a much safer, organized and professional way.

[chuckufarley]

Sounds awesome NJ!! It'll sure be nice to have a workplace custom suited to your needs. Now just be careful what trees you put it under! 😀