November projects

[ekap1200]

Well the leaves are all gone and the weather is that dreaded cloudy, damp, dismal day with no sunshine here in New Jersey. Good thing I have a nice warm shop to hang out in for the winter months. I did have a nice ride this past weekend , took the day off and went on a benefit ride for the American Legion post 352. Over 135 bikes attended and the post fed us great food and more deserts than one can imagine. Been waiting for 20 days so far for some genuine Kawasaki parts, so that job will be going on this month.
But I know ya'll like pictures so I have posted a link to Roxio photo-show.
Got some interesting jobs going on this month. And the final revisions to some long overdue projects. Hope you like the shop show.... Can't embed it into the forum until that workaround is found , so just use the link.
Gene Kap.


http://www.photoshow.com/watch/Du3Iv3XF" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[cushman eagle]

Thank you for the slide show,Gene. Looks like you need to put in for a bigger shop for Christmas.

[broksonic]

Nice photoshow.. but it looks like its time for a bigger shop...

Did you have a price on the floorboard covers?

[Lucasind]

....WELL DONE there "master fabricator" Gene ! You are so darn good ...I think your "showin off" a bit there ! I see in your video ...that you remembered the post I made ...a couple years ago ,about that darn tab protrusion...that made a un-professional look ! and you remembered that ! .....


Grind that bugger OFF....and "it's all good"..........I think you should sell the heck out of those rear passenger floorboard covers at the Hurley WI. rally .......Now I wish I had NOT made that "transformer post"......again... GREAT JOB.....................Tony

[ekap1200]

Alright , Tony you got me. But that little cyl head came out so sweet, I just had to show off. Those "pocket bikes" are insane to ride, I can just about bend my knee's enough to get on the darn thing. But the thing seems like it is doing about 45mph. And that little two stroke now sounds like a chain saw engine.
And I do keep asking Santa for just a 40 x 40 pole barn. Guess I'm just a bad boy during the year or he is waiting for me to retire to N.C. The shop was much tighter to move around in a few weeks ago. Thinking of getting that table saw and outfeed table out of the shop and that will free up some floor space. But I still do some wood work also. Pics didn't show it but there are two woodwork jobs in the shop also. One is a rocking chair that is over 100 years old and an old steamer trunk age unknown.
I may set up the die to bend those covers so that one WILL HAVE TO remove that protrusion to install these. Price is still up in the air but will be close to what they went for when available. And that will be without the Kawasaki logo. That 50 horse water-jet motor don't run for free.
Gene Kap.
Getting that darn front fender to fit like I made the mirror trim to fit has been a PIA, but I am going to nail it this time.

[Jim Loiselle]

Thanks for letting us have a look inside the Masters work shop!

Jim in Indy

[trikebldr]

I love seeing other guys' shops! Thanks!

[Lucasind]

Alright , Tony you got me. But that little cyl head came out so sweet, I just had to show off. Those "pocket bikes" are insane to ride, I can just about bend my knee's enough to get on the darn thing. But the thing seems like it is doing about 45mph. And that little two stroke now sounds like a chain saw engine.

That must be a sight to see YOU on a "pocket bike" We had a black crotch rocket pocket bike 10 years ago.... that I bought for the boys, I remember them filling the tires up with the air compressor till they were hard as a brick...trying to see if they could hit 60 mph with the thing. I sat on it ...but didn't ride it ! I havn't seen that pocket bike around here in a long time I think it must have got traded for something else along the line !...................Tony

[ekap1200]

Alright , Tony you got me. But that little cyl head came out so sweet, I just had to show off. Those "pocket bikes" are insane to ride, I can just about bend my knee's enough to get on the darn thing. But the thing seems like it is doing about 45mph. And that little two stroke now sounds like a chain saw engine.

That must be a sight to see YOU on a "pocket bike" We had a black crotch rocket pocket bike 10 years ago.... that I bought for the boys, I remember them filling the tires up with the air compressor till they were hard as a brick...trying to see if they could hit 60 mph with the thing. I sat on it ...but didn't ride it ! I haven't seen that pocket bike around here in a long time I think it must have got traded for something else along the line !...................Tony

maybe its in a shoe box on the shelf dog gone things are small , I thought that little chain would snap off pulling my fat butt....

[ekap1200]

I love seeing other guys' shops! Thanks!

I do too, so post some pics. As kids in the way backs , when pc's and texting toys were not around, we would all hang out in someones , dad's shop and just watch/ ask questions / or just shut up and watch if told to. We all learned allot that way. And cleaned allot of parts and trash detail.....

[trikebldr]

Well, Gene, I don't usually take shop pics, but here's all I have.
The first one is of my huge shop in California before I closed the ends off and walled in my office and bathroom. It was 30' X 90'. Kept my motorhome, three tractors, dune buggy and three trailers, two hot rods and my whole shop area in there with room to rattle around. I loved all that room. Kinda hard to heat in the winter, though.
Second pic is the only one I have of my current garage area where I work.
Pics 3-5 are of my main basement shop where I build my airplanes, trikes and parts for the bikes. Of course, can't get my Voyagers down there, so they sit under covers under the carport. Not my house, so I can't build a proper shop! I would love another 30' X 40' shop!

[Lucasind]

Wow ! That California "super shop" sure can swallow up a large motor home with plenty of room to spare ! Like ya mentioned, Heating that size of building without just enclosing a part of it would be very costly (especially where I live). Did you own your own electrical contracting biz at one time ... and needed a building of that size ? .........Tony

[ekap1200]

Now that's room to spare. My first job at a Kaw/Honda shop didn't have that much room for the warehouse and the shop for 3 mechanics.
And I see an English Wheel in the other pics. What neet project did you do with it ?

If I had that large a building ; my wife would never see me in the house again, EVER NEVER...

I can imagine working in there in the winter, the water-jet room where I spend most of my days barely gets to be 60 deg in the winter, and stays at about 78 in the summer. All metal no windows, it was our material room before we got the jet. Great pics of a great work area.

Gene Kap.

[trikebldr]

When I built that metal shop I was worried about the heat radiating inside during the summers, but their shiny surface really reflects the sun's rays more than absorb. Just a large swamp cooler kept things very comfortable. In the winter I used a propane ceiling heater to heat just the shop area. The whole building was divided inside by a full wall with a drive-through door for the motorhome.
Gene, that english wheel is just a cheap Harbor Freight version of my bigger home-built one. Can't get my bigger one down into the basement. In the 80's I raced sprint cars and made up most of my own panels, not to mention several hot rods. So many things you can make with an english wheel. Right now I am starting on an all aluminum sidecar to mimic the styling of my Voyager, so it will get some use this winter when I'm not working on Tony's rear end. Ooooo, that didn't sound right, did it?
I wish I had a water jet! And/or a CNC laser cutter! I have occasional access to a commercial laser cutter, but not often enough. Takes up too much of their run time setting it up for small jobs.
What brand of water jet do you run? We have a maker right here in KC.

[ekap1200]

When I built that metal shop I was worried about the heat radiating inside during the summers, but their shiny surface really reflects the sun's rays more than absorb. Just a large swamp cooler kept things very comfortable. In the winter I used a propane ceiling heater to heat just the shop area. The whole building was divided inside by a full wall with a drive-through door for the motorhome.
Gene, that english wheel is just a cheap Harbor Freight version of my bigger home-built one. Can't get my bigger one down into the basement. In the 80's I raced sprint cars and made up most of my own panels, not to mention several hot rods. So many things you can make with an english wheel. Right now I am starting on an all aluminum sidecar to mimic the styling of my Voyager, so it will get some use this winter when I'm not working on Tony's rear end. Ooooo, that didn't sound right, did it?
I wish I had a water jet! And/or a CNC laser cutter! I have occasional access to a commercial laser cutter, but not often enough. Takes up too much of their run time setting it up for small jobs.
What brand of water jet do you run? We have a maker right here in KC.

Well the company I work for didn't have half a million for the latest greatest jet.
But a Co. named Ward-Jet out of Ohio had bought out Calipso Co and retrofited the old stock they had. We call it the Frankinstien. It is a calipso tank , using their rack and pinion gantry. Part of their control cabinet with their servo's, A Ward jet control station with Ikuhla software, Igems for the Cad-Cam software , and a Canadian Jet-Edge intensifier pump. With the 575 volt max motor in the Jet-Edge that required a transformer made up as it would not allow a 600v input. Small jobs are a snap with this machine. And with a new nozzle it will hold +/- 0.001..

[Mr Jensee]

I'm getting a case of clusterphobia looking at those pic....

[Avidrider62]

Kinda like Ricks Restoration shop in Las Vegas

[trikebldr]

Well the company I work for didn't have half a million for the latest greatest jet.
But a Co. named Ward-Jet out of Ohio had bought out Calipso Co and retrofited the old stock they had. We call it the Frankinstien. It is a calipso tank , using their rack and pinion gantry. Part of their control cabinet with their servo's, A Ward jet control station with Ikuhla software, Igems for the Cad-Cam software , and a Canadian Jet-Edge intensifier pump. With the 575 volt max motor in the Jet-Edge that required a transformer made up as it would not allow a 600v input. Small jobs are a snap with this machine. And with a new nozzle it will hold +/- 0.001..

Makes me wonder where those guys on Orange County Choppers make so much money that they can afford their TWO water jets as well as several larger CNC mills to make their wheels. I know thir bikes are expensive, but they don't turn out the volume to pay for that many high-dollar machines. Must be all the TV sponsorship revenues they get! Whew! That much money would scare me to death!

Tony, no, never did contract in electrical. Just worked for a very close family for about 23 years. My intent was to get back into sprint car racing and repairs. I financed my racing years ago repairing sprinters between race nights. But, I lived in the big city then and neighbors frowned on me ripping around the streets testing a car out.

[Lucasind]

GEEZ Bruce ! ...You must have been everybody's "favorite neighbor"
I had a "go around" with that this past summer.....where " I " didn't do a darn thing wrong ...... I just owned the house where some "loud bikes" went to ...and from"
After I read the "riot act" to the boys and their following....things calmed down,and back to normal ? ...........................Tony

[trikebldr]

Well, Tony, I didn't have bikes hanging around my shop. I had trucks bringing in wrecked sprint cars and modifieds to be repaired, then we did make noise running them around the roads around my house to test them. The vacant property next to mine was 10 acres and I graded it smooth to make a crude, non-cambered circle track to test the cars after repairs. Yep, we did make a lot of noise, but my nearest neighbor was about 600yds away, and he was a hot-rodder, so we had very few complaints! Friday and Saturday nights during racing season always had a crowd hanging around, but that also gave me a good labor force to do some grunt work.
Do the "hangers" help out around your shop? If not, charge them a cover fee, or just call it an entertainment fee.