# Shop Disaster>>>



## follow3 (May 17, 2008)

Hey All,

Not a very good evening at the follow3 shop tonight.

I worked in the shop last night till about 9:30 p.m. when I left everything was hunky dory. I went to go to the shop this evening, (the shop is a 24 x 24 detatched garage in my back yard) just before dark and the first thing I noticed was the concret under the entry door and garage door was wet. Not good! I opened the door to find 3 inches of water in the floor and a 1/4" water hose (used to be hooked to a water filter)shooting water completely across my shop.

It really sucks to see water dripping off of your rusted up Jet 12-36 lathe. Even suckier to see water running out of the cabinet of your Jet Super Saw, or your reciprocating miter saw, 3 1/4 horse router mounted on a Jessem lift in the saw extension.....the list goes on and on.

The best I can figure is it must have happened shortly after I left the shop last night, and sprayed all night, almost 22 hours. There is water standing on every surface in the shop. It sprayed things 24 ft. away. There are drawers that are completely full of water...and hand held power tools. Even my full size oven I use for powder coating is soaked.

Thanks for giving me a place to vent... my wife is sympathetic, but I don't know if she understands just how deep this hits. Next to my son, her and my family...this is my prized posession, my hide away.

Thanks,
Steve


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## THarvey (May 17, 2008)

Steve, 

I am sick to the pit of my stomach for you.  I hope everything dries out well.

Tim


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## barrels (May 17, 2008)

Steve,

Best wishes, I was had a major flood were the water ran for 4 days before I returned home.... oh God what a pain in the #$%^&*...


good luck


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## leehljp (May 17, 2008)

My heart goes out to you. I know that you are onto it but some suggestions are to get the water wiped off as fast as possible. 
Go to a dollar store and get some cheap towells and go from machine to machine; 
Get some box fans from Walmart and get the air to circulating. 
Get as much denatured alcohol as possible and pour on mechanical joints, connections and sliding places and then blow out the alcohol with compressed air if you have an air compressor.
Alcohol will mix with the wet areas and help it evaporate much faster.

Electronics given up for lost because of being dropped in water often come back to life after having been given a bath of alcohol and blow dried.

Then, re-do the process by wiping down with light oil. I use 0000 steel wool dipped in oil for removing rust. Be careful of using oily sprays that contain silicone - on surfaces that will contact the wood. It will mess up finishes later on.

From the size of your shop and the tools that you have, I suspect you already know the above, but if it helps someone else to know what to do, then it is worth the post.

My heart goes out to you.


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## LEAP (May 17, 2008)

Man that just plain sucks! Hope you homeowners policy covers everything. Look on the bright side think of all the fun you'll have shopping for new tools.


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## follow3 (May 17, 2008)

Thanks Everyone,

Those are some good tips, keep them coming Y'all.

I have already contacted Allstate and they have a flood team in touch with me and are due to arrive within the hour to extract the standing water and hook up some large fans and dehumidifiers.

Thank God for insurance. I have an appointment set with the adjuster on Wed.

Other than the rust on the cast iron, what should I be concerned with as far as the machinery?

electrical, motors, gears and moving parts....etc...

I know that I can clean up the rust on the surfaces and dry the machines out and fire them up, but what effect will it have on moving parts and electrical parts in the future? Will this affect the longevity of the machines?

Steve


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## DonNC (May 17, 2008)

I am so sorry!  I guess maybe think lemonade instead of lemons. Your shop could have burned up or maybe theives made off with everything.

I know that's no consolation.  Sometimes life just isn't fair..

Take care. [8)]


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## les-smith (May 17, 2008)

Sorry to here about your troubles.  Hank had some great info.  It sounds like you got it under wraps with the flood team coming.  I think you'll be surprised how good it all turns out.  Just a speed bump.  You'll be up and running soon.


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## 1JaredSchmidt (May 17, 2008)

I know how that feels,but not quite that bad. I feel really sorry for you.[V]


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## TellicoTurning (May 17, 2008)

Steve,
That sucks, but if the tools are ruined, insurance should replace them for you... I've been lucky and never had much water damage, been burglarized a few times and always insurance came through with replacements, except the first time before I realized I didn't have full replacement coverage on my house.


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## Draken (May 17, 2008)

Sorry to hear of your troubles and I do hope insurance gets you dried out and turning in no time!


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## Russianwolf (May 17, 2008)

I agre that you may be surprised at how many things work after they are dry. Just let them fully dry before turning them on.

Also, WD-40 can be a friend in things like this. It displaces water so it is very effective at preventing rust from getting into hinges and other moving parts. While I wouldn't recommend it a regular lubicant since it will attract sawdust, preventing the water damage may be more important right now.


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## nava1uni (May 18, 2008)

After the major water is cleaned up get containers of silica and put it around the shop it will continue to absorb the water that is deep into places.  This stuff comes in large containers and can be reused once it drys out.


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## Kadmos (May 18, 2008)

I'd get WD40 on the stuff you want to try to save pronto.  Even just sraying it on and letting it sit would be fine short term.

Letting fans suck circulate the air is a BAD idea until you can displace some of that water from things like tabletops.

Things are actually less likely to rust sitting under water, it's once the air hits them you really start having problems.

Most of your cleanup can be wd40 rags and steel wool.  Motors are going to have to be taken apart probably and cleaned with acohol or contact cleaner

Be real careful about anything eletrical, Alot of corded stuff can get water in the cords up near the motor side

On the bright side you get to clean up the place and try to maximise space!


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## RonInSpringTX (May 18, 2008)

Steve, so sorry, hope everything cleans up well, dries out. Wouldn't insurance cover this?? it does on toilets/tubs/other water related stuff!!


sorry again, Ronnie


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## NewLondon88 (May 18, 2008)

OUCH!!
Sorry to hear about this. I can imagine the feeling in your stomach when you saw this. Must have made you wonder whether to run into the shop or into the bathroom first..

leehljp is 100% correct on the denatured alcohol, but on anythign electrical I might flush with distilled water first, then the denatured. The water that's in there now might leave 'stuff' behind.. and that's the stuff that might interfere.

The distilled water will wash off minerals deposits or other nasties that are in the water, then the denatured alcohol will bond with the water and help in evaporation. Compressed air will get the water and alcohol out of the crevices and speed the drying.

I've saved water damaged circuit boards, dunked cell phones, pagers, flashlights and more this way, but the important thing is to get distilled water in to flush out deposits, and then get the water out with the alcohol and compressed air. Do this before everything dries.

As for the rust on the cast iron, I've had good luck with naval jelly and a spray can of some stuff from Locktite, I forget what it's called, but it bonds with the rust and converts it back to somethign that will stick to the metal. I wouldn't use this on anything electrical, but it's good on the stands and frames.. sheet metal, etc.

As for the electrical equipment .. if you can flush with distilled water ASAP and then again with denatured alcohol, then blast out the water with compressed air .. I'd say your chances fo saving the equipment are pretty darned good. And if you flush well, you shouldn't have a problem with longevity. 

Warning:  I am not an expert. I just play one in my mind.


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## VisExp (May 18, 2008)

Steve, I can only imagine how you must be feeling.  I'm sorry you are going through this.  

For cleaning rust you might want to look at a product called Evaporust http://www.evaporust.com/

I recomended it to another member who was restoring a band saw.  He posted some before and after pictures, you can see them in this post http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=36838


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## mitchm (May 18, 2008)

Steve, so sorry to hear about this! Hang-in there, hopefuly all works out. Wish I was near enough to come help you sort out the mess.


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## Marc Phillips (May 18, 2008)

Wow... makes me sick just thinking about it.... 

You have a lot of work ahead of you... I feel for ya...

Not much you can do now but roll up the sleeves and dig in....

Good luck


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## Gary Max (May 18, 2008)

I am kinda going a different route with this----just think of all the new tools you are going to buy.
That what you bought insurance for---start putting together a list of tools and what the new repalcement cost is going to be---look for things like MSRP---you are only going to get a ajusted amount so you need to start at the top.
The claim is something you really want to do right the first time.
After reading your post I relized how happy I was about not having running water in my shop---I would also be ill to find the mess you have. Sorry about the nightmare you must be going through.


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## leehljp (May 18, 2008)

Some one mentioned silica in an earlier post - That sounds good and gave me another idea - some kitty litters do well at soaking up water on the floor. I don't know if KL will affect anything in a negative way but that should be one way to "wick" moisture out of the floor, wall edges, and around equipment stands. I am not sure of the procedure for disposing of kitty litter. Just and idea.


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## darrylm (May 18, 2008)

been there, it sucks. back in '05 I had 4.5 feet of water in my basement workshop. my only saving grace was I was there and had the help of my nephew and father-in-law to pull equip and wood out as the water kept rising (ther was no shutting off the water in this case).
sorry to hear about your shop.


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## follow3 (May 18, 2008)

Hey All,

First off...Thanks everyone for the responses, sympathy and ideas. There are far too many to answer individually, so I will just give updates on what's happening from time to time.

The flood crew came out at about 11:00 p.m. last night with a truck and a machine that pretty much vacuumed out all the standing water. Then they brought in 2 huge dehumidifiers and 2 big blowers and got them running.

The foreman of the crew said they will get it dry over the weekend then this week they will come and remove all the drywall from one wall, and about 1 foot of drywall all the way aroung the rest of the shop to get the insulation dry. Then it is up to me and the adjuster to sort out the re-construction/repairs.

I was instructed not to touch anything until I settle with adjuster. I know I can probably clean rust off and blow motors out, but the thing that worries me is: I spent a lot of time researching most of my purchases and a lot of money to ensure I would be getting machines I would not have to buy again in my lifetime. I worry about how they will be affected over time. Maybe I am too worried, I just don't want to settle now and it cost me 2 or 3 years from now.

All that is probably just worry for nothing, I haven't even met the adjuster yet. I know Allstate is a very good company to deal with, so I should be OK. I am very impressed with their response thus far. They were out within 2 hours, and when I went in there this afternoon, the place is pretty darn dry.

I am going to try to look at this like a few of you have suggested, this will be a time to re-do some things I wasn't happy with before and clean and organize everything. And probably replace a few items as well.

PS: To give an idea of the amount of water that was sprayed into my shop, I have a 33 gallon trash can that was located about 12 ft. from the source of the leak. It has about 16" of water in it!!!

Thanks a billion Y'all,
Steve


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## leehljp (May 18, 2008)

Steve,

Keep us posted as to how the adjuster/adjustment works out. Thanks for being kind enough to post this.


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## Russianwolf (May 18, 2008)

One more thought, start finding out how much replacement motors are for the big tools. In most cases that's the only part that can't be fixed with water damage.


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## monkeynutz (May 18, 2008)

Man, this incident takes suckage to a new level...  Only observation I can offer beyond what already has been mentioned is that you may get some gratification shopping for *new tools* to replace those that cannot be made right.  Hope you get whole again soon!


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## Fred (May 19, 2008)

Steve,  just sent you a PM about this.

I suggested the generous us of WD-40 to him. I had a similar disaster several years ago and WD-40 - about 4 gallons of the stuff really saved by shop and all my tools. WD = Water Displacement and the 40 is the 40th formula they tried that actually worked. The stuff is an amazing water treatment. Expensive but definitely worth it.

I have polished my lathe's ways with a sanded using WD-40 as a lubricant. Try it you just might be surprised as to the benefits. Polish and wipe clean all your metal parts and surfaces. Also, polish the tabletop of your drill pres and table saws. Sure improves on the wood's ability to move around with your help. Again, polish and wipe excess off really well to prevent staining of any wood surfaces.


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## palmermethod (May 19, 2008)

> _Originally posted by follow3_
> 
> Thanks Everyone,
> 
> ...



Steve, you are perfectly within your rights to have your own adjuster review the damage. Then they and your insurer can sort out the differences but the bottom line is the best possible settlement for you. Good luck on a bad situation.


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## thewishman (May 19, 2008)

That was a quick response! Hope the rest of the process goes as well. No drying advice from me - just best wishes on a fair and swift settlement, so you can get back to using your shop again.

Chris


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## follow3 (May 19, 2008)

That is interesting. I never knew you could do that. Where would I find an adjuster to come check it out?

I am hoping that I will not need to do anything drastic. Allstate has been great so far. We have been with them for over 12 years without a claim, so hopefully that will help. But just in case, I wouldn't mind getting a second opinion. I am just afraid the adjuster is going to say...just clean them up with steel wool and they are ok. I know they will work now, I just worry about the future of the motors, wiring, gears and bearings.

They came in today and cut out some of the drywall and removed the insulation and have blowers blowing into the holes. The dehumidifiers are still running as well.

Steve



> _Originally posted by palmermethod_
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## GBusardo (May 19, 2008)

> _Originally posted by follow3_
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Steve,  This line really hit me like a ton of bricks.   A few years back,  my fishing tackle box was robbed out of my truck. Yes, most everything can be replaced, but there were some lures and tackle in there my dad had given me some 40 years ago. To this day I feel sick thinking about it.  It's the same in the shop, you may have things in there that can never be replaced, maybe an old pair of pliers that grandpa had given you.  Anyways, I hope things work out for you, I know you have hours and hours worth of work ahead of you. 
All my best.


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## sdemars (May 20, 2008)

Go to Lowe's & get a 75 pint a day Whirlpool dehumidifier. I have one in my shop (20' x 22' x 10' ceiling). Hook up the hose drain out side and set it to MAX dry. Within 24 hours of that you will see the difference. It will help everything dry faster, remove the possibility of oder caused by moisture & MOLD. By the way, I live in Louisiana. I've worked as a CAT adjuster for 7 hurricanes, I can assure you, upon entering homes that ran a dehumidifier like was suggested by the clean-up pros and those that did not, you could definitely tell the difference.


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## Ozzy (May 21, 2008)

I am very sorry to hear that, that totally sucks.


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## Mather323 (May 21, 2008)

Sorry to hear about your shop.


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## follow3 (May 21, 2008)

Hey Everyone,

Latest update:

I met with the insurance adjuster today. I think it went well. He was only concerned with the damage to the structure and fixtures:
Repairs to drywall, insulation, paint and also replacing a large built in work bench with drawers.

I feel like he gave me a decent price, but he told me if it was not enough, to just fax estimates to them and they will send another check...no problem. (I didn't know this, but apparently my wife had us on one of the best homeowner's policies that they offer...she's good like that!!!)

As far as the loss of tools, and items inside the shop, he gave me a sheet to fill out and itemize each item and send in and they will pay that...less depreciation of course.

As far as the large machines, he said to contact a qualified service center and have them come out and inspect the machines and determine if they need anything serviced, replaced or if they are total loss.
Forward the estimate and they will cover that as well.

So... Right now I am in the process of finding a service center that is nearby and willing to send someone out for an estimate. I am also going to have a contractor come out and give me an estimate on the repairs to the walls and work bench and painting. I will do all the work myself, but I need estimates from qualified businesses in order to get the next check from Allstate.

All in all, so far, I am totally impressed with Allstate. I would reccomend them if you are in the market for homeowner's insurance!!!

I will keep Y'all posted.
Steve


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## les-smith (May 21, 2008)

Good deal.  Sounds like things are headed in the right direction.  I'd be interested to hear what the service center people tell you when they come out and take a look.


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## Jarheaded (May 22, 2008)

I wish you were closer, I have some very high powered fans for drying carpets. I would get some fans and dehumidifiers going ASAP. I would suggest that you get a gallon of ZEP anti-fungal and odor control, it will help to retard the growth of mold, mildew, and odors from them. If you need any motors cleaned and rebiult, I would be willing to help you out with that. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I've been where you are.


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## JohnLifer (May 22, 2008)

Sorry for your loss, One caveate.  I had Allstate for about 4 years.  Two storm damage claims, One was lightning strike and one wind damage to roof. About a year apart.  If I remember correctly about $2500 for first and about $2000 for second.  Then about a year later, a theft of riding lawnmower and some tools.  Total was about $1500.  Month after paying third claim, I was dropped like a rock.
No amount of talk could reverse.  It wasn't like I could keep lightning or wind from damaging the house.  Maybe I could have locked up lawnmower better, (inside building) 
So, if you have had previous claim, look out!  (but I think this goes for most of the carriers out there in today's climate)
Just something to look out for.


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## follow3 (May 23, 2008)

> _Originally posted by Jarheaded_
> 
> I wish you were closer, I have some very high powered fans for drying carpets. I would get some fans and dehumidifiers going ASAP. I would suggest that you get a gallon of ZEP anti-fungal and odor control, it will help to retard the growth of mold, mildew, and odors from them. If you need any motors cleaned and rebiult, I would be willing to help you out with that. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I've been where you are.



Hey Johnnie,

First off, THANKS!!! Those are very generous offers!!! I have stated before and I state again...The members of IAP are an incredible group of people!!!

Secondly, PM sent.

Thanks a million,
Steve


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## mitchm (May 27, 2008)

Hey Steve, how is the clean up / fix up going? Hope all is working out fine!!


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## railrider1920 (May 28, 2008)

I know I'm a little late, but I'm really sorry to hear about the water damage. Sounds like Allstate is doing a good job.

Several people have mentioned using WD-40. If you do, don't get it in to the motor. I was told that it will eat through the coating on the windings inside, ruining the motor. I don't have any first hand knowledge about this though.

Best of luck to you.


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## follow3 (Jun 12, 2008)

Hey Everyone,

Thought it was time for an update:

I met with the insurance adjuster. He wasn't at all concerned about my contents, only the damage to the actual structure. He wrote up a very detailed list of the damages and put a very fair price on everything, then wrote me a check on the spot. I was very pleased with this part of the process. As far as the contents, he told me to have a qualified company come out and give me an estimate to inspect and service or repair the big machines. As for all the little tools and supplies, he gave me a form to fill out listing everything that was damaged , item by item along with their model #, serial #, date of purchase and original cost.

I spent a few hours going through everything and making up the list, then went on line and found prices for everything. I sent that in as well as an estimate from a Jet certified factory tech.

That Jet certified factory tech. was not so easy to get out to the shop. I found the company by doing a search on the Jet tools web site. There are only 2 listed within 100 miles of here. The first one I tied took 2 days and 3 calls to get a call back, then they never showed up or called again. The second one said the guy who worked on tools was out of town for 5 or 6 days and would call me when he got back. Well surprisingly, he did call and make an appointment to come check out my tools, but told me he worked on the mechanical parts of tools but wasn't much help with motors and wiring and such. (of course the motors and wiring and such are what I am most concerned with) When he left he said he would write up an estimate and fax it to me. He sent me an estimate hand written on his letterhead that stated "Supply labor to clean and inspect tools. $950.00" That was it! Of course the insurance company said they need more detail. I told them to contact him and if they weren't satisfied with that, they could find someone to come out. I am ready to get my check, put the shop back together and put this whole mess behind me!!!

I am still waiting to hear back from them. But the lady that is handling everything said she has the estimate worked up for my contents, she just needs her supervisor to review it. I guess that means they are going to calculate in depreciation an make me a lesser offer???

I will keep Y'all posted,
Steve


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## leehljp (Jun 12, 2008)

So far, so good. Thanks for the update and I am sure your experience, as bad as it was, will help others know what to expect in a similar event.


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## MobilMan (Jun 13, 2008)

follow3. Hope your luck is better than mine when it comes to Allstate.  Year before last, our mountain home was broken into.  Lots of my tools, drill, nail gun, new recp saw, big set expensive Forstner bits, list goes on plus my wife's lap top [$800.00].  Over $3,200 & they wouldn't pay one cent more than $194.00. Depreciation.  Most of the tools & some were new or almost new.  Would have dropped them like a hot potato, but they're the only ones that will insure a mountain home in that area.  Best of luck to you.


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## follow3 (Jun 15, 2008)

Latest Update:

I heard back from the insurance lady on Fri. afternoon. I should get a check very soon. They are paying full price for the estimate I had for someone to come clean, inspect and service all the big machines that were affected. As far as my list of items that were total loss, the are covering all of them except 2 (which were over $100 and require a service tech. report...which I am not going to get) They are only depreciating my total by $32.00.

I am very happy!!! I have already started cleaning tools. Of course the lathe was first and is up and running!!!

Beside cleaning and servicing machines, I also have to fix one wall, rebuild some work benches and generally clean up.

That is what I have to do to get back to where I was. I plan to use the opportunity to totally re-vamp the shop:

1. I am going to install T-111 on the main wall instead of repairing the drywall. Also T-111 on part of 2 other walls. (eventually T-111 on all walls)

2. Instead of re-building wood work benches attatched to the walls, I am going to use some nice steel benches from Lowe's that have steel legs, 4 steel drawers, a steel shelf underneath, a 1 1/8" MDF top, peg board backing and a shelf on top with a built in light and power bar. I found these at Lowe's marked down 50% for clearance. They are normally $159.99 and I got them for $79.50 each. I ran around to several stores and bought a total of 6 of them. They are made by Cobalt.

3. I am going to re-locate my air compressor and dust collector to an outside "closet". I will run air lines with quick connectors at all the main work stations. I am also going to re-work my cust collector ducts and locate them in the attic with drops coming down to blast gates at each tool. (presently I have all the ducts running along the floor)

4. I am going to replace my Jointer and drill press.

5. I am going to change my Jet Super Saw over to 220V and run a heavier guage wire to it on a dedicated 30 amp circuit.

6. I am going to install an "instant" hot water heater.


That is the bulk of it. I will get some before, during and after pics to post. And I will keep Y'all updated.

Steve


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## thewishman (Jun 16, 2008)

Congrats on the "fresh start" for your shop! Sounds like everything will be better than before.

Chris


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## nava1uni (Jun 18, 2008)

I am glad that you are being treated so fairly in regards to your loss of shop and equiptment.  Can hardly wait to see the pictures


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## mitchm (Jun 18, 2008)

Steve, great to hear that things are getting sorted out and that you are "happy" with the insurance settlement! I see the shopping spree has started, enjoy!!


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## IPD_Mrs (Jun 18, 2008)

Steve you didn't mention anything about the central ait heatig and cooling being installed!  

We are really happy about everything working out for you in the long run.  I think you also owe the Mrs. a nice dinner out for getting the right insurance!

Mike & Linda


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