shop life 8 - holey chit...

Kids finally get to their spring break.

Schools off for the week...

Woo Hoo!

Let's go finish the pavers!

"What?" Your thinking...

Didn't I read earlier your spot was done?

Uh...yeah...no...

Early this year there was a major change,

disrupting the entire shop like a hurricane.

The end would be beneficial to us all.

it was getting there that took loads of work.

The plan was to totally reorganize the shop,

anything that was heavy would need to be moved,

at least 3 times.

After making the side doors last year,

I had a center sliver,

and it was fine.

More air!

Stuff got done.

No feng shui...

The new deal chopped the shop space

by a third,

however I'd get an end spot.

Can't complain with that.

The timing of the move was perfect,

as this was during that sailboat repower in January.

Jason could go through his pile at leisure,

and I'd go in the evening and do the same.

A couple weeks later and construction finished,

moving finished.

You'd think I'd be happy.

There's always an issue with me!

Little baby crier...

The move gave me a prime spot inside,

but I'd lose the brick driveway outside,

and get stuck with a hard-packed slope.

Jason said he'd have it bricked in a week.

Yeah right!

We knew this area well,

it would be the 3rd incarnation in a year!

The ground was sloped and angled,

on top of that it was rock solid.

The dirt was a hard rubbery pad,

a shale layer of condensed and dried oil residue,

like a dirt asphalt.

Decades as an unregulated car junkyard.

The kids would bust a$$,

a couple rows in a couple hours,

while I played with metal.

Now it's February,

it's dark early.

Bonfires and the Grateful Dead cranking...

Progress was painfully slow.

During the week I was lucky 

to get a dozen down.

On the weekends we'd do a half day,

I'd get shop stuff done,

kids would pound away,

and we'd brick thrash together the last hour or two.

There hands would be blistered and raw.

Slave driver!

This section was a catastrophe.

Ok not that bad,

if you don't mind trimming this row of pavers.

We were like Mayan pyramid builders.

Get out the hammer and chisel!

Yeah wtf happened here!

The odd shaped pavers didn't like the gradual slope.

By the 3rd one I'd figured out the trick,

but this part wore me out.

To make it easier on the grading,

I should have rented a bobcat.

Instead I welded up these custom hammers.

If anyone says you can't weld stainless steel

to leaf spring steel,

using MIG wire,

don't listen to them.

These hammer/picks took some blows.

Perfect bricking tools.

They'd chip and and rake.

Holey chit...

What a dick dad!

These guys kick butt...

Yes we had a normal pick too,

it was tough to get the right angle.

Removing the shale was like picking a scab,

easier to get under it not break through it.

This last section lingered til spring break,

actually the weekend before.

Jaxon was so motivated to finish it.

Both him and Jakob really amazed me.

Even Macey helped move bricks around.

Let's say they all deserved their PS4 time!

Unbelievable...

So yeah looking back this was insane,

especially at a rented shop that may last a couple months or a couple years!

Regardless now it's time to get chit done!

And yeah we still have hundreds of bricks left...

TP