|
 My wood shop is 18'x20' and the metal shop is 10'x20'. No place to build a 45' boat so a shed was needed. I decided to sacrifice the old garden. It was to big to take care of anyway. A 24'x55' shed would fit in fine. I have 14 acres so neighbors would not be a problem. The building inspector was skeptical but gave me approval for a "temporary" building.
I did not want to work on a dirt/mud floor for 5 years so a hard floor was needed. A concrete slab worked out cheaper and stronger than wood. Thinking ahead about a future dream shop, I added dust collection, compressed air, vacuum and electrical conduit under the slab.
 My first attempt at a cover was a tent made from 2" steel tube, 1/4" wire cable and aluminized tarps. That lasted about two weeks and ended in a spectacular flight in a 30 mph wind.
The next attempt was the frame shown at left made of 11/4" square steel tubing on 5' centers with 1" stringers every 5'. I have a MIG welder that has paid for itself many times over so fabricating the frames was no problem. The roof is the tarp from the tent and the sides are two layers of 6 mil poly.
The height of 17' was chosen to allow room to turn the hull and two of the frames are reinforced to hold a pair of 2 ton chain hoists.
|
