I learned a valuble lesson!

[lrogers]

I feel like such an idiot! Listen and learn Grasshopper so this DOES NOT happen to you!

Me and my family of helicopters are being "evicted" to shop (garage) so Belinda can set up her sewing center in the home office. This isn't really a bad thing since every time I sit down to work on one of them, I end up making multiple trips to the shop for a tool or something.

Since the garage is my shop, I needed a cabinet to store my babies in to keep the dust off them. So, out comes the drawing board and in short order there is a "plan". Of course, the plan is VERY fluid and there have been a lot of changes, mostly in the "details" which I prefer to engineer-on-the-fly. Did I mention this is a BIG cabinet?

I been working on this beast for a couple of weeks building panels and was able to start assembly of the pieces yesterday. The base was built first and set out of the way. I laid the top panel on the floor of the garage and set up some jigs so it would be easy to attach the end panels. The plan was to turn it over, set it on the base, permanetly attach it with glue and screws and then tip it over to install the skin on the back.

All went just as planned yesterday. The jigs worked great and in short order the sides were joined to the top and the rear cross braces were in place. I then went in to watch a little foot ball while the glue dried. I came back out later to start the planning for the flip and attachment to the base. This was where the plan went completely south! I discovered that I just barely had room to tip it WITHOUT the base! I also discovered that it's too big to go through the garage door! Suddenly, I knew how the guy that built the boat in the basement felt when he discovered the boat was trapped; oh so stupid!!!!!!

Well, I got it turned over and set up on the base. I decided that I could not attach it to the base as I had planned; it has to be removeable if I ever need to get it out of the garage. So, it was back to HD tonight for lag bolts and angle brackets for a mechanical attachment.

Lesson learned from all this; when drawing up plans for something big, skectch the room around it and check for access. Of to put it another way, don't let the trees keep you from seeing the forrest.

The good news is that it is going to work out fine, as long as I nver move! I started cutting stock for the slide out shelves when I got home this afternoon. Hopefully, I'll be finished and moved into the shop by the time the new helicopter arrives. But, that will be the subject of another thread!

[leehljp]

Glad you got it worked out. Over here, it is quite common to take out a bay window of sorts to get a refrigerator into the kitchen, or use a crane to lift a desk to the second floor.

Now, for a bigger garage for you!

[cabinetman]

Fortunately, you worked out the problem without a lot of fanfair. These are the best lessons.
.

[jackellis]

Yes, we ran into something similar but on a larger scale.

My wife has been obsessing over the placement of furniture in a new home we're building. Turns out the original design of some steps in the garage would probably have kept her (or more likely me) from parking there because one space would be too short. We fixed the plans early but it would have been a real drag to spend a pile of money on a two car garage that could only hold one vehicle.

[Ed62]

I can relate to that. Nine years ago, I built an addition on the back of our home. We had a chest type freezer in the basement. After the addition was completed, the freezer died. The problem was that I no longer had the door it came through in the first place. I now had a sharp turn in the basement stairs to navigate (can't do it with the freezer). The freezer has become a "catch all". Maybe one day I'll see if I can drain the freon, if there is any left, then cut it in half (or quarters).

Ed

[Richard in Smithville]

Been there , done that. I built some cabinets for in the basement a while back. I measured everything real carefully and then proceded to put them together lying face down on the floor( the cabinets were face down...not me). All was well, I just had to stand them up and lag them to the wall. I forgot to consider that when I stoof them up, the back edge would be higher for a shot time as I was lifting into place. It hit the ductwork. I had to flip it over and twist it around so I could lift in a different angle to miss the ductwork.

[drillman88]

Before I tackle a large permanant type project I usually consult my Dad to see how I can screw up.He has done everything from the ground up building houses and has pretty much seen it all.
There were 2 major things I learned from him when I worked with him.The first was to look everything over carefully from start to finish to find problems before you start.That includes the work others have done and what you have to do.
The other is to be creative and solve the problems when you find them.

It takes a lot of mistakes, both yours and others, to get that experience though.

Im glad you were able to work yours out.

[Uncle Cracker]

Just remember that jackhammering out the floor is often a better option than knocking down a wall...

[jackellis]

Yes, even "simple" projects require thought and planning.

[JR]

You're in good company. Henry Ford's first car, the Quadricycle, was built in a shop with only human-sized doors. He had to modify the shop wall before he could drive it!

JR

[lrogers]

Thanks guys, you've made me feel better! Inspite of the problems, this is going to be a nice cabinet when completed.

[crokett]

Glad you got it worked out Larry. I went through fits on something similar earlier last year when I was building a cabinet for the downstairs bath. First it was too tall to get through the door and tip up. Then it was too wide to turn into place. I ended up cutting off the bottom two inches and taking it apart and cutting down the shelves to make it narrower.