May Your Garage Prosper Even as Your Soul Prospers

Outward order is a sign of inward order.

This week I handled some really annoying problems in the Garage of Shalom. I got a new tool box, I moved some junk out, I created a mobile grinding station, and I fixed the casters on my table saw’s extension.

This stuff may not sound important, but the simple fact is, if it’s inconvenient to use your tools, you will stop using them.

First, the box.

Maybe ten years ago, I decided to get a real tool box. A friend had a Craftsman that looked okay, so I decided to try Sears. I didn’t know about Craftsman’s declining reputation.

I ordered a stainless roller cart and a chest to go on top. I still have them. They’re very nice. The steel is thick. The drawer metal measures 0.050″ in thickness, which is very good. The drawers slide well. The casters work. Great box.

Recently I realized I needed a second box. I had a Northern Tool cart for machining, but it was not a great choice. It only had two shelves. You can’t store a lot of stuff in a cart that has two shelves. It made life easier when I was using the mill and lathe, but I still had tools all over the place.

I started looking for a new box, to go in the 20″-wide space between my mill and lathe. I learned some surprising things.

1. Craftsman boxes are really bad now. Boxes have generally gotten thinner, and brands like Craftsman and Husky are awful. For all I know they have some luxury boxes that have thick steel, but I am not willing to take a chance. The boxes I have were discontinued years ago, so I can’t get new ones.

2. Harbor Freight makes pretty good boxes, dirt cheap. But they’re not as good as they used to be, and Harbor Freight is keeping quiet about the change. For $369, you can get a roller cabinet something like 41″ long, and it’s not too bad, but the metal in the drawers is under 0.040″ thick, so they wobble. Someone I know miked an older box, and the metal was 0.050″ thick. Caveat emptor. On the up side, the Harbor Freight box has lots of shallow drawers, which is nice if you have tons of wrenches and screwdrivers.

3. A company called Extreme Tools makes nice boxes for very good prices, but in order to get thick metal, you have to get a box at least 56″ wide.

4. Snap-On boxes have a great reputation, but the prices, even for used ones, are completely insane. A new box in the size I wanted would run over $2000, and a used one in acceptable condition would be well over $1000.

5. Vidmar and Lista make boxes that are much better than Snap-On, but they are very expensive, and they are oddly shaped. You won’t see used ones on the market very often.

I was about to buy a Harbor Freight box, but I changed my mind after I took a dial caliper to the store and checked the drawer metal. The box was just too flimsy and wobbly.

What’s the alternative? Believe it or not, it’s Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee company just came out with a $400 48″ box. It has 6-gauge metal in the undercarriage. The drawers all hold either 100 or 200 pounds each (much more than Harbor Freight). Most of the drawers are over 0.050″ thick. The box has thick powder coating, and it even has a power strip built in. You can put a Milwaukee chest on top of it.

The only negatives are the need for a wood or MDF top to stiffen the work surface, and the lack of shallow drawers. Most of the drawers are fairly deep. Great if you have bulky stuff to store. Not great if you have 2000 wrenches.

I got the box and shoved a bunch of stuff in it. I’m going to make a plywood top. So far, it’s fantastic. I could not come close to it for under $2000.

Moving loose stuff into the box opened up a lot of table and shelf space, so I was able to move a lot of junk around and open the garage up. It’s fantastic.

A responsible person does not buy tools he can’t store. When you spend $800 on a guitar, you should spend $1500 on an amp. When you spend $800 on a rifle, you should spend $300 or more on a scope. Tools work the same way. If you can’t afford the accessories and so on, you can’t afford the tools.

Lesson learned.

I was going to sell the utility cart, but I changed my mind. I set the belt grinder on it temporarily while I was straightening up, and I saw that the rubber feet on the base were spaced perfectly so they lined up with the inside of the cart tray. I was able to drop the grinder onto the cart, and it fit perfectly. That got me thinking.

I took a piece of the same plywood I used for the grinder base, and I made a base for my bench grinder. The bases are sized so the two of them fit in the cart with no room for wobbling. I use the space under them to store belts and wheels. I put some heavy chucks on the lower shelf, and I plan to add a Bucket Head vacuum for the bench grinder, plus a power strip. It’s excellent.

Now I have a wonderful, convenient grinder station I can wheel around and use whenever I want.

While I was moving stuff off the table saw, I decided it was time to fix the extension casters. I built the extension myself. I think it was in 2007. I used an old melamine desk for the top. I intended it to be temporary, but it’s sturdy as it can be, so I left it alone. But I did an extremely poor job of attaching the casters, and they were coming loose, making me reluctant to move the saw so I could use it.

I had an old mobile base I had made for the band saw. I was made from 2″ angle iron. I got the plasma cutter put together (should have used the angle grinder) and cut it in pieces, and I made two brackets to hold the casters.

I used a Rockwell Jawhorse to hold the base while I cut it. This tool is wonderful, and right now Amazon is selling it for $99, delivered. That’s crazy cheap.

After cutting the steel, I had two rough pieces to use for brackets. I took them to the belt grinder to deburr them. It works like a dream. They’re beautiful. The grinder won’t hog steel the way a 2″ x 72″ will, but it’s great for finer work.

I drilled the brackets using the drill press, and then I got ready to attach them to the extension. Problem: the bottom of the extension was uneven at the bottom where the pieces of wood were joined. Luckily, I had a Fein Multimaster with flush-cutting blades. In a few minutes, I was able to slice the unwanted wood off. Amazing.

Here you see the result, with the brackets attached to the saw.

Now I don’t have to worry about the casters falling off.

My next project is a cart for the DeWalt planer. I never use it because it’s heavy and dusty. I found out DeWalt makes a rolling base, but there is no way I’m paying $150 for it. I’m going to make one from wood, and I’ll include a lower shelf for dust collection.

I found out that the DeWalt’s dust is coarse, so you don’t need a fancy 0.0001-micron collector. You can actually use a pillow case. DeWalt used to sell a bag similar to the ones used for leaf collection. The planer has an incredible built-in blower, so all I need to do is add a hose and bag. Home Depot has a wide selection of leaf bags, so this will be easy. As with so many of God’s blessings, it’s hard to believe I didn’t see this sooner.

After that, I hope to arrange for dust collection on the vertical band saw, and then I plan to use my tools.

This is wonderful. I have so much more room now, and sometimes I actually do things with my tools instead of staring at them.

This is a reflection of what’s going on inside me. I have realized that mainstream charismatics are wrong, wrong, wrong. They worship money and success, but they should be clamoring for correction and maturity. That’s where the progress, power, peace, and success are.

I can’t really share this stuff with my church. They are on another path. God has shown me that I am not allowed to go on Facebook or show up at services and try to share. I’ve been doing that for three years, and all of the people who are going to listen have listened. It would be a waste of my time–a waste of ME–to keep striving.

I am no longer serving as a volunteer. What a difference it makes. Yesterday I was able to go to church at eleven instead of ten. I was able to leave at 1:15 instead of 1:45 or 2:30. I didn’t have to testify or try to persuade people of anything. The music was too loud, so I showed up 15 minutes into it and wore ear plugs. The service was too long, so I took off early. I wasn’t tired. I still had energy. I didn’t have the familiar feeling of frustration.

They’re nice people. I don’t want to be dismissive or insulting. I still go to church twice a week. But I don’t have to wrestle any more. If they are going to be persuaded, it will not be by me. I did my part, and I have been released so I can heal.

I don’t have to work in the ministries and offer suggestions no one will take. I don’t have to show up for every event and work and spend money. I don’t have to buy every promotional T-shirt. I like it. It would be better if we were unified, so I could work toward worthwhile goals with them, but at least I’m getting some rest.

Things are going really well in my own walk. My friend Travis comes down once or twice a week for prayer, and he’s really taking off. The wise things that come out of him now amaze me. I have other friends whose lives are changing dramatically because they listen. And instead of going to the church’s Wednesday night services, I go to the quiet prayer services on Tuesday. No loud drums. No yelling. Just two or three men, praying quietly. No one else shows up. If the service attracted a lot of people, it would turn into a noisy rally.

I’ve asked God to take proud people away from me and to put me among people who listen. This is almost like asking to be lonely, because there are so few people who fit that description. But it’s worth it. As the psalm says, “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.”

When your heart aligns with God, he will take notice, set you aside, and see to it that things start to work. Donating money is a waste of time (and money). Working as a volunteer won’t get you over the hump, either. What matters is loving and receiving correction. After all, why should God help people who don’t pursue his goals? It’s common sense.

The Garage of Shalom really IS a garage of shalom. It comes from God, not effort.

I wish I could keep sharing the revelation I get, in the usual ways, but I am not permitted. So I blog. Maybe someone will read it and catch on.

I’m glad I got that out. Hope it helps someone.