14 Attachment(s)
Making a space to build shit with my own two hands.
I’m a maker. I’ve dabbled in electronics, making weird musical instruments, wearables (costumes), art for Burning Man, wine/beer making, etc. When we first moved into our house, the only workspace was one corner of the garage where there was a crappy workbench mounted on a crappy cabinet that was a pain to open (I hated that thing) and a white pressed sawdust cabinet on the side.
Attachment 369281
After a couple of years in the house I ripped that out and it was a blank space for a couple of more years. I briefly contemplated just buying stock garage workshop stuff to redo it but that isn’t my style. I settled on a Steampunk themed design that would be tough, functional, and look awesome enough to convert into a speakeasy bar/club when the occasion demanded. While I got started in summer of 2019 pre Covid, this project really became a major hobby during the past year, and I am finally done.
Presenting (legoskiers) Clock Works and Elixir Shop!
Attachment 369289
Stuff on the right is the “Clock Works” part with tools in the base cabinet and electronics stuff in the wall cabinet. On the left side is the “Elixir Shop” part which has wine/beer making stuff in the base cabinets and eventually stuff to make liquors/bitters/shrubs in the wall cabinet.
The only thing I didn’t do all myself is the electrical as I definitely wanted that to be up to code and properly permitted.
Cabinets are stock unfinished 35” kitchen cabinets that I stained Mahogany. I built custom risers for all the base cabinets to bring them up to 42” bar height which was complicated seeing as the garage floor is sloped toward the center and down to the front but I managed to get it all perfectly level.
The countertop is cut out of two sheets of ¾” A Grade plywood then topped with ½” tongue and groove solid bamboo flooring glued down to it as the counter surface.
The counter edge is one 15’ continuous piece of 22mil copper glued and nailed with copper nails.
Drawer pulls are made to look like industrial pipe.
Attachment 369282
Cabinet pulls are industrial pipe knobs with decorative gears on the faces.
Attachment 369283
Off of the wall cabinets, I used the SteelTek structural pipe system to build a couple of utility rack/bars that wrap around below complete with decorative pressure gauges.
Attachment 369287
That pipe continues around to custom shelving on the left side of each cabinet.
Attachment 369285
And down off to the lower left of the base cabinets, I built a couple more pipe framed shelves for storing my fishing gear since the rod racks are on the wall right next to that.
Attachment 369290
I installed a plywood false ceiling on the top-side of the rafters and installed tin ceiling tiles coated to look like copper. My awesome wife bought the steampunk Love sign and industrial light, which has a dimmer mounted on the side of one of the wall cabinets, for me at Ballard Reuse here in Seattle.
Attachment 369286
I realized early on that I would need a swing-arm work lamp for fine work like electronics or fly tying, so I built that into the pipe system and ordered a custom “waterspout” socket with rotary dimmer from etsy and put on an industrial brass wire "shade".
Attachment 369284
I built a backed stool out of ¾” black steel pipe with solid oak seat & back edged with red full grain leather strips.
Attachment 369291
Finally, like I said, this space is meant to easily convert to a speakeasy bar/club space. To that end, I built a removable bar with a blue patina copper top that easily mounts into the “Elixir” end of the counter via a black steel pipe system.
Attachment 369292
Attachment 369293
And for during parties, I installed curtain rods on either side to hide the garage stuff with velvet curtains.
Attachment 369294
And finally, I installed 32’ of sound-reactive LED strip lights in the rafters when it’s dance club time
Attachment 369295
This was an awesome project that combined so many elements. Cabinets, counters, metal, wood, electrical…and I learned a ton but now I’m ready to move on to other things. And you all need to get vaccinated so we can put this pandemic behind us and you can come over and have a drink in this space.
