My project started with two months of fixing up our two car garage. I will try to post a before picture of it if I can find one. You would not believe how bad it was. Power was a problem also. With only one outlet, I had to to put in a subpanel so I could run 240 from the main box and add additional circuits and outlets. This meant a lot of drywall work which I hate.
Lighting was also an issue. I installed four 8 foot, 70 watt, double tube fixtures. That took care of the lighting problem. I get a nice even 175 foot candles of illumination.
Now came time for paint and that included the floor also. In the past the floor had been abused by paint, grease, you name it. I decided to paint it a light gray using a product called Behr's concrete paint that I purchased at Home Depot. It consisted of a cleaner followed by etching then a primer base and finally the paint. It's not indestructible, but it does do a pretty good job at resisting scratches and looks great.
As far tools go, I was hurting . Not to mention the specialized tools that I would need to build this plane, but just the basic stuff. So off to Home Depot I went. One of many trips to this store. Buy stock now! Now I have most of the basic tools needed. Being a inspector/Quality Manager I already had all the mics, calipers, radius gages, etc. that I would need to measure with. Santa was good to me this year. He brought me a 22 gallon, 5 horsepower, upright compressor for Xmas! It works great. The only time I over task it is when I get on the air cutoff saw a little too long.
I found a source for the specialized tools I'll be needing. The other day at the Cable Airshow, I met a gentleman named Fred Kunkel who has a tool company called Clean Air. He has new and refurbished tools at good prices. He doesn't have a website on his card but does have email. I have also purchased from Aircraft Spruce and Aircraft Tool Supply.
My main concern, before I even started thinking about ordering my tail feathers is that I had a clean, well lit organized place to build. After readying the garage I built the H Jig. I used a small cable and turnbuckle for the plumb bob. Then, I built two tables. I got the plans from EAA chapter 1000'S website. The only mod I made was to add an additional 3x6x3/4 particle board to the top for 6 inches of over hang to clamp on.
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