Garage Thread

[Tom]

I'm curious as to how these doors perform on windy days? Is there a "maximum wind speed restriction" stated by the manufacturer?

That's a great question! If it's super windy, or super rainy, I generally don't leave them open. These doors don't have any 'specs' per se, as they were custom designed using parts from various manufacturers. The doors themselves have a steel frame core and were then clad in wood to look like a regular garage door. They are basically large metal gates wearing garage door costumes. I've never actually seen any other carriage doors that are this wide -- they all seem to be about half as wide for a single bay. I'm sure wind and weight are part of that. The gate hardware/openers are made for big heavy steel gates, so the weight is not an issue, but the wind could be another issue altogether since wind flows right through most gates.

[dr bob]

Tom --
Case for using shear bolts for the actuator link, and safety cables for the doors themselves? Or auto-close when wind speed exceeds nn MPH?

Highest wind speed we've recorder here is about 63MPH as a significant front passed through. I used to remember the wind load calcs, and I'm sure there are some online resources now.

We do have swing gates at our community entrances. Talking to the vendor rep who repairs them for us, I got a blank look when I suggested that shear bolts and a little bit of adjustment would save us $thousands in annual repair cost from people hitting them. I also recommended welding sections of chainsaw chain on the top front faces...

[DMRK]

IMG_20250323_231653644~2.jpg (1.28 MiB) Viewed 4580 times

Opener on the torsion rod is the only one to buy even if you don't need the space. It just makes sense to me. I don't understand how anyone ever came up with that other contraption.

[DMRK]

On the subject of lighting one thing I did was to buy some 48" led shop lights from the big box store and attached some strong magnets on the back then wired in a plug. They come in very handy around the lift.

[dr bob]

On the subject of lighting one thing I did was to buy some 48" led shop lights from the big box store and attached some strong magnets on the back then wired in a plug. They come in very handy around the lift.

Under-lift lighting always seems a compromise. Love your idea with the LED tubes there. I have a two post lift so fewer creative options like yours. If I had a four post, I'd look hard at adding a couple strap hinges and a more magnets, so the lamp could store easily under the tray, but swing out and grab the outer faces if the tray for up-lighting while working.

[Tom]

Adding LED strips to the underside of my 4-post lift has been on my list for a while now. i studied up a while back and then never did it. The key for me is to position them so they provide good uplighting, but without shining in your eyes.... and without getting in the way of my sliding bridge jack... This has motivated me, so stay tuned...

[85targa]

Color me impressed with some of the garages here. I can only dream to have some of these. Mine is barely big enough to fit my car and my power tools!

[blueline]

Color me impressed with some of the garages here. I can only dream to have some of these. Mine is barely big enough to fit my car and my power tools!

But it still holds that sweet Targa!

[dr bob]

Adding LED strips to the underside of my 4-post lift has been on my list for a while now. i studied up a while back and then never did it. The key for me is to position them so they provide good uplighting, but without shining in your eyes.... and without getting in the way of my sliding bridge jack... This has motivated me, so stay tuned...

I grabbed these strip-lighting mounting tracks from amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4DRX7N for some under-cabinet lighting for K's desk. The originals had the LED strips just stuck to the wood. It looked tacky at best, plus the glue wasn't staying up there and sections started sagging and failing. The tracks help dissipate heat so the glue sticks longer. The track itself with the cover offer some protection, some pattern shielding that might direct the light up instead of sideways if mounted carefully. You can use whatever LED stick-on strips you like. They come with some simple mounting clips that are barely useful for my hanging install under the cabinets, but also offer stupid-simple options like thin double-side carpet tape or even some Gorilla Glue to hold them more securely in place. K wanted something a little softer so has 3200k pseudo-COB strips in her office.

On the garage Baldheads, I added a bit of cheap Home Depot trim strip, just basic white-finished square trim stiff around the bottom, about 1/2" in from the edges, painted black ( a Rust-Oleum spray can...) to match the cabinets. Then LED track on the inner vertical face, towards the wall behind, and another track facing down just inside the first one. So plenty of worktop light direct, plus a lot reflected off the light-colored wall behind. The trim is glued to the cabinet bottom with a bit of Gorilla Glue, the tracks with the carpet tape. I used 4000K 5050 LED strips in that for the extra-bright worklight on my own office and the same under the garage cabinets. A bit of table-saw or router work on a simple wood strip might offer the lighting direction detail you need, contain the track, and glue to the the lift pretty easily.

[Pachanga718]

In its infancy, just moved into a new house and now all 3 cars can be inside. Floor has been done and waiting for the walls to be finished and painted.
More to come.