dwacker Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 I thought I would post a thread showing my shop rebuild from start to finish. Thinking it might be interesting for some to see a shop come together at a fairly quick rate. Tools by the truck load, new building and new dust collection plumbed. A little background, my shop was a few decades old and was what most would think of as small but very well equipt one man furniture shop. In July 2011 it burned nearly to the ground and I'm starting over from scratch. At first this will move pretty slow just because we are waiting on a rebuild permit but once the permit is issued it should move right along. Here is a few shots of the aftermath of the fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlingenfelter Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 That is such a sad sight! Burnt tools are never fun to look at. On the positive side, you get to build a new shop. I'm looking forward to seeing the new shop come together. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onboard Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Don, seeing the aftermath must have been gut wrenching! You said that you have “tools by the truck load”, a new DC and will start a new building. A chance to rebuild a better shop. That part sounds wonderful, but I am hoping that all that stuff is being paid for by insurance money. I also hope your wood inventory was low at the time of the fire, but I do see some wood stock in the fire pictures. Here’s hoping your permits come quickly and we can see some pictures very soon of your new shop from beginning to end. Thanks for posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 God bless you and good luck. I helped my in-laws a couple of years ago deal with a catastrophic house fire. I feel your pain, but you have the right attitude. Glad to see you being so positive about the rebuilding process. Keep the updates coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikepdarr Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 TimV is right. You attitude on here sounds good. Seeing that first pic took my breath away. Let's all cheers to a speedy recovery. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Hi Don. It is a bit surreal to see machines that we all recognise in a state that most of us would not have experienced, my heart goes out to you. As others have said, the positive side is a shopping list with new goodies and also a chance to redesign shop layout, insulation, heating, soundproofing and so on. Try to take advantage of the time out if you can afford it financially. I know sometimes a forced holiday is the only way that I can experience one. I hope you have some family and close friends that can support you emotionally during this metamorphis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texfire Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Lots of charring and heat in that fire. Just out of curiosity, did they pinpoint the point of origin where it started? Any idea of cause? Might be a lesson to learn there. I also note that while charred, the chipboard actually held up to the heat without failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted August 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 Thanks All, we are covered 100% by insurance. The wife and I leave today on a short vacation to get away from the mess. The fire was a failed recessed light in the ceiling of the little office. One lesson is to keep finishing supplies in a separate out building which is something we will be doing in the future. The fire really got going when the wall of shellac, denatured alcohol, thinners and lacquers went up probably 20 gallons worth. The chip board did hold up nice but this time I'm going to drywall and keep the walls free of clutter. I had rolls of veneer edge banding on most of the walls so the thin wood helped get the blaze up into the rafters where I kept sheets of rolled veneer and full flitches of veneer. My exotics about 400 bf all went up and the domestic faired fairly well, saved about 200BF stinky but usable for stuff around the shop. Festools burn real well, amazingly well in fact not sure why that is. FWIW the insurance companies fire inspector says shaper cutters, router bits and saw blades need to be tossed if they were in a fire this large. The heat weakens the carbide bond to the cutter, not sure about this but I'll take their word for it. But that's enough about that, life goes on wood and tools can be replaced. My wife was unharmed and my grandson son see's it as a opportunity to get newer stuff when I'm gone. I'll post some more pics as soon as the demo starts. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 It makes sense that the heat weakens the bond of the carbide. Fires can get very hot and it is even possible to change the grain structure on many steels in a fire. This is really a safety issue. Hate to see that carbide come flying off while spinning. Consider saw blades too. Something else to consider that we learned from my in-laws insurance adjuster was to to even claim electronics that were not directly in the fire. The heat and smoke get into the circuitry and even though the unit may still work immediately, its life has been shortened due to the heat and smoke. We actually found this out with a television that worked for about 6 months after the fire then stopped working. It was claimed originally so we accommodated it but since it still worked we kept the unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Dwacker, I'm really sorry for your loss. My Father in law was an avid woodworker and a few years after he passed away, the neighbor's grass fire burned his shop. The insurance adjuster was really cooperative and paid my Ma-in-Law for everything - tools as well as random assorted pieces of woods, tables, etc. Just so you guys will know, your homeowner's policy is where something like this is covered. If your shop is not attached to your home, you have coverage for the building under "Coverage B - Other Structures" and everything inside the shop (tools, wood, tables, etc) is covered under "Coverage C - Personal Property". Both structure and personal property have deductibles. When it says Personal property, this coverage is for the belongings in the home as well as what's contained in an "other structure" like your shop so be sure and check your policy because if you do not have enough personal property or other structure coverage, most policies have a provision to increase these coverages and it's usually not very expensive to increase. If your shop is attached to your home or is in your basement, the structure is covered under "Dwelling A Coverage" which is the home's coverage and the tools, wood, etc. is part of your personal property (Dwelling C Coverage) just like your furniture and clothes. Look at the (usually) second page of your policy called the "Declarations Page" and all of these coverages are detailed there. Keep in mind, if something in your shop is permanently affixed to the building - dust collector, built in cabinets, permanently mounted chop saw station...it will probably be paid under the other structure's coverage. If it can be mobile - router station on wheels or table saw, it's part of Coverage C - Personal Property. It's like a hot water heater is part of the house because it's plumbed in whereas a refrigerator is mobile and is considered personal property. Hope this helps and dwacker remember the adjuster has leeway and can allow a little more here or there if you can show or convince him of what you've lost. On replacing that nice piece of exotic hardwood, use the retail board foot prices. One last thing to ask your agent, "do I have 'replacement cost coverage' on my home, and on my personal property"? If your policy does not have this, you have an "actual cash value policy" ACV... get the policy changed asap because if it doesn't have replacement cost coverage, the adjuster depreciates an item before determining it's value (he gets an 'actual cash value') so 15 years ago, you paid $795 for the Grizzly 15" planer. A Replacement cost policy says the policy buys you a new planer at the current retail of $995 whereas if your policy does not have replacement cost coverage, the 15 year old planer that worked great before the fire is depreciated and then valued at possibly $200 and that's what you're paid by the policy. Hope this helps Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted August 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2011 If your policy does not have this, you have an "actual cash value policy" ACV... get the policy changed asap because if it doesn't have replacement cost coverage, the adjuster depreciates an item before determining it's value (he gets an 'actual cash value') so 15 years ago, you paid $795 for the Grizzly 15" planer. A Replacement cost policy says the policy buys you a new planer at the current retail of $995 whereas if your policy does not have replacement cost coverage, the 15 year old planer that worked great before the fire is depreciated and then valued at possibly $200 and that's what you're paid by the policy. Hope this helps Tim I'll thow in a little extra about ACV vs Replacement cost. My coverage for example is replacement cost, great you would think. Now the catch and this goes for most policies Ive seen or asked about. You have that 15 year old planer you paid $795. Replacement cost is $995. The adjuster will still depreciate the planer to say $200 in the example. This $200 is what you will be paid in the initial settlement. Now you have to front the $795 + use the $200 to buy the new planer. Once you send in the receipt and the adjuster sees and verifies they will send you the balance up to the $795. This means even if you spent $2000 on a sweet monster powermatic you still get the $995 total as long as its a planer and serves the same purpose. On the other hand If you got your new planer on sale for $895 then thats all you get is $895 total your not going to get the extra hundred bucks to spend elsewhere. If you decide not to buy a new planer then all you get is the $200 and your done. If your loss was large you are in a bad position. For me my loss was just over 50K in contents. My credit card is going to be hit for about 20K to get the replacements then I will be reimbursed later. The reimbursement could take up to 180 days so I get hit with the interest which they do not pay. If you do not have a credit card or a large chunk of cash you can still juggle the money. Meaning use what they send in the initial settlement on part of your stuff then send in receipts and wait for the reimbursement then buy more stuff. Just keep doing that until you have all your stuff. Now another catch, my policy states that the process must be completed within 180 days of loss. My insurance company said there was no way around this even though I have no place to store all these tools and it will take a few months to get a new building up. A decent company will waive this Travelers will not, unless you get a lawyer involved, luckily I married my lawyer. One last point if you are selling your work to anybody even your mother in law your homeowners will not cover your contents, you need business coverage. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted August 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Well we are still waiting on a permit to demo and rebuild. I decided to do a final review of the heavier power tools and make the final changes before placing an order. This seems to be a good setup. Feel free to comment and by all means let me know if Ive made any poor decisions. I'll post the smaller stuff after I finish the list. Tablesaw PM2000 50" with router lift Jointer PM 12" Planer PM 209 20" Bandsaw PM 18" Belt / disc sander PM 31A Lathe 3520B with bed extension Drum Sander Jet 3hp Pro Dust collector / cyclone Griz 0441 3HP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted August 23, 2011 Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Drill press??? -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted August 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2011 Drill press??? -- Russ Right now I'm thinking a PM2800 but need to go see one in person and play with it. My suspicion is that it uses an expandable pulley for speed adjustment and I'm not thrilled with that. Some of the reviews mention excess run out so I'll drive up to woodcraft and see for myself. If its lame I'll probably go for the big Jet metal working drill press. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted August 26, 2011 Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 I'll thow in a little extra about ACV vs Replacement cost. My coverage for example is replacement cost, great you would think. Now the catch and this goes for most policies Ive seen or asked about. You have that 15 year old planer you paid $795. Replacement cost is $995. The adjuster will still depreciate the planer to say $200 in the example. This $200 is what you will be paid in the initial settlement. Now you have to front the $795 + use the $200 to buy the new planer. Once you send in the receipt and the adjuster sees and verifies they will send you the balance up to the $795. This means even if you spent $2000 on a sweet monster powermatic you still get the $995 total as long as its a planer and serves the same purpose. On the other hand If you got your new planer on sale for $895 then thats all you get is $895 total your not going to get the extra hundred bucks to spend elsewhere. If you decide not to buy a new planer then all you get is the $200 and your done. If your loss was large you are in a bad position. For me my loss was just over 50K in contents. My credit card is going to be hit for about 20K to get the replacements then I will be reimbursed later. The reimbursement could take up to 180 days so I get hit with the interest which they do not pay. If you do not have a credit card or a large chunk of cash you can still juggle the money. Meaning use what they send in the initial settlement on part of your stuff then send in receipts and wait for the reimbursement then buy more stuff. Just keep doing that until you have all your stuff. Now another catch, my policy states that the process must be completed within 180 days of loss. My insurance company said there was no way around this even though I have no place to store all these tools and it will take a few months to get a new building up. A decent company will waive this Travelers will not, unless you get a lawyer involved, luckily I married my lawyer. One last point if you are selling your work to anybody even your mother in law your homeowners will not cover your contents, you need business coverage. Don You are correct....some companies require you to buy a new tool and pay you the difference until you show them a receipt. Our policies just pay the customer the current replacement cost and let him purchase a new one or not at all. Now, a commercial policy like you're speaking of works differently and will vary in features and procedures from company to company. I didn't know you got to make dust for a living! Yeah.... if you're selling your work and services, the homeowners policy doesn't apply. You need your own commercial policy and read your policy and grill your agent to be sure that policy will do what you are thinking it will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted August 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 Made a little progress this morning. About 15 minutes and it was down and almost gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted August 26, 2011 Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 Progress, funny choice of words for that. Hang in there and keep going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted August 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 Beats having to smell the burned building. We have a tree that needs to come down also so now is a good time. All the bigger tools left with a scrap hauler. Three trailer loads like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikem Posted August 26, 2011 Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 Sorry about the loss of your shop. Even though the insurance company is going to make it right for you again, I must imagine it was hard seeing your tools go like that. Hang in there, from this point on, you are moving forward again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted August 26, 2011 Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 Keeping a photographic record of this dramatic time has 2 purposes. 1. I t keeps the whole process real. You can look at the destruction and have a more balanced view of the situation after the initial shock wears off. This will be very good for you as you move forward with decisions on what to purchase and how you could improve your position from before with a photo of the destruction. 2. Like it or not, this event is a punctuation mark in your life's timeline (how many people use 9/11 like this?). You will find you refer to things that have happened to you before and also following the fire. 2011 will be a year that is all to clear to you. I would have a photo of the burnt out shop or even a collage of the rebuild blown up and framed, hang it on the wall of the new office. Out of the ashes spings new life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nateswoodworks Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Man this has to be hard, like you said your wife is fine and no one was hurt but still has to be hard. To see it removed must have been bitter sweet. Also seeing your tools go had to suck, were there any you could salvage? I know if a person had the time, not so much on their plate (obviously not you now), and as long as the tools didn't warp you could go through and rebiuld it, was this the case for any of it?? The only reason I ask is the more good you can see in a situation the easier it is to deal with. What is the part of this new leaf you are looking forward to the most?? Keep you head up and just look forward to making sawdust with all the new tools Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted August 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Man this has to be hard, like you said your wife is fine and no one was hurt but still has to be hard. To see it removed must have been bitter sweet. Also seeing your tools go had to suck, were there any you could salvage? I know if a person had the time, not so much on their plate (obviously not you now), and as long as the tools didn't warp you could go through and rebiuld it, was this the case for any of it?? The only reason I ask is the more good you can see in a situation the easier it is to deal with. What is the part of this new leaf you are looking forward to the most?? Keep you head up and just look forward to making sawdust with all the new tools Nate Most of the machines were in pretty bad shape. I'm not sure I would be able to trust a cutting machines that have gone through this big of fire. Just never know what got stressed where. We though about giving them away on Craigs list but certainly would want anyone to get hurt. We did donate them to a scrap that needed the money. For me Im looking forward to a neat clean shop. The old one was fine but it had so many years of collecting that it was getting a little overwhelming. The new one will still be cramped and crowded but I think over the years Ive learned what I can get by without. The wife and I are just spending down time getting things done that we should have done years ago. Ive already resided the house, took off the old deck, cut down the dead hedge and the wife is having new patio's poured. The wife is having a good time working with the contractor. It started off as a new shop and I'm sure by the time she is done it will be a full new yard and house remodel that needed to be done anyways. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Static_23 Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 I would have taken the in and outfeed rollerson that planner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted September 10, 2011 Report Share Posted September 10, 2011 Keeping a photographic record of this dramatic time has 2 purposes. 1. I t keeps the whole process real. You can look at the destruction and have a more balanced view of the situation after the initial shock wears off. This will be very good for you as you move forward with decisions on what to purchase and how you could improve your position from before with a photo of the destruction. 2. Like it or not, this event is a punctuation mark in your life's timeline (how many people use 9/11 like this?). You will find you refer to things that have happened to you before and also following the fire. 2011 will be a year that is all to clear to you. I would have a photo of the burnt out shop or even a collage of the rebuild blown up and framed, hang it on the wall of the new office. Out of the ashes spings new life. Daaaave....New picture!!! I'm starting to realize why those mountains have the blueish tint to them!!! Just ribbing you a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted September 11, 2011 Report Share Posted September 11, 2011 Daaaave....New picture!!! I'm starting to realize why those mountains have the blueish tint to them!!! Just ribbing you a bit. Haha, if you can't poke a bit of fun at yourself, then life just gets a bit too serious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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