(from the front page of VAF this morning. duplicated here for discussion.)
Randy, Clayton and I were talking yesterday about tornadoes and what they do to our part of the country. I found a safe room design online for $3K-$5K that could double as a family tornado shelter (another design). Since I don't have that kind of money laying around, we thought maybe you could buy steel 3/16 C-channel locally cut to a specific length, maybe workbench height, and then weld them together with the stick welder here in the hangar.
Unlike the online version this would have the rough stuff pointing outward - smooth interior walls. You could tie the four walls together in the corners with some angle iron and bolts. Use a hammer drill, more angle, twenty HILTI expansion bolts and more to tie it into the garage slab. Bolt on a work surface made out of thicker steel C-channel welded together and then cover that with wood to become a workbench. Cut in a door with some bad boy welded-on hinges and we're good. Paint it safety red and put a RESCUE arrow on the door pointing to the knob.
I'm guessing something like this might support the weight of a car, and might even stay attached to the slab if an EF5 decided on us. Maybe there is an engineering type out there w/something better than MS Paint that finds this interesting, too.
We're thinking about things like this with a renewed vigor around here. Anywho, if it comes to fruition, we'll keep you in the loop.
v/r,
dr
PS: If you moved....you could unbolt it and take it with you.
Pic of 'tornado alley' 1950-2010
Pic of where some VAF Forum users say they live (area codes overlay on GoogleEarth):
Pic of a safe room bolted to the slab...
Randy, Clayton and I were talking yesterday about tornadoes and what they do to our part of the country. I found a safe room design online for $3K-$5K that could double as a family tornado shelter (another design). Since I don't have that kind of money laying around, we thought maybe you could buy steel 3/16 C-channel locally cut to a specific length, maybe workbench height, and then weld them together with the stick welder here in the hangar.
Unlike the online version this would have the rough stuff pointing outward - smooth interior walls. You could tie the four walls together in the corners with some angle iron and bolts. Use a hammer drill, more angle, twenty HILTI expansion bolts and more to tie it into the garage slab. Bolt on a work surface made out of thicker steel C-channel welded together and then cover that with wood to become a workbench. Cut in a door with some bad boy welded-on hinges and we're good. Paint it safety red and put a RESCUE arrow on the door pointing to the knob.
I'm guessing something like this might support the weight of a car, and might even stay attached to the slab if an EF5 decided on us. Maybe there is an engineering type out there w/something better than MS Paint that finds this interesting, too.
We're thinking about things like this with a renewed vigor around here. Anywho, if it comes to fruition, we'll keep you in the loop.
v/r,
dr
PS: If you moved....you could unbolt it and take it with you.
Pic of 'tornado alley' 1950-2010
Pic of where some VAF Forum users say they live (area codes overlay on GoogleEarth):
Pic of a safe room bolted to the slab...
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