Create your own portable workstation

When Augie Scoto built his new shop in California, he wasn't sure where to place the vise, bench grinder, and cut-off saw, so he created a portable workstation.

Scoto welded 5-inch tubing to the inside of an old 40-inch tractor tire rim, extending the tubing 34 inches above the rim. He then welded 1/2-inch-thick plate on top of each tube so he could mount the various tools.

He also welded short pieces of the 5-inch tubing on the inside of the rim and even with the top. "The extra tubing slots can be used to add tools in the future or to hold hand tools, rebar, etc.," Scoto says.

"Weld two pieces of rebar, making an X across the rim, and, at the center, weld a heavy-duty eye hook, so the workstation can be moved," Scoto says. "When done, fill the rim to the top with concrete, smooth, and let dry. Once dry, at-tach your vise, grinder, or whatever tools need to be mounted to the station."

To add electrical outlets, before pouring the concrete, Scoto welded a metal junction box on one vertical tube and ran conduit from the box to an area inside and just above the bottom of the rim. He cut a small hole through the rim and then fed a heavy-duty extension cord with the socket end removed through the hole in the rim, into the tubing, and to the junction box.

Augie Scoto

Farming operation: Augie Scoto farms with his twin brother, Joe. The third-generation farmers grow, pack, and ship fresh market tomatoes in California. They also produce corn silage, wheat, alfalfa, cotton, and almonds. In addition, Scoto's wife, Jill, and son Ryan run her family's farm, which produces corn silage, cotton, and almonds.

Education and hobbies: Scoto says he graduated from "Barnyard University" where he got the "best education ever." Church is the No. 1 focus in his life, followed by antique truck and tractor restoration, camping, hunting, and travel.

Family: Scoto and his wife have been married for 32 years and have two sons, Gustin and Ryan. They also have three grandchildren.

Email: augiebscoto@hotmail.com