Building a dream garage workshop

[Jake McKee]

I'm building a garage workshop in the new house. It'll be an effectively dedicated 2 car garage. Here's what I'm planning already, bringing these from the old garage workshop: 

* Ductless heater/AC

* Plenty of lights (I have at least 5 4-tube fluorescent banks

* Fold down workbenches attached to the walls

* Fair amount of pegboard to hang the tools

* TV

* Rolling wood cart

* Rolling plywood cart (need to build)

I also plan to epoxy the floors and paint the walls... no drywall tape walls here! :)

Any other ideas? Go crazy!

[Steven Lee]

blue tooth speakers for music

[Paul Leenerts]

Maybe a rolling assembly bench and a centrally located (ceiling mounted) retractable extension cord? If you are sharing with the autos, then take a look at the Paulk Workbench (you can search it in Google). Provides fairly decent workspace, yet you can store it away in a pretty small footprint. I like Steve's Bluetooth speaker ideal also.

[Gary roofner]

Change your tubes to led's  only takes about 10 minutes to rewire fixtures and $10 a tube at earthled no shipping or taxies. No more flickers and no more worries about ballast, reduce shadowing and allot more light.

[Jake McKee]

Wow! So does that eliminate buzzing? 

[Lynda Sleeper]

I just finished (altho I think it'll always be a work in progress) my budget friendly dream garage (2 cars in there also).  Here are some things that I have found really useful!

1.  Add as many outlets (quads) as you can!! and be sure they're above your workbench height.  My electrician also suggested ceiling outlets to plug my light fixtures into so that they don't take up the wall mounted ones.  AND, he switched part of the ceiling outlets so that I can turn on the lights from the door.

2.  Another use for the ceiling outlet (separately switched) is for a fan.  Helps with paint fumes, bugs, heat.

3.  BEST thing I did was figure out a way to install a sink.  Plumber was able to tie the drain into plumbing on the other side of the wall.

4.  One rolling cart isn't enough.  I've built 3.  I keep my air compressor and accessories underneath one of them and that been great to roll to my projects, but is still usable as an extra table.  

5.  An speaking of wheels, everything in my garage is on wheels including rolling drawers under my workbench for more storage.  If you're going to have an epoxy floor, you'll love being able to wheel everything out to give the floor a good wash or sweep.

6.  I do have one wall with pegboard, but the other 2 walls have slat walls.  Looks nice and is stronger.

I could spend all day and night out there!

6.  

[Lynda Sleeper]

yes!

Jake McKee said:

Wow! So does that eliminate buzzing? 

[Tim Grace]

I did switch out all my fluorescent for LEDs - most were just tube replacements.  The Feit tubes were a direct replacements for T8 or T12 4 foot tubes.  My shop is unheated, and the LEDs are instant on instead of taking 30 minute to come up to full brightness in colder weather.  The light seems better, also.

I do like the idea of a sink out there.  There are many things for which running water would be handy.

Instead of peg board, run a french cleat system around the perimeter walls.  This gives you the option of putting up different items around the wall.  I do have a pegboard cabinet with 3 layers of usable pegboard (both sides of the doors and the wall) that hang on the french cleats. Very handy for me.

I never really understood a TV in the shop, I do have a place for my laptop or tablet for viewing plans, or looking up stuff, ordering materials, etc.

Enjoy putting your new shop together!

[R. E. Woods]

Having a TV lets me watch mostly news and some of the woodworking shows. I have a three piece speaker attached to my computer so I can listen to music like a youtube mix. My pegboard in my basement allows me to hang more tools in a small amount of wall space. Each panel is 16 inches wide so I have 160 inches of pegboard in about 60 inches of wall. The frames are made from furring strips with pocket holes. The frames are attached to the angle iron with wood dowels.

.

[Trace Farthing]

Can you hang all the necessary tools on a wall? ie. miter saw, drill press, router table, band saw, grinder, planer, etc. You'll also want a fairly large tool box for bits, wrenches, socket sets, screw drivers, and more. Add a rack of storage bins for screws, nails, and various fastening bits and pieces. You'll probably want an air compressor and nailers. And so on and so forth, ad infinitum. Maybe dedicate one wall of your garage to these things.

I think a good way to organize and store your tools is the first priority. I'd forego the plywood cart for a miter station with built-in storage above and below, as well as, behind the fence. I've seen some mobile versions that are pretty slick.

Fold down benches sound nice but you can't walk around them. So, you're constantly turning your work piece - a real pain especially when your staining or painting. I'd look into a couple of Kreg's new Mobile Project Centers instead. With two of them and a sheet of plywood you can make any size bench you need, set it up anywhere (the middle of the garage or outside), and store it all flat against a wall when done.

Also, I'd opt for a rolling tool cart with a magnetic bowl. I had a wood cart but it was really a scrap cart.

Epoxy on the floor will be nice. Keep the walls light. You'll want the place brightly lit as possible (until the movie starts).

And dust collection! At the least, get a decent shop vac and a cyclone with a couple of hoses and plenty of attachments for everything from your table saw to your K5 and in between. Your lungs and your family will thank you.

Like Tim, I don't get the TV either. I can't watch it while using power tools but I'm funny that way and I have a better room for TV anyway. Radio is nice but only when the power tools aren't going which is rarely. However, I do an old fridge with plenty of beer for the end of the day!

Have fun!

[EJ Kenney]

I am new to the community and having to set-up and tear down my workshop in my garage i put a premium on space and mobility.  I recently bought 2 mobile project centers and have plywood between the PC for my workbench with an additional vice attached to the 2x4’s supporting the bench.  I was wondering if anyone has created a router top leveraging this same approach where when needed the router top ( MDF attached to 2x4) would be supported between MPC so I can have a larger router top than my current bench top router table.  I would appreciate any advice and will share photos once I build.  I may also take this same approach with a poor mans bandsaw ( mounting a jigsaw underneath plywood.

[Peter Watkins]

Jake,

I am in the process of doing similar. I have an extension being built into the garage [6' x 13'] to put racks [all 6' long and 6' high - 4 shelves], various power tools [Bandsaw, drill press mitre saw etc - which are all on wheels. I've found that if I roll everything I need to use out the front - or just inside if its raining - it minimises the dust - which keeps the better half from complaining too much - and if she does complain too much I will remind her that I had a perfectly good shed at the house that she wanted to sell

I found that all the wheeled carts need brakes for once they are in place, all are the same height if I need an outfeed table then I can just use something else to support an end

One thing that I did and will do again is to run a "bump rail" around the garage at the height where things will ding the wall - I used 4 x 1 for it - saved untold dings from the drywall

My vac is moved between tools as needed - no extra piping

And of course my Sonos for music - there is a small tv for the football - about once a week

I should be in in September with any luck - then do a deck and pergola after we get in

Pete

[William Oliver]

I just uploaded some files for what I did.  The workbench was designed by an Engineer and it works great.  We can convert our garage into a woodshop by moving everything in position and when done, move everything to their storage position and park both cars in the garage.