This is a standard-issue two-car garage that I went through and set up to work for carpentry, metal fabrication and service on my 1972 Porsche 911. Everything you see is homemade, secondhand or repurposed–and I did all the work myself, from setting the floor tiles to curving the steel crossmember for that front bench to digging the pit and pouring …
One picture shows lights that appear to be hanging from the overhead door. Am I seeing that correctly or is that an optical illusion? If they're mounted to the door, how does that work?
A great exercise in efficiency! I've 'taken' many ideas from his writings over on the GJ forums.
Thanks David for posting it here.
My biggest problem is every horizontal surface ends up filled with clutter - stuff I may need, but not things I know I want to keep permanently enough to have a dedicated place for them. It also always seems like a rush to finish a project by a certain deadline: bedtime/end of the weekend/end of vacation/etc. which tends to push cleanup to "later"...which invariably never happens.
Any tips on how to avoid that perpetual cycle? I'm starting with a clean slate - an empty 22'x30' garage and separate 12'x24' workshop. I think I can do a decent job setting it up for working efficiently, but I know my downfall will be the clutter and cleanup - and when I don't know what to do with an item the piles will start climbing.
petegossett wrote: My biggest problem is every horizontal surface ends up filled with clutter... Any tips on how to avoid that perpetual cycle? I
Stations: A station for brake tools, a station for woodworking tools, a station for fabrication tools, and a station for all-purpose tools. If youre not dragging tools across the workshop, its easier to put them back since theyre more likely to be at arms length.
That, and discipline (which was the hardest for me to grasp and put into practice)...plain and simple. Even if I only put half the tools back, its better than none. It will only take 2 minutes to put half of what I used back where it goes, and then thats half the clutter. Everyone can spare 2 minutes...
sirrichardpumpaloaf wrote: One picture shows lights that appear to be hanging from the overhead door. Am I seeing that correctly or is that an optical illusion? If they're mounted to the door, how does that work?
They appear to be mounted on steel supports, anchored to the walls to allow the door to open/close.
4cylndrfury wrote:petegossett wrote: My biggest problem is every horizontal surface ends up filled with clutter... Any tips on how to avoid that perpetual cycle? IStations: A station for brake tools, a station for woodworking tools, a station for fabrication tools, and a station for all-purpose tools. If youre not dragging tools across the workshop, its easier to put them back since theyre more likely to be at arms length. That, and discipline (which was the hardest for me to grasp and put into practice)...plain and simple. Even if I only put half the tools back, its better than none. It will only take 2 minutes to put half of what I used back where it goes, and then thats half the clutter. Everyone can spare 2 minutes...
It's not usually tools, in fact it's typically the other crap...the 2 turnbuckles I bought for a project but didn't use, the broken gas door from the Vitara that I may(eventually) get around to repairing, the seat cushion I had reupholstered 2-years ago but haven't got around to putting back together, some components I scavenged from an old PC...that kind of crap. Stuff I can't bring myself to throw away at that moment and/or have plans for, yet still lingers months/years later. That's the bane of my workshop.
Stefan (Not Bruce) wrote:sirrichardpumpaloaf wrote: One picture shows lights that appear to be hanging from the overhead door. Am I seeing that correctly or is that an optical illusion? If they're mounted to the door, how does that work?They appear to be mounted on steel supports, anchored to the walls to allow the door to open/close.
I remember reading a discussion of some kind of wall mount over on Garage Journal for those, but I don't recall the specifics.
That's an amazing garage. His discipline to simply put stuff away is incredible. I spent some time cleaning and rearranging my shop based on some of his ideas, and they work well. My problem was my shop turned into the project instead of facilitating other projects. Hard to autocross a garage.
ultraclyde wrote:Stefan (Not Bruce) wrote:I remember reading a discussion of some kind of wall mount over on Garage Journal for those, but I don't recall the specifics. That's an amazing garage. His discipline to simply put stuff away is incredible. I spent some time cleaning and rearranging my shop based on some of his ideas, and they work well. My problem was my shop turned into the project instead of facilitating other projects. Hard to autocross a garage.sirrichardpumpaloaf wrote: One picture shows lights that appear to be hanging from the overhead door. Am I seeing that correctly or is that an optical illusion? If they're mounted to the door, how does that work?They appear to be mounted on steel supports, anchored to the walls to allow the door to open/close.
Yeah, looking at the pictures, I realize I'd have to completely empty my garage and take a summer or two off to rebuild it to even come close. As crazy as that sounds, its not outside the realm of possibility given the sorry state it is in now.
petegossett wrote:4cylndrfury wrote:It's not usually tools, in fact it's typically the other *crap*...the 2 turnbuckles I bought for a project but didn't use, the broken gas door from the Vitara that I may(eventually) get around to repairing, the seat cushion I had reupholstered 2-years ago but haven't got around to putting back together, some components I scavenged from an old PC...that kind of crap. Stuff I can't bring myself to throw away at that moment and/or have plans for, yet still lingers months/years later. That's the bane of my workshop.petegossett wrote: My biggest problem is every horizontal surface ends up filled with clutter... Any tips on how to avoid that perpetual cycle? IStations: A station for brake tools, a station for woodworking tools, a station for fabrication tools, and a station for all-purpose tools. If youre not dragging tools across the workshop, its easier to put them back since theyre more likely to be at arms length. That, and discipline (which was the hardest for me to grasp and put into practice)...plain and simple. Even if I only put half the tools back, its better than none. It will only take 2 minutes to put half of what I used back where it goes, and then thats half the clutter. Everyone can spare 2 minutes...
Clear plastic bins with lids, put all of the parts for a specific project in the bin, label it with a sheet of paper and a marker and put the bin away on a shelf, etc.
In reply to Stefan (Not Bruce):
You know labels would make a world of difference... 
It's funny, in packing for the move I made sure to write either the contents of the box - particularly mixed boxes of SWMBO's crap - or at least the room it belonged in. Yet I've never once labeled anything in my shop/garage except ziplock baggies of parts I intended to use upon reassembly.
Jack's original discussion thread on the Garage Journal board: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55006 It's 228 pages long so it will take a while to read it all 
but there's a lot of good stuff in there - not just about his garage but other projects. He's a great writer too, so his posts are fun and educational to read.
Yeah, Jack built a killer shop. Hope that you guys are enjoying the magazine series showing the different shops. There's a lot to be learned (and enjoyed).
Nice job and kudos for your effort. I'm interested in the lift. What kind is it, what prep did you have to do and where did you find and cost. Thanks.
bmwpc wrote: Nice job and kudos for your effort. I'm interested in the lift. What kind is it, what prep did you have to do and where did you find and cost. Thanks.
You can learn more about Jack's lift here: http://www.12-gaugegarage.com/blog-14/index.html
Jack was recently selected by Porsche to go to Germany to participate in a challenge that involves driving a new 991 911R; 400hp, a 6 speed manual transmission, and it's lighter than the GT3RS. He and one other civilian work with Patrick Long, building up to getting to drive one stage of the Tour de France Automobile hillclimb.
More details and links to videos here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5565324&postcount=4591
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