Have a tool, trick or technique in your shop that you’d like to share with the rest of the class? Have at it: What is that special something and how does it make you happy?
Call this a spinoff of our Holiday Shop Tour thread.
Have a tool, trick or technique in your shop that you’d like to share with the rest of the class? Have at it: What is that special something and how does it make you happy?
Call this a spinoff of our Holiday Shop Tour thread.
Only that it's mine. Otherwise not that special
This is just my opinion, but I think a Shop and Tools subforum would go over great on here. There is a ton of threads for shop builds, garage layout questions, etc. I think it would be cool to have them all in one place, and its something we can all relate to. That's just my two cents (and that's usually about all its worth).
In reply to gearheadmb :
There is a shop talk sub forum, it is sadly a desolate barren landscape.
In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
I thought that forum was for advertisers to post.
To answer the original question:
Three things:
Since this started with a picture of a mechanic's stool - here is my hot tip:
I use a kick stool as my seat/step stool in the garage. It has spring-loaded casters; so it sits firmly on the floor, when you sit or stand on it. Too many times, I've had mechanics stools slip out from under me when leaning forward or sideways. The kick stool prevents this entirely, by virtue of its big round base and allows you to quickly use it as a step stool.
The first step makes a handy storage place for the tools you're actively using when sitting on it. Just make sure to have space clear if you need to use it as a step stool (though I find most folks can step up on top of it without needing to use the first step).
Finally, I went with a bright color (red) so I could see it in my peripheral vision when walking around the garage. I've tripped over black/white stools before because they blend in with the woodwork so to speak.
In reply to RevolverRob :
We had those schools in the library back in the day. Hmmmm.
+1 on the heater. I have a natural gas fired one in my shop. I keep it at 14 degrees C and only increase it when I'm in there for an hour or more. Otherwise it's fine. I haven't brought water there yet, but I have 2 spare conduit runs that are available if I want to do it.
I also have 16 X 8 foot garage doors on both ends - it makes it a nice place in the summer with the breeze blowing through.
I'll start with the worst thing in my shop:
It's sturdy, classic, even has a swivel/lazy Susan top, and was free because someone gave it to me. It's the perfect height to sit at the workbench and work. And...I have sat on it exactly one time in 15 years, but I have moved it out of my way about 72.3 million times. It's too nice to get rid of so it just sits there and taunts me. I hate you, you perfect stool.
My ceilings are low, which really sucks, but there are two steel beams that come in handy. In addition to storing things overhead, with a little trolly like this I can pull engines, lift heavy things, even hang my outboard to work on it.
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
Where did you find that?! My dad's work area is like this and I'd like to get him one some day. I've pulled my share of engines with a chain and a cable come-along from the I-beam in the basement of my folks' house.
Nothing special about mine except that it is MINE.
All the years working in my father's garage was great, but it was still my father's garage. To have your own garage is something special. Your own workspace.
I don't know about special, but it's heated and cooled. It has just about every tool a person needs to do just about anything they want.
Maddie likes to hang out with me as long as the heat is on and she has a soft place to lay down.
I would give a lot for another 10k sqft though.
A few things:
The 2 post lift. For years I crawled around on dirty, hard, sometimes wet concrete floors, squeezing under vehicles with hardly any room to swing a wrench. Now I walk underneath and easily reach whatever I need to.
The air conditioner. It's Texas. It gets hot and humid here. When I built the shop, I had it insulated, so even though it's a metal building in the direct sun all day, the 25K BTU A/C unit keeps it tolerable inside.
The wifi range extender. The shop is a few hundred feet away from the house. but with an antenna outside to pick up the wifi from the house, and an antenna inside to connect with the shop PC, an old Blueray player with wifi, connected to an old projection tv, I can browse the web. check email, stream music, and watch racing and football while I'm working.
The room. My project car, toolbox, parts, workbench, supplies, etc used to have to share space in a 2 car garage with a washer, dryer, and water heater. It got a little crowded. Now I can park 6 cars, 5 atv's. a UTV, riding mower, all the tools, parts, junk, etc and still have plenty of room to move around.
In reply to earlybroncoguy1 :
Mine is a tuck under garage.
The house furnace etc is there which makes access as simple as sliding it on the floor. Heat is warm enough to go barefoot in on a -30 day. And since it is surrounded by earth it stays around 65-75 no matter how hot it is outside.
on the lake side I have a pair of boathouse doors that open to provide a cool breeze off the lake. And at the opposite end a standard double garage door. So in the summer I get a decent cooling breeze flowing through. The boathouse doors are double insulated commercial glass. Two pieces about 3'x 5' so it floods the east side with natural light and a decent view of the lake.
The street side ( West side) has window panes in the garage door, again to provide natural light. Plus a Glass block window about 3'x4' on the North side for more natural light.
It's a work in progress so surplus wood and wood working equipment occupies about 1/3 of the 50' x 36' space. Parts for the MGuar and molds for race cars, my trailers as well as my MGTD Take another serious chunk of space. The Honda, Pickup, & JaguarXJS sit outside for now. Along with my Cruiser and her Pontoon. 1/4 of the space is occupied by toolboxes and shop equipment ( air compressors, Distributor machine. Parts washer, sand blasters, and lots of shelving with tools, equipment, parts, and supplies.
Ultimate goal is turn it into more of a Man Cave moving the trophy case and posters etc down from the Billiard room
It's special because it's paid for!
The garage door faces north. My last garage faced west, which was really annoying because I tend do do most of my work in the middle to late in the day, so the direct sunlight (in south Texas) would be really uncomfortable. Facing north I can be out in the garage in the middle summer and it's still comfortable because it's always shaded.
Although, to call it a "workshop" would be generous. I've moved so many times I've never really set anything up.
In reply to ClemSparks :
Amazon, of course. They are avaialble from Northern Tool and HF as well, I think. You use the washers to adjust it to fit any size beam, and it rolls along. Add a chain-hoist or mini-puller and it opens lots of possibilities.
It's mine. It's drafty, the floors uneven, its got poor lighting and electrical points, but it's mine. I'm slowly working on better organizing it and getting anything not garage related out of it and generally making it a better place to be. I hope to have it much better organized this coming year so I have a better flow to my workspace. I'll update with photos later, it can be seen in my shop cleaning videos that I plan to revisit when I have my car out in the spring.
+1 for running water! I just have an old laundry tub but it's sure nice to wash up before heading inside. Faucet outside for washing cars too. Didn't cost much to get water out here (detached garage). Just used a roll of sprinkler line, tapped in at the house and done. Added some fittings to make it easy to blow out in the fall. Since it doesn't see a lot of use the drain just goes out the wall behind a bush.
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
Thanks!
This makes my garage special. 220v heater. Went from freezing all winter to wrenching in comfort. I recommend it to anyone.
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