I REALLY like the way you did your shop. Looks like a really comfortable spot instead of an operating room or museum :-)
I REALLY like the way you did your shop. Looks like a really comfortable spot instead of an operating room or museum :-)
In reply to MiniDave :
I got lucky decades ago when Duke U. Library upgraded from "card catalog" to digital indexing. the structure is solid oak, dovetailed drawers...sturdy. got rid of all the little boxes, cabinets, etc....mostly.
Handy hardware and parts saves me time going to buy piecemeal, or looking around for something....it all adds up.
I stop by local recycle and Habitat for Humanity regularly; the guys will call me if something special (for me) comes in...
In reply to MiniDave :
Plumbing:
ditto the toilet/ shower/ sinks...a luxury for sure. In my previous shop, I had an outdoor shower to save indoor space. Cheap at Habitat for Humanity...self contained fiberglass.
Also consider hot water spigots outside for washing stuff. more effective, and more friendly in the cooler seasons. Use 3/4 in pipe (same size as cold)...don't skimp on 1/2 inch. you'll enjoy the extra flow.
Which leads to tankless water heaters.....no standby loss....considerable for hobbyists, and continous supply when powerwashing outside.
BimmerMaven said:In reply to MiniDave :
I got lucky decades ago when Duke U. Library upgraded from "card catalog" to digital indexing. the structure is solid oak, dovetailed drawers...sturdy. got rid of all the little boxes, cabinets, etc....mostly.
Handy hardware and parts saves me time going to buy piecemeal, or looking around for something....it all adds up.
I stop by local recycle and Habitat for Humanity regularly; the guys will call me if something special (for me) comes in...
That's awesome!
DaleCarter said:The rolling bench is my favorite piece. I'm using it here to fab a new windscreen for the Panoz.
Panoz? Great cars. A buddy of mine has one. Do you have a build thread somewhere?
Lighting
Sadly, every 10 yrs, we need double the lumens to see the same detail...damn!
A great headlite well worth the money.
for general lighting, I designed a grid layout with minimum labor and wiring, yet very flexible.
Imagine a chain-link fence...
lay it on the floor...
expand until each "diamond" is 7 ft high or wide...
one 48 inch fixture now fits on each leg of the diamond.
one 4 in sq jxn box supplies up to 4 lights. 3/4 in conduit allows grnd, neutral, and 5 colored "hot" lighting circuits. and more colors for unswitched "tool" outlets.
a 24x24 garage would use 3 x 3 lighting groups. you can wire up zones acc'g to use. I use the 5th circuit for "navigation lights" ...just one light in each corner so I can get around anywhere even if only working in one "zone". can also connect to door light....so they come on when you open the big door(s) instead of the pitiful bulb on the motor.
layout 7 ft spacing around the perimeter. snap chalk lines to make your grid on the ceiling.....it should look like the chain link fence, diamond pattern.
light boxes go at proper intersection. tool power boxes (e.g. for pull down power cord) in between at alternate intersections. take a compass at 6 inches. mark a line 6 in out from each box intersection. this is where your screw hooks go to hang the fixtures.
Since all wiring is in 3 rows of 3 boxes, measure and build on the floor. screw up each box with conduit using chalk grid. then connect the 3 runs to each other and switch(es). pull wire.
"populate" your grid as needed....wiring is ready and waiting. upgrade. repair. move around....easy. you can even redefine a "zone" by simply changing the correct hot to the outlet for light.
for planning....
2x 40W fluorescent uses about 100W; 18 fixtures on a 15A circuit; 24 on a 20A circuit
2x "40W" LED...about 25W; 72 on a 15A; 96 on a 20A
LET THERE BE LIGHT....
I'm a big fan of enclosed storage. it keeps the contents from getting covered with the dirt, grime and dust that gets created in an active shop and makes the place feel less cluttered.
I also like a combination of fixed and rolling benches. My Dad made the rolling bench in this shot for me about 35 years ago when I was a professional tech.
The fixed benches give me a place to mount the vice and their stainless tops are easy to clean. The under cabinet lights ensure that I always have a bright workspace.
This ancient motorcycle lift of unknown brand is the bench that I use the most.
It's my transmission rebuild table.
Rear engine, engine installation lift
Engine stand
Race car stand
and, sometimes I even put a motorcycle on it. Although, weirdly, I don't have any pictures of it with a motorcycle on it.
Does anybody use peg boards to clear space?
VERY nice workbench/ lift!
Vairs.....bringing back memories; ulimately a 1970 LT-1 Kelmark mid-engine, front radiators and A/C! Camaro disc brakes....sigh.
parts lined up for a Toyota 1MZ-FE V6 in a first gen MR2.....soon
enjoy!
My advice? Don't be afraid to throw stuff away. I have been doing a major garage refurb this summer (electrical, heat, windows, doors, insulation, drywall, paint, lighting, etc etc) and the first thing I did was empty out 10 years of crap, even crap that I had moved from my other house and not touched. Felt so good tossing stuff in the trash I wish I could do it every day.
My process was to look up the "solds" on Ebay, if it was worth more than $100 sell price I would list it on FB Marketplace for half ebay, if it was under $100 sell price it went in on scrap. If it didnt sell or no interest in a week, it went in on scrap. All my half cut 2x4s, PVC, dryer ducting, etc that you always end up with went in the trash or burn pile. Went through all my spares and if I couldnt fit them in a single tote (all electrical in one tote, all plumbing in one tote) I pitched whatever I determined to be the least desirable. Threw out a whole bunch of used outlets and switches I had been keeping from when I repainted the house and changed from ivory to white outlets. Any rattle cans or oil bottles under 1/3 got thrown away.
Basically if I couldnt give it away to a friend or sell it for more than $50, it went in the trash.
93gsxturbo said:My advice? Don't be afraid to throw stuff away. I have been doing a major garage refurb this summer (electrical, heat, windows, doors, insulation, drywall, paint, lighting, etc etc) and the first thing I did was empty out 10 years of crap, even crap that I had moved from my other house and not touched. Felt so good tossing stuff in the trash I wish I could do it every day.
My process was to look up the "solds" on Ebay, if it was worth more than $100 sell price I would list it on FB Marketplace for half ebay, if it was under $100 sell price it went in on scrap. If it didnt sell or no interest in a week, it went in on scrap. All my half cut 2x4s, PVC, dryer ducting, etc that you always end up with went in the trash or burn pile. Went through all my spares and if I couldnt fit them in a single tote (all electrical in one tote, all plumbing in one tote) I pitched whatever I determined to be the least desirable. Threw out a whole bunch of used outlets and switches I had been keeping from when I repainted the house and changed from ivory to white outlets. Any rattle cans or oil bottles under 1/3 got thrown away.
Basically if I couldnt give it away to a friend or sell it for more than $50, it went in the trash.
Every now and again, whether via anger at not finding something or at level of clutter, or via a lightning bolt of motivation, I do the same...but I try to list things of value, but not worth the hassle of selling, for free.
And I'm always shocked at how hard it is to give perfectly good things away. Sometimes feel like I'd do better to list things at $20obo and let people feel like they're getting a deal offering me $10 vs just trying to get off of it for free. I just hate tossing perfectly good things (usually parts).
Something I did recently that struck me as a, "Why hadn't I done this before?" kind of moment...
I took some 3" deck screws, located a stud and shot them in at an angle. Now all four of my jack stands hang in a single line on the wall, out of my way when not needed and easy to grab as needed. Why didn't I do that before?
Something every garage needs is a bookshelf. Because references are important while working and a place to put those references up and out of your way is best. My current one is made up of a chunk of 3/4" birch ply screwed to a couple of blocks which are screwed into studs with the same 3" deck screws used above. It sits just above head height. Books are held in place by a couple of old license plates with a 90 bent into them and screwed down to the shelf to act as book ends.
For lights - T5 LEDs in 4' lengths are perfect shop lights, I use Barrina from Amaze-on. The clips are an easy twist-in/out-of-place format (also easily found on Amazon as spares). Which means they are easy to install and easy to move. I have 16 of these lights, ten on the basement ceiling, three on the garage ceiling, and the remaining three are used as drop lights. With three of them daisy chained together, I can light the entire underside of the Sunbeam and just leave them lying on the floor. No concerns about them getting hot and they're quite durable. One of mine has been stepped on/rolled over and while it's bent, it still works. For the drop lights, I just mounted clips to the underside of my bookshelf and click them into place to keep them out of the way.
trigun7469 said:Does anybody use peg boards to clear space?
I'm not a fan of pegboard. I can do everything pegboard can do with nails or screws in plywood without the annoyance of the pegs falling out.
The only reason pegboard would be nice is if I intended to move stuff around frequently. I don't intend to do that. If I decide to move stuff occasionally on a plywood wall, I can relocate the nails or screws.
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