GRM Shop Tour | Let’s See Your Workplace This Holiday Season

David S.
By David S. Wallens
Jan 2, 2021 | shop

You have shops. We have shops. Let’s do a shop tour this holiday season–and if it keeps going into the new year, that’s totally fine, too. 

All are welcome: big shops, little shops, it could be the closet that you work from. Professional shops? Sure, bring it. Home garage? Of course. 

How it works:

Don’t clean up your shop. Let’s see it as it really is. 

Post some photos of your shop in this thread–say half a dozen but no one’s counting. 

Tell us about your shop. Why does it make you happy? What obstacles have you had to overcome? What lessons can you pass along to the rest of the class? Anything else to share? 

And then repeat. 


Thank you to Carl Heideman for the idea. 

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Comments
Purple Frog (Forum Supporter)
Purple Frog (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
12/24/20 1:25 p.m.

When we moved a few years back I had to downsize.  Built this 24 x 36 shop.  I've talked about it on other threads.  The inside walls are covered with flat galvenized sheetmetal.  Which makes it a joy to keep clean and to hang all the random collection of things.  Just use magnets.   I knew the floor space would be smaller so everything but the cabinets running down the long walls is on rollers.  So storage racks, etc, can be moved to make whatever space is needed,   Unfortunately i have 50 years of racing memorabilia that I can't seem to part with.  Books, posters, flags, banners, programs.....

It has 150 amp service with 220 for the welders.  Because it is completely spray foam insulated the little window unit in the back wall keeps it nice in horrible North Florida summers.  There is a gaggle of 5000K LED strip lights on the ceiling.

Took this picture after coming home from last saturday's local car show.

I can work in there if i have to.   

JohnInKansas
JohnInKansas SuperDork
12/24/20 2:14 p.m.

My space is "enough". Big enough. Warm/cool enough. Well enough lit. Enough outlets in more or less the right places.

The stove (chimney visible behind rear passenger corner of GTI) has been nice. Not a huge amount of heat, but I've only burned scrap pine chunks. Ought to try it with some hardwood and see what it can do.

The work bench is lovely and I dishonor its name by keeping so much garbage on it. Horizontal spaces become storage for excess. 

Wish it had a 6 or 8" I-beam over the GTi, long-ways, so I could hang my trolley and chain hoist on it. That proved really useful in an earlier venue.

Always wish for better lighting.

Always wish for ~25% more floor space, but I'd just fill it with more crap. The right answer is to have better system for storing the stuff I don't need in the foreseeable future so that its not underfoot.

"Outside" storage is sufficient for keeping the next project(s) mostly out of the weather. Wish the footing was cement or at least a good base of gravel and pea gravel.

Dieselboss15
Dieselboss15 Reader
12/24/20 2:18 p.m.

well, i cleaned mine yesterday, before i knew this article was ever coming out...

Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter)
Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) SuperDork
12/24/20 2:23 p.m.

Halfway through upgrading the wiring and I had to pick the lift up and unpack it to get it unloaded. 

 

not sure why but my youngest is the only helpful one 

EvanB (Forum Supporter)
EvanB (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
12/24/20 3:05 p.m.

No cleaning? Ok, I guess I'll put that off some more. 

Main garage is 20x30. 

Additional rear storage room 28x10. 

I need to spend a whole weekend cleaning and organizing sometime, especially in the back room. If I had less engines it would likely be easier to walk back there but something else would fill the space. 

james Kepford
james Kepford GRM+ Memberand New Reader
12/24/20 3:41 p.m.

My shop and project for the winter months, An FM turbo my 2002 Miata. This was a really good excuse to straighten out the shop, mostly just putting away tools. I get a bit OCD about cleaning my shop. I retired this year so this it the place I spend my time working on projects. The goal to to have a good autocross/trackday car by next summer. The shop is 24' x 32' so space is tight. I live in SD so heat is a must, I had 38" of insulation blown in the ceiling last fall and insulated the wall with bats. The garage doors and insulated and the heat is 2 electric heaters, 1 18,000 btu and one 22,000 btu. with the added insulation I don't use the 18,000 btu unit any more the  22,000 btu heater is more than enough, it adds about $130 a month to the electric bill so all in all it's not to bad.

 

james Kepford
james Kepford GRM+ Memberand New Reader
12/24/20 3:43 p.m.

In reply to james Kepford :

james Kepford
james Kepford GRM+ Memberand New Reader
12/24/20 3:44 p.m.

In reply to james Kepford :

james Kepford
james Kepford GRM+ Memberand New Reader
12/24/20 3:44 p.m.

In reply to james Kepford :

Ian F (Forum Supporter)
Ian F (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
12/24/20 4:10 p.m.

Not much has changed since the "30 min a day" thread, but fortunately not too much clutter added... actually - a little less clutter since I finally gave away the Miata power steering parts I've had in the garage for 10 years.  I had them posted for $20 on FB but when I met the guy I just gave the box to him since my main goal was jsut to get it out of my garage without throwing them away.

Along a similar vein, I just finished installing similar LED strip lights in my basement, so for the first time in 37 years I can really see how cluttered and messy it is down there...

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