Home shop setups

I am sure there are some threads on this, but with the search above I wasn't very succesful at finding them.

After a few more trips to the dump - I will have full control of my shop - not huge area - 25x23 in size with about 7.5 feet high ceiling (that part sucks) - just looking for some ideas on how to set it up. I looked over at the garage jounral website - though nice setups - uhhh yeah I have a 500.00 audi I am fixing up so looking for more of the common grassroot's setups.

I recently asked a similar question, as I'm turning what was a half carport/half garage into a two-car garage and wondered what I ought to keep in mind. That's over here.

People had some really good ideas!

With the ceilings that low, I hope the rafters/joists are open so you can put (a lot of) lights up between them rather than lowering the effective headroom even further...

yeah its completely open so I put up some lights and a ceiling fan above the rafters. Ill check that link out - thanks!

keep things portable, put as much stuff on wheels as you can: welding table, cabinets, pedestal grinder etc. Try to keep a clean area. One week you're grinding, sanding, welding next week in paint or engine building. Lotta lights and outlets, keep portable lighting handy too.

right now I use my shop as a 1 car garage in size - have a bench on the left side, bench straight ahead and tool chests on the right side. - wondering if i should keep it like that so i can have a clean area on the other side, maybe a mirror image on the other side for differnt tasks..

wife wishes i planned this much on our bathroom remodel

like the portable idea for the welding table..

When I had my metal shop, I built a 4x4x3.5' welding table with a 1/4" steel top. Anchored it to the floor with red heads. I did that because I had to beat on steel a lot in my fab work. Not being solidly mounted would be a problem. Keep that in mind. I also had my big bench vise on that table, another thing that needed stability. YMMV.

if there are any retail stores going out of business, look for their shelving, and especially try to get your hands on their slat wall - makes organization a breeze.

Ive also been working on a 4x8 platform that I will be able to raise and lower on a cable system. Basically, a huge shelf that I can hoist up above the car for additional storage. It will be fastened using big eye bolts into the ceiling joists, and a boat winch bolted to the wall will raise and lower it..

I will definitely post a thread on it when Im done.

Modular - Portable - 2X more power, light, & storage than you think you need.

My Home Shop

Also- Try to make it secure as possible. Bars on the doors and windows. Strong locks. An alarm, however simple, is an excellent idea. You will have thousands of dollars worth of tools and cars that can be highly attractive to bad people. Take care of it before you have an incident, not after. A few dollars spent now can save you a lot down the road.

I'd do some more digging on the garage journal website. Some of the shops there are over the top, but there are also many grassroots level efforts.

In reply to RX Reven':

Nice pic reven.

I built a large shelf to cover my table saw, that way I can pull it out when needed without unloading all the accumulated stuff on it. Then built a tire rack over it. you can do the same thing to store a portable comperessor on the floor with shelving above. I just used 2x4's and plywood.

My shop/garage build thread on a very low budget. http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/married-do-not-try-this/27721/page1/

i don't think there is any one perfect way to set up a shop- your space, vehicles, and methods for organizing things will dictate what to put where. i know where everything is in my garage, but someone else might feel totally lost.

put as many cars in it as it will hold, then figure out where to put a bench and your tool box. then add in whatever you need beyond that.

cwh wrote: When I had my metal shop, I built a 4x4x3.5' welding table with a 1/4" steel top. Anchored it to the floor with red heads. I did that because I had to beat on steel a lot in my fab work. Not being solidly mounted would be a problem. Keep that in mind. I also had my big bench vise on that table, another thing that needed stability. YMMV.

I have something similar in size, also bolted to the floor. I built it out of scrap metal I got from some industrial railings - 1x2 and 2x2 steel with 1/4" wall. Nothing beats a table you can really beat on if necessary. I've managed to break a 5" vise in half using excessive leverage, and the table never budged.

In my shop, I've got a lot of things attached to spring-loaded reels on the ceiling. There's an air hose at the back where I do most of my work and one at the front by the door, makes it easy to always have air close by but not constantly underfoot. I also have a couple of reels with extension cords so I can just reach up and run out as much cord as I need.

Keith wrote:

cwh wrote: When I had my metal shop, I built a 4x4x3.5' welding table with a 1/4" steel top. Anchored it to the floor with red heads. I did that because I had to beat on steel a lot in my fab work. Not being solidly mounted would be a problem. Keep that in mind. I also had my big bench vise on that table, another thing that needed stability. YMMV.

I have something similar in size, also bolted to the floor. I built it out of scrap metal I got from some industrial railings - 1x2 and 2x2 steel with 1/4" wall. Nothing beats a table you can really beat on if necessary. I've managed to break a 5" vise in half using excessive leverage, and the table never budged.

Just wondering... w/ tables that heavy that need anchored to the floor what the heck are you guys beating on?

Bending , hot shaping, flattening, anvil work without the anvil. Had a lot of fun. Ornamental iron work.

Anything I want It doesn't have to be anything monstrous, but a vise is useless if it doesn't stay where you put it when you're trying to bend something or really put some torque on a rusty bit. I'm working out of the FM shop this weekend, and the vise there is attached to a fairly typical workbench that's not anchored. I've moved it a few times by accident.

In reply to RX Reven':

Now that is organization. . . Thanks!

RX Reven - that looks great - not sure i could even come close to keeping it look like that though!

Thanks for all the suggestions.. - found my first issue yesterday when the outside temps got into the 90's.. it was HOT in there - going to look at some gable vents and try to get that hot air out of there.