I am looking for a good resource for storage cabinet design for my 2-car garage/workshop. I know that FWW has had a number of articles on chisel cabinets and other individual projects, but is there a good resource like the workbench books and toolbox books? Is anyone willing to share their own solutions for sanding, router, wood, and handheld power tool storage? Thanks for the help.
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After I built a stout assembly table I made what I called a "sanding station." It is simply a carcase that fits on the shelf beneath the table. I built two drawers and fitted them into the top half. They hold sandpaper (top drawer) and sanding disks and sponges (bottom drawer). The lower half is open and holds my two hand-held sanders.
The whole thing was built around the dimensions of a sheet of sandpaper for the drawers and sized so the sanders would easily fit down below. I'll try to post some pictures when I get home later.
BJ
Is the 2 car garage going to be all shop or will it still contain 2 cars? The reason I ask is I am the situation where my "shop" is one end of a 20"X22" garage that also is home to a '49 Stude PU and a '70 Datsun Roadster.
I have hunted for some time for references for do this sort of small shop and the related issues of storage and work surfaces. I found some and will post a list later. What I am ending up on the back end of my garage is a 7'X7'X2'D deep storage unit with shelves and drawers. Along next to the storage unit is a 13'X3' bench against the wall that doubles as my miter station. The outfeed for the Miter will extend into a dummy drawer in the storage unit that I can remove if I need the length. Below the bench will be my air compressor, router table, shop vac and additional drawers and cabinets. Between the miter stand and storage unit will be my band saw on casters. Above the bench I am building cabinets for additional tool and supply storage. Just trying to get the most out of little space. Hope this makes sense.
bit
Edited 6/13/2003 11:52:15 PM ET by Bitman
How about something like this...
http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct3.cgi?1201LazarusRemeber, "Wisdom is the toughest of teachers! She gives the test first and the lesson after."
Hi Bit,
Any pix of the Studebaker P/U that you can share? They are beuties....especially the 4 X 4's. They look like they'll eat you. Is it restored?
Mike [email protected]
I have had my Stude (1/2 ton 2WD 2R5) for about 15 years. When I got her she was in pretty nice original shape. Usual wear and tear and surface rust on most of the panels. But not bad as she had spent most of her life in the desert near Palm Springs. I did a rewire, new master cylinder, and a tune-up and drove her for another 5 years. At that point fixed all the blemishes and rust and did a paint job to original color, new glass and new rubber. Still purring along today. Sorry, but no pics available right now. I'll see if I can dig one up and scan it. Love this truck!.
bit
Paxton,
There are some good ideas presented in "Setting Up Shop" by Sandor Nagyszalanczy (Taunton Press). He presents a wide range of shops and storage solutions. Aside from being informative, it's also a fun read.
Good luck
Paul
Paxton,
I started a year ago organizing and coordinating the tiny little space I call my shop. It is a terrific amount of fun...but it does take time. Quick fixes generally don't last over time..they consume too much space and provide too little utility so take your time and enjoy.
I think its Woodweb that has all the pics of different shops...with some very good ideas.
Paxton
Sit down with a cup of coffee and clear your mind. Stare at your garage-shop. Ask yourself "what if". If it makes sense jot it down on a note-pad. The answers will come from inside your shop. You are better prepared to answer your own questions as you know what your needs are and the organization you personally require.
sarge..jt
SARGE: I still get a Rush each time you post photos of your shop or modifcations to one of your tools.. You truly are a insperation to each of us..oh yeah thanks for taking the time from your busy & hectic life to share that shop with us...
ToolDoc
Ditto to Tooldoc's comment -- very impressive! A couple of questions -- What's that underneath your drill press table (looks like a hydraulic jack), and how's your miter saw set for dust collection?
That biscuit joiner table is very cool! You are a wise man indeed to have those interlocking rubber mats in your shop (LOL! I've got more coming next week).
I notice you didn't show any big stacks of lumber. Holding out on us????forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Jamie
That particular 10" DP does have a hydraulic jack under-neath. It had no rack and pinion, so I came up with a $12 fix. You know me. < G >
The mitre-saw has a dust hood and a 1 1/4" hose attached to the outlet on the back. I have a dedicated 6 gal. Shop-Vac underneath it with both the vac and saw wired into a single switch. Turn one on an both are on.
Love the inter-locking mats. I bought extras that I can use almost anywhere. They're worth their weight in gold. The lumber rack is behind the shop. I got an extra 1000 sq. ft. or so in the half basement behind. I intentionally set the shop in the garage so I can keep the heavy dust makers near the doors. Also for ventilation purposes. Every hour or so, I just open the doors and don a dust mast. Start in the back and blow it out with an electric leaf blower.
Since those pictures, I added a Penn State DC, a Hitachi SCMS an a few other goodies. The DP was replaced with a floor model and a Delta thickness planer got added. Looks like I'm going to have to get consultation form David Copperfield on how to suspend things in mid-air. ha..ha..
Thanks to you and Doc for the compliments....
sarge..jt
Wow nice shop. But why do I have the urge to run in there & throw dust & chips everywhere???
Bart,
Ditto that!!
mark
Bart
Should have seen it this morning. We got 7 inches of rain in my section of Atlanta last nite in about 5 hours. A bird had pecked a knot-hole in the back side of the chimney casing and I hadn't noticed it while on the roof. Water ran down a stud and between the house floor and the sheet-rock ceiling in my shop which is underneath.
Most of the water was contained as I caught it early and sat a large plastic tote under the drip from a sheet-rock seam. I stayed home today and took the matting outside to dry. Threw a coat of new Porch & Floor paint on before I replaced them. I can re-paint the whole shop including all my home built benchs and tool stands in a week-end.
I probaly missed my call, I love to paint. They say it took Michaelangelo three years to paint the ceiling of the Cistein Chapel. He*l, I could have knocked it out in a coupe of days with a roller. ha..ha..
Have a good evening...
sarge..jt
Hey Sarge from now on your name will be Bos'n or Boats their the painters in the Navy. The old saying used to be if it stands still paint it if it moves salute it.
Bart
I didn't get to paint in the military. I did 75th Ranger Reg. in 68-69 in VN. Everything came olive green or tiger-stripe. Why would they want to change those soothing earth tone colors. I don't think the Army had discovered paint back in the late 60's. That came latter with modern technology. ha..ha..
sarge..jt
Sarge,
Sorry to hear about your rain debacle. Reminds me of the time I came home from a trip to find that the drip pan in the attic-mounted AC had overflowed and soaked the dining room ceiling, which then collapsed onto my new dining room table and chairs. I had only recently completed the table. This was before I had a compressor, and after I made the table I primed and sanded it, then took it to an automotive paint shop. Several coats of acrylic enamel (off-white to match the chairs) and it looked spectacular! The paint job cost more than the materials for the table. Now the ruined table is used as a test bench in my business. C'est la vie.
BJ
Bert
Sacrifice the house and furniture. But.... Save the TOOLS!!
ha..ha..
sarge..jt
Sarge,
Both your pictures and text were of tremendous help. I am just finishing up the painting portion of the job. The car will be both two car garage and shop. The home was a model home. This has its plusses, like the fact that the garage is a little wider on each side of the door than usual. Unfortunately, it was the selling office of the builder, so the walls were painted a nifty shade of blue/gray, that only took four coats of good quality paint to cover. Thanks to everyone for all the help. I will keep you posted.
Sarge,
I have one question, When in the heck do you have any time to get any work done in there.LOL Man you could eat off of the floor!!. WOW!!
Mark
professor
Right after you clean it and take the pictures. Doesn't get cleaned again till next paint and picture section. ha..ha..
Well, that's a slight exageration; but not far off target. I have been fortunate to log about 25 to 30 hours a week in a shop for the past 30 years. I've got an excellent system to keep it clean. Everything has a place and it gets put back there. I stop every couple of hours and open the doors. Start in the back and blow it out with a leaf blower. Go take a coffee break and log on the forum. When the dust settles, back in there. The mobile DC has been a big help, also.
Thanks for the comps...
sarge..jt
Sarge,
OK now get out there and make some cabriole legs LOL
Later
Mark
prof
I used to make a lot of them back in the early 80's when I only had a TS, BS and hand tools. I was into period furniture then. At this stage, can't put that kind of thing in my house. Just doesn't look good in a tent.
Caution: Teen-agers can do this to you, also. he..he..
sarge..jt
Paxton,
You mentioned two good books. But there is a third that Taunton has put together as a set of three called the workshop book. I remember flipping through it and it seemed at par with the other two but I can't remember how much it contains on shop storage. Take a look at that book it might have some good ideas.
Don't just think of your shop as square feet of floor and square feet of walls but Cubic feet of the whole space, every stinking foot/inch from floor to ceiling, Small Shop Survival).
Years ago I built (2) 3'6"Wx3'Dx9"H ply boxes on casters to roll under one of my workbenches, great long term storage, nails, plumbing gear, stuff/lots of stuff, etc. I plan to build 2 more for the other bench. I think the new ones will have hinged tops to keep out dust. And Sarge, I may actually paint them this time :o), the old ones too.
Cabinets (wall): I would stick with the classic upper kitchen cabinet design. I'm building (2) 3'Wx4'Hx1'D right now to replace an old wall unit I distroyed (on purpose) during shop ceiling/painting renovations. Open shelves collect dust, cabinets don't. Search the "french cleat" idea here, I have not used it but I've heard about for them for years and, I like.
Cabinet/Boxes (floor): Sized as you need and can fit, and on casters. Stay as mobil as possable.
Enjoy, Roy
THE most important advice I can give you is: LABEL EVERY DOOR and DRAWER!
I moved my shop into the back half of a 4-car garage. The previous owner had built closed cabinets all along one side wall and the back wall. I thought "GREAT! Plenty of storage!". But now that I've got something behind every door I can never remember what's where. When I decide I need something that I haven't needed for a long while, It takes me 20 minutes of door opening and closing to find it.
I'll say it again... LABEL!
4DThinker
I find the thing that works for me is to make most of the big tools moble and wheel them out into the driveway when I want to work. Now this is not a problem as I live in southern california and the weather is usually dry. The other benefit is that iI can get by without a dust collector. I just sweep up the driveway at the end of the day.
You still need some permanent storage for the small Items. I found the Full Service Workbench in Wood Magazine back in 1998 (I think) works well for me. All it is really is two cabinets with drawers made from MDF with a laminated MDF top. I also stuck a piece of plastic laminate on the top, banded the edges with oak and made an oak backsplash. I have the drill press mounted to the floor near the garage door so that if I need to work on something big, it can stick out the door.
Now if I could just get rid of all the junk from my garage that is not a woodworking tool or a car I would have lots of room.
I made upper cabs and a full height cab with doors that are 3" deep on the uppers and 4" on the tall one. Added shelves with bailin' wire accross the front on some of the doors to hold cans or whatever. Then I used dowells, nails, and screws to hold tools, and outher hangable stuff, on the outher doors. The cabinet shelves hold the big stuff. It's amazing how much is there, and still accessable. Triggerski.
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