ITT we discuss our ideal workshops, and give ideas for useful things to have/consider for a workshop. Location, sizing, windows/doors, insulation, lofts, tool organization, table layout, plumbing, electrical, filtration, cleanup, storage, organization and so on. Any tips and tricks you've picked up are welcome to be shared. Small space garage workshop bros welcome too.
A few from me:
>Run 1/2 inch air hose around the roof of your shop from your compressor and mount 50ft airhose reels on the wall by the garage door and elsewhere so you have tidy air access. My uncle has his mounted in each corner of the shop in the ceiling. You can also do the same for electrical extension cords.
>Harbor Freight sells small parts bins cheap. Buy them on sale and slap them on the back wall of a deep worktable and you have tons of parts storage.
>Utilize vertical space. Ground and table space is limited. This means good shelving, ceiling shelving, lofts, etc. Be smart about it.
>Don't buy non-important stuff new. There are architectural salvage places that sell steel tables, tool cabinets, lighting setups, conduit, joists and such for cheap. Or crawl Marketplace.
>Optimize your workflow. Build around your central area and think about where you move from it for tools and parts. You will likely have several stations, one for carpentry, welding, etc., but you almost always have a "central" area. Take careful consideration of your precious worktime and plan your layout accordingly.
How do you guys place and quiet your air compressors? Spray foam? Rockwool? I hate listening to it. If I build a box around it will the motor breathe ok??
Usual method is put them outdoors if you're sensitive.
They only put compressors outside down south. Lots of shops have compressors in there own room. Quincy used to offer a silent piston compressor with a housing around the pump.
They're fine outside in sheds up Nawth too. Just protect them from snowfall. Nothing else is an issue.
I built a little room like a closet with a leftover door in the corner of my shop. Even without insulation it's so much quieter. Also remember to put thick rubber or butyl under the compressor instead of directly on the slab floor, as a lot of the noise is from the bass vibrations, not just the motor.
Horse stall mat is awesome. I also put my compressors on castered frames so they're mobile. I built my shop like a jobsite so I can easily rearrange it when I add equipment or want a different layout.
Picrel is how I mount my scaffolding casters. I bought a stick of pipe, use a burr to remove the internal weld seam, then I can weld the side to a frame etc or drill a hole to pass the stud through horizontal steel and weld the tubing top to the frame that way. The stud is a section of allthread welded to the top of the caster which prevents casters falling out on uneven ground, trailers or ramps. I drilled that pipe section for a normal pin but now I just use the top nut to retain casters.
>Picrel
Sorry, could you explain? I've googled this word and don't get anything related
Picture related
I placed mine outside built a box to go around it, and put sound absorbing foam on the inside of the box.
the foam only slightly helps.
Sound absorbing foam or sound damping foam? There's a difference. Sound absorbing foam is extremely expensive and used in studios and shit and basically absorbs everything, sound damping foam is a lot cheaper and really only stops echos.
We put it in an old refrigerator until it explodes.
Rinse lather repeat.
if you can, it's preferable to hard pipe and run air line drops to various parts of your shop. you can use shorter hose and not have it trailing all over floor. double goes for electrical
open bins and shelves collect dust and debris. putting things in closed bins or cabinets keeps things much cleaner.
buying non optimal old stuff can work but be a big compromise to incorporate if it's not exactly what you were looking for. you can find yourself buying it again later. sometimes buy once cry once does apply.
separate room like other anons have said. if you're looking at small oil less compressors, the quiet ones are pretty good now.
also, windows and natural light can make the shop a lot nicer place to work in. good lighting that's easy on the eyes (no super bright spotlights) is important too. heating and cooling can also make the shop a lot more comfortable to work in. generally, the more comfortable you are, the better the quality of work.
Hard pipe is more work to place, alter and repair.. I run quality air hose as I would run pipe which not only is fast and easy to deploy but is fast and easy to change when I add equipment. I cut steel pipe rings which I hang from the steel angle shelves I fabbed and run the air hose and electrical cables through those as on a jobsite or deployed military shop in a shelter. Nothing is really permanent but the service panel and a few outlets. My rotary phase converter and air compressors are on large casters. My larger welders are on castered dollies and the rest will get carts too, but I have separate cylinder carts for easy movement (I use Milton pneumatic disconnects for shielding gas hose connections).
Can you send a pic of your hose/cable runs? I really don't want to run conduit or hard air hose. What you're saying makes sense.
Pic is one of my shipping containers used as a ride-through motorcycle garage/shop. The shelves hang by torch-bent round bar hooks from the existing roof tiedowns.
On this one I tack welded pipe sections to the rear of the shelves. On my machine/welding dual container shop the pipe sections are also on round bar hooks which reach up and behind the shelves for easy movement since I often reroute welding cable through those. I also have welder fron panel fittings as wall feedthroughs so I don't have to drag cable through the container end doors. Keeps everything off the floor and not blocking ceiling space which I use for storage clearance when using the shelves which are quite hefty (I hang motorcycles from them sometimes for easy access when wrenching).
Dude that is braindead simple and exactly what I was looking for. I have a steelframe building and was wondering what would be the simplest way to run hose and cords in the ceiling. Thanks for this man.
I just scored two industrial 5HP compressors for my other shop to run together and that setup now has 3/4" red air hose with Chicago couplings which hold much more air. It will be easy to add drops after I get the hose hung on the walls.
You can greatly augment your system by using a receiver tank which I scored even before the compressors. You want one. Once filled you can blast etc as if your compressors were much larger, and with air you can tie as many compressors into the system as you can power.
>I just scored two industrial 5HP compressors for my other shop to run together and that setup now has 3/4" red air hose with Chicago couplings which hold much more air. It will be easy to add drops after I get the hose hung on the walls.
>
>You can greatly augment your system by using a receiver tank which I scored even before the compressors. You want one. Once filled you can blast etc as if your compressors were much larger, and with air you can tie as many compressors into the system as you can power.
Awesome, great advice. I have a 5HP 25GAL compressor, can I just buy a tank and expand my capacity with just the one? I want to put the compressor outside in a box, having a tank inside would be fine.
Going to have my garage built unfinished, and then do all of the dry wall and electrical myself.
My question is what should I do about the concrete pad? Epoxy? It's going to be mostly automotive, some lifts, etc. I don't want the concrete to be stained by anything and easy to clean.
You can buy a tank (or buy a broken compressor and inspect tank using USB borescope which are cheap and fun to play with) and doing as you say with tank indoors is a good way to get your surge capacity next to your equipment.
I'm no use on slabs though as I just broom the frickers off when I can no longer see the floor...
Ok, so say I have a 5hp compressor. Can I buy like a residential propane tank and just fill it up in stages? I need 30cfm of air for minutes at a time. Is that a way to do it? Sorry, I'm naive about compressor power and how much work they do. I expect that filling a 100x sized tank would take 100x the time to get it to the same PSI.
Tanks are surge capacity so best to fill it then use it then take a break. If refill takes too long it's easier to add compressors then hassle with wiring the big ones.
An LP tank would be fine if it's not corroded. You'll need to add a moisture drain but if it's a horizontal tank you could just mount it upside down to use existing bungs. I like that idea.
Was thinking about hanging it from an I-Beam against the wall so it is out of the way but accessable with a ladder or standing on a bench. Air has to be super dry so I was doing to add a dehydrator. Main thing is 25+cfm steady flow. Figure a couple of 5HP compressors going to the tank will be enough? That would save me like $20k right there if it would work.
You can run hose anywhere you run hard line, including with drops and faster with easier reconfig.
BTW if you score used industrial compressors many are designed to run at low RPM for continuous duty which happens to be quieter than a high RPM annoying hobby compressor.
I wanna know how anons divide up their shops... Do you have separate work areas for different crafts, welding, woodwork, plumbing etc? I just have one big table I move stuff around on
Im getting a lathe soon and it's for wood or metal so keeping stuff separate probably isnt smart, idk
Watch this playlist. Very systematic approach to shop layout.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkHt01I8HapsSj0WmNK46HDrI-WPzAqmu
some ideas ive written down for, my workshop:
good lighting
concrete floor fiber reinforcement
brushed concrete floors
all tools on wheels/(scaffolding caster)
barn style doors
rolling storage or storage 2nd floor storage
parking
car lift ?
crane
security cameras
air hose plumb for easy reconfig?
separate machining and grinders, welding from electronics
venting and fans
You don't want brushed concrete floors. Way go ruff they will be impossible to keep clean and sweep. Power troweled and sealed is what you want. There are other option but that is the most cost affective. Pay for a good finisher and check around that they do good work. Your floor is probably the most expensive thing in the shop if your doing it yourself and it's one of the things you probably will have to higher out if you don't already know how to do it or have friends or family that can do it.
Thanks for the advice bro, appreciate it
Mine needs new lighting
Unironically comfy af
These meme lights are actually really fricking good if you have a weak ass 100W bulb in the middle of the garage. I thought for sure this ~$20 Amazon LED thing would start shitting out fairly quick, but I have had the thing for at least 3-4 years now without issue.
Link? Conventional LED bulbs a shit.
They sell them everywhere now. Harbor Freight has a version, Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s all had them near their “As Seen On TV” displays somewhere. Only downside is I like warmer lights like old incandescents, but the LED I got isn’t that blue, it’s not any worse than the average flourscent or faux-flourescent LED 48” strip.
They’re just super easy to swap that one stupid garage bulb with and they spread light decently across a 1-2 car garage if you fold the wings up a little.
Damn they got cheap on Amazon. The 3-wing “as seen on TV” versions at Home Depot and Walmart are around $25ea IIRC.
This is the one I bought back in 2020 but of course those Chinese Amazon brands always fall off the face of the earth before their warranty expires.
I suck at Internetting
Thanks! Quality varies so much so I'll order that specific unit.
Pic related looks like the modern equivalent from the same seller. $13, it’s worth a shot.
True, and I always have a variety since when it comes to task lighting there is no overkill.
I also use many LED headlamps for automotive etc work because holding a flashlight wastes a hand.
>holding a flashlight
I’m on these magnetic stick lights. There’s some decent ones on Amazon for like 2 for $20. A lot of them run off of a basic 18650 so you can toss the Chink
cells if they’re bad, biggest drawback is the Chinesium ones rarely ever have a strong rare earth magnet, but the cheaper magnets get the job done most spots.
Judging by light ratings of real flashlights, most of these are good for like 300lm-600lm for 2-4 hours on a charge.
Several of the LEDs in mine stay on, although dimmer, when the switch is off. I tracked down the cause to a 35 v induced voltage from parallel wires. Not dangerous but apparently enough to power the LEDs.
120 square feet
drop shelf chop saw storage on door
Is that a car stereo you have for your shop? Have to say that’s the first time ive ever seen someone do that. Was it hard to set up for home use?
Not the OP, but yes, it's a double din car unit. Just need a 12VDC source and ground.
based tinkerer
what do you cut on your baby bandsaw
small pieces of wood (duh).
comfy
I have not considered making a set up like this for a shop, having a workspace under storage with stair access is pretty cool. How big of a shop would you say that is judging by the photo? 40x60? Maybe 40x80?
60x40 is a good guess. What you need to plan for is height. If you're going prefab steelframe building, you need AT LEAST 14 foot legs (eave height) to allow a loft. Ideally, 16 foot legs so you can do 8 and 8. Otherwise you're crouching in the loft.
You can often find salvaged steel suitable for such a mezzanine, or even complete mezzanines, from contractors who remove them during demolition jobs. They are not cheap to do with new steel so best to have a plan. For example if your shop is large enough you can use a shipping container as an internal office, storage, etc then fab a deck on the roof connected to the corner fittings (the container roof only suits the lightest storage).
You could also use a flat rack container as a deck after removing the end bits (where to cut will be obvious) or cut the top off a matching container to use the floor as a deck. That could save you considerable money. Look out for salvaged steel stairs too.
Be aware of reflective surfaces and ceiling height w those lights. I had some in my garage and there was just no way around burning my eyes out because of 8ft ceilings putting them so close to my general field of vision. Probably spectacular at 12ft, but not for me.
I think my cieling is about 9ft in this garage, I have them moderately tilted and I don’t have an issue. It’s in the center of the garage and I’m always working at the work bench or saw along the wall with the thing to my back, or working on shit below me on the ground.
They would be better on high cielings, but a super bright 120W+ equivalent LED or CFL in that same center fixture every garage has is going to create the same bright spot if you’re facing that direction.
I would still recommend a strip light above the bench and shit, but that single 75W bulb in most garages is just enough so you don’t trip getting out of the car. One of those ~45W LED wing lights makes it a little more useful when you’re digging through boxes of Easter decor trying to find shit for the wife.
One of those 6 wing guys they sell now looks like frickin overkill though for a single fixture in a standard garage.
nice shadows. no uniform light. good job on this meme fixture.
I wanted to post a pic of a side by side with a 60W bulb, but the phone camera adjusts brightness so it doesn’t show the difference.
Read further into the post, it explains that you still need some light above the bench and shit, but as far as that center bulb that so many garages have, those LEDs make them way more useful. If I’m painting, sanding, or cutting, that thing will put light into the center of the garage like if I had two or three 48” flourscent strip fixtures.
you drink beverages like I do
I can’t stand the wife’s Honda. It only has 2 cup holders and it’s essential to have a black coffee (iced or hot), diet coke, and water/gatorade. Sometimes an energry drink too.
No matter how big it is, you'll still manage to fill it up with junk.
Fortunately my workshop is a single car garage which prevents my hoarder tendencies from going rampant.
Pic related.
Pic also related. Shelves > wall storage / pegboard, but wall storage is really nice for things you use all the time or are awkward to store in shelves. Also I like plywood better than pegboard, nails are cheaper than those hanger things that never stay in.
bitchin setup anon, don't listen to the jealous children
jesus frick.... did you take this with a polaroid camera then scan it into your computer, print it out and then take a pic of that with your shitty phone from 2010?
I too have a sandstorm in my workshop
Anon just lives in Mexico according to western media, also because he lives in Mexico it is safe to assume all items in the shop are stolen including the camera used to take the photo.
So how is Mexico this time of year? hot AF I suspect
>He didn't return the slab
I need something to suck a fart out of my home, and reach to Langley VA. I NEED them to smell my farts. My farts are the key to the countries stability. What level of hose are we talking?
This is my 11x20 attached garage with complete dust collection for every tool. 10 drops in all.
All central vac pipes and discharge hose.
Is it all run off that one vac on the bottom right? Do you have like shutoffs for the ones you’re not using or does the thing suck at every tool when you flip the switch?
3 vacs all with diy blast gates
Oh and all with dust cyclones in to a bucket.
Can someone tell me or post the cheapest most basic design for a work table?
I am like dirt poor and live in the third world, wood is basically the cheapest material unless I find the perfect scrap at the junkyard.
There are countless videos on youtube. Ideally you'd get plate steel and weld one so you have a good surface to work on. In the absolute worst case, I've seen dudes glue and clamp 2x4s together so they have a super dense and thick tabletop to work on... they usually top it with whatever they have and use it until it's beat, then replace it, like plywood. An ideal wood surface is OSB because it's super rigid. But I have no idea what you can get where you are. Legs can be whatever, as long as it's stout and level and heavy enough to not jiggle around. Your primary concern should be the tabletop itself.
2x4s and OSB? Why do you need a plan? I have 2x4s running between the legs of mine for extra support and they hold the shelves, plus the top is screwed to the wall for max stability.
can you bolt together a bench like this instead of nailing or screwing together so it can be taken apart and put back multiple times
It’s all screwed together so I could easily remove the screws and put them back in at a later time. I guess I could’ve done bolts instead of screws, but I would have to drill a lot more pilot holes and also probably get a bigger bit to make pockets or recesses or whatever for the nuts and bolts to be hidden, and that would be a little time consuming.
Also a 1/2 sheet top works damn good for me, get 2 sheets of plywood and you have s surface plus 3 shelves
What kind of work are you doing on it
Look over old woodworking benches. Thicc wooden benches are great for working on all sort of things if you make them fricking strong and stable. They don't hurt machined parts when placed on them.
Look up roman benchs. Rex Krueger makes one out of $12 of lumber
>workshop
>seething apartmentcuck
Machine shops used to love these wood bricks for their floors, whats up with that?
It's like having a cutting board for a floor. The endgrain won't chip hardened tooling if it gets dropped
it also looks awesome
I knew a machinist who worked for NASA in the 60's on the Apollo missions, he convinced his superiors to re-floor a huge machine shop with grade-B parquet ballroom flooring.
He pointed out that dropping one of the uber close-tolerance work pieces on the concrete would ruin it, but if it hit wood it could be reworked.
The grade B was a little softer than A, causing less damage to the part, and the parquet pattern made it so it was easier for carts to roll without long boards making steering difficult. Grade B was also a little cheaper.
The boss balked until he pointed out that he was making $10,000 parts and the entire floor installation would cost $8,000.
That's what I've got in my shop.
Sweet, got pics?
neat little story
It's so that the vibrations from one machine don't disturb any other machine
that looks so cool
My grandfather explained this was easier to swap out the machines and replace damaged floors
Protects dropped items too.
What should be under it, to make it level?
Bare ground, or concrete slab? Wouldn't that make the wood prone to decay and rot from moisture?
Concrete. They're used like racedeck.
You can sand wood, and look at those 2x4 ends. My 3 year old could replace damaged sections.
What is the best rack system for wood storage? Low cost, strong support, and open frame.
>wood storage
that could be 1000 different situations
Bora makes the originals I think, but there are tons of chink copies on Amazon. I might grab one of these for my garage. They have them in different lengths too. Another anon shilled them to me.
I have these and they are quite nice. Wish I had room for another set.
These look decent for the price, how much span between supports? I've got 16 in spacing wallstuds. 16 seems excessive but 32 may be pushing it.
>32" may be pushing it
The Boras are rated at 600lb with a recommended space between the brackets of 4-6'. I've got mine well stocked and have no noticeable deflection in the studs.
2x4s and some framing nails
make it out of wood
Where are you located?
In my experience, wood sort of arranges itself into a rather efficient
structure.
I saw a shop implementing this and it made.my pp hard
Get some of those decent metal cabinets and instead of just shelving it's the whole work area for a job
What are they called
A metal cabinet. I dunno, there's a ton of specific types and sizes and paints. Just whatever, it's more about how you set it up.would be interesting to even cut a notch in the bottom so you could slide a chair in.
>interesting to even cut a notch in the bottom so you could slide a chair in
My homie, I will postulate that you eat ze bugs, and enjoy them?
Bro I want the metal cabinet to put my reloading shit in, what are you talking about
Check out Knaack boxes for ideas as they have complete portable workstations.
We use those for parts at work. I actually have decided I now despise steel cabinets like those for what we use them for. Not at all conducive to an organized shop. I am helping to redo the organization and 5S parts of the shop and they are a huge impediment
Lista drawered cabinets and tool boxes are magnificent. That inefficient abortion in the photo is not.
Work surfaces should be open tables ideally with 360-degree access and everything should be on high quality locking casters even if a frame (steel angle is popular in the Air Force) must be fabbed. Power and pneumatic drops from the ceiling are usually optimal unless overhead hoists etc interfere.
those type of cabinets are great for storing specialized tools or equipment.
but would be pretty stupid to use it like in the pic,... to store a hammer and a few other standard simple cheap hand tools like wrench's?
should be used to store highly expensive or precision testing equipment or calibrated tools or electronics gear, maybe for hazardous or sensitive chemical and materials
there's no point in storing a hammer and half a dozen wrenchs inside a massive heavy duty security cabinet like that. just a stupid picture staged by people with no imagination or understanding of what they are dealing with
I need to plan a new layout for my workshop and maybe get a new toolchest to go under a topchest that's just sitting on the corner of a workbench. Better lighting too.
>workshop
meant garage. a vehicle resides in it
buy ore build welding cart?
>buy ore... build welding cart
Yeah, sounds like a diy project
Build, and do NOT put the gas cylinder on the cart which fricks mobility. Give that a separate hand truck and extend your shielding gas hose (your local welding supply sells green hose cut to length, fittings and screw clamps which are reusable, you can also get them cheap online).
I use Milton brass pneumatic quick disconnects for my welders which work fine. We plumbed all the booths at the local welding school with them. No Harbor Freight trash and remember to turn off your cylinder valves no matter what you use. The lower and less tippy your cart the better. Scaffolding casters are outstanding for welding machine carts and well worth the money.
roger that. thanks
What are the minimum basic pieces of equipment I'd need to make most things out of wood?
>table saw
>planer
>drill
>router
that's it?
How are you gonna rough cut shapes?
You'll need a jointer to get one flat face and one true edge.
Sanders
jigsaw?
and can you help me understand the need for a jointer? can't I just plane wood down then use the table saw to cut at at a right angle to the two flattened surfaces?
Planers make things uniformly thick, not flat.
you don't even need a table saw, miter saw will do, and you can get by with a circular saw and a speed square.
If you're just getting into it, you can get by with an orbital sander, circ saw, jigsaw, impact and drill set. acquire tools as you gain more experience etc etc
Chop saw (compound miter saw), circular saw, straight edge (like a 7' long level or something) for giving you accurate cuts on sheet-stock with the circular saw and a set of drills and a sander with 80, 120, 180 & 220 grit sandpaper. You'll need some clamps, tho. Harbor Freight clamps are not too bad and much cheaper than the rest. You don't really need the jigsaw, router or planer, as you can get by with other things or go without, but they can help you if you know how to use them. Basically, you don't really need any power tools besides a set of drills, as hand tools can do the job of everything else, but the power tools I mentioned above will get the job done on a budget. It will be of a great benefit to buy pre-surfaced (S4S) boards from the appearance boards section of the hardware store. In order to rip down sheet-stock with the circular saw, you'll need some saw horses, some 2x4's and some sticks to support the boards and straightedge/clamps while you're cutting on top.
Hello bros. I just got a new metal shop. Picrel is the frame tubing anchored to the slab. I have some sprayfoam and am wondering: do these ridges (red circle in picrel) in the tin give airflow to the shop? When looking directly down them, I can see daylight and the ground outside. Should I even sprayfoam the walls? I have enough from an attic job to do it. Foam will block all these ridge gaps and stop bugs, but does this ruin airflow?
Do you have rodent guard on the outside?
Nope. Which is why I'm considering just foaming it and putting in good fans and maybe a minisplit. The gaps from the ridges are like 2 inches. A determined cat could probably squeeze in if he wanted.
I'd recommend rodent guard and foam. Plenty of critters will chew through foam, most can't go through metal.
If you sand indoors, a box fan with an hvac filter is a popular and inexpensive air filter.
Pretty effective, too. A single filter model was tested on this website.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-diy-an-air-purifier/
New production drill press or used old-world drill press?
The older ones will last fricking forever. But the new ones are mostly pretty basic machines too so as long as you don’t go underpowered for your needs, you should be good to go for some years.
Roger that. Thanks
Used old world drill presses have soul...
I wouldn’t go so “old world” on the thing that you need to go to a machinist and get a custom part made if a screw breaks on the thing.
>Used old world drill presses have soul...
I love stupid hippy nonsense. Do you give yours female names?
>Do you give yours female names?
Why female? My drill press is named Wild Bill Thiwiener.
Everyone who cares about souls needs a bayonet to the giblets.
STUDY tools, then know what to look for (of any vintage) at auctions and liquidation/estate sales.
Stop using names like "old world" you don't really understand. OLD shit is just old. Get industrial equipment. Only industrial equipment is good when it comes to metalworking.
There is no way around getting decent equipment but it can be had cheap with utter determination and relentless hunting.
Are French Cleats a meme? I'm going to have a pad poured and a stick shop built. Should I just finish it out and buy the wood and wood working tools and do it myself? Any downside to this? I have the time and I'm not moronic.
If you're not so sure about it, then I'm not convinced of that last part there anon.
I mean from an economical sense. Is it cheaper for me to just cut all this wood up and assemble it vs using some put together bought solution from a depot store? I'd prefer to do it myself and customize my shop and garage, but that would require buying wood and wood working tools. Are there 'bolt-on' French cleat kits you can buy and save in time and tools? Alternatives?
I'm looking to spend 150k minus tools for a three bay shop and don't want to waste 400 hours making custom boxes and spending 20k to do it when I can spend 30k and have a viable solution that take a tenth of the time to setup.
This shit looks like a waste of time unless you’re an uber autist woodworker who wants to build the shit for his youtube channel.
There’s a whole lot of orginizational wall systems that won’t require 6 hours worth of woodwork to make one little holder.
The little Ryobi Link system looked pretty cool. I think Craftsman has some similar garage organization stuff. And I hate pegboard so I’ll pass on that, but you can get a sheet of like 3/4” plywood, mount that b***h on the wall to the studs, possibly put some like 1x2’s behind it so the plywood it a little bit off the wall and then you can sink all of the screws and hooks you want into the 3/4” plywood to mount shit without creating more than a handful of holes in the drywall or concrete walls.
For garden tools and such, I have 2x4’s sunk into the concrete walls horizontally with tapcons and then I run hooks into the 2x4s. I may eventually take them down and go with the 3/4” plywood because I had that at my last house in a couple spots and it worked well.
I'm going off of the 12 guage garage and the other youtube videos linked. My situation is that I would have a contractor lay the pad, and do the rough work, no finish inside. Three lifts with room for two more deeper if I wanted more storage. I plan on using that room in the back to setup a wood/finish-up workstation and finish up the electrical, vacuums, etc while I lay the drywall, build the templates for the cleats, run them, and button it up. I can affort 2-6 hours a day of my time to do this work. Will be at least a 20x30x12 shop.
If you want to do a french cleat setup as a woodworker hobby and you have the skills and tools to do it efficiently and will enjoy doing it, then why the hell not. I’m just saying there’s a ton of other modular systems and less time-intensive methods if you have other shit to do besides carving out a holder for spray cans.
I have my own half-assed tool holders I made from wood, but that was scrap laying around the garage and not purpose-built.
>besides carving out a holder for spray cans.
The complex posted holders were CNC-router-cut without much manual input. Ye olde French cleats were used for cabinets as a generic wall-mounting system that offers practical benefits vs other options. Cabinets, shelves, bins, etc. can easily be mounted to French cleats, and if you'll have those things in your shop anyway, mounting them to cleats makes them easier to reconfigure later. Cleats would take more work than a purchased modular storage system, but they'd be cheaper and more versatile.
That's more of the reason I was contemplating going with them, as it will allow me to change how I use the shop pretty easily if I need to rearrange things for a specific project, or to increase efficiency by just moving all the shit I need to the area I'm working in.
That's a key advantage. I ensured I can move everything in my shop spaces as I change things or add equipment, and if I move all the heavy machinery has scaffolding casters, custom dollies or fits my pallet jack.
>pallet jack
-Everyone- who has the space and a paved driveway should have one. Standing out front waiting for a delivery with your own jack makes even the ornriest driver want to help push your stupid order up to your garage.
I adore and worship mine. I also collect hand trucks and mod them to suit my use (like single gas cylinder carts because frick rolling a MIG welder with a cylinder on it when I can QD the gas hose and move them separately).
If you like pallet jacks you'll love a Tommy Gate. Cheap used, easy to install (they sell mount kits) and no more manually lifting heavy shit. Every pickup should have one tho 1/2 tons will need overload springs (I use Timbrens plus Hellwig leaves).
>more versatile
This is the thing, basically everything pictured with the french cleats does not need to be easily moved. When was the last time you completely rearranged the shelving in your shop for the hell of it? Like the pic you posted, why the hell would that be moved?
At that rate, you could sink the thing into the wall or studs with 4-6 screws, and if you want to move shit around 3 years later, remove the 4-6 screws and reinstall them at the next spot.
>When was the last time you completely rearranged the shelving in your shop for the hell of it? Like the pic you posted, why the hell would that be moved?
Shelving gets rearranged when something new goes against or near the wall. Tools should generally be placed for utility, not for fitting between the current locations of storage items. Item packing in a limited space is an NP-hard problem, so it's useful to be able to tweak the locations of things without needing to completely dismount everything from the wall. Also, the continuous horizontal supports of a cleat or other modular rail system give more layout freedom than the 16" stud spacing. It also lets you do things like move the whole kit for a tool (like that sander and consumables) to a particular work place.
Here’s Ryobi Link
It’s not exacly cheap, but the amount of time you would spend going full french cleat autist making a fricking drill index with a cleat isn’t cheap either unless you’re a retired boomer
Craftsman’s Versatrack
Here’s more Versatrack stuff.
You can also look up “Crownwall” by Garage Royalry, it’s the slatted walls like you would see in some retail stores, especially clothing stores. They have tons of hooks and baskets and such.
Anon. You're speaking nonsense. Yes, you can buy bolt/screw-on french cleats. You can spend as little or as much time/money configuring your shop as you want. You seem like you aren't in the right headspace to custom create your shop's organization. Probably best to just spend some money on what ya need and then once you've got a feel for your skills and your space, then you'll have a better idea of what to do.
No, I've not found a retail solution that is cheaper than just doing it myself to fit my tools.
>You're speaking nonsense
>he doesn't have his own electrical, air, and water cleated provisions he can move around his shop.
Spend a little more to customize things a bit and you can make a pretty badass shop that's super versatile.
I just want a shop where I can learn how to work wood, and use that to finish it out, and then build out the rest of it.
Now make some of the boxes bigger, or add casters to boxes and add cleats to them. Mobile work stations.
Anybody in here got a strut gantry in their shop? I'm pretty solid on how I'd install it, but I'm looking for first hand knowledge of limitations, potential regrets etc. Everything I've found is just convincing me to do it, and I don't necessarily trust 100% positive. First use would be pulling an LT1 out of an old vette.
I was playing with the idea because my shop will likely require I-beams based on the quotes I've gotten. There are things that the builder needs to know if you plan on using them for hanging things off of them.
Old car fora have some cool homebrew equipment examples and a few have info to calculate load.
I fabbed one years ago and it's still outdoors from when I moved since I found installing large casters on common engine hoists is much handier.
Best way is score heavy surplus steel posts and beam (then buy the beam trolley), and best design can reach outdoors to unload trucks. I'd rather have a large mobile gantry than a fixed one and would add scaffolding casters (round shank( to get large heavy duty locking pivoting braked wheels.
Being able to move gantry makes them much more versatile. Of course you can fab all the above and choice is good.
Beam's out of the question, nowhere to support it at the opening door, hence asking about strut. I don't mind buying a super thick gauge track and crazy weight capacity trolleys, but it can't be a beam.
>nowhere to support it at the opening door
They don't need to be hung from the door or even part of the structure. Two posts and a cross beam or pipe inboard of the door then a single post below the inboard end of the beam or hang from structure.
What about strut do you see as helpful vs the usual post and beam arrangement? Beam can go anywhere strut can go and beam trolleys and hoist abound.
Another to consider is fabbing a folding arm jib crane which can anchor to the floor and be stabilized by a ceiling mount at the top. Those can swing outside to grab loads off trailers then swing indoors.
Anyone do any Dry Ice Blasting? I want to build a setup, just not sure on what all I'd need and any tips to make it better.
Get as much compressed air as you can manage. Instead of one large compressor multiple compressors are easier to deal with electrically since they don't require high amp supply and expensive parts. Used industrial compressors are the way vs. consumer junk with fake HP ratings.
For example I scored two 5 HP (real 5HP) industrial Saylor-Bealls which I connected to a receiver tank (cheap because no one outside industry knows what they are or are good for) using 3/4"ID red air hose and Chicago couplings (no chucks to restrict flow). 10HP is small but was good enough for the business I bought them from at auction.
Three phase compressors go cheap because most people fear building an RPC. You can just replace the motors with single phase if prefer but three phase equipment abounds so I went with an RPC.
Gas engine driven larger compressors are a fine option too.
I've not set up for CO2 blasting yet but info abounds online. Blasting hardware is quite simple so having a variety pays off. The more study you do the more details you'll pick up to determine what will best serve you. It's really all just wiring and plumbing.
A tank like this?
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/receiver-tanks/lightweight-compressed-air-storage-tanks/
I'd just score a used steel industrial tank, but horizontals like that style are the easiest to move and you can leave them outdoors while sheltering compressor elsewhere.
You can use vertical tanks horizontally if you ensure a drain faces down. If you need to raise one you can weld a lifting eye to the top plug many have. I did.
Originally I was planning on using a residential propane tank, and just building a box around it and feeding it with a couple of 5HP compressors with like 5 gallon tanks, but I was thinking that might be too big? It's the cheapest option though I think, so may just do it. I wonder if I'd even need two compressors with that capacity, as it would probably last a while, no? I make the feed from the smaller one larger than the output to the gun, and it should stay filled up, no?
I guess this rather than the last one.
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/receiver-tanks/asme-code-compressed-air-storage-tanks-6/
That's me, and I'm planning on using some of the Versatrack stuff where I have like an electrical station and maybe on French cleat boards as well.
>Three phase compressors go cheap because most people fear building an RPC. You can just replace the motors with single phase if prefer but three phase equipment abounds so I went with an RPC.
Also, what's an RPC? I don't mind three phase, worked with it plenty of times overseas restrapping industrial generators for different power outputs. I'm planning on having electrical service for a welder anyways. Anything else tool wise I should look for as used industrial three phase over commercial single phase?
RPC is for Rotary Phase Converter.
The Practical Machinist forum is fricking gold for rotary phase converter info and they're quite simple to DIY while being heinously expensive new.
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/forum/categories/transformers-phase-converters-and-vfd.11/
Your getting a new service is the smart play. However three phase is often billed at industrial rates so unless you have it on the pole a single phase service is find.
VFDs are also useful for machine tools as they offer infinite variable speed control. Cheap static converters are for light, modest load applications. Study all three as you'll find it interesting. There are plenty of videos too.
Besides hunting used structural steel I hunt enclosures, contactors, conduit and other electrical parts at auctions. Shit's expensive new.
Is there like a guide to make shit out of wood like the Amish? Like an Amish Almenac or something for making shit.
yes, buy every Roy Underhill book and watch The Woodwright's Shop on youtube
Based, thanks. Planning on building a deck. Do I need anything more than a miter saw for cutting? Those can basically work like a table saw, right?
Already have air, should I get a nail gun? Or drill and use screws? Only other thing I can think of that I'd want to get is a sander, guessing a basic orbital or hand held belt one would work.
A miter saw should be all you need if you're using lumber and not some composite material decking system that has its own quirks.
I would use outdoor construction screws and lag screws to attach the deck to your house. Every woodworker needs an orbital sander, they are used on almost every project. There's a dewalt on Amazon you can snag for $60 when it goes on sale. It works great.
and look on ebay for roy's books. he has been putting them out for 40 years so there are tons of used copies you can get cheap. For more modern woodworking look up New Yankee Workshop on youtube. It was PBS's other woodworking show and it has some great projects. Norm also wrote a few books.
>some composite material decking system
Just need a different blade. They all cut like wood and PVC.
Miter saw is for cross-cutting, and there's a limit to how long of a piece it can cut.
Table saw is for ripping (cutting with grain), making long cuts.
You can use any blades (cross-cutting, ripping, universal) on each, and use them for all kinds of cuts, but there are some limitations (mostly length and depth of cut).
I would go with screws, they won't get pulled out if the wood will flex.
>Table saw is for ripping (cutting with grain), making long cuts.
Table saw is absolutely fine for cross cutting, and in many cases is preferable to miter saw. Make a nice sled and you'll hardly ever want to cross cut on a miter saw.
Woodworking in Estonia.
Is Grainger a good as a parts resource? What brands should I look for on the used market?
Grainger, MSC, McMaster-Carr and Fastenal are WELL worth studying. Their catalogs are educational. However their prices reflect their role as industrial suppliers for businesses with deep pockets willing to pay for high speed service.
I often study their websites and books then buy elsewhere. Become efficient at "supply" tasks and you'll save thousands of dollars. I chose to get good and went from my internet surfiing at work being questioned to becoming the go-to guy for building order packages we'd hand to Purchasing (who loved me for saving them work). Anyone can do this.
>What brands should I look for on the used market?
Brands of WHAT?
Tool storage in the US is led by Lista (expensive used because it's so good at least one company buys to refurb and resell them) but there are plenty of good Harbor Freight boxes. I use both.
Used compressors worth a look are Saylor-Beall, Quincy and similar.
Thanks, I'll start sluething these sites. Basically looking for automotive/shop related stuff.
Anything that's commercial rated and not actually worth the premium?
Super broad question but consumer air compressors tend to be shit. They're mostly very easy to fix though so I don't mind snagging broken ones for near nothing. If it's old and cast iron it's generally good. New with integrated pump and motor are the worst.
Any year Saylor-Beall is good as are old Quincy and DeVilbiss. The pump head matters most. I snag every US-made 5HP single phase electric motor I can get a deal on. Motor prices are crazy these days.
Harbor Freight tool boxes impressed me enough to buy two, and my standard is Lista (the best and hardest to find used, they beat Snap-on) then Vidmar then Snap-on, Mac etc. I built and ran USAF and civilian tool rooms. If I hit the lottery I'll have a Lista house.
>their role as industrial suppliers for businesses with deep pockets willing to pay for high speed service
It's also an accounting issue. Rather than having a bunch of people source parts from all sorts of places (which provides opportunities for graft) they source what they can from a small number of general suppliers and trade a higher sticker price for not having to deal with all the associated issues.
This. I work in procurement and would rather deal with one or two companies' billing dept instead of dozens. Everyone has a different 'process' for procurement, so it's a pain in the ass doing multiple different orders when I could just go to one vendor and get everything I want, in one shipment, etc.
Our procurement loved me because I gave them a complete package including source so all they had to do was place the order. It's cruel to non-experts to offload that work to them and doing it myself got me exactly what I wanted.
will hammering nails and stuff hurt a regular floor like marble or tile
is there anyway to insulate the floor from the impact like a layer of something between worktable and floor
Marble isn't a regular floor. It's a very soft decorative stone that's popular for carvings because it's softness makes it easy to carve. It's not suitable for a workshop if you don't want to damage it. But as for isolating impacts, put some durable rubber under the legs of the work table. Something like a stall mat, though it can be cut down to just under the legs.
How do you go about fireproofing a wooden frame workshop so you could grind and weld inside without worrying about random spark getting into a wrong nook and starting a fire? Is covering walls and ceiling in drywall enough? Or do I need metal after all? I imagine it would make terrible echo and rattle like a tin bathtub at the slightest sneeze though.
Drywall is pretty fire resistant (it's what usually gives fire-rated walls most of their fire resistance). Make sure that there aren't any wrong nooks with flammable material where sparks could get into. You don't need metal walls, but metal flashing could be a useful part of spark-proofing the shop. Any place that sparks could come to rest should be non-flammable and heat-resistant enough to not be damaged. So seal the gaps between and around the drywall (pure silicone handles heat well) especially along the floor. Cleaning is important, especially if you'll be using the shop for things which produce flammable dust (both wood and metal dust can smolder for a while before starting a fire).
This is probably a dumb question, but how much weight can drywall support, and is there like a way to make it stronger? I was planning on using spray foam insulation between the drywall and the outside wall, and was thinking about back fitting a 2x8 between the wall studs and using that as a way to increase the strength of the wall where I plan on mounting cleats.
>but how much weight can drywall support
Depends on how the weight is attached. A nail can support a few pounds. Anchors might support a dozen or two. Toggle bolts can support quite a bit, especially on thick drywall. But serious structural connections should be screwed into studs.
>a way to increase the strength of the wall where I plan on mounting cleats.
No need. The cleats should be mounted to studs.
Welding curtains and some kind of partial drop ceiling that extends just beyond the rail of the curtain.
If you had $150k to spend and a 30x20 space to use, what would you build and why?
I'd build a much bigger shop than 30x20 and already have acres of room to erect it. I'd order a longer version of the A-20 straightwall I already own, mount the base channel to steel beams as I've already done, and use the rest of the money to fill the structure with industrial equipment like a new Wells-Index mill and Monarch lathe.
If restricted to 30 x 20 I'd erect a steel building as close as I could to that size and support a second floor on shipping containers (40' High Cubes) shortened to fit. That's not hard if you neatly cut off one end, remove some midsection, then weld the end back on.
My structure would be a Steelmaster straightwall style with added steelwork inside to support the second floor and with a simple gantry so I could machine tools and pallets to the second storey. A sliding or upward folding floor panel would be easy to fab from a big truck liftgate which would have an expanded panel.
I'd do what I do and bolt truck side boxes from service beds to the walls and use other methods for minimal or zero footprint storage.
I've done all the precursor shit separately so I know I could do it easily despite being nearly a cripple because I'm a capable cripple with rigging equipment, multiple trucks with winches (old industrial Ramseys are cheap used when some dumbass fries the electric motor which are cheap to overhaul or replace) and know none of the required tasks are even close to being too difficult.
>bolt truck side boxes from service beds to the walls
That's actually a great shop box fab project I'm going to add to my list.
You can buy beds from salvage reasonably. I bartered for the one I used boxes from, then sold the trailer I made from the back half of that truck.
Got a quote for my shop, what do you guys think?
$60k USD, all in:
1000 sq/ft 3000 psi pad with I beams under the three lifts (not included in quote), 20' tall walls, pent roof, six windows, one door, and two 12' wide by 16 tall' roll up doors. I beam construction, basically a cage bolted to the pad. Electrical service will be prepped, but not run until later, I really just need the storage space so I can save $1000 a month.
Is there any reason to not add pegboard to my workshop? I've got bare studs externally faced by whiteboard and real brick. Why should I drywall and frame out pegboard when I can just add it to the studs? Fire would be my main concern. I know I'd lose columns to the studs. I have hardware rails up for heavier stuff. Thoughts?
I've had pegboard before in a storage closet and it was pretty kino, just curious if there was something better or any reason to go with something besides the cheap 4x8 slabs at local HW.
Be mindful of how much most pegboard hates moisture. If there won't ever be any around it, go nuts. Otherwise consider some of the metal kind. Avoid wall control and the like unless you've got perfect 16" stud spacing where you want the board, and don't mind losing middle holes to their slat system.
Get the metal systems.
Might be kind of a b***h to clean behind it if it's the only thing hanging on the walls. Just depends I guess.
Pegboard kinda suck IMO. The hooks are flimsy, there’s limited options for hooks and stuff, moisture fricks it up like other anon said, it’s easy to knock the hooks out when you’re moving stuff around. If you have bare studs, you’d be better off hanging some thicker plywood and mount everything on there, then add whatever modular systems you want like Ryobi’s Link stuff or the Craftsman tracks.
I had pegboard at my last house and I only used a couple actual pegboard hooks for stuff, the rest of it I just screwed into the board and it would’ve been more secure if it was plywood.
Peg board is ass. If you need to use peg board set aside only a small section for it. I have had to tear out almost all of the peg board at work and at home I have yanked out quite a bit that was here before I moved in.
Steel pegboard is love, in moderation.
Agree with this, dad always did hardboard pegboard everywhere in his shops and we'd end up having to replace it every 5-7 years due to tear outs and moisture expansion.
I have decided to go full moron and build a set of worksurfaces/table extensions to wrap around my table saw. Is just making the side go out to past the tipping point (so like 5' from the blade) be sufficient when handling 4x8 panels, or is it just gonna piss me off and make me wish I had made it long enough to support the whole panel length?
If you otherwise have the space, you already know.
The issue is I don't have the space. Have to make the whole thing so it can be disassembled/collapsed when not in use. 5' vs 8' would make a big difference in the ease of assembly/disassembly and where I can store it.
Make the bed 5' or smaller and make or buy roller stands.
Some people make light weight stands with a paint roller clamped to a sawhorse.
They don't need to be this fancy.
>Atlas and P-Body
Good idea.
I'm thinking about making a modular bench. Basically four or six boxes on lockable casters with bench tops, and you can connect them to each other with latches. Good idea? Figured I could use the space below for holding tools or boxes related to the project I'm working on (basically push the thing around the shop like a cart). Not sure on what dimensions I should go with, but was thinking 4x4s for the legs, with a plywood bottom.
Good idea. I would recommend 2x4s and build boxes.
I saw pics of a guy that built everything in rolling cubes that fit under 2 long side benches in a 2 car garage, much like a dishwasher under a cabinet.
There was still room for 2 cars when everything was back in its place.
If the edge is close to the balance point of the sheet you're cutting, most of the weight will be on the edge of the extension. If you go with that, you might consider using a strip of low-friction plastic along the edge (e.g. HMPE) or rollers. The reduced off-axis friction should make it easier to feed things straight.
Thank you. Planning to paste wax the entire top, but that has the added advantage of giving the false impression I knew what I was doing.
I’m having my shop built soon, about 7 x 3 meters. It will be built in hollow bricks or “bloques” as they are known here. I have an idea of putting threaded rods right into the walls about every meter to support shelving, cabinets, french cleats etc. Has anyone done something like this before? Any tips on fixing them very securely along with the brickwork?
What about lifting/winching points? Are reinforced concrete columns strong enough for this or are I-beams needed?
You're going to want I beams. I'm having my shop built soon and it's about 10x10 meters with I beams on a reinforced pad.
I wish I had 10x10 to play with but it is on the side of a mountain.
How are the I-beams placed? Just the vertical columns or in a complete box?
My setup is a complete box with two beams across and one length wise above to tie it all in.
You can always light duty accessorize a heavy duty build. But not the other way.
I want to build a home research lab.
My focus would be on bionics and specifically computer to brain interfaces.
I know this will require, eventually 3 shops.
1: some ability, even if limited or outsourced, for fabricating custom parts required
2: ability to fabricate and interface with electronics
3: a workspace to store and utilize any animal which will host my experiment. (Most likely rats.)
The last one is the biggest ordeal, as the other two could possibly exist together in a standard room or garage but the last one requires a starile working environment for what is essentially surgery and an environment for animal living arrangements.
Any suggestions on configuration, equipment, and problems I haven't considered?
If you're making the metal stuff, you need a passivation tool to clean it.
This looks interesting for tool storage.
I was gonna bemoan shit getting in the tracks, but those dolley wheels look way easier to clean and bump over crumbs of whatever than normal space saving shit.
Dude, they just roll out like three feet. Look at the top. They're basically verticle shelves if that makes any sense.
What you want is everything on legs 5-6 inches high. This allows for you to have a shop Cheap refurbished or dirt cheap Roomba or alternative. Dont buy the latest models with the whole connect to your phone bullshit. I know it sounds crazy but they are quite useful in finding lost small tiny screws. As long as they run 2x a week and you empty them you wont lose parts.
Next trick, Feather dusters, tape to the sides about 1-2 inch or higher and they will clean the underside of all your shelves/tables. Nice clean shop floor.
Brilliant.
Can I get some advice from more experienced anons?
All my life I wanted to make a little woodworking workshop, but never had the means/opportunity until now. Very late to the game, but it's my dream. Anyway, how much should I be budgeting for a decent workshop to make most things up to medium sized tables?
At the moment I've got a very rough estimate of about £2500. I don't want to skimp out on my first purchase and end up having to replace things in a few months, but I'm also not going for some professional, industrial sized 10k+-per-machine type stuff.
>I don't want to skimp out on my first purchase
don't buy new big power tools (table saw, drill press, etc.), too much plastic.
look for well-cared for vintage machines. will last your lifetime and beyond.
Remember that it's way easier to make an addition to a structure than it is to add height, so go as tall as you can afford. Entrance relative to structure shape is important if you're working with logs, planks, or anything else that's gonna be much longer than wide, so don't go putting an overhead door somewhere that won't just let you walk things straight in.
>At the moment I've got a very rough estimate of about £2500
Should be enough to get started with a table saw and basic tools.
>don't buy new big power tools (table saw, drill press, etc.), too much plastic.
>
>look for well-cared for vintage machines. will last your lifetime and beyond.
Frick that, spending all the time hunting down shit isn't worth it, just go buy what you need and get started. Learning how to use the tools is a better use of your time. Also, learn what NOT to do, so you don't get wood flying at you or you cut a finger off.
>Frick that, spending all the time hunting down shit isn't worth it, just go buy what you need and get started.
pay more, get crap, wears out quick, do over
>exactly what he said he didn't want to do
Blades are consumables. He doesn't need industrial/commercial grade saws for playing with wood.
Cheap blades are absolute dogshit though. A cheaper saw with a Diablo blade or something else made for contractors will be better than a good saw with some Ryobi or HF blade.
>Cheap blades are absolute dogshit though. A cheaper saw with a Diablo blade or something else made for contractors will be better than a good saw with some Ryobi or HF blade.
Literally what I said. Buy better blades, saw doesn't matter as much for fiddling about.
>moron, talking about the machine not the blade
>
>you're saying new ryobi table saw better than old delta
No, frick that, if you can't find the fricking tool you need within a couple of days, then just buy whatever the box store is selling and buy a better blade. It's cutting wood, if the fricking thing is spinning and the teeth are sharp it will cut.
>if you can't find the fricking tool you need within a couple of days, then just buy whatever the box store is selling
guy not on the job, says he wants to do it right
>no time crunch, no reason to buy crap
>what do you save if you need to rebuy 1 year?
I wouldn’t go cheapest possible saw, I like my Ryobi for my purposes, but like my cheap tile table saw, sometimes I wish I spent an extra $100, however it doesn’t see a ton of use so whatever. And I didn’t have time to wait around for a used old model.
Also if you get an older used model, make sure it’s not abused and bent. If you get a new Ryobi and it got rekt in shipping and wasn’t square, go return it for a good one. If you get a used one that has been dropped or fricked in some way, it’s always going to be a challenge.
Old stuff is cool, but people ask too much for crappy consumer stuff that was the Ryobi equivalent back in the 80s. You might have to search daily for months before you find a quality old piece that was taken care of and is a better deal than a decent brand new DeWalt or Ridgid or something.
>Old stuff is cool, but people ask too much for crappy consumer stuff that was the Ryobi equivalent back in the 80s. You might have to search daily for months before you find a quality old piece that was taken care of and is a better deal than a decent brand new DeWalt or Ridgid or something.
This.
Creeping pawn shops and craigslist and stuff for awhile, like the best thing I found for shop tools was an old Home Depot store brand 6” bench grinder for $25 and it was old but not very well used.
The rest of it, so much is like Craftsman from the 80s-90s and the quality is about on par with like $200 table saws currently for sale and they’re asking $150 for it. At that rate I would get the brand new one with warranty, and if I had time to wait, I could sit and wait for a $300-$400 model to drop down to $200-$250 and get a better saw for only a couple bucks more.
Also depends on your market, but remember that there’s tons of full-time resellers out there who will show up with cash within an hour of a good deal being posted, then they will clean it up and post it again for double or triple the price. So if you get lucky enough to catch a good deal right when it’s posted, you need to be on your way there.
I think there are multiple different sizes of those Bora knockoff racks from the different vendors, so look around. I imagine you could double them up if you had a lot of longer lumber.
>Blades are consumables. He doesn't need industrial/commercial grade saws for playing with wood.
moron, talking about the machine not the blade
you're saying new ryobi table saw better than old delta
Just got keys for new old house with double garage. Thanks for the thread
I am trying to design a workbench for my workshop. I want to use pic related for the legs and such. But I can't find the weight capacities. I want to have a nice wood top on it along with probably an attached peg board above. Do you think it should be able to hold probably 150 pounds?
I've used the Faztek t-slot extruded aluminum before and it's as strong as anything else. The stuff I have is a 1.5" thick square. You can't break it over your knee or anything like that if that's what you're worried about. It's really strong stuff. One vertical bar would hold 150 pounds up no problem. Unless you're doing some special thing with your table, then there shouldn't be any doubt the stuff can be used as table legs.
The caveat is the material's holding strength is gated by design and fasteners. If you build your table with a conventional design, (4 legs underneath a tabletop with supports tying the legs and top together to prevent racking) then you will be fine. But if you are relying on fasteners to carry the load, then you will not be fine.
To give you some perspective, back in 2014 I built two height adjustable tables using OSB, plywood, extruded aluminum t-slot and scissor jacks. Way ahead of its time. Each table had two front legs with t-slot and plastic sliders inside a plywood housing which was locked in place with a hand-screw engaging a nut inside the t-slot. The back of the tables rested on the scissor jack. It was a crude height-adjustable desk. It could go up and down with some effort and the t-slot legs held the front up just fine. That's my little story anyway.
There are many types of t-slot. You're interested in the wall thickness. I did find this, but I think most any t-slot you use will be strong enough as legs.
Good luck, anon. I hope you like the table you build.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://vention.io/resources/77/t-slot-aluminum-extrusion-structure-design-guide-77/download.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjzh6OqroKBAxUTAjQIHTUvAlcQFnoECA4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2o35N3Qc6ktOORBsZj39Ho
thanks friend! I really is just going to be a normal table so I'm not worried about having fasteners taking the brunt of the weight. Just wanted to make sure I could have a nice 4 maybe 5 legged work bench that could hold almost anything I would put on it.
>I want to use pic related for the legs
why? steel is much cheaper
bvmp
Good shop cat to shop dog ratio. Door situation top left mildly moronic.
I assume it is on a 1 foot grid. It is weird enough that it is probably a real shop, not just a proposed layout.
I can't figure out what the two matching machines in the small room are.
A toilet with no sink is strange.
The dedicated Titebond glue cabinet is interesting as well.
Probably compressor, 2 tanks
Some dimensions and comments would be helpful.
Saws on Skates has some good ideas for small shops.
Brand new build. 1600sq/ft 16 feet tall. Want to make a workshop for my cars, what do I do.
You already had a shop built and don't know what to do?
It'll be a hobbyist automotive workshop. I was more just looking for input from others you'd done the same thing and had some insight that wasn't extremely obvious to share.
That sounds really cool. What type off utilities do you have? I'm thinking a 200amp service just so that I can run as many 220v's as I'll need. I haven't decided on water, but if I did I'd just run a sand point.
>wasn't obvious
When calculating a potential lift's maximum top height, add at least a foot or two. If you decide you want overhead hoists or the like after the lift, you'll appreciate the clearance you left giving you more potential configurations while on the lift.
That's exactly why I went 16' on the height. Original specs were for 12', but after flipping through some garage journal pages, it was a no brainer to just add a few extra feet
Currently just planning to run extension cables from the attached garage across the driveway. Box is on the other side of the house, and I need a new one, so it will be replaced and service ran next year, at least 200A.
That's when mine's getting done too. A friend of mine is the electrical engineer for the local power company, and I'm having him stop out this week to see how feasible it would be for them to sink me a pole and just run a service drop to the building.
How far away from the shop is the current service? I would at least think about putting a pass through 200 amp main box on the house and trenching in a line to the shop. Will avoid the cost of poles from the electric company and another service fee for another meter... And also avoid ugly overhead lines.
From where the box is at in my house to where I want it at the shop is roughly 1100 feet. Trenching the line is option A, but I'm not sure how viable of a solution that's going to be because I've got a huge concrete pool/patio that may or may not end up being in the way, so I'm going to have my friend just give me a back of the napkin numbers just as a back up and because he's willing to do it.
Separate services can be handy if one is taken out by storm damage or fire. I chose to separate my shop service as the cost was trivial with zero disturbance to either of my houses.
I already have 6 meters to pay for on my properties. If I put anything in i try my damndest to tie into an existing service. Frick the electric company israelite!
I was going to go metal building, but went with a little pricer lap siding for the better look and to match the house. Same height, little smaller, two 12' wide doors. Plan is to use it as a wood shop first to build out a deck, and then finish it out and convert it to a two room garage, one for storage and a work shop.
I live in north eastern texas. What's my cheapest option for a climate-controlled shop? Im thinking of getting an insulated metal prefab 20x20 garage, but thats gonna run me $11500 with the concrete slab, and then some for AC. Thoughts?
I'm in CenTex and 12k wouldn't even cover my electric. Good luck.
You pay more than $12k/yr just to maintain a good temperature in your shop?
No, for the service hook-up.
Oh lmao. Im outside city limits so i can just build it on my property. One of my neighbors is an electrician, and as long as I do the trenching it'll basically just cost me a few beers.
I'm trying to passivate steel. I have 50A DC, and have tried lemon juice, and it worked good. Thinking about cola (coke/pepsi). Also thinking about adding salt to add to the electric. Good idea? Any chemists here?
pg 10 bump
Cola works very slowly as a rust remover.
https://waykenrm.com/blogs/stainless-steel-passivation/
This site has some good ideas
https://woodworkinghobbyshop.com/woodworking-tools-secret-essentials-1-20/
Pic unrelated.
3 bay garage recently added a bunch of wood working equipment and materials. Garage is a total cluster frick now and stressing me out. I can't seem to figure out how to incorporate wood working, lawn equipment, and shop equipment into one space. I know where space is wasted like these big shelving units but I don't have anywhere else to put yard equipment or supplies. I also have a lot of building supplies I need to find home such as Pvc fittings, electrical and concrete work supplies.
Funny enough French cleats were talked about briefly in this thread awhile ago. I was doing French cleats at the time and realize, yes, they most likely are a meme. I do like how the tools are in the open on a wall and not taking an awkward amoung of space in a drawer. The drill/charging station is a very nice addition I admit.
But Jesus christ I don't know how to finish this space. Kind of my high priority before I tackle any car projects. Fortunately I dont need to put cars in here. Peoples organization skills with small shops are completely showing me up.
I used to have a tablesaw similar to yours.
This table I built around mine made it easier to handle sheets by myself.
Rafter storage space for long stuff.
Put locking wheels on a pair of assembly tables (with shelves underneath) to use as infeed/outfeed for tablesaw,
Make some or most of your equipment easy to roll around, you can learn what layout is best for you.
Build a wall to section off your back corner. You get two more walls to store stuff on, you can use it for lawn stuff and long term storage
Then divide the rest into car/wood however you see fit
Interesting, thank you for taking the time for that
Actually thinking about doing this in my 2-1/2 car garage. Have lots of floor space, not enough wall storage because of windows and other stuff. Might even go full moron and fully insulate the smaller area and keep it heated (at least above freezing) in the winter.
>fellow pink foam saw horse user
Based beyond belief
We keep a sheet just for cutting shit on top of
Lawn equipment goes in a shed.
Cars stay outside
I would do what I do and make every heavy machine easily mobile via welded steel angle bases with quality braked casters with large wheels.
I would add steel shelving in front of the wall where your engine stand etc lives but leave room for the stuff below. Ceiling hooks plus friction-style cargo tiedown straps hung from the rafters can store pipe, tubing and sheet goods. Friction straps permit raising and lowering by one person.
The woodworking stuff needs to be on wheels (you can add feet to stabilize it when parked). The goal of internal mobility is immediate reconfiguration for a project then immediate reconfig for the next.
I would fab a steel cart with scaffolding casters (or score used on via Fecebook Marketplace etc and mod to suit) for mechanical jobs. Top should not be flat but you can also fab or find a stainless tray for teardowns. Look over "teardown tables" for ideas.
Picrel is (shop rearrangement in progress but I had to drop everything when I scored equipment) a 5HP industrial compressor (Saylor-Beall, you want one, pumps are still US-made) on an example castered skid. If desired the casters remove in minutes for other use and you can insert feet into the welded vertical tubes. Inverted contactor was a brain fart when welding to the upright but doesn't matter functionally. When you score three phase equipment get the starter, contactor or whatever because they're not cheap new. RPC to the left is also fricking heavy hence the casters. Channel used because I scored a couple tons of racking at auction (buyers are there for machinery etc so stuff like that goes cheap).
Pair of comps only used one tank. Owner needed two to sand blast. Comps and receiver tank are connected with red air hose and Chicago couplings. I've not finished routing the hose which will hang off whatever I feel like attaching with sleeve nuts to the inside of the Steelmaster.
I don't care for vertical compressor tanks except outdoors where I can back my wrecker or a boom pole up to R&I pumps and motors. If you cover that eventuality in advance life is easy, and a suitable hoist is necessary for large vertical tanks like my receiver.
For common benches a very low mobile cradle can have the casters located high and inboard so the bottom of the bench etc leg is barely off your floor (how high depends on how level).
That lets you use larger wheels without a height penalty.
Best bench vise mount is not a bench, it's a tristand. Get one with a pipe vise or chain vise.
Weld a vise mount plate to a ~ 2" diameter piece of pipe a couple feet long (depends on desired standoff, beware tipping) then clamp the pipe in the tristand vise or chain clamp. That gets you a rotating bench vise also portable to any bench, stand or truck bed fitted with a pipe vise or chain clamp.
I have two of these bought used, uglier is better and parts are available. I coated my vise screws with anti-seize on purchase and leave both outdoors but where security matters I'd release the vise assembly then carry it off then the tristand itself.
Vises are MUCH easier to carry if you make a crude handle from scrap then clamp that in the jaws. If your back is bad a patient lift etc does the deed. If buying an industrial monster vise bring a handle you can pick from. You can and I have clamped both hooks from a cargo strap in heavy vises for a similar result.
Once you start thinking this way you can gorge on equipment, handle it easily, and not have to manually wrestle heavy objects.
I use a 12v Harbor Freight winch and my JNC 660 jump pack as a horizontal tugger because the safest way to move heavy equipment is normally by pulling.
https://offerup.com/item/detail/1558444210
Looks like you need more shelf space, get more stuff off of the floor.
Can you put up a garden shed to get all the yard tools out of your garage? That would help a ton.
That's kind of the plan of I win the lottery in a sense. Man that would be very nice. I have a car port with no door and I am very concerned with theft otherwise that'd be the solution.
I bought an enclosed trailer with locking doors.
what are you supposed to do, workshop-wise, if you live in an apartment?
i have been looking for months for tiny workshop spaces/whatever spaces that i can rent but anything smaller than 50m2 doesn't exist and to top it off the prices are exorbitant (usually the same price as an apartment or higher)
not only that but garages for apartments are rarer than hen's teeth
so is it possible to have any kind of workspace anywhere if you're renting an apartment?
See if there's a makerspace in your area
People donate tools and materials and you pay a membership fee to go and work on stuff
Where do you live? Where I'm from a lot of cities have "cityworkshops", which you can rent access to and often offer courses beyond that too.
Local college should offer shop classes.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/a25174/woodworking-one-bedroom-apartment/
https://www.thewoodworkplace.com/woodworking-in-an-apartment/
Lots of yootoob vids out there as well.
One anon uses the landing of the stairwell of the apartment building for the awkward big stuff.
Another did his woodburning. painting and staining on the roof in Tokyo.
Another worked in his parking space.
>Another worked in his parking space.
Not that anon you responded to, I was just thinking of doing this, I 3d printed a r-axis for my x/y linear plane
>https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6067712
and one of the 5mm rods I'll need to cut, thought about just popped my trunk of my car, sitting and use my mini grinder to cut it, away from the car of course.
https://metro.com/shop/lionville/ and similar medical carts are worth hunting used. I scored three for 75 bucks each because they had a few dings and docs hate cosmetic blemishes.
They're glorious. Mine have monitor arms, space in back for UPS batteries and SFF PCs, and the drawer assemblies slide out individually in their own steel boxes. They have non-marring casters and non-marring shells making them completely indoor safe so they'd be fine for apartment or dorm use. Mine hold computer and light electrical parts around my home workstations.
Their ergonomics are god tier and they're designed for abuse. You want many.
Well frick. That's actually pretty genius.
Dentists ceiling mount lamps can be inverted and bolted to workbenches (I've one on my steel military desk typewriter support but it's buried so no pic) and mounted as designed to ceilings and shelf bottoms. The old incandescent bulbs suck but IP65 LED lights are cheap and mount easily.
My bro has four, gave me two and we both want (many) more.
>https://metro.com/shop/lionville
I picked up one of those the other day... Not bad.
Back damage sucks but motivated me to get a useful variety of equipment. Patient lifts have non-marring casters (apartment dwellers take note) and while they fit a standard doorway the legs are adjustable width for stability.
Mine lift milling vises (I've another in muh shop container), puts motorcycle engines etc onto engine stands or my workbench, and of course makes installing ATV tires on my riding mowers a breeze. I keep hunks of chain and various bolt-on lifting eyes (ya can harvest those from scrap auto engines) to bolt on as useful. Large electric motors etc suck to lift by hand so I don't.
These little hoists are easy to store and break down for car transport.
Receiver tanks are always worth hunting and most people outside industry don't know what they are. This cost me $150. It's piped through the wall to a simple pipe manifold which also has air chucks and Chicago couplings. Red hose will normally be stowed unless blasting outdoors but I'm working on my blast cabinet in the shade. Smaller hose fittings are easy to mount to an "air pig" manifold which can be on a smaller mobile surge tank if want but I don't expect to need one here.
Three phase bonus for multiple motors is each once running acts like another idler. See Practical Machinist for much wonderful info. I would rather have two 5HP (real 5HP, not bizarro bullshit consumer rating HP) comps than one 10HP. Redundancy and only needing one for light work is a bonus.
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/forum/categories/transformers-phase-converters-and-vfd.11/
I forgot to mention welding a lifting eye to the pipe plug on top of the receiver tank. This eye is just a short length of chain. I prefer chain and grab hooks for lifting because non-grab hooks slide sideways.
While my shops have many points I can hook to (I've an old "racetrack" style car frame machine) and my containers have the usual floor loops, if you want an easy way to pull non-running vehicles and anything else into your shop you can cut a chain slot in the upright half of some heavy angle then drill or torch two holes in the horizontal base for concrete anchors. That lets you drop chain or chain and snatch block into the slot.
Then you can winch vehicles and heavy items into your bay from outdoors (if using a truck winch) and stop them if wheeled using wooden chocks from your self-made (you want one) cribbing kit.
A snatch block means you don't have to be between the load and your anchor point. Done properly you can hang a snatch block from your ceiling then winch from the anchor to erect vertical compressors, tanks or maddick.