My main workbench.

The cornerstone of any shop is the workbench. Every project makes its way across your bench, so having the ideal setup is important. Different uses call for different benches. A woodworking bench is very different from one for a metal shop. My garage came with a workbench that was made of hardwood floor, likely left from the construction of our house. It was OK for a while, but it wasn’t very flat and it was high. I like a higher than average work surface, but it was really high.

On a side note: I have found that most people guess higher that normal for work surface height. I once asked about 6 people to show with their hands me how high a kitchen counter was. Most counters are at 36″, but people had their hands on imaginary counters in the 38-48″ range.

The Bench
A couple of years ago I pulled it out and built a new one. I wanted to make the best bench I could, one that would fit my needs and budget. Many people over build their workbench using beefy (and expensive) 6×6 legs with 2×4 frames, but under building has problems. Mass helps absorb vibrations from your hammer or sander. I used 2×3′s for the frame and legs, but tied it all in with the framing of the garage for added mass. The top was MDF (also heavy) covered with hardboard for a durable and replaceable surface. I made a backslpash by cutting an angle on some 1×4 with the circular saw to keep things from falling behind. It took a few years, but I also finished the edge with some more 1×4.

I have a small clamp on vice, a medium, and a nice large one, but I have never been able to commit to having them mounted. Usually its own weight is enough to keep it in place. I am afraid to mount it anywhere because as soon as I do, I know I will want it somewhere else.

Storage
Most of my benchtop power tools are attached to 2′x2′ pieces of MDF and have rails that they slide on under the counter. Its worked well for a several years. I had made a simple stand that they set on and had threaded inserts so the tool could be attached to the base, which also had a home under the counter. I never actually attached them and they only ever sat on it. I also intended to mount casters on the base, but after a few years I got tired of it and just took it apart. I had just the right thing to replace it with: a file cabinet.

Years ago I bought a used horizontal file cabinet from UM Property Disposition. I mounted casters on it and had a chunk of 2″ thick maple top that was 39″x24″ with a grid of ³/₄” holes (for bench dogs). Until recently it just sat around with some tools inside it and the top just sitting on top. I finally cut a couple of inches off the width of the top so it would fit under the counter. To attach it I bolted it together with some 1 1/2″ spacers so I can clean out underneath and get clamps under the top. There is also a 6″ overhang on the backside that should come in handy for clamping. It rolls out and can become extra workspace, or a place for benchtop tools.

C-Clamps, F-Clamps, Vise Grips, Spring clamps, deep C-Clamps.

You can never have too many clamps, and a few years back I was able to score a bunch of clamps for $25 on craigslist, when combined with my collection it gave me a good amount. I have them stored in the corner of the garage, and are all accessible while not taking away too much valuable space. Most are just mounted on wood rails and sorted by type.

Pegboard is an item of contention. Some people like it, some don’t. I didn’t until I got some with my house and now I am hooked (pun intended). I am too cheap to buy big tool chests, so pegboard is my cheap way to organize my tools for now.

As part of my new shelves I gained some new bench space. I decided to mount my battery chargers here as well to keep them out of the way.

This article is one in a series of articles entitled: The Garage. To see all the parts so far CLICK HERE.

Hardwood storage

Storing wood is always a pain, it doesn’t matter if the pieces are long or short. Trying to figure out what to do with all that wood is a pain because it there is usually a bunch and they run from tiny chunks a few inches long to full sheets of plywood.

Here is what I decided to do:

• small chunks went into a plastic bin
• short-medium stuff went into the cavities between the wall studs
• long stuff goes on a rack above the workbench
• full and partial sheet goods go on a new rack

With a plan decided I just needed to go ahead and put it into action. I had the bin, so as I found small hardwood chunks I put them in it. It just lives on a shelf. Easy.

The plan was to hide the medium chunks behind the sheet goods. I screwed some 1×3 on the wall and bam! Also hid back there are the sides of our garden cold frame.

Long board rack above workbench.

The long item rack above the workbench was already made, it just needed some clearing out. I had put random stuff up there and a few things that needed to be returned. The front edge has a lip that can hold a few boards that I am working on close and out of the way.

Sheet goods rack opened showing short board storage.

My sheet goods rack was like ones I had seen in magazines and online. Simple, easy, and cheap. A couple of pieces of 2×8, a sheet plywood, caster, and hinges. I loaded up the kids one Saturday morning to get the lumber, and it was built, installed, and filled by 11am. I think that painting it might look nice. Right now all that is in there are some partial sheets of MDF, ¹/₂ and 3/₄ Oak ply, and 1 ¹/₂ Foam board I use for cutting sheet goods. My 4 year old son is able to open and close it, so it should work out fine.

Right now I have some ⁸/₄ and ⁴/₄ ash boards and some machined gunwales in the rafters of my garage and parents barn. It would be nice to put them somewhere else, but for now they are out-of-the-way and will stay put.

Getting random boards out-of-the-way has really helped get the garage cleaned up. The workbenches are still covered with stuff and there are some small things to finish up. I am not totally cleaned up, but I feel like I am in the home stretch.

This article is one in a series of articles entitled: The Garage. To see all the parts so far CLICK HERE.

Installed and filled, but not clean.

Garages are a place where stuff gets stored; it’s a fact of life. Previously I had one of those plastic storage shelves in the garage and it was full of random stuff. In our basement we used IKEA BRODER shelves and they worked well, so I decided to use them in the garage. My wife and kids were gone for a couple of days so I was able to come home from work and spend all the time I wanted on them without being interrupted. It was nice. I also managed to make a pretty big dent in cleaning of the garage.

Since I am cheap I decided to only use the hardware from IKEA and use plywood for shelves. To save about $20 I went with sheathing grade DD plywood instead of BC. I don’t think my motor oil will complain too much. My original plan was to use mostly 24″ deep shelves, but as I started cleaning I realized that I didn’t have many deep things that would need deep shelves. Besides, 24″ deep shelves are twice the cost. I considered making shelves, but buying this type of shelving is easily adjustable. I figure that $175 to cover a 12′ wall in shelves isn’t that bad of a price.

What I ended up with was a light duty work/potting bench in the shelves. underneath are a couple deep shelves for random stuff and the vac underneath. Of course my new work area is covered with stuff (I’m not done cleaning yet). To finish it off I ran a round-over bit over the front edge of the bench. Paint may be in the future. I do have my huge bandsaw on the wall so there are only 2 shelves on that section. Now I can see and actually get to oil and other auto fluids, paints, auto-jack and stand, gardening supplies. I was surprised how quickly I managed to fill the shelves up, but stuff from all over the garage that was homeless migrated to my new shelves as I cleaned.

I picked up a center shelf bracket (seen above the bench) that I thought would work well for mounting pegboard or battery chargers to. That is still on the to-do list.

I still have more to do in the garage, but having the new shelves in feels so good. I need to get everything cleaned up more, so my pictures look better.

This article is one in a series of articles entitled: The Garage. To see all the parts so far CLICK HERE.

This article is one in a series of articles entitled: The Garage. To see all the parts so far CLICK HERE.

The Belt Rack

I looked for some options, but didn’t really find anything that fit my needs. Then I remembered seeing a post online about someone who used magnetic strips to hold tools, but not on the wall. He put them on the garage door. GENIUS!!! Using some 1 1/2″ PVC and some 2x3s I had lying around I cam up with a solution.

They are accessible with the door open or closed and are now living in a space that would have been wasted.  I love it.

This article is one in a series of articles entitled: The Garage. To see all the parts so far CLICK HERE.

Akro Bins

Small things are just that small, but they add up. Ever hear of the straw that broke the camels back? Well in most shops/garages nuts, bolts, washers, nails, screws, and all sorts of hardware collect. Our grandfathers used jars with lids attached to a board. Not a bad option, but we use our jars for food, and it isn’t very easy to move them around if needed. This is where Akro Bins come in. They are designed for holding small things in industrial or commercial settings. They come in a variety of colors and sizes. They even have a line of recycled boxes that come in earthy colors. I was given some of these bins and they have been awesome at doing what they are intended to: store small stuff. The hard part was hanging them. Akro makes rails and panels to hang them, but at $30 for a 4′ rail it would be pretty pricy. I would need at least two, maybe three. I considered some 1/8″x 1 1/2″ steel bar which is less expensive, not not cheap. I found this instructable that uses drywall J-Channel, but was concerned about strength with the larger bins. The guy was using the tiny size and I have some that would torque the channel right off. I also needed to install them on bare studs, having to install plywood would only add to the cost.

10 ft. Metal Furring Channel

I ended up finding some furring channel at Home Depot that was $7 for 10′ and was perfect. It had a lip for the bins to clip on, and the width to support the back to keep it from tipping forward. I decided on a 2′ wide section of wall above my work bench between two studs. I cut the channel into 5 2′ lengths and put one up. It worked fine only supported to on the ends with smaller boxes, but the 22.5″ unsupported span flexed with some heavier and larger boxes. I installed a false stud between the two and screwed the channel in the middle. The extra support made a big difference. I spaced the 5 rails with 1″ of gap between. It seemed like a good amount of room to remove boxes without knocking any others off. The channel supported the back of

All attached

Close up

the shorter height boxes well, and the spacing allowed the taller boxes to be supported by the rail below. It all worked out to be the perfect amount of rail for the boxes I have. If I need more I can get more bins and rails.

HF Organizer

For the really small things that I only have a few of I bought a set of little drawers from Harbor Freight. On sale it was $13 and I filled it about halfway with small screws, washers, etc. I also printed out little labels for

the drawers that included pictures. Hopefully it will keep me from having to open half the drawers to find what I need.

This article is one in a series of articles entitled: The Garage. To see all the parts so far CLICK HERE.

The Garage

So like most people my garage is in a constant state of chaos. It is pulled between a place to keep stuff, a workshop, and storing a car. So a bit of background. We have an 1.5 car garage that is about 60 years old. It has the foot print of  a two care garage though with one of those weird garage porch things on the side.  It has been reinforced to keep it from falling apart and the door needs replacing. If I could afford it I would raze the garage and build a new one. It is that bad.

Some of the problem stems from the fact that the garage was designed to hold a car and I want to do more. I want it to be my wood and metal shops, bike storage, canoe storage, garden shed, and hold a car.

Trying to fit it all in is an adventure. There was a time when we could fit a car in with 4 canoes. The canoes (most of them at least) have moved to a rack on the back of the garage, so there is only one inside now. Hopefully the 5 will become 4 and they can all go outside. We recently remodeled the basement and almost all of my tools have moved to the garage. Additionally it has all the other garage stuff like garden tools, lawnmower, oil, windshield washer fluid.

Since it is such a big task, and still a work in progress, I am going to do a multi-post and break each section down. Look for them to come soon.

This article is one in a series of articles entitled: The Garage. To see all the parts so far CLICK HERE.