po' folks have po' ways

[hoopty388]

I notice most of the garages here look more like museums then garages but I might be of some use to you guys.

I recently bought a 2100 sq. ft. house with an 1800 sq. ft. garage and 120+ sq. ft. storage shed. I haven't done much on the garage yet but have alot of plans so I'll keep you updated.Most of my ideas are budget minded because I'm not loaded and I actually get a "buzz" from getting the same effect and saving 1/2 or more. I am into decoration in my garage but more important is function, so telling me peg board and 2x4 shelving is ugly or tacky won't phase me much. I like building my own tools when possible. Sorry if this intro seems a little prickish but I'm just trying to let you know where I'm coming from and hope we can help each other in alot of future projects

 

[SILVERPLATE]

Look forward to a picture of that garage. It all takes time. Welcome aboard!

 

[hoopty388]

I am going to try to post a pic and we'll see what happens.

here is an older pic of my garage when we were still remolding the house it looks better now but no real projects done. You can get an idea of it's size and what I started with.

 

[hoopty388]

Here's the first of my budget projects. First of all this will sound redneck as can be, and it is, but a great money saver if you have the option. I live in hillbilly land U.S.A., which means there is an abundunt (ms) amount of mobile homes. When I get the chance I purchase them cheap (or sometimes given to me), then tear them apart to sell the scrap metal. Instead of pitching the rest like most do I save the 2x3's, paneling, and cabinets. The paneling is usually thicker than the cardboard junk you buy at the hardware store and all of it is FREE!!! Also the cabinets in a trailer is basically a wood front (pretty strong) and panelling sides and bottoms (not strong), but using the fronts and building new sides and bottoms will still save you money. I know most of you don't have this option or want mdf cabinet fronts but this is for the people who can use it. now on to the actual project.


If you can't understand what I am describing let me know and I will do a write up for you. I use hammers ALOT for bending metal, breaking stuff apart, etc., and a flimsy work bench can break down quickly. So I built this.

basically it is four 4x4's cut to desired height (I made my a little lower than most for leverage), with 2x4's stacked tall, side by side untill a full sized bench is accomplished. now you may say how is that budget minded? That's alot of money in 2x4's, and you'd be right. But think of how much it would cost to buy a store bought bench that can take this kind of but wuppin'. I added some old trailer cabinet fronts to mine to make more use out of it.( make every inch count!!

 

[autoist]

Look around your city for an apartment complex that's remodeling.....I did & got lots of kitchen cabinets almost free...I also got lots of sliding glass doors for $5 apiece....my workshop is now lined with kitchen cabinets on all sides & the back of my 40' long garage is almost solid glass!

& I sold the extra cabinets & doors at a profit to offset some of my expense!

 

[Stärke]

Nothin' wrong with being resourceful. Just makes more money for your ride(s).

 

[goodfellow]

Here's the first of my budget projects. First of all this will sound redneck as can be, and it is, but a great money saver if you have the option. I live in hillbilly land U.S.A., which means there is an abundunt (ms) amount of mobile homes. When I get the chance I purchase them cheap (or sometimes given to me), then tear them apart to sell the scrap metal. Instead of pitching the rest like most do I save the 2x3's, paneling, and cabinets. The paneling is usually thicker than the cardboard junk you buy at the hardware store and all of it is FREE!!! Also the cabinets in a trailer is basically a wood front (pretty strong) and panelling sides and bottoms (not strong), but using the fronts and building new sides and bottoms will still save you money. I know most of you don't have this option or want mdf cabinet fronts but this is for the people who can use it. now on to the actual project.

Hey I'm with ya'! Used to live in rural WV and you could always run to the county dump to pick up cabinets, electric motors, tubing, etc. If I saw something that a buddy could use, I either took it right away and dropped it at house, or I'd called him to come pick it up. I can't recall how many times friends would drop off stuff at my house because they knew I was looking for something along those lines.

"Free" is always good!!

 

[comp]

dude ,don't sweat it ,i wish i had yours

 

[russlaferrera]

Welcome to the board....

1st problem I see... you can't use a gas lawnmower to sand drywall, fumes will kill ya.

2nd clean up the garage. Put everything in a special place.

3rd write down where you put everything, so you can find it.

 

[tontruck]

Hell yeah Hoopty do it the country boy way!!!

 

[bluesman2a]

I notice most of the garages here look more like museums then garages but I might be of some use to you guys.

Easy there, pardner. Some of us have garages that WORK. They get DIRTY, and if I can get a better result for less money, I'm all ears. Make no mistake about it.

 

[hoopty388]

Thanks for the comments guys got some more projects coming in the next couple weeks.

The garage is much cleaner now, just an old pic. It was taken in the middle of gutting the house.

and last but not least, everyone knows you don't sand drywall with a lawnmower!!!!

You use it to cut it! It doesn't come out very pretty, but one good day of that show in the front yard and the neighbors wwill definately respect your privacy!!!

 

[comp]

sitting on the front porch cleaning your guns works to

 

[cyclopsblown34]

sitting on the front porch cleaning your guns works to

Just not as disturbing as cutting drywall witha lawn mower. It really gets the neighbors' respect.

 

[tontruck]

sitting on the front porch cleaning your guns works to

a bunch of biker buddies help keep my neighbors away

 

[hoopty388]

got that covered too

 

[hoopty388]

got some work done on the garage thought I would make a post.

 

[hoopty388]

the first one was some old racking and a small cheap toolbox that I made a stack of storage out of. the second is my new work area. I beefed up the bench that was already there and replaced the 1/2 " top with one made of 2x4's. They are remodeling an old store in town so I asked if I could have the old peg boards they threw out back. 4 1/2 pieces of 4x8 peg board for free! score! It's an ugly green color but I plan on painting everything anyway. The last was an ol,d tool chest I got at auction for $5, it was the perfect size for my welder, so I turned it into a mobile work cart. It has alot of drawers for common used tools, and I welded a bunch of hooks to it for more space.

 

[kbs2244]

Russ's point number 3 is why I don't put doors on my shelves.
It is a working place not a show place.
You have to be able to find your stuff.

 

[kbs2244]

BTW, do not ever let one of the old, 1950's style, steel desks with the rounded corners pass you by.
Most were gray, some tan.
(I a not talking about the black ones with the false wood tops.)
You cannot break them with an 11 pound hammer.
They will have a 30x60x1 ½ inch thick top with a Formica surface and a rubber bumper edge that you can set a 454 on.
The pedestals are 3 drawer and 2 drawer. The 2 drawer one has a deep file folder size drawer.
The 3 drawer one with a piece of plywood for a top and another piece on the bottom for a set of casters will make a roll around work table with built in storage.
The 2 drawer one goes into the corner as a storage cabinet. That deep drawer is great for skill saws etc.

 

[Kevin54]

BTW, do not ever let one of the old, 1950's style, steel desks with the rounded corners pass you by.
Most were gray, some tan.

And heavier than hell. If anyone finds one, make sure you have a bud or two with you. But they do make a good work table.

 

[e-tek]

Right on BUBA! I's gotten me a whole mess o' deals at Homey-Depot last week, but nuttin' like dem trailer-trash finds like yers! Y'know - you should really use dat der lawn mow'r to cut the grass - might even find some of yer cars in there!
My shop is kinda like yers....only I used new 2x4's and drywall and bought me some of dem real purty stainless steel bench tops - so shiny my ol' lady can even brush her tooth in dem!
Anywhose - I gotta get back to work. Da boss don' lik-it when we's is away from the hole too long. We just got two a dem filled in...gotta dig another one now.

 

[Ye Moderne Locksmitherie]

OK, here is where I either have everyone agreeing, or everyone hating me.....

There are 2 kinds of garages, workshops, etc.

1. The one that is set up for efficiency and functionality.

2. The one that is to show off to the neighbor. Generally nothing ever gets made, build, fixed or done, as it might smudge the floor.

I like to try and incorporate novel ideas that WORK into the category 1. 2X4s nailed together, not NEARLY as strong the beauty of lap joints.

If you are going to build from 2X4 and such, do it with a little finesse, and show off your talent more than your ability to go to Costco and order the bogus $55,000.00 "dream garage"

Or one can use industrial steel shelving, the pallet loading type ( diamondplate is for sissies.... it is a "thing" like Avocado refrigerators and stainless ) with dropped in particle board will give you a life of service, and you can use it for everything from totes full of x-mas ornaments to transmissions on pallets.

Heck, you can put a few extra parts cars on this shelving..... or turn your 2 car garage into a 6 car one ( you will need a forklift as well )


Get the shelving you see COSTCO use to put THEIR product on, not the light shelving that is sold, sitting ON their own heavy stuff!

But please, " JUST SAY NO TO DIAMOND PLATE, FAKE SS, AND DECORATOR GARAGE KITS
:}

 

[c39er]

Here is my 392 hemi holder desk! Come and get it!
Bob

 

[kbs2244]

That is one of those puppys.
I forgot about the green ones.

 

[hoopty388]

that desk is across from the work bench.

Those cabinets are for storage Items I don't use much. and they are being replaced once I get more drawers.

 

[hoopty388]

If the comment on the nailed together 2x4's was aimed at the crappy shelving in the corner....it was there when I bought the place and haven't got to rebuilding it.

 

[kbs2244]

I have seen som PICS where, when the guy needed a big roll around work table he just put stringers between the bottoms of the 2 shelf units and then put casters on them.
The stringers are there to reinforce it a bit when rolling around and to raise it some.
Presto, a 30x60 work table with storage.

 

[Chaz]

OK, here is where I either have everyone agreeing, or everyone hating me.....

There are 2 kinds of garages, workshops, etc.

1. The one that is set up for efficiency and functionality.

2. The one that is to show off to the neighbor. Generally nothing ever gets made, build, fixed or done, as it might smudge the floor.

I like to try and incorporate novel ideas that WORK into the category 1. 2X4s nailed together, not NEARLY as strong the beauty of lap joints.

If you are going to build from 2X4 and such, do it with a little finesse, and show off your talent more than your ability to go to Costco and order the bogus $55,000.00 "dream garage"

Or one can use industrial steel shelving, the pallet loading type ( diamondplate is for sissies.... it is a "thing" like Avocado refrigerators and stainless ) with dropped in particle board will give you a life of service, and you can use it for everything from totes full of x-mas ornaments to transmissions on pallets.

Heck, you can put a few extra parts cars on this shelving..... or turn your 2 car garage into a 6 car one ( you will need a forklift as well )


Get the shelving you see COSTCO use to put THEIR product on, not the light shelving that is sold, sitting ON their own heavy stuff!

But please, " JUST SAY NO TO DIAMOND PLATE, FAKE SS, AND DECORATOR GARAGE KITS
:}

Well, youve got me disageeing. A shop is a shop. Some nice ones do a LOT of work. ( Show AND go)
And some cluttered messes do none.
Its simply a matter of preference. and hard work.
I like for my shop to look nice, and I'll match its work output to anyones.........
Now heres one to piss YOU off. "People that have the plain basic shop are just lazy."

See, Its not really true either. A shop is a shop. period.

 

[e-tek]

Oh come on man - don't wimp out - you where right the first time: people with basic shops, no drywall, left unpainted, no checkerplate, no lift, no epoxy (gasp!) and - (God forbid) incadescent lights - are not only lazy, they are an affront to garage connossiers everywhere! They need not fill up OUR site, which prides itself on the useful beauty of form over function, with their diatribes of 2x4 vs 2x6 construction (when only old growth hemlock block and tackle will do!).
If one cannot rise to the challenge of encasing his freshly polished tools in closed cell foam rubber in a humidor-style tool chest, then one should not expect to recieve any respect from us who pride ourselves on the highest standards of garage and mechanical aptitude!
I for one applaud your fortitude of thought- stick to your shiny, ivory handled, knurled guns my man!

 

[hguerrero]

it's getting ugly in here...

 

[Chaz]

it's getting ugly in here...

Sure is!
Someone piss in your cornflakes this morning, etek?
I guess everyone should assume that no work happens in nice shops, eh?
and people that care about how their shops look and how their tools are maintained are the equivalent of hot rod "goldchainers" who never do their own work? Sheesh!
Its a pretty small world you live in obviously.

 

[Uncle Buck]

No worries, there are many guys that post here that operate on a shoe string and their garages are models of dumpster diving. This is not a new idea here, lots of cheap/inventive, or just plain tight SOB's on this board and I am likely one of the worst. There is plenty of room for tool polishers to so it's all good! BTW, Welcome pull up a milk crate or overturned 5 gallon bucket and enjoy!

 

[e-tek]

Sure is!
Someone piss in your cornflakes this morning, etek?
I guess everyone should assume that no work happens in nice shops, eh?
and people that care about how their shops look and how their tools are maintained are the equivalent of hot rod "goldchainers" who never do their own work? Sheesh!
Its a pretty small world you live in obviously.

Yikes!!! It was S-A-R-C-A-S-M!! Check my post a few back...I posted on both sides of this one trying to be funny...I just couldn't care less if your shop is nice or ugly - I love shops in general! I guess I'm not as good at sarcasm as I thought...of course it looses it in the typed medium I guess.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Yikes!!! It was S-A-R-C-A-S-M!! Check my post a few back...I posted on both sides of this one trying to be funny...I just couldn't care less if your shop is nice or ugly - I love shops in general! I guess I'm not as good at sarcasm as I thought...of course it looses it in the typed medium I guess.

I don't know, I caught it easy enough.

 

[e-tek]

Thanks "Holmes" - I was beginning to think everyone just thought I was an A@@hole - they probably still do. Oh well...

 

[Old Moparz]

I'm a cheap SOB when it comes to building certain things, & have scrounged the liquidators & discount sections at the home centers, went to building supply auctions, have garbage picked, or reused materials from other projects regularly. I like seeing people post how they've saved money on something, or created a way of doing things that makes it easier. I built my garage & installed things inside it that saved me thousands of dollars. Even the scaffolding plank I used with my pump jacks to do the siding is home made from 2x8's & OSB.

The way I look at it, every dollar I saved on something let me spend it on another feature I liked, or maybe I didn't plan on doing. For example, I didn't plan on windows right away & was going to add them later to save money on the initial budget. There are 8 windows in my garage, but only the one in front was ordered so it matched the house. 3 of the others were Pella surplus from a liquidator at half the cost, & probably wrong sizes or colors that someone didn't want & discounted. 4 are from my boss's office when he remodelled the building.

My work bench is all cull lumber from Home Depot's cart that was 31 cents a piece, & a 1-3/4" thick solid door I got from a dumpster. The overhead cabinet above it was an old wooden crate that I shipped something in & had returned. My ladder/stairs to the second floor loft are old, 11' tall, oak library ladders I got for $30 each. I did the entire pole building myself with exception to the concrete floor & electrical work. The decorative, arch/fan above the upstairs window, cost me $15 for a bundle of cedar clap board & stainless steel nails.

If I could have figured out a way to make a safe 4 post lift from scrap wood, I'd have probably done so.

 

[KnightFire]

Well, youve got me disageeing. A shop is a shop. Some nice ones do a LOT of work. ( Show AND go)
And some cluttered messes do none.
Its simply a matter of preference. and hard work.
I like for my shop to look nice, and I'll match its work output to anyones.........
Now heres one to piss YOU off. "People that have the plain basic shop are just lazy."

See, Its not really true either. A shop is a shop. period.

I'll have to agree here. I don't know what constitutes a "museum," but I like my spaces to be TIDY. It just makes life easier. It is true that I spent some coin on my garage, but I did all the work myself and I'm pretty damned proud of it. Do I like to show it off? YOU BET! Do I work in it? I'll let the list of modified vehicles I own speak for themselves.

In my sig is a link with photos of my 1st garage and my current garage, I took all I learned the hard way from the 1st garage and applied it to the 2nd. But, I knew from the onset of purchasing our new house, I was going to have the garage of my dreams. Is my current garage a museum? I don't think so, to me it's 100% functional and it looks GOOD (to me).

The way I see it, if it's a museum or a dirt floor, as long as the owner is happy and gets what he/she needs out of it...who cares?!

 

[WolverineCoatings]

There is NOTHING wrong with a bargain. We've become so wasteful that we don't even consider how things can be reused. But, I have a feeling if gas keeps going the way it is... many of the rest of us might be taking more notes here.

 

[Vinko]

Most of my ideas are budget minded because I'm not loaded and I actually get a "buzz" from getting the same effect and saving 1/2 or more.

My uncle gets the same buzz. Very creative with finding stuff in alleys, like a sink, for his shop. Or sheets of thick metal that he's used to line tables, etc. I dig his creativity. He's also able to get maximum storage out a small space. Your 1800 sq. sounds spacious enough though, eh?

I love finding cast-off lumber for racks. Which I'm doing now. There's a construction site down the street, so I'm going to ask them if I can have some of the 2 x 4 odds and ends. Stuff always comes in handy.

My grandfather was the same way. Not dirt po', but frugal nonetheless.