The Great Little Garage

[bczygan]

This is a new thread on an old garage thread. The original thread was titled the Grunge Garage. Link is here:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113541

That garage has been cleared out sufficiently so that it now deserves a continuation to see how it gets fixed up, and to finally tell "The rest of the story" about that space.

I intend for this thread to be ONLY about the garage, and not the rest of the house and yard and hoarding, as the Grunge Garage became. I will start another thread to finish that in the near future. That will be the place to discuss hoarding and associated subjects.

This initial post is just words for now, but I will be adding more description and photos soon.

So, to begin, the garage space is a single car attached about 9x19. It was packed to the rafters with woodworking equipment and lumber. I mean, you couldn't squeeze you body into the space at all.

Major clearing out has mostly been done. Most of the woodworking tools have been removed, except a lathe and table saw. The idea is that this space is just too small for woodworking AND auto repair and metalworking. So all woodworking stuff is coming out and it will be dedicated to auto and motorcycle, snowmobile, bicycle and small engine repair.

It is too small a space for a car (Or especially our vans) to get in, so only a motorcycle or bike or small machine will come inside for working on it. This will leave more space for tools and machines. I have a rough sketch of how it will lay out that I will post soon.

A bunch of paint and 2 dressers full of junk still remain to be removed.
Oil was spilled all over the floor and has been sopped up.

I have been on GJ for a while, soaking up ideas. This garage will be an amalgam of ideas on materials, colors, layout, equipment and storage methods, electrical, lighting, heating and tool choices picked up here.

A number of things have been acquired for the garage, most after reading about what is good, right here on GJ!

A nod to the 12 Gauge Garage for making me desire Stronghold cabinets. And to the vise and block grinder threads for making me have to many of those. Scrounging has been a part of this and the process has taken some time. Not too many tools remain to be had, or will many more fit in this small space.

It will still take some time to finish the install, especially since I will be working around all the equipment that is already there, while still moving forward on other projects around the house.

Hopefully this project will show that a fully functional, but well equipped SMALL garage can be put together sans car storage.

OK, here is the worst thumbnail sketch of a plan, ever to appear on GJ! I am an Architectural designer, so I can see it in 3D in my mind, so all I need is rough notes to remind me what I want where. The rougher the better so things don't get set in concrete as they will when drawn up perfectly. And here's a trick. Do your thumbnail sketch very small to begin with. Makes it easier to do, as you are really doing relationships rather than sizes of things to scale. It is literally done on the back of a small offerings envelope while at church. The second one is a thumb nail diagram of the left wall elevation, done from the floor plan. It is just as bad, or good, as the case may be.

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The idea of the layout was to get movable equipment, that would be used on cars, towards the front of the garage since there wouldn't be room for a car and the equipment would have to be ready to pull out. That would include the jack, jack stands, service cart, pancake compressor etc. Also consumables like oil and fluids.
Further back would be bigger equipment and work benches.

Tools and equipment on hand:
A number of threads have contributed to the acquisition of the following tools and equipment, including the hot deals thread, the HF pass fail and coupon threads and countless discussions in many other threads.

A HF 41" 13 drawer Roller (Older rough finish one)
Review:
http://www.mini-lathe.com/Reviews/HF_tool_chest/hf_toolchest.htm

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A HF 5 drawer Service Cart

2 Stronghold cabinets were purchased and placed in the space.

2 SO wall cabinets were just purchased and just put in there and will be hung up.
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2819008#post2819008

A number of vises

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A number of grinders
Craftsman Block

The Baldor 1/2HP

A number of toolboxes

Snap-on
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A number of tool bags - Husky and Milwaukee

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Parts Storage

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Lots of tools:

Jack Stands - HF 6T

Compressor - pancake

Hose Reel - Bought from GJ member warmpancakes

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Service Jack - Arcan 3 ton Alum.

Drill Presses

Buffalo

Horizontal Band saw - Kalamazoo MM610D

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Laminated Wood Bench Tops

Welder (Had 2, 1 got stolen) - HF - Need cart

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Torch and tank set - Need cart

Bridgeport - Rebuild

TV - Small flat screen

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Computer - Old notebook

Shop Vac

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Clock - Resale for a buck

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HF Creeper

Lathe - South Bend 9" Model A on table

Parts Washer - drum type

H Press - HF

Fire Extinguisher

First Aid Kit - From resale. Need to restock

Sub Panel - Mounted - needs feed

Metal wall panels to mount plastic parts bins

Pegboard - have hardboard. Consider metal

Metal file cabinets

Industrial hand cleaner dispenser - Install in powder room


Some things I have been thinking about and need to decide how to do:

Flooring - Thinking about porcelain tile like Jack or???
Anti fatigue mats - HF?
Better compressor and piping
Lighting - General and task - LED?
Insulation in the ceiling (Walls are solid brick)
Heating - Electric? Gas?
Insulating and sealing the garage door
Repairing the ceiling - DW or metal?
Electrical - Do layout and calcs
Music source - Need stereo and speakers - Connect to TV
Stools - Need 2 plus one low one for working on cars
Arbor Press - I just want one!
I have also suffered a break-in and security is an issue. Need layers.

 

[VWPORSCHEGT3]

I'm looking forward to this Bill, Keep up the good work.

 

[bczygan]

I'm starting to fill in the original post with more info. Just added the thumbnails of the plan and one elevation. Still need photos of all the equipment going in and photos of the interior as it is right now. As soon as I finish adding all the "as is" info, and changes begin, I will make additional posts detailing the changes.

Bill

 

[bczygan]

Another thing I need to think about is this. Since the car or van to be worked on will be in the driveway or out in the street, I might need ways, besides the service cart, to get tools and supplies to the vehicle.

In addition, the garage door is one of those one panel, weighted and counterbalances steel ones that lifts overhead. It gives limited headroom, but provides a cover from the rain, when open, that could be more workspace. If I had some kind of a screen to put under it that would block views and access from passers-by, this would add temporary work space in warm weather. And if insulated and sealed, even in cold weather. Photos to come.

Here's the garage door and the space in front of the garage door.

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Here is the door opened.

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Bill

 

[bczygan]

Added a bunch more photos of tools and equipment.

Took some inside photos and realized that "mostly cleared was a wee bit optimistic.

I will post them, but boy, I've got some work to do,

Bill

 

[mml665]

Good luck with your project Bill. At least the weather will be nice this weekend you can make some progress.

 

[bczygan]

Good luck with your project Bill. At least the weather will be nice this weekend you can make some progress.

I got that Pennsylvania House maple 4 poster king size bed over at 840 Lakepointe in the Pointes a couple of days ago. Some very nice houses over there. One of my wife's relatives, a Doctor, lived on Windmill Pointe. I'm trying to drag some of that luxury over here in the city. Part of my continuing bedroom revamp. I'm just east of Denby HS a few blocks.

You're kind of new in posts. Welcome to GJ!

I am going down right now and do some work!

Bill

 

[HSpencer]

There is certainly nothing wrong with a single car garage. There are many well done ones on GJ. Actually, I am one who is partial to singles as that is where I started out in my first house. As a very young newly married guy, I set up shop in that garage for an "automotive shop". Being young and dumb, I jacked up the car on a one legged jack, and the thing fell over against the wall putting a LARGE hole in the sheet rock. That was years ago (many years ago).
But I have seen some tremendously fine single car garages on this site. You seem to have plenty of tools and things to get yours going. If you don't like your door and your the homeowner, a single car garage door is not that costly, even with an auto opener.
I think you will have a great place you will enjoy with its all said and done!!
Keep posting your progress!!

 

[bczygan]

HSpencer,
I Love your avatar. I had a Chevy Nova, think it was an 88', copy of a little Jap car. maybe a Toyota, Carrying 8 sheets of OSB on the roof. Tied off with big box store twine. Slid off the right side on a left hand turn and sliced the right side mirror off like a guillotine.

 

[bczygan]

First post got too big so I had to move the following part of it to this one.

Such a small space needs exquisite organization for so many tools and functions. There is no space for a beer fridge, toilet facilities or many of the man cave luxuries that many of the large and luxurious garages here on GJ have.

But the adjacent house has all those comforts very near by as it is only 1,250 SF. Powder room one step away. Kitchen two steps and living is three, with nice leather couch and love seat. And up a short flight of stairs is a nice maple king size 4 poster Pennsylvania House bed we just bought for $220 that can be used for afternoon old man naps.

 

[bczygan]

It is interesting to see the different approaches to garages on this site. Some are very minimalist. A big open space, a blank palette, like a museum gallery, in which is placed 1 or 2 collector cars, a couple of cabinets and a logo on the wall. A visual work of art.

Others are working garages with partly completed projects littering the floor and benches.

Most have cars.

This garage is so small that neither method is practical. Yet I want a working space, where I can work on things inside. Cars, and my vans won't fit, but everything else will, at least one at a time while working on them. So that is how it can be a working garage. No storage, just a small workspace in the middle, lined with tools and equipment. Yet I yearn to have that beautiful to the eye space the artsy garages have. So what I am going to try to do, is to balance a setup for working, with enough storage so that it doesn't look a mess.
One difficulty is that a small space like this, with all 3 walls lined with machines, will look visually cluttered no matter what. If each wall just had one item it would become a focal point and the eye would go to it. So each machine needs to be it's own little work center with accessories organized around it.
And photographing it is going to be difficult. Small spaces need a wide angle lens and I have a little pocket camera.
Anyway, those are the drivers behind this reorganization.

 

[HSpencer]

I think one does the best they can with the available space. For me, success came to be a system of using a tool, and putting it back where it goes. Of course on a project, I will have all manner of stuff strewn all over the shop, but I have become trained to put it back as soon as possible. It is also possible to have "too many tools". I know this is slander on GJ, but it is true. I would rather have one hammer I can find, than five I can't find. I have so many tools that I even have duplicates of duplicates, and I am sure a lot of my fellows here do as well. I work every day on clutter control, but it sometimes it can't be helped. My 8X16 shed along side my shop sure helps!!!!

 

[bczygan]

From the list above, I can see that most of the basic tools are there. Might even have to winnow them down a little. Some of the extras and some of the tool boxes and bags will go to the hangar and into the vans.

 

[Bull]

Good to see you back in this section, Bill. I'll be watching your space come together. You've got some great pieces to arrange in there.

 

[bczygan]

Thanks Bull.
I never quit working toward the goal of a well arranged and useful garage. Just slowed down for a bit to focus on other areas.
And while the garage proceeds, so will other work.

Here is some photos of what needs clearing and cleaning up.

This is the far end of the garage. It has 2 very deep built in shelves full of paint. And below that are 2 wood dressers full of stuff. I want to remove all of this and install a Stronghold cabinet and laminated wood top with shelves and or cabinets above.

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To the right of that, along the right wall is a built-in shelf up high and a high shelf/bench top below it. This house was my wife Julies childhood home, and these built-ins were built by her younger brother Gary. While great for storage, for a work space they aren't as good. I will use them for now, but eventually remove them.

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There is still piles of stuff in the middle of the space that need removing. A lot of it is woodworking related such as the lathe in the first photo. These three photos show piles starting at the back or the garage and looking at the right (Outside) wall, and moving to the right, toward the garage door. This mus almost all be cleared out and removed. In addition there is stuff behind this pile, under the bench along that wall. A lot of work. More that I thought.

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So now that I've stepped in it, I better get out there today and make some progress, so I have something to show.

Bill

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

Nice stuff you've accumulated for your shop and I'm glad to see a plan for it all.

Is that an airstream?

 

[bczygan]

Nice stuff you've accumulated for your shop and I'm glad to see a plan for it all.

Is that an airstream in the first pictures?

Thanks,
It is kind of backwards, but I had a lot of fun here on GJ, finding things and assembling them, based on everyone's recommendations. So now I owe it to myself to provide a proper place to use them.

I've been sorting stuff for the last couple hours and rearranging and throwing junk out and bringing things into and out of the garage. Quick rest and more to do.

Yup!
1970 Safari

 

[Doug B]

Bill,
Thanks for pointing me towards this thread! Looking forward to progress pics.

 

[NHBandit]

So far it looks like an episode of "Storage Wars".. Looking forward to the transformation.

 

[VWPORSCHEGT3]

lots of **** to dump 2 million paint cans and 95 percent you'll never use again.. get a small dumpster, get rid of the stuff that is just taking up space.... I have one Vice.... i dont know why someone would need 6. i have 2 grinders , mounted up with the wheels i use most. think about space practicality. are you gonna have enough space to actually WORK after everything is mounted up?

work hard at trying to make USABLE space. many tools are impressive, but if you don't have enough space to get anything done it defeats the purpose. with those countertops I can envision some 12 gauge garage like counters.... something to ponder about Bill.

Keep motivated! wouldn't you like to have some projects? well you gotta have a usable work space to do so. I'm not jumping your **** Bill just trying to give you some ideas.

 

[HSpencer]

There are a lot of treasures in your photos. One for example is the office desk lamp in the photo just above, on the right of your drill press. These are either "art deco" or "mid-century" and in certain cultures of collectors, they are gold. I would love to have that one.
I have learned to be very careful on anything older than 1970, as these items, especially if in working condition can be highly sought after items. It is a good idea to check stuff like that lamp against ebay and the collectors sites. I did have a lamp like the one you do, and in my haste to get rid of junk, I threw it out. Now that I am doing a "1940's" look office in my home, I need that lamp badly again. So you never know on some things. If you have any power tools older than 1970, I would evaluate those as well.
I do get frustrated and want to get rid of stuff. I make rash moves on cleaning out things. I am sorry it seems later. I can't store what I have now, and I never know when I will need what I got now---later. Ya can't win!
But I know you have a plan and I am going to be looking to see how it works out!
Cheers.

 

[bczygan]

Time for a little update on the GLG...

I actually made a couple of parts the other day!!!

Just poking some holes in pieces of angle iron for a home made hasp for the hangar, but it means I can get to some machines and use them!!!

Today, I pulled a bunch of stuff out, as you can see in t he photos, and got the horizontal band saw going for the first time. First blood!...or should I say, first steel! Cut a piece of round to see how it worked. At first it wouldn't cut very well...and then I noticed the blade had the teeth running backwards!...Works much better the other way around.

Gave a grinder to my brother and removed a Chicom vise and Black and Decker Taiwan bench top drill press from the counter. Will be giving them to a family member too.
More photos after I remove some more woodworking stuff from the space and bring in the parts of my 17"Delta Rockwell drill press.

 

[bczygan]

Pull it out...stick it back in!

Buttoned up for the night.

Put the parts of the 17" Delta Rockwell DP in with all the usual stuff that I had pulled out this morning. But pulled out a stack of paint cans and a bunch of woodworking tools. Made a space under the counter for the horizontal band saw to live. Have bench top DP and bench vise ready for delivery to relative. Starting to shape up.
Hopefully I won't have to remove half the stuff in the garage, just to have room to maneuver and remove other things. In the near future I expect to be able to just open the door and move things out.

Tomorrow afternoon I will continue pulling out the rest of the paint and woodworking stuff. Also 3 wood dressers filled with God knows what???
When the dressers go, the 2nd Stronghold cabinet will take the place of 2 of them, with a 7' x 20" piece of the laminated wood top like the other one has.

Then another big laminated wood bench top will go to the hangar as well as the Delta Homecraft table saw and a big piece of pegboard. Need to take the wood lathe and put it in the big shed.

That should start to free up some serious space.

No photos for now, since with everything stuffed back in, it looks a mess.

I can see, that since it is a small space, things will have to be seriously pared down to bare essentials. I am even thinking that the shop vac is too big, and a different one (That I already have, of course) should be in there.

Bill

 

[JC23]

Good luck!

 

[bczygan]

I'm writing this right now, before actually doing it. I am going downstairs with my camera to take some more woodworking stuff out of the garage and I will photo the aftermath.

I notice not as many followers of this thread as compared to "The Grunge Garage". Understandable. That was full of pathos and drama. Very entertaining. This one is very slow moving, methodical and tedious. But this one will get to the goal as surely as the tortoise beat the hare.

So off I go to do the work and reap the benefit of photograph-able results.

Back in a bit.

 

[bczygan]

A short TODO list for myself, before I go down. The next things to do are this:

Put link belt on horizontal band saw.
Remove table top table saw.
Remove 4 or 5 boxes of woodworking tools, supplies and equipment.
Remove contents of 3 wood dressers.
Remove the dressers themselves and dispose of them.
Remove wood lathe.

Note: All these things are going into a shed for storage until I build a woodworking shop or convert the biggest existing shed into a temporary one.

Remove Black and Decker drill press and Taiwan vise and deliver to brother. Polish off the rust and wax first.
Remove stack of hand saws.
Remove remaining shelves full of paint cans.
Go through boxes on upper shelves and organize or remove as needed.
Remove big square laminated wood table top and take to hangar. On second thought, cut in half and use half in the garage and take remaining half to woodworking shed.
Take other 7'x20" top to hangar.
Remove large drawing board and store in shed.
Assemble 21" Delta Rockwell drill press and place it.
Sort tools and create tool bags for car and van and a toolbox for the hangar.
Remove table saw on stand and take to hangar.
Choose bench vise and take to hangar.
Remove Emmert vise and put in woodworking shed.
Choose one bench vise for garage and remove the remaining ones and store in shed.

Then, there is ceiling demo and repair, demo of existing shelving, refinishing and hanging SO wall cabinets, lighting, electrical, flooring. Plus door seal, heating, insulation, painting, hose reel hanging, drop cord etc.

There's probably a lot more I can't think of right now.

Whew! It seems never ending, but not when you look at what has already been completed.

 

[bczygan]

Well, that didn't work out too well. After tending to the animals, getting Julie dinner, talking to the neighbor and giving him a gift (A hand soap dispenser), Then I spent most of the rest of the evening setting up a USPS account and using Paypal to pay for shipping for 4 hand soap dispensers I sold in the classifieds section. Now I have to print out labels and ready them for shipment tomorrow. Then fix Julies lunch. THEN, maybe I can get a start on it all.

 

[vlpronj]

Good to see you updating, but remember you don't need to share too much, especially if you want less drama in this thread. And I say that as someone you inspired.

 

[bczygan]

Good to see you updating, but remember you don't need to share too much, especially if you want less drama in this thread. And I say that as someone you inspired.

Agreed.

This thread is ONLY about the garage...nothing else.

 

[bczygan]

Slow progress.
Removed a bunch of woodworking stuff.
Cleaned a patch of floor that hadn't seen daylight for years. Filled 3 plastic grocery bags with sand and wood chips and junk and disposed of them.
Photo shows progress.
It ain't dramatic, but is is progress.
Work tomorrow morning, but will keep it going in the PM.

First photo shows some stuff going OTD (Out the door).
Second is the cleared floor area.
Third is the wood lathe that must go OTD.
Fourth is counter top with grinders. You can see I am starting to get it uncovered.
Fifth is the clutter corner, and dressers, and paint, that must all be removed.
Stronghold cabinet in second photo will go where dressers are.

 

[HSpencer]

Looking at your photos I see so much stuff (tools, etc), that could be refurbished or restored to new like condition. I know you can't think about that right now, as your trying to clear the swamp to recondition the garage. It is highly frustrating at best, and I have been there myself. For example, the wood lathe. It looks like a pretty good one. If there were a way to tag that for restore, and set it aside all of it's own until you get a re done shop to take it apart and check it out, and see what needs doing to it. I guess what I am saying here is something I regret doing myself earlier: Not discovering the possibility to restore something when you are just trying to get that something out of your hair and out of your way.
Hope I am making sense on what I am saying. I have lost soooo much good stuff, because I just got upset and wanted rid of it out of my way. Looks like you got a wealth of good stuff!!!
Good luck and I will be following your thread.

 

[bczygan]

HSpencer,
Yes, part of the crime of hoarding, is you acquire things but don't take care of them. That lathe is an example. There is humidity in that garage, from a lack of a seal around the door, from a roof leak, and from the basement. Everything rusts. The bed on that lathe, where it isn't painted, has surface rust. I may abrade it off and wax it before removing from the garage. And I will protect it. It works fine, but needs a base with more heft. It tries to walk with big pieces on it.

Since it is going to rain tonight or tomorrow, I am covering the things I am taking outside. Gotta work again tomorrow, but short day. Trying to do a little each day.

Still have a lot to remove before I can start installing things. Going to try to redo ceiling and do lighting and power with the major tools still in place. Also painting and flooring. But a lot of things to remove first.

I am starting to miss some of the woodworking tools that I am removing. But you can only stuff so much **** in a sack, so woodworking will have to go in another structure. This garage is strictly metalworking and auto/motorcycle/bicycle repair. No car parking either. Just not enough space. Might be able to pull a motorcycle or bike in there to work on it, but park them elsewhere too. All 3 walls will be lined with machines that can be used in place or pulled out on casters for use (Like the horizontal band saw and service cart). I may even have to put the shop vac, parts washer and compressor elsewhere. I have a back porch that could be enclosed, on the other side of the powder room, that is in back of this garage. The porch needs a new roof structure (Old one rotted), but it is about 6 foot deep x 9' wide.

Bill

 

[bczygan]

And where will the blast cabinet go? And how about painting things?

Hmmm...

 

[Doug B]

Hey Bill, Are you still working for the airplane guy?

 

[bczygan]

Hey Bill, Are you still working for the airplane guy?

Oh YEAH!!!

Today I did cleanup in the shop (See a trend here?...I'm cleaning and organizing both at work and home). Cleaned piles of swarf from the lathe bed and then the Bridgeports and then spent the rest of the morning cutting up strips of plastic into 1" squares by holding them in a vise and running a hacksaw through them. 400 and 1200 to go. We're making plastic washers. Not airplane related, but it pays the rent. Gotta work tomorrow too. Bet I'll be cutting the other 1200 plastic parts...

The other day I cut all the tubing for 4 sets of tail feathers. Bent the annealed tubes around a form for the curved parts. Bent annealed tubing around forms for 4 canopy frames. Cut tubing for 3 sets of sticks and linkages. Cut tubing for strut brackets. I cut a lot of stuff. Getting good with the horizontal bandsaw. And in a like vein, got my Kalamazoo 610 horizontal band saw going and cut metal. Just picked up a HF link belt for it. V belt was shot. Gotta install it.

Hey,...I just finished a work session in MY garage. Got the second Stronghold cabinet in it's cubbyhole after removing a wood dresser and cleaning out that pit of a corner. Photo in a few minutes.

 

[bczygan]

Stronghold cabinet and 2 toolboxes tucked into their cubbyhole.
Lots more floor space than before.
Pulled out the white dresser and will empty and demolish and dispose of it. It's falling apart anyway.
Wood lathe will go into the woodworking shed.
Lots of the boxes have misc. junk or are empty. They will all get sorted and go OTD (Out the door).
Dresser in the blind corner will get the same treatment.
Better dresser under the counter will go to the woodworking shed for storage.
Lots more to do. But I have never seen that much floor before.

The layout, with machines and cabinets and benches on both sides will allow a 5' wide clear aisle down the middle and 20" counters and cabinets and tool spaces on each side.
Layout will evolve. Already see I can't fit as much as my thumbnail sketch suggested. But it will be a real working space. Neat, but not a showroom.
Much better than the stuffed storage bin that it was. Follow me as it comes together. I can feel it starting to get there.
Bill

 

[bczygan]

Looking at a 24" Trinco blast cabinet tomorrow.

 

[jeffmoss26]

...why?

 

[bczygan]

I had a feeling, that post would pull you out of the woodwork, Jeff. I've missed you. We need one at work to recondition all the jigs and fixtures that we have, that are slowly rusting in a shop with a grinder operation in the next bay. We have a lot of small steel gussets and fittings that need new surfacing. Plus, I have a lot of old vises and tools that could use some work, and rusty steel material. Also need to do an exhaust for an ultralight and a fold-able HF type bolt together trailer. I plan on cutting doors on each side to pass long things through it. It's just one of the basic tools in a shop, like a compressor, bandsaw, drill press, grinder, disc sander, lathe, wire brush, buffer, welder, press, mill, parts washer, shop vac, etc. HF one is $200. Hope to get this one for $250. And it's small enough for my shop.

Bill

 

[jeffmoss26]

So is it for home or work?