Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Woody's Works Garage

[bonecrrusher]

Woody - I just have the drill press for now - and that thing just sat in the corner unused for a year or two - adding that base will allow me to use it/move it easier.

I will search for the tool base - I have found a few on Amazon but didn't have the quality look of the King one.

 

[Badd Andy]

love what you did here, showing that bigger isn't always better and smart use of space with the right components

I'm also here in Thunder Bay (Westfort area) and have an old 20 x 24 garage that would seriously benefit from the upgrades you have done here

Great read and thanks for posting!!!

 

[Denwood]

Badd, thanks for posting..I see it's the first! The coffee is always on. Usually cold beer too. Just pm

Bone, the quality of the King unit I would rate with it's price, $49. No machined parts..all stamped steel. It's "adequate". For occasional use moving your drill press around it's perfect. For daily use, it looks like the $200 range is where I would start.

 

[JohnnieMo]

@Denwood - I really enjoyed your MaxJax thread, so I came to check out your build thread. Really great job across the board. I love your picture annotations... that makes it easy to comprehend.

I'm looking at a project much like you. I priced out a complete garage replacement at $35k before any furnishing. I have since shelved that in favour of maximizing the existing 2 car I have.

I'm looking at getting more height (new roof, lifting, or re-trussing as you've done), plus a little length expansion and an outdoor car-port. Many great ideas here.

I didn't realize that you could get a laminated beam out of plywood. Very cool. I also love the sound system. And the roll up door. And the air tanks outside.... and well... everything else.

Eventually I'll get my own build thread started again. I appreciate that you are in Canada and are buying stuff in the same dollars as me, and at similar stores as me. Every time someone says "just order from Harbour Freight" I cry a little.

Here is a sneak peak at what I'm up to, but I don't want to derail your thread.

 

[Denwood]

Johnny, thanks for the kind words . I found inspiration here on the forum looking at other builds, so it's great you found some benefit in this one. . A shop is never big enough...so I guess there is some logic is making a space work for you.

I have a 10x12 storage shed behind my shop which is where the compressors live now. Like you, I'm going to need to add some kind of storage area onto the side or rear of the shop primarily for project materials. The sound system and compressor move are likely my favorite two little projects. I'll look forward to your thread!

 

[sublime68charger]

Btw, I did watch the tail end of the Seattle game ( the good part!). Hard to believe, but a great few minutes
]

The snarky packer fan in wonders which part of the Super Bowl you watched?
I know the above was from NFC championship game but I couldn't resist.



Great progress as always.

That is all

Sublime out

 

[JohnnieMo]

Re: Woody's Works Garage - rebirth!

Can you comment more about the light fixtures you chose? I read the whole section a few times but I'm not clear what you used or where you bought them.

I'm not too fussy about exact colour but I like a quick start up time and I hate the flickering I get from cheaper ballasts and bulbs. Any recommendations would be great as I smacked one of my fixtures and it's time to replace.

Sent from my Passport

 

[Denwood]

Sub, football stresses me out so I rarely watch it. My inlaws are die hard Vikings fans so I soak some up by osmosis if I was a Green Bay fan I would have been upset too!

Johnnie, I have a thread over in the lighting section which has all the detail. They came from a local electrical supplier, made by Pioneer lighting in Canada. WR48 is the fixture model. Bulbs are Philips TL950. A bit low on lumens but with 98 CRI..so very color accurate.

Finished south wall slat tonight and took advantage of all those slats to organize the Maxjax kibbles and bits.

 

[sublime68charger]

Sub, football stresses me out so I rarely watch it. My inlaws are die hard Vikings fans so I soak some up by osmosis if I was a Green Bay fan I would have been upset too!

QUOTE]

boy I feel bad for you having to put up with Vikings fans.

thoughts and prayers for you and your kids having to put up with Viking fans influence.

I'd say a prayer for your wife but she's probably to far gone LOL.

ok enough with the football talk for now.

great use of the slats to get more stuff up off the floor and a easy to access and use when you need idea.

 

[sean Buick 76]

Looking VERY good, nice work!

 

[dubber]

That slat wall looks amazing. Great how it can get everything off the ground and up in an organized fashion.

 

[bj383ss]

Man once you get your floor done your place is going to look like a professional shop!

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: i do like the way you rest. another item checked off the "to do" list and those slatted walls look like they can hold some weight too.

just curious since you like woodworking so much have you given a second thought to a wood floor for your garage instead of tile? it might be a bit harder to keep up and keep the water off, but if you can think of a great finish or a way to drain the water you might like it better. i know the girls will too because you can call it their dance floor.

your garage and your choice and if you don't mind i'm sending new and old members to your thread to see how well a one car garage can be maximized.

cheers

 

[Denwood]

Sub, I suspect you'd have some good football chats with the inlaws ;-)

Sean, thanks..it's a work in progress for sure.

Dub, just starting to get organized now and it's surprising how much more versatile the shop has become. It's been -30C here at night, so washing a car that's parked outside is something you don't do. Switching from wood working to "garage" mode took only a few minutes so I could dry the car out. The A3 is getting a major TDI service next week including DSG fluid change, oil change, fuel filters, brake servicing etc. I need to plug in a laptop to do it correctly so just waiting on the Ross-Tech cable.

B3, I hope it will look professional. The trick will be keeping it looking that way

Drive, I have thought about wood long and hard. I have enough recycled 3/4" Maple flooring to do the shop. I did our entire house with it...and it looks pretty amazing. The maple flooring in our kitchen has held up perfectly for 15 yrs or so, which might suggest it would work in the shop too. That said, spilling oil/trans fluid on it would make me cry...hmm. Thanks for sending folks over

My 6 yr old wrote a story last night. In it she discussed her career aspirations of either a rock star, or a construction worker. When I asked her about option 2, she told my wife and I that her shop time had influenced her thinking. Pretty cool I figure

Hard to believe it's just a 16x24 when you consider this pic...

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: have you been in any cool old shops that have old growth wood floors? yes they do have oil stains on them, but I have to say they have the "very cool" factor and a lot easier on your body if you are standing them all day.

you're the boss so just throwing out my thoughts. i was going to put tile all through my traffic areas of my home and partly because i know how to lay tile. then one of my builders said he had a great hardwood guy that needed some work. he stopped by we shook hands on a deal years ago and i still love our hardwood floors. now oil wasn't involved (much), but it's also in our kitchen and with 5 kids (one in a wheelchair) and a gourmet cook and countless pets it still has a little of the "wow" factor when company stops over. with the right finish i bet even oil wouldn't penetrate your wood floor.

also maybe a couple drains where the tires would be to slope water out of the garage??

my 2 or more cents. cheers

 

[Denwood]

Well I guess I need to start searching the web for examples of garage/shop wood floors There are a few old walk out garages a block over. Essentially the cars are on the 2nd floor timbers.

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: of course your nick name was part of the reason I was voicing my opinion about installing wood floors. i think tile might be a little slick if they get wet and if you haven't slipped and fell on your behind on a slippery tile floor you won't want to believe me.

i'll try to keep my eyes and ears open for finishes that might work best to seal your maple flooring and maybe i can find a few pictures of garages with wood floors too.

have a great weekend.

 

[Cobra96]

Thanks Griz It sure is taking a loong time to churn through all the jobs in the queue.

After quite a few references here I decided to free up more space again by moving the dual compressor setup to an existing shed. A few phone calls (this would be my first breaker panel mod) and a visit to a local electrical supplier cost me $130 for 12-3 Tec cable which will carry two 15 amp 110 circuits for each compressor. So from this:

To this:

Each compressor will be shut down when not in use via the panel:

There is something wrong with this setup. Can you figure it out? Keep in mind I'm using 12-3 to carry two circuits...the setup could cause a fire if left as is.

I should have done this a long time ago. The floor space and peace/quiet is well worth the effort.

Love the Air set up...., great work! When are you available for house calls lol
The garage looks great!
Chuck

 

[Denwood]

Thanks Chuck. If you're someplace warm, just send a plane ticket . Just wish I had done the compressor move a long time ago.

 

[Denwood]

North side of the shop is all done. Other than a cabinet to hide the panel and air manifold, the walls and ceiling are done. Just the floor to do next.

 

[Modern Jess]

North side of the shop is all done. Other than a cabinet to hide the panel and air manifold, the walls and ceiling are done. Just the floor to do next.

Woot! It looks really great!

 

[Denwood]

Thanks Jess. It's screaming now for a nice floor Here's what I'll call the latest pic rollup:

I'll need to retake this one as it doesn't show the slat wall at all:

 

[JohnnieMo]

75 foot version on sale right now.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...th-pvc-rubber-hose-0587799p.html#.VNwV7PnF_Nc

 

[Denwood]

Thanks for posting that Johnnie. After swearing at assorted air hoses tangled on my shop floor for the last 15 yrs, I'm kicking myself for having not done the reel project earlier. Hidden up in my upper storage, the mod'd reel has been perfect. I figure if you add up all the time spent messing with loose hoses, the reel easily justifies itself. The 50ft version hose is blue and remains pliable well below 0C.

Not much to report as much of my shop time over the last week has been going through bins of **** and organizing the tool boxes and storage. I did invest in a Ross-Tech Hex/Can cable so I can plug the Audi in to my laptop for servicing. The shop will be in car mode for a few days as I change the DSG (sequential computer controlled gear box) fluid, oil, fuel filters etc....essentially doing the major 60K service on the TDI. The lift will almost pay for itself on this one job.

 

[sublime68charger]

Looking forward to the first pic of the :90 westfaila up on the max jax in that space

Had to go back to first post to get the name of it.

Gonna be sweet when you have to work on that big brute in there and can have up off the ground.

Will still be nice for the up coming work and will be warm as well.

Good luck
Sublime out

 

[DarrenF]

Looks awesome.

Love the slatwall. I was at the john street dump last summer and picked up 17 sheets of it that some guy was dumping off, so i will be lining part of my 20x20 with it.

Have you found a local source of slatwall accessories?

 

[Denwood]

Thanks Sub. The Westy has been on the lift, but it's in storage offsite for the winter so I can work on the shop. I feel very lucky to have a warm place to work . The first revelation under the lift is how much faster you can work. Instead of the inevitable creeper shuffle to grab the tool you need but don't have in hand..it's a fast blast on the garage stool over to the bench and back.

Darren, 17 sheets of 4x8 slatwall is $1100 worth. Nice! I've been grabbing the slat wall shelf brackets, clips and hooks at Windsor Plywood. They also sell the slat wall MDF @$60/sheet. I don't have a truck, so their $35 delivery service is nice to get larger sheets on site.

 

[DarrenF]

Yes, i thought it was quite a score. I got in trouble when i scaled out weighing quite a bit more than when i went in. They are all in nice shape too, so i will use them up. I will have to start my own thread soon.

Windsor Plwood is right behind my work, so i will have to go see them for shelf brackets. I'm going to need quite a few. thanks.

 

[shortykorte]

Today's update..slight mods and hiding the hose reel. I removed the roller guide from the reel, cut off its mount flange with a zip wheel, and secured to the plywood (after the hole saw treatment). Works awesome. Should have sourced a reel a long time ago. With this setup, zero floor space is used, something that has become increasingly important as I realize the joy of space

Bolted down.

May I suggest you round over the hole with a router so hose doesn't chaff as bad. You have a great space and it's getting better. Any updates on the maxjax? I just received mine this week.

 

[Denwood]

Shorty, good eye It's hard to tell, but the hose just clears the top edge, and the bottom edge is covered by the rollers on the "dissected" outfeed plate. No chafing

 

[shortykorte]

I still find it amazing what sheetrock and paint will do. I can't wait to insulate and sheetrock mine. Will be some time down the road though.

Well if you sell me that raggedy old Olds, you could move ahead with the Sheetrock

 

[shortykorte]

Mr D could I get a pix of the brackets holding the yellow maxjax arms? Thanks.

 

[Denwood]

Sure Shorty. They're just 6" slatwall hooks, two per arm. In my garage pics the hooks are 12" which is too long. I replaced them with 6" to avoid snagging on the way by. A box of 96 is a lot cheaper than buying them single: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002AR4WQY/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Nothing fancy.

 

[shortykorte]

Wow. The slat wall must be able to carry a decent amount of weight. I like. Thanks again! Be warm.

 

[Denwood]

When you're close in to the wall (as with the MaxJax arms) I figure you're good for about 60lbs/hook. The slatwall tests I found on Youtube show MDF slatwall breaking out when 30lbs force is applied 12" out from the slatwall. If you figure a simple lever, it should break out when 60lbs is point loaded 6" out. At 3" you'd be close to 120lbs. So with two hooks per MaxJax arm (they're not that heavy..maybe 40lbs/each?)..no issues as each hook is only seeing 20-25lbs..and the arms (on center) are only about 3" out from the wall.

If you were hanging a 30lb weight 4" out, the bigger issue would be the hook bending. The slat wall does take a lot of weight!

Regardless of how one does it, getting the lift arms off the floor with salt/snow etc. should keep it rust free as well as cut down on abuse. The lift arms being shuttled around the shop during construction took it's toll on their paint. I'm not too concerned about the aesthetic...more on corrosion.

 

[DennisH2014]

Incredible garage, it's incredible what you've managed to create out of relatively nothing! It's also unlike anything I've seen before; so well thought out and organized, props to you for all of the hard work and ideas, I hope you enjoy this garage for years to come!

 

[1/2 Cup]

As above, fantastic work.

Regards

 

[Denwood]

"Unlike anything you've seen before" is about the highest compliment you could have delivered Dennis. Very kind words indeed.

Incredible garage, it's incredible what you've managed to create out of relatively nothing! It's also unlike anything I've seen before; so well thought out and organized, props to you for all of the hard work and ideas, I hope you enjoy this garage for years to come!

1/2 C, I ended up browsing the 50 odd pages of your thread and found some great inspiration. The web has such an amazing utility in allowing us to see that at the core, even continents apart, we're all so similar...particularly those of us passionate about our shops!

 

[Denwood]

The flooring debate is a lively one here on GJ. The more I read though, the more convinced I've become that porcelain or bare concrete is the best choice. My neighbor had a bad finish on his new garage slab. He borrowed a very heavy 220V grinder with dust management system from a local granite outfit which had his concrete floor looking pretty amazing in less than 2 hrs of work.

I really liked that finish so wondered if a few hours with a home depot floor polisher and Diamabrush would work. It's much smaller and lighter than the floor grinder my neighbor used.It works, but would be more accurate to describe the result as "aggressive sanding" rather than deep cut/grinding. That said, if you're patient, the results are good. The floor polisher has zero dust management and the process is very dusty. I cut a notch out of a plastic bin, flipped it over the floor polisher and taped my vacuum hose to it as pictured. Make sure you use a fine filter bag inside your shop vac if you're doing this! The end result cut down the dust factor by 95%. Because I'm not so patient, I also added a few boxes of nails to the plastic tub which noticeably increases the grind rate. Once done, I'm sealing it with a clear sealer and we'll see how that goes.

A few more hours of work to do..

 

[drivesitfar]

Woody: nice to see you are resting and taking a break from the garage.

whatever process you are going to put on the floor whether it's paint, tile or wood you probably needed to do what you did to smooth out some of the bumps. whatever you do will be great so still sitting back and enjoying your posts.

i have a couple questions.

1) have you ever busted out a slat wall by hanging too much weight on it? or because you knew it's limits you have avoided that little problem?

2) have you or will you start a thread on how to get a 9500 square foot space where temps are below zero to keep heated for zero costs? i'm hoping to build a small house and a huge shop garage some day in the near future and would love to have heat in the garage that didn't break the bank.

i'm hearing the weather is still pretty cold up your way so hope all the heaters are working well. we had a record high of 60 degrees here in Seattle yesterday so wish i could send you some of our good weather.