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Looks great. Thanks for the ideas

The ceiling R value recommendation depends upon where you are located. For northern Utah were we live, they recommend R50 to R60. Here is a link to the DOE recommendations, http://energy.gov/energysaver/tips-insulation We are in zone 6. More insulation will make it warmer in the winter...

Great shop, great workbench and very clever ideas for storing your battery tools, air tools, etc. Great ideas for my new garage (hope to build it this year if I can get all the approvals from the city).

Very nice. Your restoration of the rusty mill and lathe are first class. I love your lil red wagon pictures and story. I have a '68 Barracuda fastback with a 340 in it (yes modified some) as well as a Cummins Diesel Dodge pickup. You might want to coat them with a rust preventative...

My two cents. First grind and finish work great, IF your concrete is not grease stained thoroughly, you have a company skilled in its use (not DYI) and you live in an area where the good finishes are still available (aka not in California and other states with similar restrictions in...

All of the advise suggesting you talk to a civil / structural engineer are correct. Alaska is an earthquake zone so you need to take that into account as well as the freeze / thaw cycle effects. My first thought would be a "floating" slab, which is used in high shrink / swell clay which is...

Looking good longez. May I assume you are at least into airplanes, longez is a famous Rutan designed canard rear engined craft. I am in northern Utah, near Idaho, and planning on building a new shop / garage this year, assuming I can get through all the city / state nonsense. This thread...

We used to live in North Dakota and had 4" of frost inside the basement wall corners where the walls were exposed when it got very cold the first winter we lived there. I put in a cripple wall of 2x4's spaced 2" out from the concrete with insulation in the wall (fiberglass). The basement went...

UHMW is ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. Cuts like softwood, easy to work with hand tools. Was developed for sliding bearings etc from what I understand. Very slippery stuff and works great for lots of projects. I would imagine that vise jaws would work fine for soft materials, but...

I have craftsman from the early 1970's and from 1990 or so. The newer stuff is very inferior to the older stuff. The chrome finish on the sockets peels off the new stuff, made in the USA (I think) and they crack easily. The local industrial tool store sells SK, I have bought a few to replace...

I would suggest 3/4" plywood. That stuff will support heavy loads if the fasteners are not in the studs flakeboard will do, but it is not a strong as plywood. Yes shops can be a money pit. A much less costly approach is to place 1/2" flakeboard on the studs and 1/2" plywood over it...

Based upon my vicarious experience with a 40x60 foot shop upgraded from a 30x48 shop. And now my own 24x12 shop (yes it is way to small, long story). 1. Outlets, you can never have enough, all boxes double for 110V (4 plugs), every 4 feet, and same interval for 220V as for 110v. Plan for...

Unfortunately there is good and bad with all the zoning and permits nonsense. I am in the middle of getting a right of way vacated, it is painful beyond belief. Next comes the building permit, it will be painful since the city has decided in their infinite wisdom that only one driveway...

Our garage built in 1978 has the same abortion about a 4" step. It is one of the most annoying things I have ever seen in a garage. Not built by me, but for my wives uncle who was an artist (dead now).

Mine: 1. More electrical outlets than you can imagine using, 4' on center, 110V and 220. 2. 2x6 baseboards to make sure tool boxes etc do not hit sheetrock 3. 12' plus ceiling height, to make sure a two post lift fits. 4. Extra tall roll up door. 5. Attic for storage of stuff you cannot part...

The answer I would provide is the biggest you can afford, been there done that. I am used to a 40x60 shop and it was stuffed full of projects and tools, and yes it was well organized and kept clean. No longer have that shop, long story.

My experience with a 18' wide garage and a two post lift is not good. Walking around the shop to get from one end to another is a PITA. My suggestion is to carefully think out what you are going to do with the lift. Most of the time we needed the toolbox (a big maintenance unit) at one end...

Mine new reloading bench is 42" high, my woodworking bench is 36 (the 4x4's I got with the house were the limiting factor). I find that the height desired is largely determined by what I am doing coupled with my height and long arms. I am 6'3" and wear a 36" sleeve on a dress shirt.

Go down to the local pub where bricklayers and laborers hang out. Buy them some beer or other spirits in exchange for the muscle.

One thing that may be complicating matters is that California has unique emissions rules for paint and all sorts of things. Some counties can use epoxy paints, others cannot sell them or permit their use in those counties. Santa Clara County (aka San Jose) is one of those highly restrictive...