One Car Garage Woodshop

christopher.layton · Mar 25, 2014

EDIT 12/29/2014: We've moved, the new shop's journal can be found here:
Hood River Workshop

Here begins my garage/woodshop build journal.

A little history: I worked for a solid wood door building shop (there were three of us) and had a small furniture building business (there was one of me) until the recession really hit and I found a different occupation. Now I have a little mid-century modern house I want to work on and build furniture for and want a place to do it. My wife thinks this is a great idea and has given me the green light with a hitch: this has to be a self funding endeavor, I can buy any tool that I want as long as I pay for it with woodworking jobs. Sounds like a plan.

I've been browsing this site for a while, gleaning some really good ideas, but I haven't found exactly what I am planning. So I thought I'd throw my virtual and metaphorical hat in the ring. I definitely welcome input!

Here is what I have to work with:

A single car garage, 10.5’ wide and 18’ deep. It’s small. My possibly overly-ambitious goal is to build a wood shop in such a way so as to get one mid-sized car in the garage with all the tools put away.
Some steps along the way:

Build a bench and storage for the back wall.
Organize all the stuff that needs to live in the garage.
Electrical work: put the garage on its own 110 circuit and wire in a couple 220 outlets for the bigger tools.
Purchase tools appropriate for the small size of my woodshop.
Surely something I haven’t thought about yet!
Build a lean-to shed on the outside of the garage for some lawn equipment and the dust collector
…

The first thing I did was to buy a table saw that I can’t yet use. Smart move, huh? The saw is an old (1980) Rockwell Model 10. Someone replaced the stamped metal wings with cast iron wings from a Unisaw and installed a Biesemeyer Fence along the way. I think it’s about the biggest saw I can reasonably fit in the garage, and it was cheaper than even the cheesiest job-site saws sold now. I could rewire the saw for 110, but since I will be needing to do some sheetrock-off wiring anyway, I figure that 220 would a better long-term option. The saw was a good deal, and I needed to know how high to make the bench.

Anyway: here it begins, and it may take a while to finish. I had the presence of mind to take a couple of before pictures.

Before Pictures:

christopher.layton · Mar 25, 2014

Day One.

So it begins.

Today I had a good-sized chunk of time to work in the garage. About 6 hours. I replaced a few of the original rafters that were cracked or rotting. I made a shelf for storage above the back wall of the garage. I also made some storage above the garage door, similar to the storage over the back wall.
Finally I started my workbench. I used the EAA standardized workbench as inspiration for the workbench, adjusting the height and leg positioning so I can fit the table saw under the bench and a future 6” jointer will nest in the corner.

Next up:

Extend storage shelf around the sides of the shop
Trim work on the bench and finish the top with linseed oil and wax

captain14 · Mar 25, 2014

Welcome to GJ
Can you post the tools or storage cabinets you know own? That will give us ideas in what you have to work with.

What do you need to produce your furniture? Where can you keep the wood prior to production?

christopher.layton · Mar 25, 2014

Thanks for the welcome, and the reply.

Because I worked in an established shop, I didn't have any stationary tools until I bought the table saw. I have some small tools: routers, various saws, compressor, etc.

Pictures:
Home-made mobile tool cart, with my dad's old craftsman chest on top.

New to me table saw (craigslist picture: my saw, not my shop).

A router plate will go into the table saw's extension.

I plan to pick up these stationary tools:

6” jointer
Small dust collector
12” planer
tabletop-sized drill press
14" bandsaw
Large dovetailing jig (Leigh or Omnijig)

I've been storing about 280 bd/ft of redwood in the rafters, but I don't think that's a permanent solution. I'm not sure yet where I will be storing wood in the future.... Haven't thought that part through yet.

captain14 · Mar 25, 2014

Welcome to GJ
Can you post the tools or storage cabinets you know own? That will give us ideas in what you have to work with.

What do you need to produce your furniture? Where can you keep the wood prior to production?

captain14 · Mar 25, 2014

You must use correct terminology here. Not a homemade tool cart but a repurposed cabinet that has become a mobile tool cart. The Craftsman tool box can be identified by other experts here on what era/vintage it is from. They may require more photos.

Each tool you have should have a clear work area around it. Can anything be done outside during good weather. Like breaking the wood down?

It's agreed by all here that all the bikes, strollers and lawn equipment need to live somewhere else. How big is the lean to you are planning? You may want to take everything like that outside one nice day and measure the area around all of it.

The shed or lean to will never be big enough.

Is that an electric panel near the man door for the garage?

bulletpruf · Mar 25, 2014

christopher.layton said:
Thanks for the welcome, and the reply.

Because I worked in an established shop, I didn't have any stationary tools until I bought the table saw. I have some small tools: routers, various saws, compressor, etc.

Pictures:
Home-made mobile tool cart, with my dad's old craftsman chest on top.

New to me table saw (craigslist picture: my saw, not my shop).

A router plate will go into the table saw's extension.

I plan to pick up these stationary tools:

6” jointer
Small dust collector
12” planer
tabletop-sized drill press
14" bandsaw
Large dovetailing jig (Leigh or Omnijig)

I've been storing about 280 bd/ft of redwood in the rafters, but I don't think that's a permanent solution. I'm not sure yet where I will be storing wood in the future.... Haven't thought that part through yet.

If you check out The Salt Life thread, he hangs his lumber from brackets mounted to the ceiling of his garage. Maybe page 4 or so? Won't work for plywood, but for 1x, 2x, 4x stuff it looks like it will work mighty fine.

christopher.layton · Mar 25, 2014

Thanks! Ideas like this are why I decided to document this project here.

christopher.layton · Mar 25, 2014

You must use correct terminology here. Not a homemade tool cart but a repurposed cabinet that has become a mobile tool cart. The Craftsman tool box can be identified by other experts here on what era/vintage it is from. They may require more photos.

Ha! Well, the cart wasn't repurposed: I built it myself. It was one of my very first woodworking projects—poor design and wasted space and all. I would be curious about when the tool chest was made. I think the brown crinkle finish signifies that it is a machinist's chest.

Each tool you have should have a clear work area around it. Can anything be done outside during good weather. Like breaking the wood down?

I have the driveway, and plan on putting all stationary tools on mobile tool bases for that reason.

Is that an electric panel near the man door for the garage?

It is, and that makes things pretty easy. One of my next projects is to take the sheetrock off that whole wall and insulate and do some electrical work.

Thanks again for the response. Keep the ideas coming!

ckadams00 · Mar 25, 2014

Hi Chris, Chris here (originally) from Seattle. I am sq.ft. challenged as well. Love more info on your mobile tool cart if you can post it, and >subscribed<.

christopher.layton · Mar 25, 2014

Oh man, I just took a quick look at your shop and you definitely feel my space constraints. Duly subscribed!

Here are a couple of pictures of the mobile tool cart when it was fresh and shiny in 2006. In retrospect, there is some wasted space inside where the drawers are, I am sure you wouldn't make that rookie mistake. Otherwise, the cart is made of 3/4" plywood (poplar, or similar), put together with pocket holes. On the inside and outside flanking the drawers I recessed some pegboard (painted black). There is a shelf and a power strip wired into open space that are hard to see in the pics. The power strip is mounted to the underside of the top. I cut a piece of plexi for the top of the cart: it's easy to scrape glue and junk off. I might do some things different in hindsight: plexi is expensive, I would probably use some melamine or similar now.

onewaydave · Mar 25, 2014

Here is my take on a small wood shop.

A few years ago, around Hurricane Ike time, I'd planned to go to Galveston and buy a derelict sailboat to rebuild. I would need a fairly complete cabinet shop, mechanic shop and the ability to do fiberglass, electrical and plumbing. I didn't plan to move there permanently but to work out of a box trailer. I spent a lot of time planning this out (for my needs and to my capabilities).

1. I planned to use a common tool stand like this as the center of the work process. The top is designed to accept a standard base with "quick" attachment that allows each tool to align with the fixed motor/pulley. Each tool, table saw, band saw, 6" jointer, planer (although there are motorized ones that could use their own power), and drill press would be mounted on one of the standard base. The front of the trailer would be a wall cabinet with cubby holes for each tool. In your shop, one could stack them to the ceiling and use an overhead hoist to get them up/down.) You won't need to, but I'd planned to use a portable generator for on site power (on the hard in the ship yard). I had plans for a knock-down work bench from the workbench book from Fine Woodworking (IIRC).

2. Knock down saw horses could be used as stands for accessory tools, work stations/tables or for working on long projects.

3. Camp awnings to provide shade and protection in mildly inclement weather. Like for the back yard, porch or driveway.

4. Rough cut stock can be stored outside under cover until needing to enter the work cycle. I'd suggest barn tin instead of tarps, which last about 1 week before the wind or sun destroys them. Then, bringing it inside to drop the moisture content to desired level. 80% - 20% outside then 20% - 9% (or whatever) inside rather than 80% to desired all inside.

5. Don't forget the BBQ pit for the evening meal!

This system would be thought to be slow as molasses by most woodworkers used to stand alone machines. But plan ahead and gang the work so that you minimize the number of machine changes.

Kind of like a home designed Shopsmith. But with the wife's requirement you can acquire the tools over time and get betted than Shopsmith quality.

You've got a good start with the table saw. I don't know if I would like a router on the wing of the TS vs a router on a tool stand. The later seems stouter since router work is semi-precision work.

G'luck.

Dave, not needing to down size working in his 30 x 36 wood (mostly) shop.

captain14 · Mar 26, 2014

I am sure if you post more photos of the tool chest, someone can provide a lot of history of that style

1/2 Cup · Mar 26, 2014

Thanks for posting. I am looking forward to following your progress.
I have a similar issue in terms of space and found the more mobile I can make things the easier it is all round. :thumbup:

christopher.layton · Mar 31, 2014

Slow and steady ...

Not a whole lot of time for working in the garage, but I did spend more time than I’ll admit to browsing this site. A lot of great ideas and a lot of really talented people here. Already I have expanded my vision of what this will look like quite a bit.

In the couple hours I had this week I extended the storage above the bench, waxed the bench so I could start using it, and spent a couple of hours organizing. It still feels like two steps forward one step back. My new and all-too-briefly clean workbench is littered with stuff that needs organizing. I have stowed many things thinking, “When I build X I will have a proper place for this.” I have managed to get quite a bit off the floor. I’m looking for some milk-crate sized storage containers that are affordable for above the bench, any ideas?

Next up: tearing down the sheetrock on the west side of the garage for some insulation and electrical work. Oh, and part 2 of the bench. And that lightbulb—it has to go too.

jesse72 · Mar 31, 2014

I'm interested to see how you make the woodshop work! Sounds like you have some good plans!

rieferman · Mar 31, 2014

Good stuff, can't wait to read and see the progress!

I'm also a woodworker (although still much more in a learning phase compared to you I suspect). My thread (see signature) is a long read, and I opted to give up on trying to allow vehicles to share space with my woodshop, but there may be some tidbits that are useful to you.

HSpencer · Mar 31, 2014

Welcome. You have a great start and yes you can certainly do woodworking in that amount of space. The key is mobility, and outside weather. That is what I do. Actually, I TRIED to woodwork inside my shop, and found I could, but the mess is unacceptable. I just spent about two weeks cleaning up my mechanics tools and found I don't want to have to do that again!! I have tried everything, but putting casters on the wood machines and taking the whole thing OUTSIDE is the answer. This works, of course, if you have good weather, but not so keen if you live in the snow belts or cold areas.
You have a super rolling red cart. I like it and I like your storage, and the craigslist saw you got.
Just keep on with it and your shop is going to be super!!

Best Regards
Herb Spencer

christopher.layton · Mar 31, 2014

Thanks for the feedback and encouragement everyone!

rieferman, (uncapitalized like bell hooks?), I spent quite a bit of time today going through your thread, and you look to be quite good at both the woodworking and also the carpentry thing. My shop may yet be a car-free zone. I suppose that depends on the car I have and how many projects come my way. My wife has quite the list queued up already, which is fine by me.

HSpencer, I am hoping that a good dust collection strategy keeps mess to a tolerable levels. Relying on outside weather would really put a damper on thinks. And speaking of damp, I live in the pacific NW, which is legendarily so.

christopher.layton · Apr 7, 2014

I didn’t really have time to work in the garage this last week, so this is sort of a non-update. It is end of semester time, so I probably won’t have much time for the next few weeks. I did spend some time getting permits and electrical help set for the electrical work (not very exciting or photo-worthy).
more exciting than permits, I did pick up a new tool off craigslist, a 6” long bed jointer. The mobile base should arrive today. This tool will nest under the bench to the left of the table saw.

christiebiscuit · Apr 25, 2014

Hey Chris, my name is Chris also and I am in the same boat as you. The only differences are that my wife gave me the garage so no cars and I'm not experienced enough for making furniture yet but have an itch to try. I'll take a picture tomorrow when there's better lighting. My garage only has 1 light and 1 electrical outlet. Boy do I have a lot to do. Do I have to start a thread to post pictures? This site is excellent. I'm already getting some cool ideas.

christopher.layton · Apr 25, 2014

christiebiscuit said:
Hey Chris, my name is Chris also and I am in the same boat as you. The only differences are that my wife gave me the garage so no cars and I'm not experienced enough for making furniture yet but have an itch to try. I'll take a picture tomorrow when there's better lighting. My garage only has 1 light and 1 electrical outlet. Boy do I have a lot to do. Do I have to start a thread to post pictures? This site is excellent. I'm already getting some cool ideas.

Thanks, Christiebiscuit, and welcome. I am pretty new here myself so I am not the best person to answer questions about how the forum works; perhaps someone more experienced can chime in.
I only have one outlet right now too, and that won't be workable BUT....

I am about a week from the end of the semester, and have allocated at least a full workday per week to the garage (well, to woodworking) through the summer. Expect frequent updates in about a week, starting with electrical work.
Also, I have verbal agreements on two pieces, a screen door and a console table, so we can look forward to those too.

christopher.layton · May 6, 2014

Hello Garage Journalers, a few projects have wrapped up and now I have some time to work in/on the garage. An update is in order.

Yesterday I started getting ready for electrical. The electrical will come in a couple parts. First I plan on doing some sheetrock-off electrical work on the wall that abuts the house (where the electrical panel is): a new 110v circuit and a 220v circuit for the table saw). Yesterday I took the sheet rock off the wall and found … another wall. A bit surprising but after I got my mind around it, I am pretty excited about this new development: this will make hanging fixtures (like a flip up miter station and lumber racks) easy.

I also plan on surface mounting some outlets above the workbench (a second 110v circuit), so I need to paint the appropriate walls and finish the bench in the rough. Yesterday I took the current part of the bench off the wall and made some adjustments, The jointer was wider than I estimated by a couple of inches, so I moved one leg of the bench over so the jointer can slide into the corner.

Tonight or tomorrow I will paint and finish roughing in the bench. I am excited that things are really moving along and am trying to get to the point where I can be producing pieces in the next couple of weeks. Screen door season is upon us!

(bronze screen left, galvanized right)

aggierailroad · May 6, 2014

Nice looking doors. Do you own a shaper, or just use a router to make the cove joints?

christopher.layton · May 6, 2014

aggierailroad said:
Nice looking doors. Do you own a shaper, or just use a router to make the cove joints?

The doors in the picture are from when I was a full-time woodworker. We had shapers back then. I am still thinking about best ways to make screen doors in my tiny garage/woodshop. Perhaps a small shaper. A bigger problem, I think, is the joinery: we used to use a horizontal boring machine and dowels to hold rails to stile. That's not really in the cards now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

christopher.layton · May 8, 2014

A brief update.

Over the last couple of days I put a couple coats of paint on the outside walls, and framed in the rest of the bench. I need to get another sheet of plywood for the top, but its nice to be able to see the outline of the whole bench and to see the jointer nested under it just so. This weekend my brother-in-law is coming over to help with electrical. I am excited to be able to make use of that table saw for making some cabinets: it will be great to start making places for the tools that are in piles all over the garage to live.

christopher.layton · May 8, 2014

Okay: question for you veterans of this forum: What's the best way of making sure that I post my updates to the end of thread, on the top level?

aggierailroad · May 8, 2014

I'm no expert - I just hit last page and scroll down... Rudimentary, I know.

I have had a lot of luck with Rockler's cheap dowel jig. Just drill and go.

christopher.layton · May 8, 2014

aggierailroad said:
I'm no expert - I just hit last page and scroll down... Rudimentary, I know.

I have had a lot of luck with Rockler's cheap dowel jig. Just drill and go.

Funny you should mention the dowelling jig, I have been wavering a bit today over that particular tool. Someone has a boring machine on craigslist for $200 that looks tempting, but I just don't think I have the room for it. I've been looking at the JessEm dowelling jig, and it's quite a bit more expensive than the cheaper jigs at Rockler.
Does your jig allow you to drill 2 parallel 1/2" holes without repositioning the jig?

christopher.layton · May 14, 2014

This weekend represented a big step forward in this story: With the help of my brother-in-law I got the garage wired (who are we kidding, I helped him and sometimes got in the way). We went from a single outlet to 9, one of which is 220v. And that means I can finally plug the table saw in. And that felt like real progress.
Another sheet of plywood meant I could finish the top of my bench and make a couple upper cabinets. I haven’t purchased a dado blade yet so the cabinets lean pretty heavily on the Kreg jig. I used French cleats to hold the cabinets to the wall, because they’re awesome.

Enough jibber-jabber, lets get to the pictures:

Next Steps:

size down the shelves
sand the face frames (I know, it would have been easier to do this before putting them on the walls, a random orbit sander is in the mail), finish (I’m using linseed oil and wax for everything).
electrical inspection, then re-rock the west wall and build a miter saw station.
Get a planer and decide on the router vs. shaper question
Build some screen doors!

madoc1 · May 15, 2014

nice work so far. this should turn out well. I have the same c'man box as you. received it as a gift in 1969 I think it was from an ex wife.

Zeke · May 15, 2014

Doweling jigs don't usually allow for drilling 2 holes at the same time. If you plan on making many doors, I'd make a custom jig. Myself, I'd rather have tenons in my doors. Your router and a template can be used to make pockets or mortises and you can buy or make the tenons that fit. The more glue surface the stronger the joint. Every wood screen door I have seen has a bottom joint that has opened up. This is mostly due to the grain of the bottom rail and the stile being at right angles.

There's a company near me that makes wood screen doors and they are raking in the money. If you look at his designs, it's all a bunch of parts that can be added to the basic door. They are all junk and last about a year if exposed to weather. He uses dowels.

I just noticed that honkin' motor on your saw. That won't slow down in hardwood, that's for sure.

christopher.layton · May 17, 2014

Zeke said:
There's a company near me that makes wood screen doors and they are raking in the money. If you look at his designs, it's all a bunch of parts that can be added to the basic door. They are all junk and last about a year if exposed to weather. He uses dowels.

Yeah, I'm not too excited about those doors either. And I hear what you're saying about dowels providing less glue surface than tenons. Still thinking about the best way to make these things in my little garage. Having said that, I've had more people talk to me about furniture projects than doors, so it may all be a moot point if I jump straight into furniture.

Quick update. I have been enjoying being able to use the shop to build the shop, if you know what I mean. Plus, using the tools is giving me a chance to get them sorted.
Here’s a pic of the table saw positioned to use. I finally got the dust collector set up and hooked up. Still thinking about how to make the dust collection strategy efficient as possible. The first order of business should be pretty evident from the picture: the open back on that saw isn’t helping at all. Also, I've been able to simply move the bikes and stroller outside when I am working in the garage, but as the weather stops being nice for me I'll have to come up with a better solution.

I also cleaned the office supplies out of a tool box I built out of maple and mahogany, it was the product of an attempt at hand-cutting dovetails a few years back. A skill I am far from mastering!

Finally, yesterday I hung a screen door I made for my mom a few years ago.

Zeke · May 17, 2014

That screen door is very nice. Don't quit on those too soon. At least until the season is over.

Crazy Backyard Builder · May 17, 2014

I like that Screen door ! Keep up the good work.

christopher.layton · May 19, 2014

Thanks everyone for the kind words. No real progress on the garage. Other areas of life need attending to. Today, after working a bit on a jig for putting the router plate in the table saw’s extension table, I got a wild hair and decided to see if the car still fits with all the tools put away:

Success! I honestly didn’t know if it would fit beings how 1. I haven’t measured too carefully when building benches, etc. and 2. We’ve never had a car in there before!

captain14 · May 20, 2014

Very good. Does this limit the possibilities of more tools? The screen doors look good.

christopher.layton · May 20, 2014

captain14 said:
Very good. Does this limit the possibilities of more tools? The screen doors look good.

Oh no. I am on the hunt for a planer and a 14" bandsaw ... And maybe others.

And, thanks!

aggierailroad · May 20, 2014

christopher.layton said:
Funny you should mention the dowelling jig, I have been wavering a bit today over that particular tool. Someone has a boring machine on craigslist for $200 that looks tempting, but I just don't think I have the room for it. I've been looking at the JessEm dowelling jig, and it's quite a bit more expensive than the cheaper jigs at Rockler.
Does your jig allow you to drill 2 parallel 1/2" holes without repositioning the jig?

Yessir it does. They are about a half inch apart. It has lines scribed int he plexi for alignment. I bought a brad point bit and some set screw stop collars. Done many a table and bed frame with that.

iibgdi · May 20, 2014

What do you have the TS mounted on to move around?

How about the jointer?

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