I have a buddy who is a finish carpenter who has offered to help me build some garage cabinets. He can pretty much build whatever I want. I have about a 14' section I want to build on. I'm going with one tall cabinet for bin storage (I keep electrical, sprinkler, drywall equipment, etc. in bins). The rest will be upper and lower cabinets. What special or custom touches would you add to the cabinets? An example would be slide out shelves or a rectangular slide out unit that holds plastic bins for hardware and whatnot. I know it's a broad question but I want to do it right the first time. I don't want to try to fit tools that Should have special storage in regular cabinets and regret it. Thanks, Mike
Custom Cabinets....what would you include???
- Thread starter mikej805
- Start date
If it were my 14 feet I'd do two full height cabinets, each 36 wide, 4- 12 inch drawers with full extension slides on the bottoms and then an upper unit with doors and shelves to handle bins on in my case file boxes.
So with the 8 feet left I'd have another 36" bank of drawers then a 36 open space and finally another bank of drawers 24 inches wide but only 6 inches deep.
Not a big fan of uppers too close to the work bench but if I had good ceiling height I might consider a 24 inch deep set across the top coming down 24 inches....otherwise I prefer some open shelves as I use them for temp storage when doing repair work and for small parts bins.
I would use baltic birch for the drawers and (horrors of horrors) mdf for the cases.
I'd put a double thickness of mdf for the counter top and cover it with some 18 gauge sheet metal.
Shoot it all in some quality finish and thank my friend for all his help....
So with the 8 feet left I'd have another 36" bank of drawers then a 36 open space and finally another bank of drawers 24 inches wide but only 6 inches deep.
Not a big fan of uppers too close to the work bench but if I had good ceiling height I might consider a 24 inch deep set across the top coming down 24 inches....otherwise I prefer some open shelves as I use them for temp storage when doing repair work and for small parts bins.
I would use baltic birch for the drawers and (horrors of horrors) mdf for the cases.
I'd put a double thickness of mdf for the counter top and cover it with some 18 gauge sheet metal.
Shoot it all in some quality finish and thank my friend for all his help....
Outlander
Well-known member
Some things I have run into as I outfit my workspace:
- my chainsaw has its own plastic case, and is bulky and awkward to store. Ended up with a shelf high enough and out of the way
- I do some wood working, and have a usual combination of large and small pieces ready for reuse. Again awkward to store
- many folks have display items. Perhaps a cabinet with glass doors...kind of like I have in the kitchen for special glassware
- easy to clean....I'm messy when I work but like the results following a workspace cleanup
- perhaps incorporate electrical plugs in strategic locations, including fronts of cabinets. Could go so far as to build in a charging station, although I always worried about changing tools and needing to change the shape of the shelves etc
- some folks use smaller table top power tools (bandsaws etc). I have seen special purpose bases built so tools are stored then used on the cabinet top (work surface)
Right now I am more challenged for floor space rather than storage space. But these ideas came from various moments of recognition across te plethora of threads on this site
- my chainsaw has its own plastic case, and is bulky and awkward to store. Ended up with a shelf high enough and out of the way
- I do some wood working, and have a usual combination of large and small pieces ready for reuse. Again awkward to store
- many folks have display items. Perhaps a cabinet with glass doors...kind of like I have in the kitchen for special glassware
- easy to clean....I'm messy when I work but like the results following a workspace cleanup
- perhaps incorporate electrical plugs in strategic locations, including fronts of cabinets. Could go so far as to build in a charging station, although I always worried about changing tools and needing to change the shape of the shelves etc
- some folks use smaller table top power tools (bandsaws etc). I have seen special purpose bases built so tools are stored then used on the cabinet top (work surface)
Right now I am more challenged for floor space rather than storage space. But these ideas came from various moments of recognition across te plethora of threads on this site
Boomer, I never thought about splitting the use of the tall cabinets (drawers and shelves if I understood you right). I definitely plan on a metal bench top, either mild or stainless, whatever I can get a decent price on. I forgot to mention that I plan on incorporating a HF 44" box into the base cabinets. It will eat up some of the space.
crewchief888
Well-known member
if you keep your cordless powertools in the garage, maybe set up one cabinet with a powerstrip and a place for all the chargers and spare batteries.
only thing that sticks out in my mind right now........
only thing that sticks out in my mind right now........
Measure the sizes of the stuff you will be storing.
I have an 8' long base cabinet I made long ago and it was 23" deep inside.
My Milwaukee Sawzall in the metal case is 25" long. PITA to have to store it accross the front of the cabinet. I added 2 1/2" to the depth of the cabinet and that was a big help for the Sawzall and some plastic containers I ended up using.
Now when I am ready to make drawers or cabinets I measure everything I want to store to make sure it will fit the best way.
Kevin
I have an 8' long base cabinet I made long ago and it was 23" deep inside.
My Milwaukee Sawzall in the metal case is 25" long. PITA to have to store it accross the front of the cabinet. I added 2 1/2" to the depth of the cabinet and that was a big help for the Sawzall and some plastic containers I ended up using.
Now when I am ready to make drawers or cabinets I measure everything I want to store to make sure it will fit the best way.
Kevin
I am becoming more of a fan of pegboard recently with some of the great photos from other members on this site. If you are going to use it though, make sure something solid is behind to keep your cabinets 'really closed' lots of dust can get through those holes, even if a peg is already in it. I've been dealing with that a bit recently. Inside cabinet doors is great to hang shallow items. If you were to set up a rail system to open a door, slide out one part of pegboard, and maybe with 2-3 sheets inside one cabinet, you can store things more efficiently than the same volume of drawers. Depends on the stuff you have.
I'm also a fan of either electrical outlets on the door face for a cabinet, minimizing the amount of space that can't be used for the cabinet door opening, or in drawer fronts if you are planning to use them. For chargers, I prefer to mount them vertically. I'm lucky in that I have enough chargers that I can carry two with me when I go out and still keep one permanently mounted in the garage. If you can't do that, have a good plan for cable management. Stick some air outlets more places than you think you will need at first.
I'm also a fan of either electrical outlets on the door face for a cabinet, minimizing the amount of space that can't be used for the cabinet door opening, or in drawer fronts if you are planning to use them. For chargers, I prefer to mount them vertically. I'm lucky in that I have enough chargers that I can carry two with me when I go out and still keep one permanently mounted in the garage. If you can't do that, have a good plan for cable management. Stick some air outlets more places than you think you will need at first.
ScubaSteve
Well-known member
One thing I've always liked is double stacked drawers...that is, drawers that have a top section that can slide back and reveal the bottom "layer"...kinda like you see in some silverware drawers.
Also, those drawers that open outwards, you pull them out and it pivots out 90 degrees like a draw bridge. Inside are partitions for magazines, or holes for hand tools. Sometimes they are half storage, half work surface, kind of like a desk.
Also, those drawers that open outwards, you pull them out and it pivots out 90 degrees like a draw bridge. Inside are partitions for magazines, or holes for hand tools. Sometimes they are half storage, half work surface, kind of like a desk.
Northstar
Well-known member
One thing I always seem to need is counter space just for a quick drawing or note taking. The slide-in cutting board in kitchens i ideal for that. I had re-purposed cabinets in my last garage a used the utensil drawer stack mainly to have that pull out board and it was really nice. If I were building custom cabinets, I would include those everywhere I could just for the additional useable flat surfaces that could also be stowable.
Mike you got me right...I thought afterwards that about using a tool cabinet and that's a good idea. I have found over the years that very few things beat drawers and full height cabinets. BTW you can also put some racks on the front of the doors to hold spray cans of cleaners etc and a white board or peg board for notes....not that it does much good but at least I try.... 3 trips today and I still forgot some things...VBG
Mike look at some of the racks that are made for horse trailers and the race car trailers.
Those folks have lots of money to spend but there are some good ideas there.
I get a chuckle out of pegboard...guys put up stuff that like 1 inch combination wrenches that will be used once in their lives...but it looks good....and gives a place for dust to collect.....VBG....I give bonus points for boards that have the tools outlined in felt marker and top grades for vinyl cutouts....color coordinated....
I've done way to many toolboards in my life as a way of controlling tools to ever want them in my own shop.
Look into wiring for some task lighting .... LED or T9 flouresent units are my top pics...other stuff tends to run too hot.
Those folks have lots of money to spend but there are some good ideas there.
I get a chuckle out of pegboard...guys put up stuff that like 1 inch combination wrenches that will be used once in their lives...but it looks good....and gives a place for dust to collect.....VBG....I give bonus points for boards that have the tools outlined in felt marker and top grades for vinyl cutouts....color coordinated....
I've done way to many toolboards in my life as a way of controlling tools to ever want them in my own shop.
Look into wiring for some task lighting .... LED or T9 flouresent units are my top pics...other stuff tends to run too hot.
John in OH
Well-known member
I don't have any specific suggestions for your cabinets, but I hope you take a lot of photos during and after construction and post them here for everyone's viewing pleasure!
How about on one of the upper cabinets, either an end of one or on the bottom. A hole for nitrile/latex gloves? Open the door and have a slot (boxed in area) to hold the box of gloves upside down on on it's side.
softailgarage
Well-known member
Lighting, either inside or under cabinet lights...or both. An electrical outlet inside too.
rsanter
Well-known member
Build what looks like one of those snap on mr big toolboxes, top and bottom with end cabs
Bob
Bob
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Clear finished plywood, not particle board, interiors. Same with shelving. Apply edge banding so no raw wood is exposed.
Kevro
Well-known member
I built custom cabinets for my garage, and included a "filing cabinet" drawer to hold equipment manuals, maintenance records/receipts, etc. for easy organization and quick access. The rest of the cabinets just have adjustable shelves. I use a HF rollcab for drawer storage - with the price of good full-extension heavy-duty drawer slides, you'd be hard-pressed to build that many drawers cheaper than that, and wood drawers take up a lot more space than metal drawers.
I put a 10-outlet Plugmold on the front of the base cabinets, and regular receptacles inside the uppers for things like battery chargers. Also pre-wired for LED under-cabinet lights. The uppers are 24" above the workbench height.
And I left an empty space between some of the lowers to accommodate a stool. It's nice to be able to sit down every once in a while.
I put a 10-outlet Plugmold on the front of the base cabinets, and regular receptacles inside the uppers for things like battery chargers. Also pre-wired for LED under-cabinet lights. The uppers are 24" above the workbench height.
And I left an empty space between some of the lowers to accommodate a stool. It's nice to be able to sit down every once in a while.