Below 265 SQ/FT Just Puttering About in my Basement Workshop

[Just Puttering]

I spent some time this morning just puttering about & cleaning up the workshop. The shop is small at only 10’ x 12’, so it takes very little time to clean up, but I am forced to do it regularly, or it rapidly becomes unusable.

Here are a few pictures from today in the Summer of 2025 :







There is a closet behind the door on the right which is mostly used for storage of Christmas decorations, but has a bit of room for a lumber cart and shop vac.

I built the shop in 2017 and the bench in 2019.

 

[Just Puttering]

I am planning to build a second bench on the tool box wall for mechanical & metal work.



The new bench will involve a steel countertop for metalwork & greasy parts, and will have a steel frame and a machinist type vice. I spend too much time spent trying to protect the bench surface from grease & oil, and fooling around with jaw liners to make a woodwork vise try to function as a machinist vise.

The new bench will also have a more solid bike repair stand.

 

[Just Puttering]

The basement shop is fully below grade so it stays a perfect working temperature year round. It’s the greatest place in the house to hang out on the hottest days of summer.

Three of the walls are full height concrete which make attaching stuff to the walls a bit more work. To simplify hanging stuff, I finished the bench & closet walls with faux shiplap.




The strips of 3/4” fir ply on 2x2 furring allow shelves, brackets, and nails to be placed anywhere. Moving stuff around is super easy as I can just dab a bit of white caulk to fill any nail holes, though I usually don’t bother. I screw the shelves on with pocket screws.

 

[Just Puttering]

I also have a standard double garage which I mostly keep clear of tools, materials, and shop projects. I do use the garage for occasional grinding, welding, and larger sawing, painting & finishing tasks.

We typically enter the house through the garage, so in effect, it becomes our main entry. It’s nice not to have to wander past a bunch of stuff every time we drive into the garage.

I also use the garage for minor car repairs.

 

[GlennSullivan]

I also have a standard double garage which I mostly keep clear of tools, materials, and shop projects. I do use the garage for occasional grinding, welding, and larger sawing, painting & finishing tasks.

We typically enter the house through the garage, so in effect, it becomes our main entry. It’s nice not to have to wander past a bunch of stuff every time we drive into the garage.

I also use the garage for minor car repairs.

Minor repairs huh LOL

 

[Just Puttering]

Minor repairs huh LOL

Yup, kinda crazy to drop a Ferrari engine and drivetrain out of the bottom of the car with no lift, basic hand tools, and relying on internet forums to put it all back together.

 

[Just Puttering]

Even though my shop is tiny, it’s soooo much better than my last house’s shop in a 6’ x 8’ leaky backyard shed shared with a large chest freezer. That house only had a single carport.

I used to close in the carport for 4 months in the winter with temp walls and doors of plywood. I would then remove and store the plywood in the spring. I restored my 73 Volvo 1800ES in that carport several years ago which worked, but was far from ideal.






Tried a borrowed crappy Mig welder, but the undersized main panel & wiring was substandard and I was constantly blowing the breaker. The cheap old off brand borrowed welder didn’t work well, so I just gave up and gas welded the whole bottom of the car.

 

[Just Puttering]

The Volvo turned out very well, got loads of attention at car shows, and was my wife’s daily driver for many years.




Sold the 1800ES a few years ago and am glad to have a proper little shop for the repair and re-building of my current project car.




I am looking forward to welding new door bottoms into the cheap old project Ferrari in a real garage with a proper mig welder, proper power, and supported by my adequately equipped Tiny Workshop.

 

[slim_grim]

Magnificent! I love seeing well organized and functional small spaces.

 

[Wubicon]

What's going on over here?


A 200 series of some kind?

 

[captain14]

Nice shop. How far is the garage from the workshop? Direct access from the garage?

I see you upgraded your Workmate with a custom wood tabletop extender.
Sure beats having to pickup everything from the floor.

Someone on YouTube posted a larger wood tabletop. Maybe 5 feet long? He beefed it up with additional lumber underneath.

 

[Just Puttering]

What's going on over here?


A 200 series of some kind?

yup, the old awesome family hauler. We put 440,000 KM on that used 82 Volvo 240 GL and sold it for nearly what we paid for it without any significant repairs.

 

[Just Puttering]

Magnificent! I love seeing well organized and functional small spaces.

Thanks slim_grim.

I quite enjoy figuring out which tools I want closest to hand, and planning work flows in the small space.

 

[Just Puttering]

Nice shop. How far is the garage from the workshop? Direct access from the garage?

I see you upgraded your Workmate with a custom wood tabletop extender.
Sure beats having to pickup everything from the floor.

Someone on YouTube posted a larger wood tabletop. Maybe 5 feet long? He beefed it up with additional lumber underneath.

There is a long narrow storage room between the garage and workshop, but it’s still pretty quick to haul stuff back and forth between them.

You are so right about the usefulness of the tabletop for the Workmate. That piece of plywood with the 2x2 cleat screwed into the bottom is one of the most useful things I do with a workmate. It has been my main portable worktable everywhere in the house and yard.

In the shop, it only takes a couple of minutes to unfold a workmate, clamp the 2x2 into the jaws, and slide the table saw, miter saw, drill press, or welder onto the top ready for use.

 

[Just Puttering]

I have two workmates, and use them both all the time. I have my Grandfather’s vintage aluminum one which I think is awesome for being invented by the Lotus production Engineer who designed the Europa. I tend to use the vintage one for light duty stuff, and subject the newer steel one to lots of abuse.

It works well to use one for the table saw, and a second as outfeed support.



The plastic bin was used because the MDF trim I was ripping was too droopy for the wood storage box I usually use that I made to be slightly lower than the saw deck.

 

[Just Puttering]

Soundproofing was a major consideration when building the shop. I didn’t want my work in the shop to disturb the couple living in the adjoining basement suite. They were circus performers / movie stunt people who worked erratic hours, so I never knew if they were home or not.

It was always fun talking to them, as they had spent years working in Vegas as Cirque de Soleil acrobats, and had loads of crazy stories. She also did trick riding horse stunts and crazy Parkour stunts for the movie industry. He was a high diver and movie motorcycle stunt rider.

The neighbours never knew what to think about the bashed up bike always parked in our driveway. With the skid plates, flattened tank for stand up riding, and dings & dents from practicing various bike stunts, it looked like something out of a Mad Max movie.

With the movie lots just a couple of miles from us, they would often pop home for a nap in between shoots just when I was firing up the router or table saw. Didn’t work too well, so… sound proofing.

 

[Just Puttering]

When I was leading design teams building hospital infrastructure, sound separating patient areas from super annoying noise sources like generator rooms, psychiatric isolation rooms, and children’s daycare areas was critical. Ductwork was often the main sound pathway.

I had two furnace ducts running through the shop space. One fed the workshop itself, and one fed part of the two bedroom suite that takes up most of the basement.

The workshop duct was easy as I really don’t need direct heat in there. Since the shop door is open most of the time, I simply cut the duct and moved the supply grill to just outside the heavy soundproof ex-hospital door. Works great.



The second duct couldn’t be moved without tearing into the adjoining master bedroom ceiling, so I covered the 6’ of round ductwork with strips of Dynamat left over from a car stereo install to slow down the vibration transfer. I then boxed in the ducts within the joist cavity with 2 layers of drywall, acoustic “Green Glue” between the layers, and rock wool within and around the duct boxes. Results were great once the 2 layer ceiling was finished.

 

[Just Puttering]

Wall soundproofing was the next priority. With 3 full height concrete walls in the shop area, I only had one frame & drywall wall to worry about. In psychiatric isolation room projects, I had used various proprietary and expensive wall soundproofing systems, but they all basically came down to separating the vibration of the drywall from the supporting structure. I figured I could accomplish much of the same results with simple blocks of plywood.

I cut and screwed 2”x4” spacers of plywood every 2’ to the studs, so when the first layer of drywall was screwed to the plywood, the drywall could absorb the sound vibration with minimal transference to the studs and the drywall on the finished bedroom wall behind.

 

[Just Puttering]

Green glue is certainly interesting stuff. It’s expensive, and it’s properties and installation kinda go against most other more accurate construction processes. You wouldn’t think that a glue that doesn’t hold things together, doesn’t ever fully cure, and is best applied in a haphazard pattern would be all that effective…but it is.



I installed mineral wool sound insulation in the stud cavities, caulked the first layer of drywall with acoustic sealant and applied 2 tubes of green glue per 4x8 sheet before installing and finishing the second layer of drywall.

I did the same 2 layer isolated Green Glue drywall system to the ceilings of both the small closet and the main shop.

 

[Just Puttering]

Soundproof door choice was easy. I had all sorts of old commercial grade doors available at work from various hospital demo projects I had done. The main shop door is a lead lined radiology suite item, and after struggling with it’s weight, and the framing reinforcement needed on the hinge side, I chose a more normal solid core classroom door for the closet.

I bought acoustic door sweeps and side seals for both doors, but never got around to installing them. They proved to not be needed.

The finished sound proofing installation has worked better than expected. I can run the saws without my wife in the family room above even knowing I am down in the shop.

 

[Just Puttering]

Long before I built the shop, I bought an old Record 53 vise. I had always admired the patina on my Grandfather’s vise in his workshop in the 1970’s. I had looked at various new woodwork vise offerings, but they seemed crudely made and flimsy compared to how I had remembered my Grandfathers old English one.

I looked for vintage vises on eBay, and everything was pretty pricy. I found I had more luck with ebay.UK than I did with US site. I had narrowed the search down to old Record quick releases, and found a Record 53 listed, but it didn’t include vise in the title or description, so people must have missed its in their searches, so I got it for an amazingly cheap price.

I wound up getting this heavy (40pound) vise purchased and shipped from England for about half the cost of a new Chinese made one.

 

[Just Puttering]

When I went to clean it up and mount it, I was surprised to find it was older than I would have guessed. The old style buttress threads, and the raised patent number mean the vise is likely a pre-WW2 model…Cool.

Later versions had an empty box where the numbers are in the top middle. Later still they got rid of the rounded screw end for a cylindrical version.



The buttress style threads used from the 1920's through the 1950’s are pretty interesting as they are designed to work with the quick release mechanism to give considerably more holding power.

 

[Just Puttering]

The paint on the vise needed re-doing. Older Record woodwork stuff was painted a dark blue color rather the lighter blue used on more modern record vises. I have a few of my Grandfather’s old record clamps, and found their dark blue matched the Tremclad blue pretty well. Some disassembly, cleaning and lubrication, wire brushing the paint off the screw end and handle ends, a quick spray with Tremclad, new wood jaw faces, and I had a rock solid vise that doesn’t rack at all, opens to 13”work, and operates very smoothly.



To pretty it up a bit, I used a carbide gasket scraper to clean a bit of the paint from the raised lettering.

 

[Just Puttering]

With the drywall on the walls and ceiling finished & painted, I had to figure out how to make the concrete walls suitable for storage. I considered shelving units, plywood attached to the walls, and shelves bolted to the walls, but finally settled on faux shiplap siding.

I used construction adhesive and concrete wedge anchors to attach a 2x4 across the wall, as in the future I would like to build and hang a fancy & heavy tool cabinet. I then glued 2x2 strapping to the wall and pocket screwed them into the 2x4.



I had removed the existing rigid insulation to install the ceiling and strapping, and used temporary boards & wedges to hold it in place while the adhesive set for re-installation. The insulation was then painted so the blue wouldn’t show through the shiplap gaps.

 

[Just Puttering]

I usually have my local Home Depot break down my plywood. I find their fancy panel saw is super accurate, and it’s easier than doing it solo on my table saw. The $1 per cut to rip 3 sheets of 3/4” ply down to strips seemed well worth it.

I quickly eased the sharp edges with a belt sander, clamped all the boards together to roll paint on the edges, glued & nailed them in place with a finish nailer, leaving a nail’s thickness between boards.




The closet wall isn’t going to have anything heavy on it, so instead of 3/4", I used 1/2” ply strips simply finish nailed to the studs.

 

[Ruxpin]

High mileage Volvos
"Minor" car repairs
Old school Black and Decker Workmate(s)
Proper Record woodworking vice (which I had spotted in your earlier photos, but pleased you gave a dedicated overview of)
Lead lined radiology door

This is certainly one of the most interesting workshops that I have seen on the forum and I enjoy seeing functional spaces like this and how owners make them fit to their own specific needs, particularly (personally) since it is a more realistic proposition to us British / European readers where we simply do not have the land to build massive garages and workshops.

Looking forward to seeing more interesting cars / tools / ex-commercial equipment

 

[Just Puttering]

This is certainly one of the most interesting workshops that I have seen on the forum and I enjoy seeing functional spaces like this and how owners make them fit to their own specific needs, particularly (personally) since it is a more realistic proposition to us British / European readers where we simply do not have the land to build massive garages and workshops.

Looking forward to seeing more interesting cars / tools / ex-commercial equipment

Thanks Ruxpin !!

It's fun building a tiny shop, as there is little of the stress and cost associated with a big elaborate space.

 

[Just Puttering]

With the walls done & painted, I tool break from building the shop, to actually build something in the shop.

My wife had a bunch of her preserves stored in the area now occupied by the shop. I figured a rack to store them on the wall of the pantry would be a fun project.

I ripped and chopped some cheap pine boards to size in the garage.




I used my trusty workmate to clamp the frame upright to make installing the shelves easy.



I used a wide spacing of normal construction screws into the tops of the risers, and a narrower spacing of pocket screws down through the bottom of the risers. The pockets would be mostly obscured by the jars.

 

[Just Puttering]

I had sanded all the boards before installation, so with a quick stain & varnish it was ready to install. I used pocket screws through the shelves into the studs to hold them. The screws above eye level are on the tops of the shelves, and the pocket screws below eye level are installed from underneath.

Loaded up with dried herbs from our garden, our kids call it the giant spice rack. My wife calls it her apothecary.

 

[Just Puttering]

A few weeks ago, I was just puttering about in the workshop, and figured I would cut down my old Volvo 240 bike roof rack to fit the drip rails of my old cheap Ferrari.



A few days later, with my bike on the chopped down rack, it was time to head out early to my local cars & coffee at Jericho Beach on my way to my regular Saturday club ride.



The car & bike got a ton of attention. Not too often do you see an old beat up Ferrari driving around with a bike on the roof.

My car was in good company, as a few cars down were a $4 million Ferrari Daytona SP3 and a bright yellow Miura mixed in with 200+ other sports cars at the beach. Every time I looked over there were folks taking pictures of my car.



Then it was off to meet the guys for a fast club ride.



Not a bad day!! Fun car show, 40 miles of Ferrari driving to the show the ride meet up point, a fast 50 Mile club ride, then a nice drive home on one of my favourite twisty roads.

 

[Uncle murph]

I spent some time this morning just puttering about & cleaning up the workshop. The shop is small at only 10’ x 12’, so it takes very little time to clean up, but I am forced to do it regularly, or it rapidly becomes unusable.

Here are a few pictures from today in the Summer of 2025 :







There is a closet behind the door on the right which is mostly used for storage of Christmas decorations, but has a bit of room for a lumber cart and shop vac.

I built the shop in 2017 and the bench in 2019.

The cleanliness and organization are disturbing to me.

 

[Just Puttering]

I find that the only way to keep the shop clean & organized is to have a place to pile stuff. I turned an awkward corner of the former storage area into an odd triangular closet. Then I can close the door on all the ****.


I dedicated a drawer of the tool chest to small cut off bits that may be useful in the future,



When the cut off drawer, lumber cart, or closet get too full, I commit to throwing at least 1/4 of the stuff away, so there is always room to store a few more bits of ****.

 

[captain14]

We are closing down my parents house. Guess how many pieces of wood we found and I identified with a previous project from years ago.

 

[Just Puttering]

We are closing down my parents house. Guess how many pieces of wood we found and I identified with a previous project from years ago.

Crazy isn't it. I am always amazed that when I reach into my cut offs drawer for that perfect little scrap of hardwood to shim up a current project, I can often remember which old project the little piece of scrap came from.

It's awesome how projects build memories.

 

[Just Puttering]

How do you fit a rectangular cart into a triangular hole?…Cut the corner off !!



My measurements and drawing showed the cart would fit, but I didn’t take into account how the cart would rotate into it’s final position, and it jammed up in the doorway. Glad to have taken the time to attempt to slide the 1/3 finished cart into the space, rather than wait till it was done to realize I couldn’t get it through the door.



The cart has worked well for several years, but every time I pull it out, I think about upgrading to larger casters.

 

[Boostingaz]

I had sanded all the boards before installation, so with a quick stain & varnish it was ready to install. I used pocket screws through the shelves into the studs to hold them. The screws above eye level are on the tops of the shelves, and the pocket screws below eye level are installed from underneath.

Loaded up with dried herbs from our garden, our kids call it the giant spice rack. My wife calls it her apothecary.

This is awesome. We have two rooms in the basement that are beginning to overflow with pressure and canned goods. My wife is a huge canner, all the way down to meat. I'm totally stealing this idea!! She needs about 5 hahaha.

 

[captain14]

That will take a day to unload and reorganize that cart. Wait for a cold and rainy day.

 

[Just Puttering]

This is awesome. We have two rooms in the basement that are beginning to overflow with pressure and canned goods. My wife is a huge canner, all the way down to meat. I'm totally stealing this idea!! She needs about 5 hahaha.

Thanks Boostingaz.

Same situation here. After filling the rack, we still have cases & cases of preserves in the basement. It’s funny how the narrow shelves on the rack work so well. For years I had built shelves as deep as possible, only for stuff to get buried and hard to find. The shelves being only a jars width wide make it almost impossible for the preserves rack to get disorganized.

That will take a day to unload and reorganize that cart. Wait for a cold and rainy day.

Hi captain14,

Sadly, that is a picture of the cart taken 2 days ago…After it’s been reorganized

 

[Just Puttering]

Cleaning out the junk in the corner of the basement storage area to build the shop created a bit of a problem :



The van had been parked for a few years after a blown head gasket, and the lawn & garden tools were a disaster. With the shop looking so tidy, it was time to get the garage ship shape. The Van was repaired & eventually sold. It was time for a fun project…build a garden shed.

The space for the 8’ x 8’ shed was tight so I had to build it up on posts to fit between the fence, a large boulder, and over the huge support roots of the towering Western Red Cedar.

I had originally intended 8’ walls, and a 10/12 pitch so that I could put in some attic storage. I built a mock up of the gable with my wife and dog helping as supervisors.



I placed the mocked up gable on temp 8’ supports and went around to my neighbours to talk about it’s looming presence over his back patio. He & I agreed that 6’8” walls, and a shallower roof profile would be more appropriate. The build was straight forward and not really worth describing here.

The only interesting aspect was the need to finish the rear wall when it was only 6” from the fence. I built the wall in the middle of the floor, and fully trimmed & finished it in maintenance free vinyl siding. I could then slide the wall back to it’s final position and never see it’s backside again.

 

[Just Puttering]

Framing smaller projects is so much fun. Few other activities allow you to see so much progress in such a short period of time.



The shed turned out great. With a few hooks & brackets, it swallowed up all the lawn & garden tools & equipment with ease.



It also used up a door, some cedar siding, and a couple of windows from the original house build that had been ordered the wrong size and stored in the basement for 25 years