Maddog's 8' x 16' Workshop
- Thread starter Maddog10
- Start date
CoyoteDuster
Well-known member
I have enjoyed seeing this progress. And it's very neat and well organized, and seems like an office and hangout space as much as a workshop. I'm curious what sort of projects you plan to do there in the future. As you fill it with furniture and storage you may start to have things start to get in the way. So planning and sketch up models help.
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Appreciate it guys. 
That's exactly how the idea originated. I do some video editing and stuff, so it started as a space where I could come edit videos, watch a game, have a couple beers, and have a workbench for simple projects. I'm sure it will be ever-evolving, and as my needs change the space will adapt to fit those needs. I'm trying not to make anything too permanent. I know it's going to shrink quickly, and non-essential stuff will either be minimalized (like a 4' x 28" computer desk) or removed completely (wall decorations).
I can't express how helpful the AutoCAD model has been. Having a dead-on reference of exactly where everything is located has helped a ton, and allows me to visualize ideas before I spend any time on them. Take the metal bookshelf for example. I measured it at work and found it to be just shy of 78" tall. I knew that would be close to the bottom of the rafters, so I hopped on my model I have saved at work and made sure it would fit without having to come home and measure first. Same with the workbench drawers I'm working on. Measured the width and height. Found that the width clears with a 1/2" to spare on each side, and that the bottom shelf needs to be lowered 3/4". Just saves a bunch of time and headache being able to reference things beforehand. Knowing whether something is going to block an outlet or not has been another plus.
That's exactly how the idea originated. I do some video editing and stuff, so it started as a space where I could come edit videos, watch a game, have a couple beers, and have a workbench for simple projects. I'm sure it will be ever-evolving, and as my needs change the space will adapt to fit those needs. I'm trying not to make anything too permanent. I know it's going to shrink quickly, and non-essential stuff will either be minimalized (like a 4' x 28" computer desk) or removed completely (wall decorations).
I can't express how helpful the AutoCAD model has been. Having a dead-on reference of exactly where everything is located has helped a ton, and allows me to visualize ideas before I spend any time on them. Take the metal bookshelf for example. I measured it at work and found it to be just shy of 78" tall. I knew that would be close to the bottom of the rafters, so I hopped on my model I have saved at work and made sure it would fit without having to come home and measure first. Same with the workbench drawers I'm working on. Measured the width and height. Found that the width clears with a 1/2" to spare on each side, and that the bottom shelf needs to be lowered 3/4". Just saves a bunch of time and headache being able to reference things beforehand. Knowing whether something is going to block an outlet or not has been another plus.
Wrapping up some projects and overall I'm pretty pleased with how they've turned out.
First up, I finished the office drawers that I showed you guys last week. The drawers were too deep front to back and stuck out past the edge of my workbench, so I had to cut about 5 inches off the back of them. That turned the whole thing into a more complicated job than it originally seemed because I then had to cut all of the drawer slides and remount them (they were originally welded on). Nonetheless, I got it done, hit it with some spray paint, and IMO they turned out great. Very sturdy, and should be plenty adequate for a free toolbox. You'll have to excuse the filthy floor. It won't stop raining here.
I scuffed the inside of the drawers with sandpaper as well thinking I would spray paint them, but I'm just going to pick up some drawer liners instead.
I also finished up the old Columbian vise that I was restoring during my last update. Pleased with how it came out as well.
Vise and toolbox.
Overview of the back of the shop in it's current state.
Along with all that, my new garage dog is growing up quickly.
That's it for now. Got a couple more small projects on my mind, but the next priority is deciding what I want to do over my workbench. Originally had plans for a sliding pegboard cabinet but now that I have the toolbox I'm considering cabinets or other alternatives. May still end up with the pegboard. I'm not sure yet.
First up, I finished the office drawers that I showed you guys last week. The drawers were too deep front to back and stuck out past the edge of my workbench, so I had to cut about 5 inches off the back of them. That turned the whole thing into a more complicated job than it originally seemed because I then had to cut all of the drawer slides and remount them (they were originally welded on). Nonetheless, I got it done, hit it with some spray paint, and IMO they turned out great. Very sturdy, and should be plenty adequate for a free toolbox. You'll have to excuse the filthy floor. It won't stop raining here.
I scuffed the inside of the drawers with sandpaper as well thinking I would spray paint them, but I'm just going to pick up some drawer liners instead.
I also finished up the old Columbian vise that I was restoring during my last update. Pleased with how it came out as well.
Vise and toolbox.
Overview of the back of the shop in it's current state.
Along with all that, my new garage dog is growing up quickly.
That's it for now. Got a couple more small projects on my mind, but the next priority is deciding what I want to do over my workbench. Originally had plans for a sliding pegboard cabinet but now that I have the toolbox I'm considering cabinets or other alternatives. May still end up with the pegboard. I'm not sure yet.
Last edited:
HSpencer
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Great looking shop. I like the workbench a lot. I also have the same Columbia vise model that you do.
I think that will be a great place for your tools and projects.
Best Regards
Herb
I think that will be a great place for your tools and projects.
Best Regards
Herb
Thanks a lot.
I've been very pleased with the workbench so far. It's the first bench I've built and it came out really well. Very sturdy with plenty of overhang for clamping. Originally I had plans to make the top out of 3/4" plywood, but when I got to the big box store their wood was so bad that I decided against it. Hesitantly, I picked up some MDF and was a bit skeptical, but so far I've been very happy with it.
foompla
Well-known member
I always love seeing these little shops being built. They always need more creative solutions than the monster 40x80s.
Looks like a great escape. Great job.
Looks like a great escape. Great job.
sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Really nice work on the workshop/man cave I love how you have the second shed for storage that is a great idea! The ideas you came up with for building the workbench is awesome I love it, its strong and it looks good!
Next project in my lineup is some type of the storage over the workbench. I'm tossing around a couple ideas and would like some input.
Option 1 Considering just doing standard cabinets like you see over a lot of workbenches with a pegboard center. Lots of storage for a variety of items. The far right cabinet isn't as deep as the others to allow access to my power tool holder, but it's sized large enough to hold spray paint cans, stain, etc. Bottom section is to hold bins for small part storage.
Option 2 This option is for a sliding pegboard cabinet. All of the white shown here would be white pegboard, and each cabinet would slide to the center to allow access to another section of pegboard behind it. Pros to this design is that I would essentially double my wall space with it, and it doesn't hang over the workbench as far. Cons are that I'm pretty much limited to only storing shallow items that will work on pegboard. This option also includes the parts bins.
I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on which design makes the most sense to you and why? Still in the design phase, but want to make sure I build something I'm going to like.
Option 1 Considering just doing standard cabinets like you see over a lot of workbenches with a pegboard center. Lots of storage for a variety of items. The far right cabinet isn't as deep as the others to allow access to my power tool holder, but it's sized large enough to hold spray paint cans, stain, etc. Bottom section is to hold bins for small part storage.
Option 2 This option is for a sliding pegboard cabinet. All of the white shown here would be white pegboard, and each cabinet would slide to the center to allow access to another section of pegboard behind it. Pros to this design is that I would essentially double my wall space with it, and it doesn't hang over the workbench as far. Cons are that I'm pretty much limited to only storing shallow items that will work on pegboard. This option also includes the parts bins.
I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on which design makes the most sense to you and why? Still in the design phase, but want to make sure I build something I'm going to like.
Bowhunter0621
Member
Liking the looks of your shed so far, Heres a little insight I have, from a newbie to the site lol, wherever you decide to put your work bench, if you decide to make it stationary, go with a peg board backer behind it, I hated the idea of it, but I bought a 4x8 sheet and then some 1x2's and basically framed it up and you would be surprised the amount of tools that will hold. I have complete sets of wrenchs, screw drivers, pry bars, and plenty of extra room for others, storage bins, containers, plus if your wife is a pinterest nut like mine theres so many diy storage options for peg board, baby food containers, great for holding small screws and bolts etc.... Lol hope this helps.
Bowhunter0621
Member
So I didn't see that there was a page 2 and 3 before I posted this but lol, pegboard is awesome.
It's been a couple months since I last updated my thread, but I've got a few small things to show off. This spring has been super busy for me which has severely limited my shop time. I'm a young mechanical engineer so I have been spending all of my free time from January until late April studying for the PE exam. I finally got that out of the way (haven't received results yet) so now I'm back to being able to do a few things around the house.
First, I built a new folding workbench with a metal work surface. I needed some extra bench space for bigger projects, and also wanted a surface that was easy to clean when working on my chainsaw or other small engine jobs. Aside from the 2x4 frame, this table was built exclusively from the leftovers I had laying around after converting those office desk drawers into a tool box earlier in the thread. The bench itself is the solid core desktop, and the metal surface on top is one of the side panels from the desk.
Up:
Down:
Here is a view of the back of the shop with the table up/down. The folding table is built to the same height as the workbench so that they can be used as sawhorses if necessary. Still haven't done anything over the workbench. Just can't decide on what I want really.
I do a lot of fishing and so I often use this shop for spooling and rigging up my rods before a day on the lake. Typically this involves running a long screwdriver through the spool of line so that I can then spool my reels. It's not real efficient, so I decided to build my own spooling station. Problem was I didn't want to take up any wallspace, so I came up with the following solution and it has worked perfectly.
As you can see, it fits nicely up between the rafters in order to make use of what would otherwise be wasted space, but then conveniently flips down by simply pressing the latch when it is needed. Here are a few close-ups.
Branching outside the shop, my wife and I decided to try to dress up our back patio with a little landscaping. Here is the before picture:
Pretty bad, I know. We didn't want to spend a lot on it but thought that with a little attention we could make a solid improvement. We bought some monkey grass that was on clearance, picked up some $1 solar lights from the dollar tree, and bought a little mulch. All the landscaping trim I looked at was either A) $3 per stone which would end up costing us $250ish or B) so light that I feared it wouldn't stay upright and thus spill mulch into the yard. I decided a could make my own, so I took some more pallets and built the trim for free. All I have is nighttime pictures at the moment, but I think you can still see that it's a significant improvement and we only have about $40 in it (not including the swing).
Camera flash on:
Camera flash off:
Close up of pallet trim:
My daughter's little playhouse was taking up valuable patio space that was limited to begin with, so I built her a small porch and moved the house off the side of the patio.
Obligatory picture of my puppy that has changed quite a bit since his last appearance in the thread.
And just for fun, here's a night picture of the shop because I like the look of it.
That's pretty much it since the last update. As I mentioned, I haven't really had time to do a lot with all of the studying. I do have some plans for upcoming projects though that include getting power to my mower shed, building a water collection system, and a game cleaning table for fish/wild game.
First, I built a new folding workbench with a metal work surface. I needed some extra bench space for bigger projects, and also wanted a surface that was easy to clean when working on my chainsaw or other small engine jobs. Aside from the 2x4 frame, this table was built exclusively from the leftovers I had laying around after converting those office desk drawers into a tool box earlier in the thread. The bench itself is the solid core desktop, and the metal surface on top is one of the side panels from the desk.
Up:
Down:
Here is a view of the back of the shop with the table up/down. The folding table is built to the same height as the workbench so that they can be used as sawhorses if necessary. Still haven't done anything over the workbench. Just can't decide on what I want really.
I do a lot of fishing and so I often use this shop for spooling and rigging up my rods before a day on the lake. Typically this involves running a long screwdriver through the spool of line so that I can then spool my reels. It's not real efficient, so I decided to build my own spooling station. Problem was I didn't want to take up any wallspace, so I came up with the following solution and it has worked perfectly.
As you can see, it fits nicely up between the rafters in order to make use of what would otherwise be wasted space, but then conveniently flips down by simply pressing the latch when it is needed. Here are a few close-ups.
Branching outside the shop, my wife and I decided to try to dress up our back patio with a little landscaping. Here is the before picture:
Pretty bad, I know. We didn't want to spend a lot on it but thought that with a little attention we could make a solid improvement. We bought some monkey grass that was on clearance, picked up some $1 solar lights from the dollar tree, and bought a little mulch. All the landscaping trim I looked at was either A) $3 per stone which would end up costing us $250ish or B) so light that I feared it wouldn't stay upright and thus spill mulch into the yard. I decided a could make my own, so I took some more pallets and built the trim for free. All I have is nighttime pictures at the moment, but I think you can still see that it's a significant improvement and we only have about $40 in it (not including the swing).
Camera flash on:
Camera flash off:
Close up of pallet trim:
My daughter's little playhouse was taking up valuable patio space that was limited to begin with, so I built her a small porch and moved the house off the side of the patio.
Obligatory picture of my puppy that has changed quite a bit since his last appearance in the thread.
And just for fun, here's a night picture of the shop because I like the look of it.
That's pretty much it since the last update. As I mentioned, I haven't really had time to do a lot with all of the studying. I do have some plans for upcoming projects though that include getting power to my mower shed, building a water collection system, and a game cleaning table for fish/wild game.
Last edited:
eric.holmslice
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 28, 2015
- Messages
- 99
Nice work on the folding bench! I've been considering something similar in my shop.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Appreciate it. The bench was easy to make and has really come in handy so far. I've had it about a month, and didn't realize how much I needed the extra bench space before it was there. Then folds nicely out of the way when not in use. Having a metal surface available is a big plus as well.
Forgot that this also happened a couple months ago as well. After one of many downpours this spring, I walked into the shop to find a puddle of water in the floor. I knew when I started on the shop that at some point the roof had some water intrusion in the back corner that had caused a small section to have a little bit of rot. It appeared to have been patched though, and I hadn't noticed any leaks so thought it was okay... Well it wasn't. I found the culprit and after pulling some shingles this is what it looked like. Not good.
There was no doubt the section needed to be replaced, so I removed it, put in some bracing from the underneath side, and re-shingled with some leftover shingles I had for the house.
It's been tested many times since then, and so far not a sign of water getting in from anywhere. Maddog roofing and construction came through. Of course, you get what you pay for.
There was no doubt the section needed to be replaced, so I removed it, put in some bracing from the underneath side, and re-shingled with some leftover shingles I had for the house.
It's been tested many times since then, and so far not a sign of water getting in from anywhere. Maddog roofing and construction came through. Of course, you get what you pay for.
HSpencer
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Maddog
You have a beautiful home and shop. You are one of the most "space innovative" people I have seen on here.
Great Job on everything!
Best Regards
Herb
You have a beautiful home and shop. You are one of the most "space innovative" people I have seen on here.
Great Job on everything!
Best Regards
Herb
Really appreciate that, Herb. Of course I would love to have a large shop with plenty of space, but I must admit that I do find some enjoyment in having to find ways to be efficient in my use of the space. I find the rafter height to be the most annoying of the three dimensions. 8 foot ceilings would make things significantly easier.