Mark's Workshop - The Oklahoma Garage

[mlittle29]

Finally! It's my turn.... over the years of GJF I have gathered ideas, wishes, and hopes for my garage. After a move to my "forever home" a few years ago, I decided to start in on the garage that I always wanted. It has been over a two year project all in all, and took so long due to the Dynamic Duo: Time and Money!

Hopefully this will help someone out there find their perfect space!

The trick for me was that I have to put 2 cars (someday 3) and all the normal family garage stuff -- and all "wheeled" things that the kids cherish in the garage too! That stuff can take up some space! I have an over-sized 800 sq ft 3 car garage that was just needing some storage space to hold my tools, and all my stuff! All work was researched, bought and done by myself...no money wasted on those Garage Design & Renovation Companies!

I began deciding on cabinets about 2 years ago and went with NewAge Pro 3.0. I wanted to incorporate my 2 Snap-On tool boxes in the design as well. I am finally complete....well 98% complete. I have recently added the second set of cabinets/shelves which is more of a custom build and some modification of the Stock New Age Cabinets due to specific dimensions needed. So here are the photos of what I came up with. I will several post along the way so stay tuned for the photos of the details that really make my garage what I wanted!

I am a big fan of using items in a way that they were not originally designed for. Some might call these "hacks"... but call them as you wish. You might see some of those things along the way here. So far, I have incorporated: cutting boards, cork flooring, a conference table power unit, a gas fireplace exhaust tube, plumbing clean out cover, Bamboo Carpet Reducers, vinyl car wrap, aluminum plywood edging, central vacuum outlets, among a few other things.

Panoramic View

 

[mlittle29]

More detailed photos....

Used cork flooring installed on 3/4" mdf board to create a solid top on the side workbench. serves a a great top to work on toys and such that are more delicate to work on.



I used Bamboo carpet reducers (bought from Home Depot for $5 a stick) for the edging to match the bamboo tops of the corner workbench system. Installed a carpenter's vice that will be used to old small power tools (think grinder) mounted wood block.




I bought countertop bamboo cutting boards from Ikea to created the shelving. Just so happened it matched the bamboo workbench tops perfect.

 

[colt zantop]

Floors look killer! Nice work!

 

[mlittle29]

Audio:

Denon Receiver with HEOS and Apple Airplay 2. Serves as two options for streaming wireless from iPhones for Tablets. I chose a receiver so I could get a tuner with the system, in order to listen to the radio. The receiver also gives me the option to add a Zone 2 Set up if I want to expand some speakers to the driveway in the future. I have a pair of 8" Yamaha Flush mount Ceiling Speakers installed in the garage that sound pretty good.





I used these to create a "Network Rack Mount" for the Receiver and the Component Cooling Smart Fan.



The Receiver is sitting on a pull out shelf for easy access to the cords/back of the receiver if I ever need to.

 

[mlittle29]

The hot water closet is pretty big. It gave me the opportunity to install recessed reel system for Compressed Air and and Electrical extension cord. I also decided to pipe the shop vac in there and create a blower OR vacuum option to clean out the garage, cars and storm shelter. I installed an electrical switch that turns on shop vac....a necessity so my wife and kids can use the system with ease. I was able to use inlets from a central vacuum cleaner system for the air hose to connect to.



Inside I installed a Combo Electrical Switch wired to switch own electrical outlet on. Plugged in my compressor to this....Easy enough for the kids to use to air up the pool floats and bike tires. But hidden enough to not be a eyesore of switched on the outside wall.

 

[mlittle29]

Stay tuned for more detailed posts soon. Can't spend all my time on the forum!

 

[mlittle29]

Thanks! Its Copper Metallic Epoxy.

Floors look killer! Nice work!

 

[nicholam77]

Wow, looks great and very clean setup. In for more details.

 

[mlittle29]

The Dartboard.

I'm not the best at designing and building things, but I think it turned out pretty well.

My goal was to make the Dartboard Cabinet match the New Age Cabinets and workbenches as close as possible with out spending a ton.

I started bu building a 36" X 36" box out of 1x4 pine

I used a NewAge Bold 3.0 bamboo top 18" X 72" and cut it in half to make the doors. Only the top of the doors are unfinished due to the cut, but nobody sees this. I cut out aluminum logo on the CNC at work.




Vinyl wrappped it in matte black to match the New Age Cabinets. Installed U-channel aluminum trim around all faces of the box. backing is cork flooring for the backing held in place by bamboo carpet reducers. Installed 170 degree soft close Blum Euro Hinges.







Added wood (leftover Bamboo trim) insert to a piece of Aluminum U-channel for the Chalk holder and the Darts Holder, covered the ends in brushed aluminum vinyl wrap...they matched pretty well.





Also built a scoreboard holder out of aluminum U-channel. left the top open to slide out the scoreboards. Scoreboards are printed on Chalkboard Vinyl mounted to black foam core. (Family owns a printing company so this stuff is easy for me). Scoring boards for games are X01, Baseball, Around the world and a blank one. Simply slid up the two boards and chose the game side you want and slide back in the holder.





Let me know what you think!

 

[el monte slim]

Everything looks great!

 

[mlittle29]

Installed a Recessed Surge Protector/Power Strip in the rear of one of the New Age Drawers. Installed an electrical plug behind the cabinet to plug in the power strip. I cut hole in the back of the drawer for the recessed power strip and another hole in the back of the New Age cabinet.





To get the power cord to properly feed in an out of the back side of the cabinet, I attached this kitchen sink hose pull down. This added enough counter weight to let the cord feed through back and forth correctly when i open and close the drawer... The Bold cabinet was not as deep 18" deep vs 24") so I built a 6" mounting spacer from 2x4s and left 6 inches of space behind the cabinet for the cord to hang.




This was all able to work because I used a 18" deep New Age Bold 3.0 Tool Chest (the old - pre-lawsuit one that actually was actually wider and taller than the current offering. DittleFartAround will know what I am talking about

 

[Wooden Skye]

Great dartboard! That floor is fantastic!

 

[usmcHOG]

Nice looking garage/shop!

 

[Boosted1]

Nice garage.

 

[T-handle]

Excellent work Mark Love the clean looks of your garage. Nice idea to place your battery chargers to the drawer. Do the chargers heat up there?

Your dartboard cabinet is a piece of art

 

[Fasthotrod]

Nice looking place you've got there, neighbor. Dart board and prop on the wall looks great! I'm also digging the recessed extension cord and air hose. Very nice!

Mark

 

[mlittle29]

Excellent work Mark Love the clean looks of your garage. Nice idea to place your battery chargers to the drawer. Do the chargers heat up there?

Your dartboard cabinet is a piece of art

Thanks for the kind words, T-Handle! The chargers do heat up...but I rarely have more than one battery going at one time, so usually a non issue. I find that I leave the drawer open most of the time I use them anyway. I have to for the Snap On 18V big battery (fits my 3/8" Impact) since the battery is so tall it doesn't close. All the other batteries will actually clear the cabinet and the drawer will close while charging.

The DartBoard was a fun build....I got a little carried away with it! I looked at a lot of cabinets online and couldn't find one I liked well enough to spend their asking price. And, I liked the idea of it matching the rest of my set up a lot...and had quite of bit of supplies left over from the build (cork flooring, bamboo carpet reducers, vinyl wrap...). Sure can't beat a Winmau Blade 5 Board though!!!

 

[mlittle29]

Nice looking place you've got there, neighbor. Dart board and prop on the wall looks great! I'm also digging the recessed extension cord and air hose. Very nice!

Mark

Thanks fellow Okie! I actually live up in Edmond, north of OKC. Recessed air, vac, blower and elect I use a lot. The wife and kids love the on/off switch I installed for the vacuum so they don't have to go digging in the closet for the power switch. They use it quite a bit for the vehicles and trying to keep them tidy. Also nice to have for all the spider webs, and bugs in the storm shelter!

 

[mlittle29]

Nice looking garage/shop!

Nice garage.

Great dartboard! That floor is fantastic!

Thanks fellas! Funny thing....the floor was my wife's idea when we moved in. I had regular tan epoxy quoted and she thought the metallic was way more "pretty"



Turns out....she was right. [emoji4]

 

[mlittle29]

Parts Bins...

I did a bit of research in GJF to find what some of the brilliant minds have done with these things. There are a lot of threads on parts/fastener storage that guys came up with. Thanks to all that contribute...it is a huge help!



In my design I wanted to incorporate my Durham MFG/Klien Tools parts bins to be seamlessly installed between the cabinets. The two 6 bin trays were within about 3/4" in height taller than the New Age Cabinets, however the difference was tolerable. You can see how it hangs down a bit below the cabinet in this photo. I drilled and screwed or bolted the Tray Cabinets togheter, then mounted the top of them to the bottom of the bench. Then put bolts in the sides to each of the New Age Cabinets on both sides for more support. These things are pretty heavy when loaded with fasteners




I used the matte black vinyl wrap for the outer shell of the tray compartment to give a contrasting look to match the New Age Cabinets black/gray color scheme.




I went a little further to make the trays match the New Age and cut 7/16" Aluminum L (angle) pieces and used double stick tape to adhere them to the bottom lip of the trays. I thought this gave enough Aluminum accent to match the New Age "handles" on the cabinets.





Lastly, perhaps my best move, was to label the drawers with a clear tape with Black letters on the label maker. This is proving to be a great move, because with 12 boxes I can never seem to remember what items are in which tray; and they often get put back in a different order with I have them out working on a project. Now I just scan down labels and find what I need!

 

[nicholam77]

Definitely looks integrated with the bench. Nice details.

 

[mlittle29]

Definitely looks integrated with the bench. Nice details.

Thank you, sir!


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[mfraser]

Loving it !! All the little details add just the right amount of flair.

 

[Unruh]

Wow! Great looking place. Now Excuse me while I go clean up my place.

 

[mlittle29]

Wow! Great looking place. Now Excuse me while I go clean up my place.

I checked out your place....pretty cool projects you are doing! Gas Can Speaker is my favorite! Nice, simple and unique.

 

[itgoze211]

Great job on all of it!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[mlittle29]

Great job on all of it!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Thanks, itgoze211! I was just passing through Keller, TX yesterday!

 

[polexican23]

I really wish Gladiator made a corner upper cabinet. so i could do a similar layout like yours.

 

[mlittle29]

I really wish Gladiator made a corner upper cabinet. so i could do a similar layout like yours.

I know. My brother has gladiator. Good stuff, but not as many options as with the New Age. I’m surprised Whirlpool/Gladiator never expanded that line. I really like the Fridge/Freezer they used to have!


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[polexican23]

I know. My brother has gladiator. Good stuff, but not as many options as with the New Age. I’m surprised Whirlpool/Gladiator never expanded that line. I really like the Fridge/Freezer they used to have!


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

simple explanation.....owned by SEARS. wanna learn how to F up a global company, follow Sears business practices.

 

[mlittle29]

Finally got to install the integrated Vac System in the workbench. I am now able to hook up the system directly to the tool (like sander, saw, etc) or use the stretchy hose for quick clean up of the work area.

To do this I needed to have the shop vac turn on when I plugged in the Hose -- Like a Home Central Vacuum -- so I could use it for dust collection integrated into the sanders, saws, etc. But....I also wanted the vacuum to turn off when I "holstered" the wand--so I could use it for clean up.

I used a snap switch with a long paddle, mounted under the workbench top. Here are some of the pics so you can see how I got it all to work.


I used a central vacuum faceplate outlet that is uses a low voltage circuit to a relay box to turn on and off the system when the hose is plugged in and the metal ring on the hose hits the contacts and completed the low voltage circuit.







I interrupted the circuit wiring common wire to this micro switch that is mounted under the bench top. the paddle actuator for the switch is depressed when i holster the vacuum wand in the bench -- cut with a hole saw and grommet to finish it out.








I tucked a small shopVac inside the NewAge Cabinet and piped it to the outlet on top of the bench. Here you can also see the Garage Relay Control Station where the low voltage can turn on and off the system from the inlet or the micro snap switch. Here is a link to the relay control unit I bought.





This the the completed system...The hose can be removed and stored away in the cabinets when I'm not working in the garage.






I wanted to hang some of my most used attachments for quick access. I found some PVC hangers lying around so I glued some magnets to the back and....viola! they stick to the inside of the NewAge Base cabinet and the attachments hand on there neatly.

 

[alfazer]

I love the floor and all the little details like the vacuum attachments. I like the dartboard; something in my head told me darts wasn't common in America but I guess I was wrong.

I can't help wondering why you placed the receiver close to the floor where it's harder to reach and beneath the vice where it could get falling sawdust and debris. Not meaning to criticise, just curious.

 

[mlittle29]

I can't help wondering why you placed the receiver close to the floor where it's harder to reach and beneath the vice where it could get falling sawdust and debris. Not meaning to criticise, just curious.

Nice you picked up on this! I know it is a bit of an odd place but really just fit perfectly there when I drew it all out in the planning phase. I operate the receiver on my phone via the Denon HEOS app most of the time, therefore reaching it was not a huge issue.

Two real reasons reasons for putting it where it is below the vise. 1. It actually fit perfectly in the space below the open area I needed for the under bench vise. Allowing me to maximize the space with cabinets along the wall. 2. I already had electrical in the perfect spot right behind that. This outlet is on a totally separate circuit that the rest of the bench. That way when I plug in power tools and such those have the full use of the 115V/20A circuit, and also lessens the probability of any of those motors...like on a compound miter saw or sander...spiking and possibly damaging the receiver.

Good news is saw dust doesn't fall on much except the very front of the receiver which is quickly cleaned up with the use of the vacuum wand.

 

[mlittle29]

Another project...or two completed.

I decided to make a little "closet" where the hangers won't walk off (mainly by me)....plus I was limited on the height...

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This thing is super useful! Piped it in underneath and out of site. Just a quick kick o the lever and on come the shop vac...sweep the ugly mess right into the vacpan.

 

[1320stang]

North Edmonite here too (SoLoCo). Man I can't WAIT to get started on my dream shop, but its still a couple years off starting. I'm trying to finish reorganizing my little 2 car, but I have a LOT of stuff.