Must have garage/shop essentials

[Zebedeewesty]

What do you class as must have garage or workshop essentials?

Apart from things such as good lighting, enough power sockets to not have to keep plugging and unplugging stuff and enough storage to get stuff off the floor where it gets constantly tripped over.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Radio/music for the peace of mind.

 

[crewchief888]

stripper pole

 

[skippy24]

Proper way to minimize exposure to the elements. Don't want to be working on something in the rain. That and an ample supply of tasty beverages!

 

[crewchief888]

and the neighbors wife

 

[1/2 Cup]

What do you class as must have garage or workshop essentials?

Apart from things such as good lighting, enough power sockets to not have to keep plugging and unplugging stuff and enough storage to get stuff off the floor where it gets constantly tripped over.

All of the above, but you nailed it in one SPACE, SPACE AND MORE space plus good organisation of that space. I have see many shops that are well endowed in terms of space however it is poor organisation of that space really lets them down.

 

[Zebedeewesty]

Mine is only gonna be 10 x 20ft so just enough space for a smallish workbench and a little space around my VW to work on it.

Though i suppose it'll beat working outside under a tarp.

 

[D.J.]

At least you had a tarp!

 

[Gary S]

Insulation.

 

[iibgdi]

I am kind of going through this right now.

My equipment list thus far is:

Chop saw
Table saw
portable work bench
work bench
(I don't have any of these items right now so I plan to accumulate over the next 6 months. Any other thoughts on "must have's" for a garage? I am not particularly handy but do want to be able to start doing some rudimentary woodworking/building of shelves/cabinets etc.)

ORGANIZATION:

Appropriate sized and functional cabinets so everything has a place.

enough bins and trays for all the odds and ends/parts/fasteners etc. (enclosed to keep dust out)

Paints and other liquids in a cabinet in the basement (keep out of the cold garage)


I currently have a blue print sketched on notebook paper and made 10 copies so I can mess around with designing where I want things to go. It is much like it was when building our house and designing the basement. It takes a lot of thought and planning to ensure everything ends up the way you want it.

I'm pretty horrible at making decisions because I tend to over analyze most everything (according to my wife) and am always looking for a better, more efficient way. Sometimes, I end up doing nothing because I'm can't decide and am afraid once I do it, I will later discover a better way and it will be too late. Therefore, I spend a lot of time pacing and staring and pacing some more and waking up in the middle of the night with ideas.

It's kind of a curse!

 

[d.mcfarland]

Dehumidifier might be helpful for some people. Also, with the size space, you might really like having a ceiling mounted air hose reel so you can just pull it wherever you need to!

 

[crewchief888]

Mine is only gonna be 10 x 20ft so just enough space for a smallish workbench and a little space around my VW to work on it.

Though i suppose it'll beat working outside under a tarp.

the key to small spaces is NOT to hoard, collect, and save as little as possible.

my garage is a little larger than yours at 19x22, but i have an s-10 blazer (that cant be parked outside) and a harley that gets parked inside as well.

during nicer weather we leave the wifes car outside in the driveway, so i have a little bit of room to move around.

all my storage, shelving, and metal wall mounted cabinets are mounted up high, to clear floor space for stuff thats too heavy & awkward for a shelf.

my compressor sits over 4 ft off the floor, and has storage space underneath.

literally everything in my garage, with the exception of one set of toolboxes & side boxes, are dumpster dives, trash day pickups, traded/bartered, or salvaged/repurposed

At least you had a tarp!

yea
no sh*t

i changed a broken spring on the rear of my '78 bronco out in the driveway with 3-4ft of snow on the ground.

the wifes saturn vue, and the s-10 blazer are the only vehicles i've ever owned that would fit in a garage anyway, my vans and 4x4 trucks were all too tall

 

[ddawg16]

Shop Vac.........

 

[jonzer12]

floor drain

 

[240sxguy]

Chemicals like brake clean, and other stuff like that. Nothing more frustrating than running out of something when you need it.

 

[softailgarage]

2 compressors, 1 60 or 80 gallon and a small bench compressor. Chemicals and a shop vac as noted above^^^. Depending on what you do, a wide assortment of fasteners/screws, nuts&bolts. Nothing ***** more than needing 1 more 1.5" screw and searching thru old screws to find one. Portable lights come in handy and I couldn't live without a computer in shop.

 

[DesertSparky57]

Two things are most important for me.

1 is organization. Keep stuff stowed and have a spot for everything I own. Very simple. I can be working on something, oh I need such and such now, and bam it's in it's spot waiting for me to use it. So much better then oh **** where's that 14" beater with the green handle at this time??!?

2 is absolutely no hoarding of any kind. This is very subjective, and I've found also its a touchy subject. For me, bin after bin of **** everywhere would cause total loss of sanity. The only real rule I have is if it hasn't moved in 12 months that **** hits the dump. Excluding sentimental items and a few other minor exceptions that one rule will almost always lead to a nice clean workshop.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Two things are most important for me.

1 is organization. Keep stuff stowed and have a spot for everything I own. Very simple. I can be working on something, oh I need such and such now, and bam it's in it's spot waiting for me to use it. So much better then oh **** where's that 14" beater with the green handle at this time??!?

2 is absolutely no hoarding of any kind. This is very subjective, and I've found also its a touchy subject. For me, bin after bin of **** everywhere would cause total loss of sanity. The only real rule I have is if it hasn't moved in 12 months that **** hits the dump. Excluding sentimental items and a few other minor exceptions that one rule will almost always lead to a nice clean workshop.

Endorsed

 

[scab]

Beer.

 

[Carbine]

A good floor jack and plenty of jack stands

 

[crewchief888]

all depends on what you plan on doing in the garage.

wax your car?
some wax and a rag

probably gona need a few hand tools, and a toolbox or <shudder> pegboard

oil changes and brakes?
oil drain pan, floor jack and jackstands

for what happens in my garage i have a few more essential items

welder hood jacket, gloves
grinding shield
metal cutting chopsaw
assortment of hand grinders
bender
portable tool stands & support stands
floorjack, 4 jackstands
vise
workbench
manual tire changer
compressor
assorted air tools, impacts, sanders/grinders
BFH or 2
tanker type prybar
a lot more hand tools, and boxes to store them
portable heater, and propane.
pressure washer

i have an ongoing, and seemingly never ending, quest to damage every square inch of sheetmetal on my off road truck.

i'm doing pretty good so far

 

[gsport]

A comfortable couch, some good music to just kick back and relax with, when you're not working on something. (What I'm doing right now)

 

[54FordPanel]

A sink with hot water. I use it everytime I'm out there. The sink doubles as a urinal.
Power outlets everywhere.
A retractable air hose that will reach the whole garage, maybe 2.
Lots of light, & windows up high if you don't want people looking in.
Insulation and a good furnace.
Pandora on a good stereo.
EpoxyCoat or similar so spills and overspray wipe right up.
Big *** compressor.
Sandblasting cabinet & parts washer, both on wheels.
A desk and a computer.

 

[zkling]

Mine is only gonna be 10 x 20ft .

Same here. Just be grateful that you do have a garage to work in.

I would go with what YOU need, not what other people need. I do small repair/fab out of my garage so I NEED, a bandsaw, tig welder, lathe, etc so on and so forth. All vehicle work is done out in the driveway.

Like Crew said above, what do you plan on doing in your garage? Then you will probably find out what you need.

For me the essentials would include.
Solid work bench, with a hard wood top
Tool box(es) for storage of hand tools
Storage cabinet for storage of power tools, fluids and misc garage stuff.
Good air compressor

 

[iibgdi]

A sink with hot water. I use it everytime I'm out there. The sink doubles as a urinal.
Power outlets everywhere.
A retractable air hose that will reach the whole garage, maybe 2.
Lots of light, & windows up high if you don't want people looking in.
Insulation and a good furnace.
Spotify on a good stereo.
EpoxyCoat or similar so spills and overspray wipe right up.
Big *** compressor.
Sandblasting cabinet & parts washer, both on wheels.
A desk and a computer.

Fixed!

 

[ZRX61]

60gal (minimum) compressor.

 

[blackhawkdriver]

uh...toolbox

 

[mwhuffman]

Just reorganized my garage and having a designated place to store things makes jobs go a lot easier. I hate looking for stuff. Oh, and a flat screen...it's football season.

 

[J Persons]

... a ceiling mounted air hose reel

I just mounted mine this week. But since I have 12' ceilings, I had to buy a scaffold to get up there to get it installed.

 

[plow]

Plugs and air hose reels.

 

[Ben7203]

Fan
Fire extinguisher or two
band aids
Radio
Dog
one of the work lights with a magnifying glass in it, having to use it more these days

 

[roadracer97]

a good oil pan. there is nothing worse than cleaning up spilled oil

 

[Responder]

one of the work lights with a magnifying glass in it, having to use it more these days

 

[ozyborn]

garage fridge, radio, rest depends on my project of the minute.

 

[patrickn]

Shop dog or cat.
Good shelving and tool organization.
Fan for ventilation.
Good security system (i.e. locks, alarms etc.. depending on your area)
Cleaning equip/supplies (i.e. broom, dust pan, trash can, etc...)
Good lighting ( also drop lights, etc...)

The rest depends upon what you plan on doing in it.

Since its not going to be real big, organization and space utilization is key here. Good shelving helps. Overhead storage, stacking tool boxes and equipment, hanging stuff, etc... will help out

 

[larry_g]

As some have alluded to, a well used garbage can and a shop vac. Get rid of the stuff left over from that project that you finished 2 years ago.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[FF_Chevy]

Like previously mentioned... the must haves are determined by your needs. I use mine for anything I need.. here lately it seems like I'm only using my garage to work on my garage lol (Just bought my house 6 months ago)

Here's my short list....
Radio
Fan(TN summer)
Heat(TN winter)
Shop Vac
Large Trash Cans
Leaf Blower(for easy clean up)
Workbench
Shelves
Cabinets
More Shelves
More Cabinets

 

[Zebedeewesty]

Same here. Just be grateful that you do have a garage to work in.

I haven't got one yet. Atleast not built yet. Its sat as a pile of concrete panels at the moment.

I've been lucky in that I've never had an indoor space to horde anything in. Just got a small MIG, grinder, drills etc plus a few boxes worth of assorted other tools hanging on the inside of the shed door.

Really looking forwards to having a workbench as its a PITA working on the floor and having dust get into everything. And some shelves to store stuff that'll save me having to rifle through boxes and bags to find the stuff I need.

I've been rebuilding a vw bug for the past few years and have got to the point where I need to strip it for paint which I can't do outside.

 

[Kevin54]

Must haves?????

TV, stereo, air compressor, fan for moving air, computer, telephone, and the ALMIGHTY REFRIGERATOR!!!!!!!!

Oh...and a comfy stool to set on.

 

[bobscogin]

Good lighting.

Bob