My garage remodel

[koenbro]

My goal is to set up a garage for car and basic DIY home-hobbyist work, inspired by several internet examples. Esthetically as minimalist as possible -- with obvious trade-offs in cost and functionality.

My suburban house has a ~700 sqft garage with a basic rectangular 3-car setup and an additional 6x7 space where I intend to build a workbench and store all/most of my tools and add some wall cabinets. To keep clutter at a minimum, mostly everything tools-wise will need to be stored in this small addition.

The projects as I see them now (this will surely change):
1. Build a wood top 2x7' workbench for general light work. Adjustable height, will store some rolling cabinets or tool carts under it.
2. Build a welding table.
3. Sort out cabinets, storage for flow efficiency/ergonomics.
4. Have a minisplit A/C installed (without one, Arizona summers prevent garage work between May-September). Additional subprojects will be insulating the attic with cellulose and garage door with something (HD stuff maybe). The A/C and wall insulation will have to be done by a contractor.
5. Get a 2-post low-rise lift or a sunken scissor lift and have it professionally installed.

The photos show the 6' wide and 7' deep addition where I'll put the workbench.

 

[koenbro]

I have never taken shop class in HS, never welded or fabricated anything before (took a 1 hour welding class at a local art studio last month with my GF) so there is a lot of learning ahead of me.

So I started my very first welding project: building the workbench. 14 Ga square tube with receiver hitches.

 

[Cyberbear]

Congratulations on your recent endeavors at utilizing your small work space and learning new skills to accomplish your goals. I started out with a single car garage as my work space and eventually ended up with my present 2400 sq/ft plus shop. From personal experience, I found that for small spaces almost everything must be on wheels and spread out when in use. It looks like you're on the right track to success.

 

[koenbro]

Done with the frame. The Lincoln recommended welder setup seems a tad high. For 14Ga steel and 0.030 wire, they recommend a WFS of 3.5 (on a scale of 1-10 with a unit that does 50-500 ipm) and voltage to "C" (which I measured as 28.9V). Through trial and error (mostly the latter), I found that a WFS 3 and voltage setting "B" (26.2V) work better.

The hitch receivers (for a 4.5" vise and angle grinder) are 7" long and will need buttressing before painting the frame.

 

[koenbro]

From personal experience, I found that for small spaces almost everything must be on wheels and spread out when in use. It looks like you're on the right track to success.

Agree, mostly everything will need casters and several items will be parked under the workbench when not in use.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Welcome to the group, Good luck on the shop