Well I've been on here over a year, so I figure it's about time to make a garage thread. I haven't done one yet because to put it blatantly, my garage *****, especially compared to the ones on here. But I have been slowly working on it and made some improvements, so here is what I have.
A little background: The garage has been used for the past five or so years to store stuff from our house in RI. We had a tenant in there who caused a small fire, so the rental has been undergoing many renovations since then. In addition to all that stuff, there's a ton of **** collected from over 40 years of having the house. The stuff is not mine and there's no other place to put it, so unfortunately I have to deal with it until we can put it back into the house.
Once all that stuff was moved in, the garage has become a catch-all for my family's ****.
In addition to that, we also have a lot of lawn and yard equipment. I never realized before coming here that the proper place for all that **** is in a SHED, not the garage!
Here is where we will start. Before I started cleaning there was no room on either side to walk. I threw out a ton of stuff and piled everything up on the left side which freed up enough room for a vehicle on the right side:
For reference, here is how it is now.
That picture was taken after the addition of a Millermatic 35, Lincoln Tombstone, and Sanborn 60 gallon compressor.
The Sanborn I bought for $250 on Craigslist.
The compressor I want to put in the corner next to the chimney.
Unfortunately I don't have pictures of my work bench build. I was given a metal frame from my sister who used it at her house. I made a perimeter of 2x4's and added a 3/4" plywood top and storage shelf. Tomorrow I am planning on taking it apart and staining it and rattle canning the frame, so I will post pics if I do.
Underneath and around the bench. There is a DeWalt circular saw, Craftsman torque wrench, welding helmet, Chiwanese grinder, Speedi-Dry, and a bunch of other junk under there.
Here is the shelf in the front-left of the garage. It's actually an old filing cabinet. I started cleaning it out this week. There was 40 years of unused bottles and stuff on there, some of it probably banned today. I hate the shelf, it's going to be replaced as soon as I find one on CL.
My "lube station" and trusty Husqvarna 350:
My 1994 Grand Cherokee, sitting with a broken connecting rod. If anyone wants part PM me!
A pic of the wall of **** with which I have to deal with. In the back standing against the wall is an old table my dad built for train layouts. I want to tactically acquire it for work bench purposes
.
the whole garage was covered in that spray on "popcorn" stuff. I HATE THIS ****. It falls all over everything and it's peeling on all 4 walls and the ceiling. The first thing I'm doing when I get the compressor wired up is blowing it all off with a blowgun. This stuff flat *****.
There is SOME cool stuff in here:
The Man Fridge:
My Ace Hardware miter saw. I forget the OEM, but it's pretty damn nice, and not bad for $120.
My friend's minibike that he bought at a tag sale for $80. It's got a 5hp Briggs and is loads of fun on hot summer days. Currently waiting for a new clutch.
My dad is a huge fan of Troy Bilt. This is NOT the cheapo rebranded plastic stuff that you buy today. These are the original Troy Bilt products which were made in Troy, NY. Everything is heavy gauge steel, nice clean welds, and they are purposely-built. You can't buy em like this anymore.
Chipper/Vac:
Snowblower:
We also have a lawnmower and 1981 Pony Rototiller which I'll have to dig up some pics of.
Leaning against the chimney is a slate board that came out of a schoolhouse in Chicopee, MA.
It's a 1/4" piece of real slate, I don't think it's possible to get something like this anymore.
We've had it for probably 12 years now. Our friend selling it had his son lift it into the trunk of our station wagon. I distinctly remember him picking it up and sliding it in, then my dad and his friend unable to budge it when we got home! That kid was strong as hell. I eventually want to build a frame and stand for it and use it kind of like a drafting station.
This scale has been attached to my dad for almost 40 years. I recently saw it on American Pickers, and I think they said it was valued at around $350. I was thinking of selling it, but it still works and I think it's pretty cool.
Well, there's my garage. I have the compressor wiring ready to go, just gotta get my friend over to give it some power. The welder will have to wait, I don't have the $200 or so for the wiring I need.
I'm going to post up a drawing of my eventual plans for the garage. Main ones right now include getting the wiring for the compressor in, hanging the ladder from the ceiling, adding a few storage cabinets above the bench, and putting in some more lighting.
A little background: The garage has been used for the past five or so years to store stuff from our house in RI. We had a tenant in there who caused a small fire, so the rental has been undergoing many renovations since then. In addition to all that stuff, there's a ton of **** collected from over 40 years of having the house. The stuff is not mine and there's no other place to put it, so unfortunately I have to deal with it until we can put it back into the house.
Once all that stuff was moved in, the garage has become a catch-all for my family's ****.
In addition to that, we also have a lot of lawn and yard equipment. I never realized before coming here that the proper place for all that **** is in a SHED, not the garage!
Here is where we will start. Before I started cleaning there was no room on either side to walk. I threw out a ton of stuff and piled everything up on the left side which freed up enough room for a vehicle on the right side:
For reference, here is how it is now.
That picture was taken after the addition of a Millermatic 35, Lincoln Tombstone, and Sanborn 60 gallon compressor.
The Sanborn I bought for $250 on Craigslist.
The compressor I want to put in the corner next to the chimney.
Unfortunately I don't have pictures of my work bench build. I was given a metal frame from my sister who used it at her house. I made a perimeter of 2x4's and added a 3/4" plywood top and storage shelf. Tomorrow I am planning on taking it apart and staining it and rattle canning the frame, so I will post pics if I do.
Underneath and around the bench. There is a DeWalt circular saw, Craftsman torque wrench, welding helmet, Chiwanese grinder, Speedi-Dry, and a bunch of other junk under there.
Here is the shelf in the front-left of the garage. It's actually an old filing cabinet. I started cleaning it out this week. There was 40 years of unused bottles and stuff on there, some of it probably banned today. I hate the shelf, it's going to be replaced as soon as I find one on CL.
My "lube station" and trusty Husqvarna 350:
My 1994 Grand Cherokee, sitting with a broken connecting rod. If anyone wants part PM me!
A pic of the wall of **** with which I have to deal with. In the back standing against the wall is an old table my dad built for train layouts. I want to tactically acquire it for work bench purposes
.
the whole garage was covered in that spray on "popcorn" stuff. I HATE THIS ****. It falls all over everything and it's peeling on all 4 walls and the ceiling. The first thing I'm doing when I get the compressor wired up is blowing it all off with a blowgun. This stuff flat *****.
There is SOME cool stuff in here:
The Man Fridge:
My Ace Hardware miter saw. I forget the OEM, but it's pretty damn nice, and not bad for $120.
My friend's minibike that he bought at a tag sale for $80. It's got a 5hp Briggs and is loads of fun on hot summer days. Currently waiting for a new clutch.
My dad is a huge fan of Troy Bilt. This is NOT the cheapo rebranded plastic stuff that you buy today. These are the original Troy Bilt products which were made in Troy, NY. Everything is heavy gauge steel, nice clean welds, and they are purposely-built. You can't buy em like this anymore.
Chipper/Vac:
Snowblower:
We also have a lawnmower and 1981 Pony Rototiller which I'll have to dig up some pics of.
Leaning against the chimney is a slate board that came out of a schoolhouse in Chicopee, MA.
It's a 1/4" piece of real slate, I don't think it's possible to get something like this anymore.
We've had it for probably 12 years now. Our friend selling it had his son lift it into the trunk of our station wagon. I distinctly remember him picking it up and sliding it in, then my dad and his friend unable to budge it when we got home! That kid was strong as hell. I eventually want to build a frame and stand for it and use it kind of like a drafting station.
This scale has been attached to my dad for almost 40 years. I recently saw it on American Pickers, and I think they said it was valued at around $350. I was thinking of selling it, but it still works and I think it's pretty cool.
Well, there's my garage. I have the compressor wiring ready to go, just gotta get my friend over to give it some power. The welder will have to wait, I don't have the $200 or so for the wiring I need.
I'm going to post up a drawing of my eventual plans for the garage. Main ones right now include getting the wiring for the compressor in, hanging the ladder from the ceiling, adding a few storage cabinets above the bench, and putting in some more lighting.
Last edited:
.
.
.
.
. One man's trash is another's treasure has never been more true 
.
