Tiny Workshop Inspiration

[topcok88]

Subscribed and looking forward to seeing everyone’s approach to work in a small shop. Although I’m blessed to have my wood shop in my climate controlled basement it leaves me with two problems - dust collection and small size. The shop is IIRC 13’ wide X 19’ long with 7’ 9” ceilings. Obviously dust collection at the source is a priority and having some tools mobile is a must. After having focused on other house projects and working in the space for awhile now I am starting to finish out the area. Heavy focus on built in frameless base and wall cabinets trying to maximize storage space and organization. Also have an abundance of recessed lighting for lighting and removing anything from hanging down into my limited work area.


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[Vintage Veloce]

Three pages... and no one has said to make it bigger yet? Am I on the right site?

More seriously, figure out a good awning / shade gizmo for outdoor work.
And give up cars and get into motorcycles... much smaller. ;-)

 

[rvieceli]

Ryan. Here’s an interesting thread over on FOG:

https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/...k-surfaces-(aka-how-to-cram-10-in-a-5-sack-)/

Ron

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

I would just echo what others have said about utilizing wall space.

Our delayed honeymoon, going on three and a half years now, was to be going to Hawaii for the first time last May.

I don't think I need to mention how that turned out.

 

[ed_v]

Hang in there Ryan. The winter in Texas will be gone soon. You might see things differently then. I'm sure Hawaii is beautiful.

I think the idea of an awning is a good idea. Bring your workspace outside when needed. Hopefully you can keep household items out of the space. You definitely need to take the minimalist approach to living in Hawaii in general, I'd imagine.

Good luck on your future adventure,

Ed

 

[Rolleiflex]

Ah heck, if you're living in Hawaii and just need something to tinker with, forget about those other things. This is the way to go.

https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/how-to-build-a-shaping-room

 

[Ryan]

Ah heck, if you're living in Hawaii and just need something to tinker with, forget about those other things. This is the way to go.




https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/how-to-build-a-shaping-room

If I could surf... I could see myself getting deep into shaping.

I can and do, however, dive as often as I can... it’s only a matter of time before I get into restoring and diving with vintage tech dive stuff.

In other news, I was able to get rebuild my well pump and get water out of the ground again. This, in turn, flooded my lab and office. I kind of wanted to cry...

Instead, I think I’ll just get to work.

 

[Falcon67]

I'm LOLing this because we're contemplating a potential retirement move to New Mexico. But - no tiny shop, 1200 sq/ft minimum is required. It's always interesting to see what people are doing in limited spaces because you can always use good ideas and space is never unlimited. Except for one setup I saw - single wide mobile home and a 75x160 building. That guy thinks like us!

 

[mr57]

This guy packs 15 pounds of s@$t in a five pound bag....

https://www.instructables.com/The-Smallest-Workshop-in-the-World/

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Ryan,
I share your love of Kauai especially around Hanalei. Of all the many places I've been in the world Hanalei is one of my most favorite. We have a timeshare we use a couple of times per year to spend time there, and it's never enough time. Of course we could not go at all in 2020 and I am missing it badly. But I wouldn't want to live permanently away from my children and grandchildren so I guess I'll have to live vicariously through you!!

Even though I've never had open studs in a garage or workshop I have saved pictures from various GJ threads containing them. They have SUCH an iconic workshop look to them.

The white painted ones you posted would really add light for a small space. I have thought using a light tan for the same reason and to somewhat hide the inevitable dirt and sawdust.

I guess I will be the one that suggests adding space. As I'm certain you're aware even a 3 ft or 5ft bump out can be a huge addition in a small shop, but if you could double one of the 10x8 dimensions so it would be either 20x8 or 10x16 would be fantastic!

Anyway, here are a few exposed stud space ideas just to (hopefully) add ideas to this thread.

 

[eborcim]

Interesting idea for ceiling joists...

For those drop down boxes, you could use thick lexan on the bottoms to see what is in there. It might get scratched a bit, but it's not like a window, just an indicator.

 

[4t64rd]

Expanded metal on the inside bottom, with Lexan to keep clean under it.

 

[TylerRNEMT]

If I could surf... I could see myself getting deep into shaping.

I can and do, however, dive as often as I can... it’s only a matter of time before I get into restoring and diving with vintage tech dive stuff.

In other news, I was able to get rebuild my well pump and get water out of the ground again. This, in turn, flooded my lab and office. I kind of wanted to cry...

Instead, I think I’ll just get to work.

Vintage dive stuff is something I think i'd rather make pretty and leave on the shelf ...... This would be an instance where I would happily embrace technological advances

 

[TylerRNEMT]

....

 

[Ryan]

Vintage dive stuff is something I think i'd rather make pretty and leave on the shelf ...... This would be an instance where I would happily embrace technological advances

Deeper than 100'? Absolutely... I use the most modern/proven stuff I can get my hands on. Most of my gear, ironically, is Atomic Aquatics...

For more shallow dives though, it's kind of interesting to have that kind of trust in your ability to pay attention to detail and get it right...

And when I say vintage dive stuff, to me that's the 70's jacque cousteau vibe stuff... I've got no interest in the iron lung ****!

 

[83VillageRepair]

Ryan,
I did a three year contract in American Samoa. I may return there to retire, we loved it that much (think 1950s Hawaii). I chose a place on a mountainside above the ocean with a full length carport. I brought over one footlocker of tools that covered all of my home projects and vehicle maintenance.

I mostly had everything in roll up bags so that I could stay organized. I bought a large plastic 2 door cabinet and so I could lay everything out in its place and get it all put away at the end of the day. I spritzed the tools with penetrating oil every time I used them and at least once a week. They still looked pretty rusty after 3 years, especially the carbon steel stuff. I had great difficulty with cordless tools and corrosion.

I ride motorcycles so I had a motley collection of sub 350cc rat bikes on the island that I spent most of my hobby time working on. I used ACF-50 and Corrosion X on the bikes but they still corroded some. I brought one of them back with me, a 1970 Honda CL350. I rode 20minutes along the ocean to work every day and paddled outrigger canoe with a club most evenings.

Thanks for the little diversion from the Texas power grid. Kauai would be my choice as well if I were to try living in Hawaii. Enjoy!

View media item 110615

 

[nadogail]

Very nice thread, I too have fond memories of Hawaii. I lived in Nanakuli and Navy housing at Pearl Harbor.

 

[Ryan]

Ryan,
I did a three year contract in American Samoa. I may return there to retire, we loved it that much (think 1950s Hawaii). I chose a place on a mountainside above the ocean with a full length carport. I brought over one footlocker of tools that covered all of my home projects and vehicle maintenance.

I mostly had everything in roll up bags so that I could stay organized. I bought a large plastic 2 door cabinet and so I could lay everything out in its place and get it all put away at the end of the day. I spritzed the tools with penetrating oil every time I used them and at least once a week. They still looked pretty rusty after 3 years, especially the carbon steel stuff. I had great difficulty with cordless tools and corrosion.

I ride motorcycles so I had a motley collection of sub 350cc rat bikes on the island that I spent most of my hobby time working on. I used ACF-50 and Corrosion X on the bikes but they still corroded some. I brought one of them back with me, a 1970 Honda CL350. I rode 20minutes along the ocean to work every day and paddled outrigger canoe with a club most evenings.

Thanks for the little diversion from the Texas power grid. Kauai would be my choice as well if I were to try living in Hawaii. Enjoy!

View media item 110615

Awe man... I've always wanted to go there...

As for tool erosion and island climates... I wonder would air tight tool storage or heavily ventilated tool storage do better?

My biggest problem is that I'm only going to be living there 3 or 4 months out of the year initially. Which means most of my tools will be rotting away without me!

 

[Tman]

@Ryan Well, my new bride wants to travel. Do you have it listed anywhere? VRBO?

 

[Alchase]

Interesting idea for ceiling joists...

Be careful, a buddy of mine built the Family Handyman version of those, he was walking through his garage one day, and one of the latches let loose. The thing came down and smacked him right in the head, knocked his **** out cold!

 

[Ryan]

@Ryan Well, my new bride wants to travel. Do you have it listed anywhere? VRBO?

It will be listed after this summer... We rented it solid the past two months, but a friend is doing a little work to it now and I'm planning on going nuts on it this summer once I get there.

Be careful, a buddy of mine built the Family Handyman version of those, he was walking through his garage one day, and one of the latches let loose. The thing came down and smacked him right in the head, knocked his **** out cold!

I've thought about that... and that's exactly the kind of **** that would happen to me.

 

[Tman]

It will be listed after this summer... We rented it solid the past two months, but a friend is doing a little work to it now and I'm planning on going nuts on it this summer once I get there.



I've thought about that... and that's exactly the kind of **** that would happen to me.

Cool pls keep me in the loop. Just bought her a couple new bikinis!

 

[LeonardY]

Stumbled across this.

https://woodworkjunkie.com/small-workshop-storage-solution

I think it's an interesting solution. I may try a version of it. But nothing overly heavy. You could even padlock it for security.

 

[Tman]

When I had my place in town I had a Model T sized shop with a dirt floor. By keeping the workbench at one end and everything off the floor it was amazing how much you could do inside it. Around that time (2000 or so) we also started using our EZ ups on jobs so I did the same at home. Nice to set up the miter saw under one and do casing or trim work even in the rain, bonus for now mess in the shed.

 

[83VillageRepair]

Awe man... I've always wanted to go there...

As for tool erosion and island climates... I wonder would air tight tool storage or heavily ventilated tool storage do better?

My biggest problem is that I'm only going to be living there 3 or 4 months out of the year initially. Which means most of my tools will be rotting away without me!

There are micro climates within islands where things rust worse than others. If you are anywhere near lava tubes there is much more salt in the air. We were up high above the ocean so not as bad. I would be tempted to wrap every thing in oil impregnated cloth inside either large ziplock bags or gasketed plastic containers during your away time.

If you ever do go to AmSam make to visit Ofu island. One of the 10 best beaches in the world and you will be the only one there.

Wade

 

[csp]

There are micro climates within islands where things rust worse than others.

Yep, Kauai is one of the wettest places on earth and the next island to the west, Ni'iahu is practically a desert for example.

 

[83VillageRepair]

Yep, Kauai is one of the wettest places on earth and the next island to the west, Ni'iahu is practically a desert for example.

Yes I lived next to the Rainmaker Mt in Utulei and we got over 200" of rain per year. I worked about 10miles away in Tafuna that only got about 150" on the same island.

 

[Ryan]

There are micro climates within islands where things rust worse than others. If you are anywhere near lava tubes there is much more salt in the air. We were up high above the ocean so not as bad. I would be tempted to wrap every thing in oil impregnated cloth inside either large ziplock bags or gasketed plastic containers during your away time.

If you ever do go to AmSam make to visit Ofu island. One of the 10 best beaches in the world and you will be the only one there.

Wade

Yeah, we are actually in an area of Kauai that gets very little rain... Sort of between the windward and leeward sides... So, I have that going for me.

 

[doug.j]

Here are 3 youtubers that show what can be done in limited space. You've probably seen them. Since you'll have nice weather you could add an awning or even have a construction tent to work under for larger projects.

Stephen's 8x6 Workshop

Ron Paulk trailer

Darbin Orvar

 

[csargents1546]

This is my solution for spray paints and such
And for my drills and driver bits.

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[mitchellc]

I’ve got a tiny garage by gj standards that I still use to park a vehicle. Not a woodworker by any means, just someone who likes doing simple DIY projects around the house. My strategy is keeping items below about 6’ close to the wall to maximize walking and flexible use space, and to have deep storage for lesser-used items at 6’ and above (I’m less than 6’ tall). I built shelving to fit the specific things that I’m storing with minimal unused head space.

 

[hammlm]

These photos are approximately 20 years old. I built a 10x12 shed and had a lot going on in there. This was before instagram when everything had to look nice, I think I took these photos as a remembrance. I had good lighting, small corner workbenches with natural daylight, and I was constantly reconfiguring and re-engineering to get more in there and still have room. Grocery store gondola shelving, if there is a secondary market in HI, is amazingly cheap and incredibly strong and versatile. Might want to consider that on one wall.

I did a lot in that space, and directly outside of it on sawhorses, etc.

I think my advice is just put a little thought into the first version, but know that with a small space like that, you'll spend time changing / rearranging to get more efficiency. Probably more than a couple of times.

I also used allthread, hangar bolts, and unistrut to make a rack up near the ceiling for wood and metal storage. I don't have photos of that, but I've used the same approach in all my sheds and spaces since then.

Bucket list item -- having a tool shed in HI:

 

[joey1320]

These photos are approximately 20 years old. I built a 10x12 shed and had a lot going on in there. This was before instagram when everything had to look nice, I think I took these photos as a remembrance. I had good lighting, small corner workbenches with natural daylight, and I was constantly reconfiguring and re-engineering to get more in there and still have room. Grocery store gondola shelving, if there is a secondary market in HI, is amazingly cheap and incredibly strong and versatile. Might want to consider that on one wall.

I did a lot in that space, and directly outside of it on sawhorses, etc.

I think my advice is just put a little thought into the first version, but know that with a small space like that, you'll spend time changing / rearranging to get more efficiency. Probably more than a couple of times.

I also used allthread, hangar bolts, and unistrut to make a rack up near the ceiling for wood and metal storage. I don't have photos of that, but I've used the same approach in all my sheds and spaces since then.

Bucket list item -- having a tool shed in HI:

Great space.

 

[Ryan]

These photos are approximately 20 years old. I built a 10x12 shed and had a lot going on in there. This was before instagram when everything had to look nice, I think I took these photos as a remembrance. I had good lighting, small corner workbenches with natural daylight, and I was constantly reconfiguring and re-engineering to get more in there and still have room. Grocery store gondola shelving, if there is a secondary market in HI, is amazingly cheap and incredibly strong and versatile. Might want to consider that on one wall.

I did a lot in that space, and directly outside of it on sawhorses, etc.

I think my advice is just put a little thought into the first version, but know that with a small space like that, you'll spend time changing / rearranging to get more efficiency. Probably more than a couple of times.

I also used allthread, hangar bolts, and unistrut to make a rack up near the ceiling for wood and metal storage. I don't have photos of that, but I've used the same approach in all my sheds and spaces since then.

Bucket list item -- having a tool shed in HI:

Yeah. This is great.

 

[Ryan]

Here’s an idea.... drawer construction similar to this:




Only instead of milk crates for drawers, using old sealed ammo cans. Wouldn’t be great access, but might help with corrosion? Would only be for hand tools obviously...

 

[83VillageRepair]

Here’s an idea.... drawer construction similar to this:




Only instead of milk crates for drawers, using old sealed ammo cans. Wouldn’t be great access, but might help with corrosion? Would only be for hand tools obviously...

I might be tempted to use the Harbor freight copy of a pelican case instead. They have more choices on form factor. In AmSam we used Sterilite gasketed containers (clear polypropolene with a blue gasket) for storing perishables and I stole a few for tools as well.

 

[Ryan]

I might be tempted to use the Harbor freight copy of a pelican case instead. They have more choices on form factor. In AmSam we used Sterilite gasketed containers (clear polypropolene with a blue gasket) for storing perishables and I stole a few for tools as well.

That's what I was thinking as well... The biggest cost would be getting them to the island...

 

[georgiadave]

Just a thought, excess baggage charges are sometimes cheaper than shipping costs. I have brought grinders and vises home as excess baggage at reasonable cost.

 

[sschung]

I think my advice is just put a little thought into the first version, but know that with a small space like that, you'll spend time changing / rearranging to get more efficiency. Probably more than a couple of times.

i have a 8x14 shed-woodshop and would very much agree with this. once you start working in it, you'll end up changing a lot of things to improve your efficiency. i'd try to leave things as flexible as possible.

 

[niget2002]

I knew a guy that had a small back-yard machine shop/woodworking shop.

The amount of tools he had in that tiny shop was very impressive. He had a cover he put on his table saw to double as a build table when machining. He had a small bench mill and bench lathe.

All of his base cabinets were on wheels. His upper cabinets were all on french cleats. He could re-arrange his entire shop in minutes.

By the time I met him, most of his shop was pretty well set. I don't think it changed much after that.

He did a lot of smaller things. Chess boards and pieces, full working models of mechanical things, bandsaw boxes, etc, etc.