What’s in your shop?

[ovilla]

Thought it might be interesting to see what members have in their shops, so that others can get an idea of what’s needed for working on cars, wood working, metal working, etc. Feel free to state what it is and your impressions of it too.

Main 2-car bay

Two COATS tire changers (COATS 7060EX-EH3 and a 5060EX) - If you work on cars enough, you should get one of these machines.
COATS 1050 Wheel balancer - Got it before I got my first tire changer and use it a lot. I can’t stand wheels that aren’t balanced right
Lincoln 180 welder - Haven’t really used it much. Looking for some fun projects to force me to use it more.
AMMCO 3000 brake lathe - Had to buy one and have yet to use it. Got it for turning brembo rotors on my 914’s.
20 ton HF press - Hardly use it (and often think of selling it) but when I do, I love having it.
Branick 7400 Strut Compressor - Makes strut changes easy peasy.
Oxy welding set up (with 50’ reel)- I live in Chicagoland and use it mostly for rusty bolts and frozen parts.
Tire racks - I have 4 of them for storing winter/summer tires
Craftsman (double wide) toolbox full of Snap-on and craftsman tools
3 10lb Amerex ABC fire extinguishers


3rd bay

BendPak HD9, RJ45,JP6
QuickJack 3500
Gladiator wall cabinets
Gladiator 8’ workbench
Gladiator under bench cabinets
50’ air hose reel
Craftsman tool chest (single wide)
2 10lb Amerex ABC fire extinguishers
40” Samsung hung on a home made swiveling pipe flange

Why do I have 5 full size fire extinguishers in a 3 car garage?
One by the side of each door and one by the entrance door into the house. Let’s just say I’m a little paranoid after a small engine fire occurred about 5 years ago. Hence, I’m prepared now. Also, these are real (refillable) fire extinguishers with brass valves. Home Depot may sell Kiddie and First Alert fire extinguishers but you’ll only see Amerex extinguishers in use throughout their buildings (same goes for most schools and work areas).

Anyway, I mostly work on cars for family and friends and I also wrench on the side to make extra cash for tools/parts. I’m an IT guy but I really enjoy working on cars (kind of therapeutic for me) and I just want to do it safely. A big part of that, for me, means having proper equipment. It also makes wrenching truly enjoyable.

 

[MushCreek]

Too much to list, really, and badly organized. My shop is 28 X 32, with an open 13' wide area in the middle, and side 'bays', separated by support columns for the loft. Ceiling is 12' 4".

In the middle, I store my Miata, and it's where I'll work on my '72 F-250 if I ever get around to it.

One side area is the metal shop. I have a Bridgeport mill, a lathe, a surface grinder, a big horizontal band saw, and smaller stuff such as a bench grinder and belt sander.

On the other side is the wood shop area, with a table saw, miter saw, planer, vertical bandsaw, and shelves stuffed with portable power tools.

Other stuff= An HF 20T press, a big old Lincoln MIG, an 80 gallon compressor, an engine hoist, two HF 44's, an HF 5 drawer, various risers and top boxes, a flammables cabinet, and a drill press. Tons of small accessories for all of the above, plus a lot of car parts, tractor parts, antique outboard motors, etc. Several sets of shelving, and two primary work benches with vises on them. Yes, it's crowded.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Craftsman top and bottom tool box combo.
Vintage Store Master metal cabinet for power tools.
Vintage Craftsman bench top hand drill press setup with the matching Craftsman hand drill.
Craftsman oilless 30 gallon compressor feeding 50' and 25' air hose reels and an overhead coil hose on a self retracting cable.
Craftsman wall mounted wet/dry vac.
6 wall mounted horizontal file cabinets repurposed for general storage, two under desk cabinets under the bench.
An older Century 100 amp/120VAC arc welder that I've never used.
Coxreels 50' 20A power cord reel with quad receptacles.
Vintage Littlestown Forge 3-1/2' vise.
Vintage Morgan woodworking vise. A
Mutlitool brand 1/2 HP 6" disc/belt/grinder.
My HVAC gauges, nitrogen setup, vacuum pump and specialty tools.
Turbotorch/Prest-O-Lite torch setup.
Wall mounted shoe rack repurposed for spray can storage.
Wall mounted Funnel Buddy and two grease gun buddies.
Loading dock trailer light for under hood illumination.
Engine crane, engine stand, engine cradles.
Cheapo electric pressure washer.
Black and Decker WM 400, Black and Decker WM drop leaf work center.
Two fertilizer spreaders that need to find a home in the shed.
All the parts for the project car and the car itself.
Two skateboards, four bicycles, two bicycle hand pumps.
Two ABC fire extinguihsers.
Vintage Fire Blanket.
Oily rag can.
Vintage Emerson oscillating fan mounted on the ceiling for a little breeze.
Vintage Western Electric explosionproof telephone I still need to hook up.


It all somehow fits in a 18' x 11' garage.

Tommy