Workshop 78...

[jfish]

Where we come up a little short.

Or maybe, "The 16 Gauge garage" you know, thin to win. Unlike my hero's of GJ, I aim for the middle, mediocrity in all things I say.

I kid, on a serious note, I've been lurking around here for years, posted a few times here and there. But never really made a formal introduction or an effort at participating here.

My name is Josh, live in Tacoma WA, heavy equipment operator, wife, couple kids, dog, cat, chickens. I consider myself pretty a handy DIY'er. Ive got a wide variety of tools and what nots. Love working on cars, building things, taking things apart, welding, woodworking. All on a casual level, don't really excel in any area but I'm a hell of a ditch digger.

My garage is a waste. To be more specific, it's wasted on me. I am lucky enough to have a nice 24 x 36 detached, tape, texture and paint with a finished loft area. I also have anot her 12 x 24 detached "wood shed".

For the life of me, it is a magnet for clutter and I'm at my witts end. I've made progress in the 5 years I've lived here. I've always had a dream of a usable workspace that I could park two cars in or have an active project in. As life has it, I get busy or sidetracked or just don't make the time and the space gets away from me.

It's my new years resolution, if you will, to make a plan, prioritize and stick to it. However. I have writers block. I just keep looking at it but nothing new hits me, idea wise. I can look through GJ for days and see plenty of workshops I would love to belly up to. But when I look into my own garage, I draw a blank.

I'm looking for some ideas on how to best utilize my spaces. One obstacle in my floor plan is the stair case to the loft and how to not let the floor space go to waste. The cabinets and work bench have been in for a little over a year and I'm happy with them but think they may be best utilized in different locations.

I'll be back with a few other pictures and maybe an overview of what I'm trying to accomplish. I need, a swift kick in the *** and some inspiration. I'm sick of looking at my shop as a sad annoyance when so many others here do so much and create great things with such humble workspaces.

(As soon as I figure out how to post a picture that's not full size, I will...)

 

[onthefence777]

We will indeed be able to help a lot more with pictures to look at to have an idea what your baseline/starting point is. That said, a 24x32 with 12x24 secondary is a real good starting point. My sole shop space is quite smaller than your 12x24 and its covered floor to ceiling most everywhere and is still quite a drag.

I'm not particularly organized, but I know what helps me get better a little at a time. Hopefully this is some sort of help to jog your mind.

Shelves. Cabinets. Drawers. As much large things not frequently used in the "wood shed" as possible. Is it a wood working shed, or a wood storage shed? If you have a large compressor, consider building a small lean-to off an outside wall.

Start with your big equipment first and work your way down. Use graph paper and cutouts or graph paper/programs to minimize their "dead" use of space and infringement on working area while also considering work flow. Maybe storage of long items above garage door tracks? Lots of great ideas, I am sure the guys here will have lots of ideas to help you make the most of your space.

 

[jfish]

BAM











Forum-ing ***** on the phone

 

[jfish]

I'll get some pictures of the wood shed. It's a storage shed, the previous owner built it as just a covered pole building he stacked firewood under, it's nickname stuck long after he closed it in and used it for yard storage.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen some shops here in disarray, I certainly have it good, I just need some inspiration. Then forward, maybe I'll chronicle my folly here.

 

[laser3kw]

My name is Josh, live in Tacoma WA

(all together) hi Josh.... (ala 12 step greeting)

 

[nine4gmc]

Organization seems to be a common goal of a lot of people here. Problem is, what works for some will not work for others. Main thing is decide what direction you want to go with each space. You have plenty of space, I am jealous.

 

[onthefence777]

Ahhh. When you said 24x32 I pictured it being 24 wide and 32 deep. With those dimensions I think it is much better 32 wide like you have it! 24 wide is tough for two cars wide with anything else on the side walls, but 24 deep is decent for most cars (not trucks...had to tuck my bumper under the bench and door barely closed at 24' deep.

That is a nice garage you got there! Looks like you got the floor carpeted? I dig it man. We did the same thing in my dads garage. We had tiled the house and put the big piece of carpet from the living room in the garage and I loved it, very nice. You have cabinets galore! I do see some open wall space in the right corner, is there a window on that right side wall? Personally, that would be my project number one - removing windows and framing them in. Wasted wall space and unnecessary security risk at the same time. If you need daylight then open the garage door

First up man, and I'm probably the last person that should be saying this lol....put things away! Especially the power tools - belong in a power tool bag/cabinet/tool box drawer. Dirt Bike helmet hanging on the wall somewhere.

Thats the hard part. Again, I'm the last person that should be saying this because my flat surfaces get piled up super fast....but keeping the benches empty is the key. Anytime a project comes up, you will know you have space to work with, instead of putting loads of stuff away first, thereby preventing you from beginning said project.

Start small and work your way up. But finding a place for the stuff on your benches to stay, IMHO, is step number one. Unlike me, you can definitely pull off most of what you will ever need to do with the space you already have! Looks like 2 HF boxes ready to roll out? I have 1 52" box and to roll it out if I even had room would mean 2 hours of pulling out shelves/workbenches etc.

BTW, I forgot to welcome you in my first post, hope we help in someway And overall man, I give you props - you got a real good baseline to work from.

 

[78scotts]

I agree with onthefence. I think you need to start with putting everything away that has a place that it should be.Then start on one end and work your way to the other. I would probably start with the corner that has the power wheels toys in them. Pull the vehicles out and pull everything out of that corner. Find a place for everything instead of just sweeping and putting it back in the corner. After that I would take everything out of the wall cabinets and organize them with only things that should be in there. We have cabinets on the wall in our garage and it is just a catch all for when my wife doesn't know where to put something. So I would guess with all your storage cabinets that there is things in there that don't belong, or should be in a different cabinet. Its going to take a couple days to get it ready for projects but it will be well worth it. I know what you mean by you just don't know where to start, but if you just focus on one corner or one cabinet at a time it isn't so overwhelming. Before you know it you will have space to put things that didn't have anywhere to go.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Suggestion... make a plan for your space. Use some grid paper and make a general floor plan layout for your garage, with dimensions, then make some copies. Then use that floor plan to plan how to use your space... particularly your work spaces. I made small "cabinets" out of sticky notes and moved them around until I had something that worked for me. Also decide on some storage solutions... pegboard, shelving and cabinets. Cabinets are great because they hide the clutter.

The plan will change over time and with your interests. I just reconfigured my garage space recently.

 

[RegeSullivan]

Nice Garage!

Two things that help me most.

First, realizing that sqft of real estate have more value than much of the stuff that is using up that footage. Sell it, give it away or throw away stuff you probably will not use in the next few months. I know there is stuff you gotta keep or just can't give up so store it as efficiently as possible.

Second, for me building specific storage for tools and materials give me incentive to clean up and put away when I'm done. This drill/driver holder is one example. This way I have a place that I didn't/can't fill up with something else.

You spend a surprisingly amount of time looking for a place to put tools and even more time locating them later if they are not in exactly the same spot every time. After a while you tend to clean up as you go because it makes the job go faster.

 

[ms fowler]

I am in a similar position. Moved I to new house in July and been working on the house mostly. Garage was sheltered storage for stuff that really belonged in the house. I have made so m e progress there. Then I need to un box tools etc from the movet and find a place for them.
It's the "how" of organisation that prevents me from getting a good start. That said, I think I have a plan...... I think I will store stuff on shelves like a hardware store is organized-- Electrical ( 12 volt and 120 volt, Plumbing, Hardware, outdoor grounds maintenance, paint- exterior,interior and automotive.Tools get divided by function and :-/metric. Precision measuring goes near the drill.press along with taps and dies
What main categories did I miss?

 

[jfish]

The cliché duality is, I ran my own foreman/service 1ton for almost 10 years. It was packed with tools, every square inch of tool box space was in use and very specific to what was put there. People would joke when returning tools to my truck on a job site "just put it anywhere because Fish is going to come right behind you and reorganize it..." For the time I was a non working superintendent, my desk was the same way. My garage...? Why does a mechanic drive a beater...

Believe me, I understand the importance of cleaning up behind myself and putting tools back. Part of the reason I started this thread was simply to embarrass myself into getting out there, putting the family on hold for an hour and getting to it. When working around the house I try to teach my kids to work in one direction, not to leave step 1 to start step 3 then leave it half way to finish step 1. We also encourage cleaning as you go. And look at me.

So, lack of daylight has kept me from taking a few pics of the shed and a corner of the garage. This weekend my plan is to get the heater installed and clean up.

So I have a "what would you do?" for ya'll. I'll take a few pics tomorrow and draw a sketch but if you looked at the above pics (taken with my back to the doors). I initially built the cabinets and toolbox bench on the right as I thought that would be it's best use of the corner. However in not in love with it. I've lost almost 30" of depth and I have a Sequoia and a 74 f250 I'd like to pull in from time to time (read - ms fish wants her Sequoia out of the damn cold .

Move the Steevo bench and cabinets to the left under the window? The items pictured on the left are all slated to go away. The bench and cabinets pictured were just placed there out of necessity. The ride on toys will all go to the shed when that is addressed. More on that tomorrow.

Also, what to do with those stairs?! I've kinda tucked the fridge there for now, but it may be nice to build something for storage to replace the fridge or around the fridge.

is there a window on that right side wall? Personally, that would be my project number one - removing windows and framing them in. Wasted wall space and unnecessary security risk at the same time. If you need daylight then open the garage door

I've considered taking out the widows before and I think you sealed the deal for me. There are three widows on the left side. I'm going to frame them in with 1x and ply panels and cabinet over them.

 

[onthefence777]

I know what you mean about organization being so much harder at home vs. work. I think that is completely natural actually.

And by the way, I don't think you have much to really be embarrassed about. It's really easy to get bogged down with clutter. Now my garage on the other hand, is pretty embarrassing LOL. In fact, my bench is a nightmare compared to yours. Not only is it covered, its stacked up all the way to the shelf above it I mentioned I am the last one to be in a position to say to put things away and I meant it Although my bench is only 6' wide.

My problem is just having too much for too small of a space, so that it's pretty much impossible for everything to have a proper place. I've tried several times before, I always end up moving some things here and some things there, but still have the same problem in the end. But you have a really nice space there, so when you do get organized, it wont take very much time to straighten up at all.


Glad my suggestion about the windows was helpful.

Just take it a little bit at a time, and you will have a very nice garage that you can't wait to go mess around in when you have spare time.

 

[jfish]

Workshop 78 is steaming with stagnation and procrastination! But I assure you, all is not lost... yet.

so, here is an outside view



Here is the humble "wood shed"



The inside drives me batty, when something needs to come out, more often than not, everything has to come out.

this picture was taken without the riding mower and the BBQ and some other items lined up.



A few things about the wood shed I dislike in particular. The low entry at the front, at about 5' high with the doors open, its not ergonomic, however, not the end of the world. The floor area for which the large yard items can go is narrow and long, this makes access to the items stored on the sides difficult.

Ive had a dozen different ideas on how to best utilize this space, maybe I just need more trial and error but Im ready to shape it up.

Most important items - mower, sweeper, BBQ, ride on toys, pellet fuel storage.
Wish list - easy access to contents, all kids outside toys and yard / garden tools.

what would YE do?

 

[jfish]

amongst the ideas I have had for the "wood shed", one was moving the entry from the end to the side, that would be where the trash bins and wheel barrows are now. I could even construct a lean to of sorts on that end if need be. Dont know if it would be effective, but it crossed my mind.

Option 2, tear down "wood shed", build new metal building.

Father in law says expand existing wood shed with more wood shed, and or raise the roof elevation while im at it. FIL is retired and has the appropriate logic to match the amount of spare time retirement facilitates. I do not, and, Im a slacker.

Leave the door as is, empty wood shed, strip the walls of cabinets and shelving and move shelves to one wall only? leaving the other wall for parking floor space?

in other news, I locked myself in the shop and cleaned most of the workbench, got the heater down and made a material list for installation, just studying some other installs here so I can wire up a 240v switch and thermostat in line with it.

 

[nadogail]

jfish, I too have organization dysfunction, too bad there does not seem to be a ****** to treat our symptoms.

Cabinets with doors that have shelves with labeled totes have been a big help. I have some inexpensive storage cabinets with shelves filled with labeled plastic totes for things like toilet parts, plumbing hardware, switches & receptacles, power transmission parts, framing anchors, circuit breakers, paint brushes, and more.

I can usually find what I want in pretty short order.

I suffer from the inability to easily part with anything that has potential value.

I will be following your thread. Good Luck on realizing and reaching your goal.

 

[MovingAlong]

There are folks who help with design though. Kitchen designers, closet organizers, etc.. The same principles apply to laying out a garage: what do I use most? where do I use it? what order do tools get used in? are multiple tools required at once or use one at a time? are they used in specific areas?

I'd read up on what goes into laying out kitchen work centers and see if that doesn't trigger some thoughts on organizing the garage.

After watching me work on a few vehicles one day, my 70's something mother actually had some useful ideas on re-arranging the location of my toolboxes and cabinets in the garage. That's when I realized the similarities between all work environments...

Great looking space though!

 

[jfish]

Breaking news, tickler on the loose

But out top story is Workshop 78 is suddenly steaming with activity.

 

[sberry]

The shed would be mod to stack and hold everything i didnt absolutely need in the garage. I have 6k plus ft shop and do this in a crazed obsession. It would catch me fast. My daily goal is to strip my bench and move on as much as practical or possible. My storage is bigger, i have 10 or 12k ft dedicated to it, a whole house basement shelved out for stuff i dont want to toss but dont want in the way.

 

[jfish]

Ok, don't get the wrong idea or anything but I figured that if I'm not going to finish 1 thing, I night as well not finish 5.

As noted in my "teach me how to be a body man" thread, and no it has nothing to do with my Roman hands and Russian fingers. The procrastination incubator has a new resident. And we are tearing into it.

 

[jfish]

Of course, Fish amateur autobody is not possible without the help of the 5k watt shop heater I finally installed.

18 months or so later...

Nothing earth shattering here other than actual progress!


Hung, uhhh huh huh..




Ahhhhh toasty.

Thanks to Zane and others who chimed in here, basically the why I bought the heater and then wired a remote thermostat down below.

 

[jfish]

Not sure if it was someone here or on another forum that mentioned it but I found this piece of 1x2 tube that I saved from God knows what and used it to pull from the inside.



I drilled a hole in a non critical area next to the trunk latch and passed an eye bolt through.




Then I hooked up the big bad camper special and threw it in gear.



Ok, so I used a cable hoist but whatever

 

[jfish]

I failed to take any pictures while I fine tuned it but as I put tension on the rear I simply massaged the inside with a deadblow. Click, tap, click, tap and so on, checking the fitment with the tails as a guide.

After simply pulling and tapping from inside the trunk at the leading edge of the tail lamp, this was the result.


Btw, the bumper went right back into shape as soon as it came off the car.

 

[nine4gmc]

Love the urinal clamp storage, you should post it in the new clamp storage thread! [emoji38]

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

 

[zkling]

Love the urinal clamp storage, you should post it in the new clamp storage thread! [emoji38]

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

I had to comment on that too

Note to self, never borrow a clamp from this guy.

 

[jfish]

So, with the new lid on, I began fitting it back to the trunk gutter and body. The latch, by dumb luck was perfect when I stopped pulling the tail panel.



Side note, the tail panel and latch assemblies were pushed inward 3". The impact was just above the black bumper beam shown in the picture. There was some rippling around this area, but nothing I am too concerned with at this point. The spare tire well has some odd movement and creasing that I couldn't really explain by the rest of the damage but oh well. The foam bumper support that sits directly behind the plastic was broken in a few places but otherwise in tact.

This is the final fitment


Once I placed the new lid on, it sat to the passenger side touching the body and .5" forward to the glass. The hinges were in fact bent. Looking at the hinges and measuring against the new ones I bought I opted to attempt to pull the old ones back as opposed to dismantling the interior to replace them. The hinges being "C" or "U" shaped, the impact simply caused them to "close" slightly. I used a 1/4-20 bolt and mule tape through one of the holes on the end of the hinge to "open" the C again. Once my measurements matched, I gave them one more click with the hoist and fitted the lid. Came out perfect.

 

[jfish]

I had to comment on that too

Note to self, never borrow a clamp from this guy.

The urinal is plumbed and works...

Conversation piece.

 

[ZRX61]

On the garage organization front:

What's upstairs above the garage? I'd be moving MOST of the extraneous **** up there.

 

[mrodgers]

The urinal is plumbed and works...

Conversation piece.

Plumbed and works? I'm impressed if you use it.... from down on the garage floor level

 

[jfish]

On the garage organization front:

What's upstairs above the garage? I'd be moving MOST of the extraneous **** up there.

Aside from the opening in the floor that allows me to use the urinal. If I told you what was up there I'd have to kill you.

 

[jfish]

Plumbed and works? I'm impressed if you use it.... from down on the garage floor level

I kid, I kid, it's not plumbed lol. I needed a place to put it till I install it, I already broke one while it waited. Every time you move it from here to there you run the risk of cracking then porcelain. So, up it went.


The upstairs area is somewhat organized. It's seasonal storage, holiday stuff. All the holiday decorations, dishes and what nots are all in Rubbermaid containers and stacked. Along with the trees, patio furniture and the like. I have an area of shelving I use for books and car parts and general nomenclature that is just long term or keep sake.

The wife's master plan is for me to turn that area into a "mother in law" apartment. More on that in a day or two as my next topic ties into the upstairs. ..

I'd draw a quick sketch but... so little time man

 

[jfish]

All buttoned up, on the road, roughly 100 bux out of pocket after a 45$ trunk lid and title transfer.

 

[jfish]

For my next trick...

This sumbitch is on its way to auction. I've got my eye on it