New workshop build

[Bas]

(Disclaimer: I started the process last month, so the updates I'll be posting are not real time. But this will give you the illusion I move faster than I actually did, motivating you to tackle some projects you've been putting off. You're welcome!).

I moved into my new place about a year ago, and finally had time to being the conversion of the garage to a functional workshop. It's a decent size garage (about 23x24), but it's smaller than my previous shop. Rule #1: Always make sure shop(n+1) > shop(n), or you'll have a hard time fitting everything in. I definitely broke rule #1.

So this is where I'm starting. A random collection of boxes and tools, only two 120V outlets, a ridiculously small light on the ceiling, and unpainted walls:

garage_1.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

garage_2.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

garage_3.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

And it needs to turn into something like this:

sketchup_1.png

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

sketchup_2.png

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

Obviously I haven't gotten everything included in the drawing, but after measuring everything, it should all fit! Right?
(Narrator: It didn't all fit)

 

[Roy G]

Bas, I recommend you put your bandsaw on a mobile base so you can pull it out from the wall. When you are resawing a long board, it helps to look down the length and guide it through the blade.

Since you have a lot of Chewy boxes on display I assume you have a shop dog or cat. You got a place for him/her/it?

Roy G

 

[Bas]

Step one was to get the garage painted - including the ceiling. That's a fun project any day, but it's especially fun when it's 90+ degrees outside. The garage wasn't quite that hot, but let's just say drying times were expected to be above average.

I started early in the morning moving some of the racks at the back of the garage away from the walls, and noticed the floor (concrete slab) was damp in some areas. What's worse, the drywall adjacent to said floor was also...damp. On the other side of the wall is a full bathroom, so naturally mild panic set in. Time to start opening the wall, moving progressively higher.

water_leak.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

water_leak2.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

The culprits:

expletive_deleted.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

Looks like when the house was built 10 years ago the drywall guy missed the stud and drove two screws into the main water line. The heat from driving the screws probably sealed the leaks, but as they rusted and everything expanded/ contracted things started to leak. While painful, at least I discovered this before putting in cabinets, electrical, etc.

Called a plumber, got it fixed, reduced workshop budget with plumber bill, and patched the drywall.

drywall_repair.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

drywall_repair2.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

Overall, excellent progress toward getting the shop done!

 

[Bas]

Bas, I recommend you put your bandsaw on a mobile base so you can pull it out from the wall. When you are resawing a long board, it helps to look down the length and guide it through the blade.

Since you have a lot of Chewy boxes on display I assume you have a shop dog or cat. You got a place for him/her/it?

Roy G

Excellent advice. I have everything on a mobile base, even the drill press, for precisely the reason you mentioned. I'm keeping the aisle in front of the drill press/ band saw clear not only so I can walk from the door to the outside, but also as expansion space to work with any of the major power tools.

I used to have a lot of pets, now just down to one cat and a bird (neither are into woodworking, you know how ungrateful they sometimes can be...)The Chewy boxes were actually supplied by a friend who was really bad about throwing out boxes. Turns out they are the perfect size for packing shop supplies, hand tools, measuring/ marking tools, etc.

 

[Howie]

Locking caster mobile as much as possible including assembly tables set to off feed hights.

 

[JimD]

If you only have one small light don't you need to add a bunch of boxes and fixtures? It probably would have made sense to do that before you painted the ceiling. A friend who also does electrical work for new homes as well as remodels showed me how he extends circuits. He uses the big hole saw he uses to put in can lights (not at all my favorite) to poke holes where he needs to put a wire through a joist and then after that is done, he uses the disk of wall board to patch the hole (screwed into a backer piece). Pretty quick and easy. I would put adequate lights into the plan pretty early. Hard to work without it. Doesn't have to be expensive. I have four 2 bulb fixtures with big LED bulbs plus one 4 foot led fixture in my shop. Light is only about 50 lumens per square foot but it's a lot more than one fixture will give you. Probably better just to put in enough 4 foot leds these days.

 

[NOTW]

it seems like you took the approach of getting things set in the house correctly then moving to working on your shop. I on the other hand took a different approach when we moved 5 years ago, I told my wife in order to hang things and decorate the house like she wanted I needed my tools and to arrange the garage first

 

[farmerbw]

Bas, well progress is still progress I guess. :-( I'm curious as to what the hecky-ho that piping configuration is and why it's set up like that? Is there a shutoff valve in that insulation somewhere that has to remain outside the wall like that?

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

If you wind up having to do a bunch of wiring in the ceiling to properly light your shop, consider installing 1 or 2 overhead retractable extension cords in the ceiling. Make both 20 amp, preferably on separate circuits. You'll be amazed at how much you will use them and how convenient they are.

With the one light fixture, try out one of these new fangled led paddle lights. Some of them put out pretty fierce lumens, and they can be aimed at specific spots like your table saw and work benches. If you like them you'll intuit how many and where to place them.

Almost every machine tool in my shop is on wheels. The smaller the wheel the more annoying it is to move the machine around. If you don't object to the additional height of the tool's working surface, go to 4" or 5" swivel, double locking casters. You'll especially like them if you move machine tools from inside to outside when you use them. If you will be using tools outside, plan ahead for a hookup to your dust collection system.

 

[ScottM]

Step one was to get the garage painted - including the ceiling. That's a fun project any day, but it's especially fun when it's 90+ degrees outside. The garage wasn't quite that hot, but let's just say drying times were expected to be above average.

I started early in the morning moving some of the racks at the back of the garage away from the walls, and noticed the floor (concrete slab) was damp in some areas. What's worse, the drywall adjacent to said floor was also...damp. On the other side of the wall is a full bathroom, so naturally mild panic set in. Time to start opening the wall, moving progressively higher.

water_leak.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

water_leak2.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

The culprits:

expletive_deleted.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

Looks like when the house was built 10 years ago the drywall guy missed the stud and drove two screws into the main water line. The heat from driving the screws probably sealed the leaks, but as they rusted and everything expanded/ contracted things started to leak. While painful, at least I discovered this before putting in cabinets, electrical, etc.

Called a plumber, got it fixed, reduced workshop budget with plumber bill, and patched the drywall.

drywall_repair.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

drywall_repair2.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

Overall, excellent progress toward getting the shop done!

Had the exact same issue in my Cary house. Took about 10 years for the screw to rust away. Like in my case the damage was confined to the garage area. That's a good thing.

 

[Dee2]

Be great if you could compile a build "article" for our Resource forum of your build out. Please consider.

 

[Bas]

If you only have one small light don't you need to add a bunch of boxes and fixtures? It probably would have made sense to do that before you painted the ceiling. A friend who also does electrical work for new homes as well as remodels showed me how he extends circuits. He uses the big hole saw he uses to put in can lights (not at all my favorite) to poke holes where he needs to put a wire through a joist and then after that is done, he uses the disk of wall board to patch the hole (screwed into a backer piece). Pretty quick and easy. I would put adequate lights into the plan pretty early. Hard to work without it. Doesn't have to be expensive. I have four 2 bulb fixtures with big LED bulbs plus one 4 foot led fixture in my shop. Light is only about 50 lumens per square foot but it's a lot more than one fixture will give you. Probably better just to put in enough 4 foot leds these days.

Jumping a head a bit. I only plan to be in this house for a few years, so I'm trying to not go overboard on the shop. But good lighting is a must.
Per another member's suggestion I purchased some LED strips. These things are great: Super light, easy to install, lots of light, and you can simply daisy-chain them. I've got ten 4ft lights in my garage, and that seems to be the right amount.

lights_ceiling.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

Two screws, two drywall anchors, and two clips and it's done. Compared to installing conventional T8 shop lights this was trivial.

These lights come with switches, but that's not very convenient. I bought some smart plugs and a control box. Simply plug the lights into the smart plug, hang the control box and you're in business. Wireless works great. Yes, you can get smartplugs that work with an app on your phone. I'm old fashioned, I want a button I can push...

outlet_switch.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

switch_remote.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

If I was going to be here permanently I probably would have hard wired them, but this way I can take with me when I leave.

 

[Bas]

Bas, well progress is still progress I guess. :-( I'm curious as to what the hecky-ho that piping configuration is and why it's set up like that? Is there a shutoff valve in that insulation somewhere that has to remain outside the wall like that?

Fairly standard for newer houses. Yes, it has the main water shutoff in the insulation.

 

[Bas]

After the false start with the water leak I managed to get the painting done. It's not the cleanest paint job (the ceiling has some joints that really should be retaped, remudded), but it's a garage.. And now it's nice and bright. Still have one section to do but that'll come when I've got the rest of the shop organized.

electrical_4.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

electrical_2.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

electrical_1.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

electrical_3.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

Jim from Integrity Electric did the install work for me. Nice guy, easy to work with. Again, trying to not go overboard here. My previous shop had 42 outlets, this one is a bit more modest, but I should have enough for all the important tools. Not having to run an extension cord across the garage for every little job has already been a major improvement.

(BTW that plastic plate in the picture was just temporary)

 

[Bas]

Now for the fun part - actually turning the garage into something that looks like a workshop.

For my old shop, I built the cabinets myself. 3/4" prefinished plywood, quartersawn oak for the rails and stiles, full extension drawer slides, etc. Beautiful, amazingly strong, but total overkill of course. I also got some 1/2" particle board/ formica cabinets from a Phil demolition job, and once mounted they worked just as well. Maybe even better because I didn't have to worry about accidentally scratching them.

There's not that many options for buying cabinets on a budget. I went with the unfinished ones from Home Depot. They're not great. The sides are 3/8" particle board, the joinery consists of sometimes shoddy stapling, and the drawer bottoms are very thin. But, after an hour of gluing in some 2x4 pieces to strengthen the toe kick, adding a few brads in the sides and stapling the backs, it wasn't too bad. And once installed, they're more than strong enough. I did look at the cabinets from Home Outlet, those are a lot better in terms of material/ construction but they are completely unfinished, both inside and out. Too much finishing work.

cabinets_delivered.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 22, 2023

To hang the cabinets I used French cleats. Much easier to mount/ level a strip of plywood than hoisting up a cabinet and trying to get it level/ drive home screws etc.

cleat_3.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 22, 2023

cleat_2.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 22, 2023

cabinet_cleat_2.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 22, 2023

cabinet_cleat.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 22, 2023

The wall had a significant bow in it, but with some shims I was able to get the cleat flat, which made it much easier to keep the fronts of the cabinets aligned.

upper_cabinets_left.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

upper_cabinets_right.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

The garage floor slopes quite a bit front to back, about 1/8" per foot. With the longer cabinet run being about 15', that means the end is almost 2" lower than the beginning. I used my track saw to rip a couple of 2x4s from nothing to 1" and from 1" to 1 15/16". I then ripped two more strips with the same slope but slightly thicker, since the garage floor also slopes left to right. In the end I got the base fairly close, and made the rest of the adjustments with shims. Overall pretty happy with the result.

lower_cabinet_leveling.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 12, 2023

cabinets_installed.jpg

• Bas
• Aug 22, 2023

(The blue cabinet is there temporarily for the miter saw. I plan to replace it with a shelf mounted to the cabinets, so the miter saw table will be flush with the countertops. I'll embed a T-track in the countertop for a stop block)

I had to put a filler strip against the corner cabinet to ensure the door next to it would open properly. This is where they rob you blind - $22 for a 3"x30" strip. I bought a piece of riftsawn oak for $8 instead, and got twice the material at a third of the cost. I also need to make some more shelves, each cabinet only comes with one and you typically need at least two shelves. The cabinets don't come with a toe kick either, which is just as well, since I need to account for the slope in the floor. Once I have a table saw I'll get that knocked out.

I do need to shore up the drawers. The bottoms are super thin, and can't hold much weight. I'm thinking I'll cut some 3/8" plywood that fits the underside exactly and use some epoxy to glue it in. Even with the extra material needed/ time invested I think that's still faster than building them all from scratch. I may also replace the runners with some full extension slides for the larger drawers, but that's not as urgent.

Next - finishing!

 

[drw]

Bas, the shop is taking shape nicely! Your dust collection hood around the miter saw is impressive; you are doing all you can do to made it difficult for dust to escape! Looking forward to more pics as you make additional progress.

 

[Warped Woodwerks]

Looking good..! Wish I had cabinets in my garage.

 

[Canuck]

Shaping up really nice there, Bas!! I can see many sweaty hours of work completed already.

 

[chris_goris]

This is the accepted method of plumbing main shutoff valves today????

 

[Howie]

Envy your high ceiling.