Seeking advice on 2 car garage conversion to shop

[MikeL]

Hey guys, this is only my second post as a newbie. I have read several posts where your generous guidance has helped other NCWW members, so I thought that I would pick your collective brain!

My wife has agreed to hand over the entire garage space for my future shop barring I agree to scrape the ice off of her windshield. Sweet! I can live with that. So, I would like to solicit your ideas on how to best convert my 2 car garage into a functional shop. Our garage is 20' x 24' with a 10/12 pitch roof that creates a useless void of space that I wish to avoid heating/cooling in the future. I did build a loft over top of one of the garage doors to create storage space, but I would like to hear what members have done in similar situations. I have a newly installed sub panel with plenty of room for expansion. The walls are not insulated,which is on the list, and I would like to panel them. Any suggestions are welcome from finishing to layout. I realize this is a broad topic. I have admired the shop photos posted here already. Hopefully you'll have some creative ideas that I have overlooked. Thank you in advance for your help!

Mike

 

[Douglas Robinson]

Michael:

Welcome. I envy your wife's genrosity. I only have a one stall garage. What type of woodworking do you do? What machines do you have, and what if any do you plan on getting in the future?

If you garage door is not insulated, do so. I am covering all the walls with T-10 paneling so that I can mount cabinets anywhere regardless of the locations of the studs. (I am using french cleats).

How will do you plan on heating and cooling the shop?

There are lots of quesions before I can give specific suggestions.

Doug

 

[MikeL]

Thanks Doug, I currently have a simple arsenal of tools: Ryobi 3000 TS, 10" CM, standing drill press, compressor, and various hand tools. My projects have been home improvements to date, but I want to learn and practice furniture and cabinet making for my own enjoyment. I have taken one course at the NCSU Crafts Center, and just signed up for the intro to cabinet making course at Woodcraft.

I want to purchase a few new pieces in the near future including a jointer, planer, and band saw. But first I need to get my shop in order. I already have (2) HO lights that I can reinstall if I make changes to the ceiling (they currently hug the rafters up high).

Hopefully this gives a bit more insight into my hopes. I welcome your thoughts.

 

[Douglas Robinson]

Well let's see. Everything depends on your budget.

As far as lighting goes, I am installing four 8' Fluorescent lights in my 1 car shop. So You probably will want 8 four the area you are using.

Dust collection is a concern you need to address a dust collector and an airfilter are a MUST. The long term harmful effects of wood dust are significant. I am planning on adding a cyclone to my shop as I only have a small unit now. I have an air filter already. (BTW having the dust collecter near an entrance/exit makes less work when disposing the sawdust.)

As far as layout goes...it is a very persnal thing. Most people consider workflow. The joiner and planer are near the entrance and each other (usually near the table saw or CMS). Lumber storage is also near the entrance to minimize moving materials farther than necessary.

The drill press and bandsaw going against a wall as the required working area aroung the tool does not require access from all sides.

A bench or working/assembly table is helpful too. My bench is designed to work as the outfeed table for my table saw. In view of my limited space most tools are mobile.

Also storage is critcal. Since I have high ceilings (11.5') I am using the upper reaches for cabinets to store everything I can.

Hope this helps. After I get the wiring done, you're welcome to come see what I have done.

Doug

 

[cpowell]

Mike, I have a 20x24 detached shop that was built when I bought my house 3 1/2 years ago. I had a contractor pour the pad, frame and dry in the shop. I wired, insulated and paneled the walls. Ceiling is insulated but not finished (still on the list :lol: ). I wish I had went 24 x 32 but the shop is VERY functional as-is.

If you leave a pull string in place from the panel to the ceiling space (I assume you'll either install and insulate a ceiling or insulate the roof line and use that area for storage) you can always add circuits in the future.

I Googled for shop layout and just went through a lot of ideas before deciding where to place my machines. The heart of my shop is tablesaw, jointer, planer, with the TS centrally located. I have an assembly table parallel to the TS which serves as an outfeed and work location.

Put outlets everywhere, you'll never regret it. I would run 20 amp ckts with 12 AWG wire...no sense running 15A.

Everyone will be glad to help as your ideas gel into a plan. If you need pics, just ask!!

Chuck

 

[Splinter]

As Doug said T-10 paneling or plywood so you can mount cabinet and hang tools anywhere on the walls will give you lots of storage. If you close in your ceiling and put in a set folding stairs you can have lots of overhead storage, plus you can insulate the ceiling to make the shop more comfortable. I also suggest you paint the interior walls white. The table saw needs lots of space around it if you plan to cut sheets of plywood or any long material. Lay it all out on paper or use one of the online tools to plan a shop layout.

 

[FredP]

I have white pegboard all over the place. It realy helps with the lighting :-D but the hooks fall out sometimes.:-( whatever you use a bright color will be advantagious . I left the joists open and store stuff up there. The second floor makes for good storage if you could plywood the floor but then you gotta have stairs to get up there and they take up space. thats something you will never have enough of!:-D post some pics for us?

fred p

 

[Tarhead]

Michael,
Welcome to the group! Lots of experience in this crowd doing exactly what you are getting ready to do. Some like me wish they would have done (and still need to do ) some of these things. Apoligies in advance for being longwinded. The caffeine is working:lol: .

My best $.02 advice is to start with the shop layout planner Grizzly offers Grizzly Industrial - Workshop Planner

If your walls and ceiling are not insulated do it as early in the process as you can. If the walls are sheetrocked go here and see how to do it: Shop Heat

Heating/Ventilation/Air Condition: You need to be comfortable or you won't use the shop and your wood, supplies and equipment need to be in a stable environment or funky things will happen. Kerosene is probably not the best option for heating. Some of us are considering the Mini Split Heatpumps but a window AC unit and baseboard heat work fine.

Lighting has already been addressed. Look into the different flourescent bulbs as some are much more efficient than others. An incandescent light beside your finishing and sanding area providing a "raking light" is important and will assist in seeing surface details much better than overhead flourescent alone. Not sure how old you are but I am finding as I age there is not enough light. If you can install a few 110 outlets strategically in the ceiling you can plug in additional fixtures later.

Wood Storage: Many of us have a version of this: Lumber Rack
Warning about this...the piece of wood you need will always be on the bottom:roll: . More rows of supports are better than fewer and equal less wood to move when you are up on a ladder.

Tunes: Plan a space for a decent stereo.

Phone: You won't be able to hear it but may need to call for help. I keep my cell on vibrate in my pocket and strive to keep the blood on the inside.

Door opener: If you have a garage door opener plan to disable it when you're working. Murphy's Law mandates that it will open when you are in the middle of a critical cut, fastening, etc and you will jump.

Electrical: If you can install a main shut-off to outlets servicing the shop equipment do it. Things go bump in the night and some equipment can mysteriously start up, short out, cause a fire, etc. Shut down the power when nobody's in the shop. My friend in Asheville got a call while he was at work from a neighbor informing him that his tablesaw had been running for a long time. When he got there it was very hot. A board had fallen on the saw and it started up.

Program room for a stool near your work bench. I think better sitting.

Floor: get some foam pads. Concrete is hard on your bones.

Finally...Don't obsess on all this like me. Make some stuff!

Whew!!! I'm usually not this longwinded. Tarheels winning last night did something to me I guess! Good luck with your shop! We want to see pictures of your progress.
Mark

 

[Travis Porter]

And I have a 24 x 32 and wish I had done a 30 x 40. Never enough space, time, or money.

 

[MikeL]

Wow, thank you to all who have already posted (a testament to how great this network seems to be). I will certainly get photos asap. The issue that I have with the ceiling is that there are no ceiling joists. So I either have to use a drop ceiling or I have to put in a wall to compensate for the span. Neither are very attractive in my opinion. Maybe the answer is to leave it open to the ridge and simply insulate. I have a 28000 BTU propane heater. I may install some cheap ceiling fans to keep the heat low.

As far as finishes for the walls go, I like the clean look of that slotted garage organizer paneling (not sure of the brand name). I imagine that it is not cheap. And it may not be ideal for a woodworking shop anyway.

To touch on dust collection. I am familiar with the hazards of saw dust and know that DC is a top priority. I would love to have a system, possibly PVC, to run several legs to particular equipment to avoid moving from one station to another. Hey, when I dream, I dream big :-D I've seen several different systems. What is the best bang for the buck? Is one brand better than another? I'm the type that would rather wait a bit longer to get a better product than to run out and buy what I can afford at that moment. Which means I'll be waiting on a lot because you guys have some really great setups shown here! Thanks again for the continued input, and I'd love to visit some of my close neighbors. Take care.

Mike

 

[Gofor]

10/12 is a steep pitch. Sounds like you have enough room for another storage room up there if you run some joists. Regardless, you may not want to insulate flat against the existing roof (ie rock wool between the rafters) because it will cause your shingles to fry in the summer, greatly shortening their life.
Congrats on getting a new Shop!!

Go

 

[dtomasch]

Just a quick thought on sheeting walls. 1/2'' OSB is 4.98 at HD right now. Super cheap. Put the smooth side out and paint it white. I've been planning on doing this for weeks, but just havn't found the time:-( Good luck ad congrats

 

[DaveD]

I'd try to make the ceiling as high as possible. Maybe rafter ties half way up the slope and then drwall the slope and flat part. If you go this route be sure to use those foam standoffs that keep the insulation off the roof surface so you can get air flow on the bottom side of the roof.

I'm not a fan of atic storage. Usually I try to put too much up there and it just becomes a PITA. If you do attic storage and get a pull down stairway then don't skimp on the quality of the pulldown.

I'd insulate the walls and then use 1/2" plywood screwed on the walls and then painted white. I'd do all the wiring in EMT and run both 220 and 110 on all walls. Maybe separate breakers for each wall if you have the room. Put quad outlets for the 110V and don't buy cheap receptacles. Run all the conduit/outlets about 54" from the floor so you can lean sheet goods against the wall. Personally I don't believe you can have too many outlets. I have the quad receptacles about 5' apart on one wall and its still crowded some days. I also have 3 50A outlets for the welding stuff and another 3 220V 20A receptacles for other stuff. Its a good idea to have a sub panel in the garage if at all possible so its easy to control the electrical situation.

I don't like pegboard for a lot of reasons. The main one is I also do welding and its too good of a place for sparks to find dust. I also gave up years ago having tools hung on the wall. Just another place for dust to settle on everything.

My standard 2 car garage has the proverbial 10# of stuff in a 5# bag. The wifes car still gets in the garage 90% of the time at night.

I have a 4' deep platform over my double garage door that hold all kinds of crap. Its packed to the gills.

Plan for a good 220V circuit for an air compressor even if you don't have one now.

I like big tool boxes to keep my small tools in but that can get expensive in a hurry. Most hand power tools still are kept out in the open in their original cases.

I have two work tables (1 wood, 1 steel) that roll around on heavy duty casters. Even when they are loaded down they are easy to move. my radial saw and planer are also on casters. All those things have screw down machine pads to keep them from moving once I have them out for a project.

Try to keep the lighting circuit independent of the sub panel (if you have one) controlling the shop. that way you won't be caught in the dark.

If you have a big air compressor then plan to run some copper or 'black pipe' runs for air. Notice I didn't even mention PVC fopr air.

Once I sweep out the shop I use the leaf blower to get it really clean. That is one advantage of working in a garage. I also got a beer refrigerator out there for those planning/design sessions and for crying(in your beer) when you make a mistake or at the end of the day. I also couldn't live without my slop sink in the garage. Some days I think I'm just like the cartoon character 'pigpen'.

 

[MikeL]

Don, thank you for your time to write out all of that great insight (and to everyone who has posted). This information is very helpful as I begin to plan for my shop conversion. I have a few specific questions that I'm sure you all can help me with:

1) What dust collection system do you guys use and would you recommend it if my goal is to run a connections to several machines. I have seen the Grizzley cyclone systems that start around $700. I would rather spend my money elsewhere. I expect to acquire the basics (i.e., table saw, band saw, planer, jointer).

2) Do any of you have photos of your shop conversions? Ideally, if you have an open ceiling all the way up to the ridge beam. I am interested in seeing some examples of how you dealt with this and made the most of the "dead space".

3) Since there are no ceiling joists spanning my 2-car garage, how would you recommend I go about crossing this 20' span using standard framing (trusses, TruJoist, etc.)

Thank you again for reading my long-winded questions. I hope to be able to contribute to this board in the future. If in no other way but to post deals (I am a bloodhound when it comes to shopping for the specials).

Mike

 

[golfdad]

Michael check out my pics My shop is in a two car garage