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Garage Outfitting Ideas

fireplug

fireplug

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Hi guys, just bought my first garage! 28 x 26 block construction, concrete floor, heated, power, single rollup, even has the ceiling I beam. Oh yeah and it came with a house.

Anyway, I'm looking for some ideas for setting it up. Any creative storage ideas or equipment or even comfort items that you have and care to share? Maybe even websites or links?

I will have two vehicles in it for now until I sell my '63 VW Bus but that still leaves plenty of door opening room. And the bus can always go outside on the concrete pad if needed.

I know a beer fridge is in order! And a couch on casters. I'd like a TV too. I'll be using a wireless hub with my laptop for interweb access from the house.

I have just bought a toolchest, I also have a couple of lesser chests for tool storage, and I use a couple of file folder cabinets for small parts and whatnot.

A compressor is an obvious one, down the line.

Anything you have done or seen that stays in your mind? All ideas are welcome!

Edit, I came across the idea to use a screen door here...http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7888
 
Shelving/cabinets. LOTS of it. You basically can't have too much storage, but you can certainly have too little. Everyone piecemeals it together, you're starting fresh, do it right, do it now!
 
the biggest compressor and tank you can afford. Plenty of air tools make wrench turning a bit easier....

quick disconnects for airlines that are hardlined from your compressor tank (this equals less rubber line to get in the way)

ditto on the storage racks. Get shelves capable of holding motors / axles etc.

If you'll be doing fabrication some racks for steel tubing are always a necessity.

One thing many people forget:
Security
My dad does cameras and security setup / troubleshooting for one of the Arizona Water / Power companies. He has since added cameras to his house and back yard complete with dvr recording.

I have friends that have had their shops burglarized for parts, vengeance, joyriding and even:eek1: ... beer. My dad actually had a buddy that kept having beer stolen from his shop fridge.
My dad hooked him up with a camera and dvr to record the culprit...
neighbors son was soon recorded and a stern talking to resulted.

Use CAT5 in your wiring setup and you can use it for your laptop computing needs too.
 
That screen is another powered door on a track that rolls up into the ceiling?

One good tip is to mount your vice on a portable base- Broken axle bolted to a rim or something and make it's home near the garage door. When you have metal to grind you can do it outside or at least near the door where clean up is easier.
 
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Something kinda simple is to mount your lights in such a way that when you are standing at the workbench your head isn't casting shadows on your work piece. Same with when you have the hood open- it doesn't cast shadows in the engine bay.
 
Mudstud said:
Something kinda simple is to mount your lights in such a way that when you are standing at the workbench your head isn't casting shadows on your work piece. Same with when you have the hood open- it doesn't cast shadows in the engine bay.
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That is a good one. The house closes on June 8 and I have only been in it twice. Looking at the mls pics, it doesn't look like there was lighting on the ceiling. Find it hard to believe considering it has a furnace and power. I'm going to go in again Friday to check that out.
 
Mudstud said:
One good tip is to mount your vice on a portable base- Broken axle bolted to a rim or something and make it's home near the garage door. When you have metal to grind you can do it outside or at least near the door where clean up is easier.
Click to expand...

my vice is mounted this way. it makes it so much easier to work with. you don't have to think about how you are going to fit long objects in it and clear all the crap that is cluttered on your work bench.

Buy the biggest air compressor you can and build a small room behind the garage to house it in. no point in listening to it run. run hard air lines everywhere. have at least a connection at all 4 corners and a retractable reel overhead in the center.

same thing goes for electricity. outlets everywhere, but make sure your system can handle it. Got any friends that are electricians? have them come over and assess your setup. a dedicated panel for the garage would be ideal.

More then one Fire extinguisher. Mount them so that they are easy to get to. don't ever block them temporarily with anything, they may save your project, garage, home or life.

If it has 2 doors replace them with one or make one of them much higher. If there is not already a standard walk through door to the outside install one. no point in opening one of the roll up doors in the dead of winter to go outside.

A big sink would be ideal, then you can clean up without getting grease all over the dishes.

Get a shed for the lawnmower and yard tools. no sense in them taking up what little space you have. My garage is 20x20 and Its completely consumed with parts and tools.
 
gmc4cw said:
my vice is mounted this way. it makes it so much easier to work with. you don't have to think about how you are going to fit long objects in it and clear all the crap that is cluttered on your work bench.

Buy the biggest air compressor you can and build a small room behind the garage to house it in. no point in listening to it run. run hard air lines everywhere. have at least a connection at all 4 corners and a retractable reel overhead in the center.

same thing goes for electricity. outlets everywhere, but make sure your system can handle it. Got any friends that are electricians? have them come over and assess your setup. a dedicated panel for the garage would be ideal.

More then one Fire extinguisher. Mount them so that they are easy to get to. don't ever block them temporarily with anything, they may save your project, garage, home or life.

If it has 2 doors replace them with one or make one of them much higher. If there is not already a standard walk through door to the outside install one. no point in opening one of the roll up doors in the dead of winter to go outside.

A big sink would be ideal, then you can clean up without getting grease all over the dishes.

Get a shed for the lawnmower and yard tools. no sense in them taking up what little space you have. My garage is 20x20 and Its completely consumed with parts and tools.
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ah dream shop..
 
Vice is a great idea. What did you guys do to mount it to the floor though? Is it permanently mounted?

Air compressor might come later. For now, since I already use CO2 in the truck, I'm going to do the same in the garage with a much larger bottle. This way late night wrenching won't wake up the neighbours.

Sink is a great idea. I am going to look into plumbing the garage, I'd prefer not to have to run into the house all the time seeing as there will be a beer fridge. :D Shouldn't be too expensive, as the house is on one street, and the garage at the back is on another street so there are mains right there.
 
I'll try and remember to take a picture of my vise mount tomorrow night. it's a peice of pipe welded to a big drop from my dads fab shop. By drop I mean a chunk of steel cut out of a sheet of thick steel. it's round so it's easy to move. I may make another one for my bench grinder.

like I said earlier, your work surfaces are going to get cluttered. I have a really nice size benchtop that I can't use.:rolleyes:
 
just buy or build a floor stand for it, redheds and epoxy and your good to go. Co2 will be expensive and you will be fleezing everything you are using..haha. I would splurge on a monster compressor. We have a hydravane, it's quiet and can keep upp with even our largest of sandblasters. We also have a 250 gallon tank for it and compair heater. best set-up in my neighborhood. Build a sweet fab table with wheels and a storage shelf underneath it to store grinders and safety glasses etc.
 
Yeah the CO2 isn't cost efficient over time, but initially it will work. I won't have the cash for a good compressor for a while and don't want to settle for a crappy one.

I plan on having most everything on wheels to keep the space modular.
 
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I don't think anyone mentioned a heat source. A little wood burning stove wood be nice, or one of those propane tank mounted heaters. Or a kerosene jet engine type heaters, but I always thought they smelled, but damn do they work good. I just saw that you were in Canada and thought it might get cold up there. :dunno:
 
littlejimmythatcould said:
I don't think anyone mentioned a heat source. A little wood burning stove wood be nice, or one of those propane tank mounted heaters. Or a kerosene jet engine type heaters, but I always thought they smelled, but damn do they work good. I just saw that you were in Canada and thought it might get cold up there. :dunno:
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Yep already has a gas furnace! But yeah, it was the lack of heat that kept me from working on my rig all this winter. I currently rent a big, place with a high ceiling. I freeze my ass off, even using a propane heater. Sad part is if you climb up onto the work bench to reach something you could work in shorts! :mad:
 
here is my vice mount. its a 6" pipe welded to a piece of round scrap plate. there are studs welded to it to bolt the vice to. its several colors along with rust. I start every can of spray paint along the pipe in the hopes that some day it will be completely painted.:doah:

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I really like having a storage bin selection of new bolts nuts and washers. I have from 1/4 x 3/4 up to 1/2 x 5. It is very nice to not have to search for a bolt in cans and boxes. This is especially nice if you are building a project. Grade 8 for everything. I do keep some Grade 5 and lesser in boxes under the bench for less demanding jobs. I also really like my torch set, and mig.
The possibilities are endless. Good luck
 
Yeah I really like the vice idea. Table mounted is definitely a pain. I'll be incorporating that for sure.
 
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