Garage/shop rearrangement

Im sorry bout the long post, its just for my friends here in case I need some technical help along the way. Btw, what side to I mount my vise on the workbench?
Im righty, so Im thinking the left side of the table?
 
First, rip out everything, which Im working on right now, right down to the bare studs. Clean all old nails out of studs. Im finding tons of stuff hidden, so Im sorting it as I go along, and will leave alot of it in boxes and sort out during the winter months when its too cold to work outside.

I am actually looking forward to winter, when I will be able to do some woodworking. I am too busy when the weather is good doing "chores". Any chance you could "winterize" your shop to let you work the wood while you are snug as a bug in it? I would think a little insulation and a heater would be just the thing to keep you going during the winter months. I have a kerosene heater that works great. I love when it snows and I open the door while I work, looking out onto the landscape. Finishing is a problem though. Of course you have that new finishing room inside your house, so it is not a problem for you.;)

Just seems like a shame to give up on woodworking because it is winter.
 
I was thinking the same thing as Bill just suggested....now would be the time to do while you have it all cleaned out and bare studs.
 
Front vise on left end of front if you are right handed. [On right end of front if left handed.]

Dittos on the insulation and heat. I did that and would be happy to offer what advice I can.
 
I love the idea of venting your DC into his dryer. I laughed like heck.
Glad your tests are looking better.

Sounds like a monumental project :eek: But it's given me the ambition to do the same thing.
 
I time my woodworking schedule in with cold months. I need to do alot of work in my house, still havent finished final caulking and painting of moldings, and still need to paint upstairs bathroom and a few other projects inside.
Its only approx 60-80 days a year its too cold for me, as I usually will work with the door closed and heater on if its in the 20s outside.
 
Forgive me Allen but my brain is a little slow today and I'm still trying to absorb and picture everything you wrote.

Have you done a little sketch of what you want to do with atleast some rough dimensions to make sure nothing will conflict?

Did you take into account how you work as in how you build your projects?

Just curious as to how large your shop is?

Mine is 24 x 24. My saw pretty much stays in one spot with a 4' x 6' out feed table with storage underneath. My scms and surface planer are on mobile carts but I rarely move them from there spots. Even the jointer is on a mobile base and at most I only move that away from the wall about a foot to joint longer material. My lathe is against the opposite wall and it doesn't move from that spot. When ever I use the bandsaw I pull it out and set it next to the table saw and use the duct work for the saw for the tablesaw for dust collection.

As for the vise couldn't help you there as I don't own one and don't miss the one I left behind in Maryland when I moved down here. Just haven't found a need for one yet.:dunno:

Anyway I'll be watching and maybe I'll get a few good ideas for mine.:wave:

I find I move my machines more to get to the material and sheet goods I have stored than when I actually use them.
 
I time my woodworking schedule in with cold months. I need to do alot of work in my house, still havent finished final caulking and painting of moldings, and still need to paint upstairs bathroom and a few other projects inside.
Its only approx 60-80 days a year its too cold for me, as I usually will work with the door closed and heater on if its in the 20s outside.

My shop's first function is as a hide-away and secondarily as a workshop. It is the place I go to in order to get away from everybody. I must confess that a lot of my time spent in my shop must be classified as "puttering". I don't think I could survive 60-80 days without access to it. It is my sanctuary.
 
My shop's first function is as a hide-away and secondarily as a workshop. It is the place I go to in order to get away from everybody. I must confess that a lot of my time spent in my shop must be classified as "puttering". I don't think I could survive 60-80 days without access to it. It is my sanctuary.


+1 on the sanctuary. You've seen my shop and you know that to be a fact.
 
:threadjacked:

My shop's first function is as a hide-away and secondarily as a workshop. It is the place I go to in order to get away from everybody. I must confess that a lot of my time spent in my shop must be classified as "puttering". I don't think I could survive 60-80 days without access to it. It is my sanctuary.

+2, but I don't have too much to get away from out here except the computer. Hmmm, Used to have a computer on my old garage... Just no room for one in this one!

That is until I do the Allen Levine Remodel job on it someday.... :thumb:

:saythat:
 
My shop's first function is as a hide-away and secondarily as a workshop. It is the place I go to in order to get away from everybody. I must confess that a lot of my time spent in my shop must be classified as "puttering". I don't think I could survive 60-80 days without access to it. It is my sanctuary.

+3 for a great place to get away from it all.
 
With the kids gone, and my wife leading a very active social life now, I have alot of alone time. Its nice, IM not complaining, but I can always put on a coat and sit in my garage and play with a machine or two or cut some wood.

Alan:while I havent drawn out the exact measurements down to the 1/4 or 1/8 th of an inch, I have the rough dimensions all drawn out and have to leave some of it as I go along. I have liberated 2 file cabinets, the kind with all those 2x6 inch drawers, great parts and hardware cabinets. I have to see if with the new castors I can incorporate one of them at least into one of the mobile work tables.
I dont move my tablesaw more than 2 feet, and my jointer is only pulled out a foot away from the wood pile. I also roll my bandsaw to the dust line I use for the jointer/planer.
My mitre saw is bolted to permanent table.
If I didnt need to cut one table down and move the mitre saw over to the left, I would have left the wall as is, but I wanted one rolling table devoted to assembly, one I can work on all 4 sides now.
My garage is 16x20.
The right wall has wood storage, coming out about 24 inches onto the floor, the back wall has nothing, the left wall will have all my work benches and mitre saw, drill press, mortiser,etc, and nothing will come out further than 35 inches off the wall.
The TS sits in front of the left work tables, and I move it facing out the garage opening when in use, unless its cold, I just back it up so I have enough outfeed space.(I use rollers on stands)
Im 99.5% sure I can fit everything I want, but then again, I have been wrong in the past, so Ill just do what I have to do when I get to it. 2x4s are cheap, and plywood can be reused.

I have a portable vise that clips on and has worked out fine for me, but I want to feel like a woodworker, so I want a wood vise attached to a work bench. Besides, it will help me cut dovetails eventually.
I had no clue how heavy that sucker was until I tried to lift it tonight.
 
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Its a slow process.
when I work in one area, I have to move all the junk to another area, then move it back again.I moved the temporary assembly table outside so I can just work(on the new assembly table) it all outside now.
And I hate handling sheets of plywood.
I piled them up on each other and used the plunge saw to make identical cuts together. Saves time.
I have to run over to some theater to get tickets with my wife at 4, so Ill stop off at the hardware and get some lag screws to mount the castors. I have the basic framework and first layer of plywood finished, Ill put the wheels on it and give it the weight test, then Ill take a picture of the progress.
Id love to work on it this weekend, but my son wants me to help him secure his dropped ceiling.(he took down 2 walls)
Just what I want to be doing, working on a ceiling up on a ladder.
He doesnt get it that his old man is old and is physically challenged.(and too fat to be climbing up and down ladders)

no more tools steve, that was all done this week. I have no clue where IM going to store them all until I can assemble them and put them in place.IF I used my handtruck and trekked across the wooden floors my wife will do nasty things to me while I sleep, so that option of putting them in the finish room is out completely. Shes warned me already about scratching her floor.(nothing in or connected to my home is mine. Its not ours, its hers! She has told me on numerous occasions I can have the washer and dryer and the stove, shes used them long enough)
 
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this is the first mobile table, without 2 more layers on top.
The second layer will have an approx 12x14 inch space left blank in center at front edge of table.The top layer will have a 10x12 approx space left open above space in second layer.
The drill press, mortiser and grinder will be attached to a piece of approx,11x13, and will be slid into slot when I need the machine. I rarely use the drill press since I purchased the mortiser, so I doubt Ill ever lift the drill press, the heaviest of the 3 machines. Ill just use it on its base or mount it for prolonged use.
My mortiser is number one used machine, and the grinder will be held on bottom shelf, another machine rarely used(so far).
The reason the center support leg is off center is so I can store the lathe extension underneath when not needed, another piece I dont use often.It has a double 2x4 running the width underneath the 3 layers of plywood and the lathe will be placed over that side so there will be plenty of support.
The reason I dont attach the extension permanently is so I can push the mortiser and drill press on back of table for storage, since there will always be a removable ramp with t track for mitre saw(my most used machine) attached the same way, with a board held into the slot.
It will be clearer tomorrow when I finish off this table. I cant find the picture Rob Keeble sent me.
Rob:I plan way ahead of time, the reason I needed to bother you for the pictures again and havent done anything with the project until now.Thanx again for the idea.
Heres a shot of the low table, it was built for my comfort for my lathe, 32 inches putting the lathe at 45 inches for me. If I need to raise one of the three tools on this table, I will just build a thicker platform. Again, tomorrow it will all make sense.
(I went to the hardware to get lag screws. For 48 of them, 1.5 inch, it was 8.29.
The entire box of 100 was 8.49. Go figure.I bought the box)
Thats my new jorgensen 7 inch(I thought it was 9) vise, which will be installed on the second mobile work table, no tools on that table. Putting that vise on a table is certainly a 2 person job.
Myasthenia- that vise was liftable this morning when I needed to move it, at 6 pm, I could not lift it off the table once I got it on there. Impossible.It scares me sometimes, but I guess we all have our battles and health issues.
 

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ok, first machine table is done.
(will not put drawers or shelves underneath till I figure out what exactly I need in the end)
Each machine is mounted on board that slides into place for stability.
I used the dados and trimmed off about 1/32 or so on edges of sliding mounting boards so they move easily but dont move enough to cause instability when using machine.
The mortiser is on a platform for my comfort level.
The grinder and lathe extension will be stored on bottom shelf of table.
Lathe is on back, and I need to spin table around to use lathe.
I can then push the two machines foward and put on lathe extension, the only time consuming process, but I rarely use extension. I built all of this with my order of importance in mind.
I dont need seperate tables now for all the machines, and can have a machine ready to work with in 30 seconds.
The table is built at lathe height.
The mitre ramp will be on sliding panel also, but I dont know how high to make it yet, need to make a new mitre table. I will add support to each end of mitre track/ramp.
Table moves easy enough, but by locking front castors, I wont have to worry about table moving when using mitre.
3 layers of plywood and glued 2x4s offer enough support.
If any wood warps or gets damaged, I can just remove it and put a new layer on, or new platform.
I hope these pictures make it clearer.
The machines are pretty steady mounted on boards, but I wanted to make sure they werent going anywhere if I was working with them, the reason for making the boards slide into place.
 

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A few questions.

Where are you storing the machines when not in use?

Would it not be beneficial to store the attachments, bits and other assorted items that you will use for these tools in drawers built into the table for ease of access?

Are you going to attach a power strip to the table with a cord long enough to plug in somewhere?

I had so many thoughts in my head till loml waved a plate of homemade spagetthi sauce under my nose.:doh:
 
Pretty ingenious Allen :thumb:

I have seen work benches that have a assisted lift that brings the tool up to work height. That way its not necessary to lift the heavy tool. Not sure where I saw it or what its called though.
 
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