Going from shed to 'shop

Looks like you are getting it all figured out.

Shop renovation begins this weekend, hopefully. I've modified my budget and have limited resources each paycheck to do any kind of woodworking. This is included in that $50. I have the option of using it all in getting some stuff done, or using part or none and letting it roll over.

My thought was to grab about 2-4 sheets of OSB at about $8 a sheet and do a corner, probably where the lawnmower will sit and build from there. I could also use as much of the budget I can do (about 6 sheets) and do as much of the walls as I can. I believe to redo all the walls would be about 10 sheets.

For a summary, on the list is:

-Replacing all the walls
-Replace the doors
-Build two cabinets with drawers
-Deconstruct the Ultimate Tool Stand
-Build a new cave for the lawnmower - about 3 2x4s will take care of that, but that corner needs to be done first
-scrap storage and sheet storage

These crickets are loud.

I decided to try and get little things taken care of around the shop so that when it's time for the big stuff, I wouldn't have so much to trip on.

Stuff done in the last two weekends:

-Chisel rack made and up on wall. Also holds my one mallet.
-Hammer holder made and up on wall. It's horrible, but also holds my Japanese saw.
-Misc cabinet made from my former drill press table carcass. Holds my wax, OEM parts for the bandsaw, a bit of safety gear.
-Circular saw rack. Needs to be redone, but it's out of the way for now.
-Put my 1000w work light up on the wall as well.

Not quite yet ready to start putting up new walls, but it's close. A bit more cleanup work, and deconstruction of my UTS is in order next, along with figuring out what to do with all the bins I still have.

As I've stated previously, this is what I'm planning for one side of the shop, and something similar on the other side for my planer. What I'm trying to decide now is if I go with drawers for at least one of them, which I am planning on doing, is how big to make them. It's important, because it will dictate how I construct the unit. I'm unsure if a vertical support in the middle will be necessary. I won't have room for a full, heavy duty bench in the shop if I make two, so I'm trying to decide if I overbuild one and make it bench-like, or sacrifice one and have an actual cabinet bench - a bench that would have to also double as a lunchbox planer table. I've also not ruled out putting the planer back on a flip-top cart and storing it under the miter saw. Or a couple other options, so long as I didn't have to keep it on the floor and lift it up to wherever I will use it. A low cart might work as well, but I don't know how uncomfortable that would be.

Obviously, on a budget, more drawers = more money. For making the drawers themselves, and the slides. Building them with a couple drawers and the rest shelves would work as well. I could also size the shelves to about the size I want the drawers and add them as finances allow. So again, I'm back to how many drawers/slots I want in each one.

Us crickets respond to visual stimuli. Words don't count.

Took a bunch of pics tonight in the dark and I need to sort through them and post in the morning.

I even used a real camera this time.

Okay, here are the requested pictures. I'll do a before and after for the latest set of minor stuff.

Before - Front right corner


After:


Before - back wall


After:



Before - back left corner


After:


Before - front left corner


After (first pic is of lawnmower cubby):


Back right corner (no real change)

Looking well worth the effort, Chris. Should make it easier to get things done in the shop. Thanks for posting the pics.

It's tough to share a small shop area with other family stuff but it looks like you are making the best out of it. Nice progress

The aqua bucket on top is crammed with cutoffs. I'm hoping to get that entire bucket empty by putting them in something else on the wall, using them, or tossing them. The clear buckets below that - one is broken and needs to be tossed, and the other is covers for car seats. Those I'm going to see if I can toss and get rid of those. The carpet roll needs to get gone, but I don't think my trash company will take it.

The blue bucket at the bottom is junk that I'm going to go through, and I have two purple buckets behind that full of various household tools/materials that really don't have a place in a workshop, so those stay. I'd like to keep those and stack them up under a shelf that I would possibly sit my Worksharp or something similar.

The blue and yellow thing is the metal stand that came with my planer. Once I figure out a plan for the planer, that will be disassembled and trashed. It flares out way too wide for the space, but it does make a pretty decent stand.

There is a question here: the white 'bookcase.' I was going to just trash it, but I had another thought - re-purposing it. It's a great width to store those tool carriers (which you can see a little bit better in the pic below). The sides are melamine, the back is cardboard or the like, and the shelves are 3/4" ply I had around. I was thinking about cutting the whole thing into three sections and hanging each section on the wall. Should I do that (and obviously create new bottoms and tops) or just toss it and build brand new cabinets out of all this MDF I have? Buying plywood isn't an option right now with the budget - any plywood purchases must first go to making my surfaces.

That's great. You've worked hard to make that place more woodworking-friendly.

This weekend I may get brave and take down the wall board and see what's behind it. I believe I'm looking at horizontal stud construction, with possibly some really old insulation.

As I've stated before, the structure wasn't built with 16/24 studs, but some sort of horizontal blocking system. I know there has to be some vertical components in there somewhere, but I do not know how many or where they are. If I wanted to add studs at some sort of regular spacing, and either take out or bypass the vertical components, how would I go about this? I don't want to compromise the existing structure.

Well, moved stuff around last night before I lost the sun to see what it would look like. A minor change in layout will have to happen, but it should be okay.

Bought three sheets of 7/16 OSB and I'll be tearing into those walls here shortly, if there's no unforeseen problems pop up.

That's why I couldn't find any studs. Any reason not to take them down?

Chris Hatfield said:

That's why I couldn't find any studs. Any reason not to take them down?

Click to expand...

Very interesting, so they have horizontal boards stretched across the studs?

What kind of sheathing is on the outside? I can't see any reason for them, unless the outside sheathing is something less than structural and the original builder used them for structural integrity.

That being said I'd think if you were putting up OSB on the inside, that would provide much more shear strength than those horizontal stretchers.

But I'd let the guys with more experience chime in before taking my word for it...

Exterior is ply, but not 1/4" like was on the inside. Guess is 3/4.

Insulation looks decent.

One wall done!

That's it for the walls this weekend. Now it's cleanup and possibly make some French cleats for this wall with some scrap.

Chris Hatfield said:

One wall done!

That's it for the walls this weekend. Now it's cleanup and possibly make some French cleats for this wall with some scrap.

Click to expand...

Cool. I think you'll like having the OSB walls. Are you planning to paint the OSB?

Possibly. Might prime it one all the walls are up.

Shop is an absolute wreck. That wall was my primary storage for small tools an now they are all over all surfaces. Putting up the cleats will have to be a top priority.

Good work Chris. Are you planning on surface installing the electrical?