LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Matt's Long Awaited Workshop Renovation

20K views 62 replies 29 participants last post by  Chipncut 
#1 ·
In the Beginning

In the beginning, there was a workshop. It was very cold. Especially in the winter. It was also messy. The owner had not mounted anything permanently, on the walls, because he hoped that, some day, he would be able to add insulation and wall covering and provide a place for the efficient warming of this desolate space.

Ok, enough of that. In case you didn't read the title or deduce from my workshop page that I'm talking about my shop, it's me.

Honestly, I had planned on doing this in the early fall of 2008. Then the economy turned bad, I got scared, and I held off on the plan and hoarded cash at the same time. There's nothing like a recession to put things on hold and fast!

After spending my second winter in an icy cold shop, I said, "Enough! Let there be heat!". (There I go again). I took the plunge and coordinated helpers, ordered materials to be delivered, and plunked down the moolah. I figured once I got past that, it would be 'no looking back'.

I started the project by cleaning and organizing everything. Everything got put in its place, had a place created for it, or got moved to a new place that I had created by moving something else. Nice, neat, functional, and in a 'known' location. Ever lose tools when you organized your shop? Make a pirate map! (Not really). Everything came off the walls and got neatly stacked for quick evacuation when the next phases 'spin up'. Oh yeah!

Soo, these are on my workshop page and soon to be on my personal website but I thought I would share them with the LJ blogging community in a series. I've actually gotten past the first phase. New pictures and a new post will probably be up within the next 48 hours.

For now, here is what I had to start with.





My poor bench! I'm so sorry. (sniff…sniff)


Take care!
Matt
 
See less See more
3
#3 ·
Why yes. Yes it is. I have a blog post all queued up in my iPhone to talk more about it. You'll just have to wait. (wink, wink!). It's a good one too! Cost me a pretty penny. The weather finally warmed up enough, this weekend, to actually start doing some 'test cutting' with it
 
#4 ·
The Walls are Bare and the Insulation is Up!

Over this past week, I took some time off from work (because the weather was going to be insanely nice, Hallelujah!) and worked around the house and shop. I didn't spend all my time on the renovation but I did put in quite a bit of time out there. I tinkered with the CNC (aka Duchess. Don't ask. Ok, go ahead, ask.)
and got the vacuum foot attached and tested. I'll get a video and some shots of it up real soon.

As you can see from the shots, I have everything, except for the bench, removed from the walls and stacked nicely. A bunch of buddies (aka Work Detail. They don't know I call them that.) are coming over on Saturday morning to hang drywall and get the tape and first coat of mud on. With 6-8 folks and all the trimmings, we should have it knocked out in no time. With everything on wheels or stacked in small piles, I estimate I can move everything out of the shop in less than one hour.

If the first coat of mud looks good enough, we'll stop right there and I'll paint the shop after it dries. Maybe a little sanding. It's a shop, after all.

I plan to surface mount the wiring in metal conduit for flexibility and the service upgrade I have planned for late summer. A 100 amp subpanel with some 240v circuits! Bring it on! Anyway, I still have to remove some of the existing wiring and conduit to allow me to get it mounted over the drywall.

That's about it for now. Let me know what you think.





 
#5 ·
Matt - I live in Florida so have the opposite problem - too much heat instead of cold. My garage/shop walls are concrete block so aren't too bad but the garage door was a full on heat radiator late in the day each early spring to mid fall day. I insulated the garage door with the same fiberglass bats and it made a tremendous difference. They sell garage door insulation kits but the bats do just as well for a lot less.

It doesn't look as if you have insulated the door. You may want to think about it.

!!
 
#9 ·
Drywall Day - I Have Some Great Friends

I planned the drywall installation for my shop on Saturday. Several of my friends agreed to come over and help me hang it. Since I had no experience with it, this was a blessing. The night before, 30 sheets of 1/2 and 5/8 inch drywall were delivered by a local lumber supplier. My plan was to get up and start rolling tools out of the shop and, hopefully, have an area we could work in by 9:00am. I got finished just in the nick of time.

We managed to get 95% of the drywall hung, 60% of the tape and first coat of mud applied. I plan to finish the tape and first coat today (Sunday) and then I can start working out the small details on my electrical system while it dries. I've got two empty slots in my service panel (currently 2 20amp breakers for the shop) which I plan to replace with 60 amp breakers and run a big ole' wire out to the shop. I've run the estimates and even with the extra load out in the shop, I should be well below my maximum usage for my service! Yay! The plan is for a small subpanel with several circuits. I'll document more of the electrical phase later.

Overall, it was a nice cool day and we had a good time. I think we're all a little tired and sore but it was worth it and I made sure to feed them well while they were there. Hopefully a couple will come back and visit my shop often after it's all complete.

Take care,
Matt

Here's the first picture, a couple of folks are already in there setting up the drywall lift (don't do a ceiling without one!).



We found out, the previous owner's contractor, didn't build the garage perfectly plumb. Here my 'forman' and his assistant are figuring out the best strategy for getting the ceiling installed.



Eventually, they figured it out and we got the first piece up, without a hitch.


We're making good time now.


It's nice to have several friends to help you out, when you need it. Yes, we have a girl woodworker in our group. Sorry, she's married to the guy on the left.


We are well into the 'fun' part now. Tape and mud!


It's time to tape and mud Mr. Henry. Put the hammer down!


This is Dick, the mastermind. Without him, I think we would still be hanging the panels! Thanks, Dick!
 
#19 ·
I Hate Sanding

Putting on the tape and mud isn't so bad. However, sanding absolutely sucks! There, I feel much better. Actually, things are going pretty well. I have about 60% of the garage/shop done. I still have another coat to put on some spots and the area above the garage door to finish.

I'm planning to run some wiring in the next week and look to build a small lumber storage area above the garage door. I'm not cramped, by any means, in here but any additional storage is always a good thing in my book. Especially if it doesn't get in your way or take up valuable shop space. This space is totally free!

The weather looks like this today so I'm not planning on getting much done in there today. We're suppose to get 2 inches of snow tonight around St. Louis and the Metro East (my area). Yuck!


Here are some pictures of the progress.

and
 
#24 ·
The Sanding is Done!

Here are just a few shots of the garage after I finished sanding all of the walls. Something I thought I would never finish. Once you start doing it and realize how tiring it is, you think it will never end. Perseverance is the key. Just keep your head down, don't look up and keep on sanding. I have some gaps in places but that no longer matters to me. I never planned for this to be a 'home interior' drywall job. That would have been great but when all is said and done, it's still my workshop. There will be lots of cabinets and other things hanging on the walls to hide my 'sins'.

Painting is scheduled for Saturday. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous and not too hot.

Here are the shots.







 
#33 ·
Painting is Done - White and Bright!

I'm getting excited and I'm pretty happy with how everything has come out.

My father-in-law came over to the house on Saturday around noon. He and I used to do professional house painting as a 'side gig' for several years so we made short work of it. Only took us a shade over 3 hours to do all 3 walls and the ceiling. When you have done something like this with someone for a long time, you can work really efficiently. The wife tried to come out and help a little but we told her she would probably just slow us down. (No offense, babe. You're still my gal. haha)

I decided to go with a semi-gloss for the paint job. I wanted somelthing that would be easy to clean and might not 'hang on to' dust as bad as a 'flat' type of paint.

All in all, I would say the amount of time spent actually out in the shop working on this is 6 days. That includes insulation, pulling down electric conduit, insulation in the walls, drywall, mud-tape-sanding, and painting. Not too bad. The only thing left is to install some 3 inch baseboards, finish running electrical circuits (I'm having a 100amp subpanel installed in a few weeks), and the 'scuttle hole' for attic access. Eventually some pull-down stairs will go in that spot.

Here is the hardest part for me. Determing a good layout for my NEW shop. I know that eventually I will install a nice clear coated epoxy floor (with a little sand for traction). And I plan to do some University of Kentucky themed accents. Toying with painting my baseboards UK blue (Go Cats!). This is where I need your help. It's a clean slate with 400 sq/ft to play with. I still have to make a small place for two sections I've been referring to as 'Lawn and Garden' (Mower, weed whacker, chainsaws, etc) and 'Sporting Goods' (bicycles and my twin daughters' toybox). Not a huge amount of stuff. Other than that, I need to layout a few more departments. Mainly, 'Lumber', 'Power Tools', 'Assembly', 'Sanding', etc. You get the idea.

Here are the pictures. Please don't mind the mess.

Thanks for looking!







 
#34 ·
Matt, as I said earlier this looks really good. Putting epoxy on the floor is going to be much easier now than after you have your shop organized but this is your call.

Great idea on the UK theme as well. GO CATS!!!! Maybe you should paint a wildcat picture in the center of your shop floor, :)

As far as organizing your shop goes why don't you try putting your shop in Sketchup and you can download tool models to help you with your layout or Grizzley has a two dimensional workshop planner that may be useful. I tend to organize my tools around the proximity of my table saw, since this is the tool I use the most, followed by jointer and planer. Kind of like the golden triangle concept in kitchen planning.
 
#38 ·
Electrical Work and Updates

Here is the progress so far.

The walls are insulated, covered with sheetrock, mudded, and taped. I have installed (4) 2-bulb 4ft light fixtures in the ceiling. There is still room for 4 more and I'll be adding those later. I have some of the conduit and outlets in the ceiling as well as starting to run the wiring for the wall outlets. I plan to alternate circuits to provide me with the flexibility of running multiple tools but spreading out the amp draw. The wall outlets will be a minimum of 52 inches from the floor to avoid any sheet goods or large items. I have a single access hole cut in the ceiling. As seen in my previous posts, things are looking pretty good.

So far, I've spent close to $500.00 on this project.

What is next? I have the electrician coming over Saturday to run the new 240v circuit to the shop and install a 100amp subpanel. The box I'm getting provides me with 16 slots. That should be more than enough for a 400 sq/ft work area. The bid from the electrician came in at a hair under $540.00.

I have been using a 3d modeling tool and Photoshop to create a 2D diagram of the floorplan. I think I have arrived at a solution that will work as a great starting point for me. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts. See the picture below.

The TS, BS, DC and CNC are all on wheels. Most of the time, I think they can live a little futher out in the middle but this is the 'small' working area if I'm turning, or making things that don't require larger space. This will also leave the shop configured to allow the wife to get her SUV in there if she needs to. (It better be a pretty good reason. LOL!). The wall on the bottom left corner is reserved for Lawn/Garden/Sporting Goods (twins girls toys.) The Bench will provide some outfeed for the TS and the DC is right there as well. The same goes for my BS. DC hose will probably not be longer than 6 feet. It's a small one.

To Do:


I still need to finish running all of my circuits. There will be individual circuits for the following. Lights, ceiling outlets (3), wall outlets (alternating, 2 circuits) TS (220v), BS (220v), DC (220v). The motors for the 220v machines still need to be reconfigured for the new voltage. Decide on a climate control system for the shop. Heat or Heat+A/C. I'm leaning toward the latter if the price is right. It's only 400 sq/ft so it shouldn't be a real big stretch. And lastly, I need to get an initial storage/bench solution established.

For cost reasons, I'm planning to build a 'FWW New Fangled Bench' and have already purchased the construction lumber, screws, pipes, and clamps. For now, it seems to be the 'best fit' for me in the new workspace. Cabinets and a permanently mounted bench are also planned for the near future. Gotta have the storage!

That's about it for now. Look for a new blog series on my bench building (hope I don't screw it up) coming soon.

Thanks guys,
Matt

 
#39 ·
Matt, this is an exciting period that you are going through right now. Using the bench as outfeed support is an excellent idea. My only thought is that unless the bench is going to be at least 7' long it might be a challenge to use it for supporting full length sheet goods but you could always move the saw away from the bench in order to do this. I understand completely about the SUV. I have often said that if I asked my wife to put her truck out of her garage I would be outside before her vehicle would be. :)
 
#45 ·
Happiness is an Electrical Upgrade

Well, we're just waiting on the inspector and it will all be done. The guys showed up on Saturday morning and got straight to work. 2 1/2 hours later, they were done and I was several hundred dollars poorer. Haha.

In all actuality, I'm glad I hired a pro to do this. I have a couple of brackets to add to some conduit before the inspector gets here and I should be good to go. Now, who wants to come over and help me run all the conduit for all the circuits after my inspection is done? Yeah, right!

Here's a picture. 100amps of Tesla's magic, right there in my shop.

That's about all I have for now. Need to work on my next post.


Take care!
 
#47 ·
New Shop, New Bench

As the first phase of actually building the storage and work areas for my shop, I decided to build the 'New-Fangled Bench'. Oh boy, another one, right? After seeing the video, I just had to have this as my first real workbench.

A quick trip to the BORG and I had several pieces of 2X10 lumber in the shop. I got to stretch the legs on my Rigid Granite table saw while getting all of the boards cut. I took an approach that might be a bit different than what you might have taken. I built the top first. I thought I would make the top as flat as I possibly could so I used the top of my table saw as the guide to getting it all straight. When it was all said and done, the top boards have a 'hair' of cupping to the tune of less than a 1/16 of an inch. Once I learn to tune, sharpen, and use my jack plane, I should be able to get it really flat. I was really happy with how it turned out. Here is a shot of it sitting on my saw.



From there, I basically assembled on down to the feet. I attached the top leg support to the two legs then screwed that to the bench top. After that, I lined up the feet and created my pilot holes. Making sure things were 'square' as I went along, putting on the feet was uneventful. I flipped it over and, for the first time in my entire life, it didn't rock even one micron. I'm serious. It's solidly planted on the floor. I had to stop and pat myself on the back after that. I should go buy a lottery ticket or something. This never happens to me.

I still neet to add the stretcher between the legs and the parts that go with the pipes and clamps but it's all downhill from here. I can't wait to start using this thing. I also plan to add a second stretcher to the back leg so I can build a shelf down there to hold my hand and power tools that get used the most. Here are some more shots. It's not pretty but it's solid and it's straight. That's all I care about. All in all, I think I have between 6 and 8 hours total in this. My cost is right at $200.00. Not too shabby.

Enjoy!







Take care,
 
#48 ·
Finished Some Benches

Early Saturday morning I was out in the shop putting the finishing touches on the New Fangled Bench. The wife came out and said, "You need to get some shelves up." She also said I needed a bench for my lathe, most likely, so I could finishing turning some bowls I roughed out late last summer!

With that, it was off to the BORG to get some lumber for shelves and the new bench. Here are the benches in their completed states. I added a small shelf to the front of the lathe bench with a small lip to keep my chisels from rolling off. I'm thinking about adding a tool holder to the left side. It was a long Saturday!

Let me know what you think.

Here is the NFB




And the NFLB (Not really 'new' or 'fangled')
 
#49 ·
Nice work, Matt,

I love all the maple and oak benches I've been seeing, but it's great to see a quality bench out of pine. Goes to show you that it's not all about the material. And I'm sure it's much less expensive that way.

BTW, nice use of pipe clamps!
How far do those run under there?
 
#54 ·
After Two Months.....

Complete! Well, it's as close to complete as it can get without dragging this series along for another year or two. After all, are our workshops ever really 'complete'. This project started the weekend of my birthday around March 25th and today, I'm putting a fork in this series. Overall, R-13 insulation was installed in the walls, drywall, a 100amp subpanel, surface mounted electrical outlets and conduit, 4 '2-bulb' 4ft light fixtures, ceiling receptacles, and a bunch of other little stuff. The outlets are 52 inches from the ground in case I want to lean sheet goods against a wall. Everything is either against the wall or on wheels so my wife can park her Ford Escape inside, at times. I would like to make a permanent counter along the back wall eventually and get some cabinets hung over the outlets.

In the meantime, I'm looking for some ideas on a few personalization touches like posters, signs, pictures, or anything else. Please drop me a line if you have ideas or pictures.

I'm posting a few pictures here but the rest of them can be seen over at my new website, 'The Workshop Garage'. It's in my signature. Please let me know what you think…OR…if you have suggestions, they are more than welcome.

I'm also looking for pictures of your 'Workshop Garage' to be highlighted on

Thanks for following this. Man, I love this site!

This wall is right inside the door (which is seldom used in the summer time). The drill press is soon to be replaced. I dropped it off the bench this winter and broke the shaft on the original motor. I retrofitted a motor from a smaller drill press and it's just not quite up to the task. Yuck!


Here is an overhead shot. That's my FWW New Fangled Workbench in the foreground. If you need a great bench for a 'tad' under $200.00, this is the one to make.


Here is the last one. I need to get some of these uploaded to the 'My Workshop' page and then a post over on my site with the full collection.


Thanks again,
 
#55 ·
talk about a huge difference huh? looking at what you've accomplished - I start to believe again that there's hope after all for the rest of us.

thanks for reminding us just that.

time to upgrade that factory insert plate on the TS ;o)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top