| Workshop by Brian Shourd | posted 764 days ago | 1129 reads | 0 times favorited | 8 comments |  |
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Finally got the workshop cleaned up (more or less) so that I could take some pictures here. It’s a pretty small shop – just under half of my two car garage. In the middle of the space is my workbench. I usually stand in between the workbench and the wall, where I have the majority of my hand tools hung. My old workbench, a tiny little fold-out thing, now serves as a tool and scrap holding area while I work. It’s actually kind of nice, since it keeps my workbench clear.
Near the garage door is my table saw, a little benchtop deal on a stand. It’s certainly no workhorse, but it works fine for smaller parts.
I’ve also got me Delta drill press on a stand that’s half-done. I wanted somewhere to put the drill press as soon as I bought it, so I built this cabinet for it. I intend to put some drawers in it soon, but it was more important to have somewhere to put it than to have the storage.
On the other wall is an old shelving unit I picked up somewhere. This holds all of my power tools, sandpaper, toolboxes, drill bits, finishes, etc.
The last picture is my workbench with my crosscutting jig on it. My table saw is too small to really do effective crosscuts on stock longer than 24”, so I built this crosscut jig to use with my circular saw. It actually works very well, and I can clamp a stop block on it for great repeatability.
All in all, my shop isn’t much. I’m in the process of adding some much-needed storage. I’m thinking about some lumber storage up high (the ceiling is 9’, so there’s lots of unused space) and a wall-hung tool cabinet for my hand tools. Then I think I’ll add some shelves and doors to the shelving unit I’ve got to hide away my power tools.
I’m notably missing a band saw, which is the only large power tool I’m looking for at the moment (I’ve got a router table top that I built that hangs out of the way when I’m not using it, but it isn’t in these pictures). Now that I’ve got the majority of the tools I need, I’m just waiting until I can afford some quality tools. I’ll be checking garage sales and craigslist all summer looking for this stuff.
Hopefully you enjoyed this workshop tour. It’s not much, but I like it. With the garage door open, I get some nice light and fresh air, and I’ve got plenty of room to make everything I want, so I’m happy.
P.S. I’m thinking of putting up some insulation and drywall in the garage, and maybe an epoxy coating on the floor. Has anybody else done this? Would you do it again?
-- Brian
8 comments so far
Scott Bryan
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27262 posts in 1993 days
#1 posted 763 days ago
Brian, I am looking forward to a tour of your shop when you get the opportunity to post some pictures. Tours of other shops are always welcome.
And let me welcome you to LJs as well. It is good to have you as a member of the group.
-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine
Splinterman
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23060 posts in 1533 days
#2 posted 763 days ago
Hey Brian.
As above.
redryder
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1590 posts in 1273 days
#3 posted 757 days ago
Nice work space Brian. I just finished insulating my whole shop (walls & ceiling). Like you, a large bandsaw is all I need to complete my collection. An epoxy floor coating would be the cherry on top but after a lot of research on the subject, it looks to be a big job from prep to finish….......mike.
-- mike...............
Scott Bryan
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27262 posts in 1993 days
#4 posted 757 days ago
Brian, you have a nice looking shop that looks to be pretty well organized. Bummer about having to share your shop space with the car. But I can empathize with you about this issue. I have often said that I am glad we added another garage in our basement when we built that I later converted into my shop. If I tried to annex my wife’s garage space for a shop, I would have had to build a doghouse pretty quick because I would be outside in the weather before her car would be.
As far a epoxying the floor I put it down on both the upper garage and in my shop. It works well, especially in the upper garage. It lightens up the shop and helps with clean up. The biggest problem I have had with it is that the shop, which sits on a lower level and has a higher moisture content, did not take the paint as well as the upper floor. The upper garage looks almost as good now as when I put it down over 10 years ago but my shop has lost about 20% of the paint. I should re-do it but I would rather make sawdust rather than paint so it will just have to wait.
Thanks for the pictures. I enjoyed taking a tour of your shop.
-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine
ward63
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167 posts in 1259 days
#5 posted 757 days ago
Nice shop, looks like you have enough room to move around easily and space once you get more tools.
I would suggest a jointer too, as well a bin for scraps.
DonH
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482 posts in 989 days
#6 posted 757 days ago
Hi Brian – great start on the shop and nice looking workbenc. Seems to be a very serviceable space and you can always push the car into the lane to create outfeed areas etc. I am a great promoter of band saws and use a 16 inch model as my primary saw and a 14 inch one for curve cutting – much safer and in many ways more flexible than a table saw. You will have a great time developing your shop I am sure.
All the best
Don
-- DonH Orleans Ontario
skippyland
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158 posts in 863 days
#7 posted 757 days ago
Hi Brian, and welcome to LJ! Thanks for sharing the tour with us and good luck with adding on in the future ( that’s half the fun)
-- Skip from Batavia, purveyor of fine and exotic sawdust & chips.
Brian Shourd
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106 posts in 765 days
#8 posted 757 days ago
Hey everybody, thanks for the comments and compliments.
Mike and Scott, I know that the epoxy floor would be a lot of work. The way I’m looking at it, by the time I’ve put up insulation, drywall, and paint on the walls, the floor is just a little extra in the way of work, but a big payoff in terms of how “finished” the garage would be. My wife and I love home improvement projects, and the garage is pretty much the last frontier of our house.
Scott, I know what you mean about taking the wife’s space. Of course, it’s my car that’s out in the weather now (it’s only fair), not hers, or she would have never gone for it. I think I earned the garage concession when we finished the basement. Originally, my shop was down there, but when we put in carpet and finished the whole basement, I had to move it to the garage (which I actually like better – maybe just because there aren’t any stairs). Thanks for the tips on the epoxy, I’m glad to hear that it’s holding up in your garage. My father-in-law finished his garage recently, and it looks fantastic, but it’s still brand new, so I didn’t know how well it would age.
ward63, thanks for the compliments. I do have plenty of moving around space in my shop, which is really nice. A jointer sure would be fantastic, but it’s not high on my priority list – I get by with my hand planes ok for now.
Don, I’ve heard great things about doing some of the traditional table saw stuff (like ripping) on a bandsaw because it is safer. I was listening to the Wood Talk Online Radio podcast recently where they discussed living without a table saw, and it seems very reasonable if you have a bandsaw and router table. That’s one of the reasons I haven’t purchased a band saw yet; I’m waiting until I can afford a really good one, so that it can take the place as my primary saw. Thanks for the input. If you don’t mind, what brands of band saw do you recommend?
Thanks again everyone
-- Brian
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