Brainstorming on shop setup

Go to grizzly.com, they have a shop layout tool.

I put plywood on the walls. I can hang anything anywhere without worrying about finding a stud. ( just make sure it meets code)

I poly’d mine, but I hate paint and like wood. There is another active thread and every one else recommends white paint.

yuk…..

-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com (timetestedtools at hotmail dot c0m)

I would build that area in and either make it a small room for finishing or put your dust collector in there if you have one.

-- Rob, Kalamazoo, MI

Nevermind… Didnt see that the water heater was in there. Wouldnt want any explosions..

-- Rob, Kalamazoo, MI

I had a similar set up in my last shop only there was no water heater there. I popped for about $220 and put in a raised plywood floor throughout the shop to make it all one level in order to best utilize this space. I liked it this way so my roll around office type chair worked well. On the walls I put up 1/8” Masonite with white gloss finish and screwed it to the studs. Cheap, white walls, no painting, easy to locate studs (screw heads) for hanging anything on the walls, demountable, and I put the wiring on the outside of the walls in conduit because it looks nice and easy to modify if needed.

-- In God We Trust

Looks like if you move the car out you’d almost double your shop area :o)

I would hang some ply and make some clamshelled cabinets. You can effectively triple or better you utilization of wall space area by using pegboard clamshelled on swing out doors inside of cabinets.

Another thought would be to install a sink in there .Guys who have utility sinks in their shops swear by them. Should be a drain near-by that water heater.

And you still would have room for a mobile workbench or a few other mobile tool stands in that space.

And personally I don’t care for shelving units that stand on the floor. In small shops floorspace
is gold, so I would suggest running single long shelves near the top of the wall. Save your
floorspace for mobile tools and assembly areas.

I would also agree that bringing up the floor to be level with that part would be good. But that
would entail quite a bit of work you may not want to get into.

I’m already planning to do all of the electrical in conduit along the ceiling, then run a few drops down the outside of the wall. I did put in a flush mount sub panel though, so I could hinge a piece of pegboard or something in front of it and not waste the limited wall space.

My plan is to eventually build a carport onto the front of the garage and kick the car out—but first, I’ve got to clock a lot more woodworking hours.

I hadn’t seriously considered a sink for a wood shop, but I can see the appeal for finishing cleanup. The water heater doesn’t have a drain, but the washing machine is on the other side of that 6’ wall, so I could probably put a utility sink right in front of the water heater.

I’m thinking more and more that the sad old workbench is getting ripped out and I’m putting ply up.