Show us your Workshop

[bud16415]

Today I fired up the heat in my tiny outside workshop. My garage is 24x24 and there was a small add on area that was 12x14. living in the north and trying to heat a large area at my old house I decided to close off the small space I insulated about 6” and then covered the whole inside with half inch plywood. Added a man door and heat and AC. Today it was 10f and I had the shop a nice 65f inside in about and hour. Because it is small If I do have a big job out in the main garage I can go between the two areas and have a chance to warm up doing the smaller stuff inside the warm or cooled workshop. I have it packed with tools to the point it is like a walk in tool box. But it’s the best I could do on a shoestring budget and here are a couple Panoramic pics. Makes it look larger than it is but shows most of it.

I would love seeing others work shops for ideas big or small no matter how humble they may be. It is a good excuse to clean up the shop. Look at it that way.

 

[nealtw]

You're better equipped than most contractors I know.

 

[zannej]

Looks great!
Right now I only have exterior shots of my workshop.
This is a satellite view of my barn (top) and workshop (bottom right)

And here is the front view of the workshop

There is a concrete sort of porch area surrounding the workshop on 3 sides underneath an overhang and we put up some plywood panels and painted them, but some of them have deteriorated. There's also a piece of plexi for one chunk to allow in sunlight. The inside of both the covered porch area & interior of the workshop are a total mess right now. Stuff is piled up and we really need to organize and clean.

 

[bud16415]

The inside of both the covered porch area & interior of the workshop are a total mess right now. Stuff is piled up and we really need to organize and clean.

Now you have a reason to get it cleaned up so you can show us the insides. That’s a nice size building you could do some big projects in there.

 

[zannej]

Now you have a reason to get it cleaned up so you can show us the insides. That’s a nice size building you could do some big projects in there.

It is a very nicely sized workshop. There are still a few unfinished projects my father had been working on before he died that are lying around. Not sure what his plans were for some of them. My friends are envious of the place. They've offered to help clean it up in exchange for being allowed to fix up vehicles inside. My mother isn't too keen on having strange vehicles brought over though.

When the concrete was being poured, I pointed out to my father that there was no ramp for vehicles to go up in through the large double doors at the front. The height difference from ground to the floor was enough to be a problem, so we made a mold and created a small ramp.

I need to figure out how to patch the roof where it seems to be leaking. Maybe spray some flex seal (or a generic version) up there. Years ago I got up there with a mop and Kool Seal (or something like that) and mopped it on. Foot went through the roof on the porch area, which was not good. Higher part of the roof was too steep for me to safely climb on though and I didn't get roof on the north side of the workshop. Gonna have to get that ladder set up and check it out when the weather warms up a bit.

 

[bud16415]

I moved this thread over here to see if some of the garage guys want to show off their workshops.

 

[Deek281]

Looks great! I recognize the drill press: I have one just like it, or at least one that appears to be just like it!

 

[Deek281]

Hey guys, question for you all.
I have a brick garage that I'd like to turn into a workshop. I need to insulate it to make it comfortable with Indiana's crazy seasons. What do you guys thing about the idea of my mounting a 2x4 as header, footer and middle, directly to the bricks. Then putting in a sheet of 1 1/2" foam insulation, covered by 7/16" plywood. I'm thinking that this will be a good insulation, but I'm hesitant to drill the walls at the same time. Would it be worth it to just build a stick frame inside the brick walls and insulate that instead, and mount the frames to the ceiling joists and floor?
Thanks Guys,
Deek

 

[nealtw]

Hey guys, question for you all.
I have a brick garage that I'd like to turn into a workshop. I need to insulate it to make it comfortable with Indiana's crazy seasons. What do you guys thing about the idea of my mounting a 2x4 as header, footer and middle, directly to the bricks. Then putting in a sheet of 1 1/2" foam insulation, covered by 7/16" plywood. I'm thinking that this will be a good insulation, but I'm hesitant to drill the walls at the same time. Would it be worth it to just build a stick frame inside the brick walls and insulate that instead, and mount the frames to the ceiling joists and floor?
Thanks Guys,
Deek

Would it be worth it to just build a stick frame inside the brick walls and insulate that instead, and mount the frames to the ceiling joists and floor?
Leave a little space between studs and wall like a 1/2" between.

 

[bud16415]

Looks great! I recognize the drill press: I have one just like it, or at least one that appears to be just like it!

Ya it’s an old harbor freight drill press. Has a double reduction and I use it all the time. Takes Morse taper and I have drilled 1” holes in steel no problem.

Thought I would see a few more workshops by now.

I spent most of the day in mine today it warmed up to low 40’s and I kept it a nice 65-70 all day with my little propane heater. I have been out there around zero and can keep it 60 without much trouble.

 

[Chris]

Kind of a mess but my shop is 30x40 and two story. Metal and automotive work downstairs and woodwork and storage upstairs

View attachment 20180109_173853.jpg

 

[Gary]

I don't have a single shop. I have buildings here and there, wherever I can make stuff fit. This is the fab shop. I use it mainly for the camaro project, that has been put on the back burner for awhile now. Also fabricating sign frames & odd jobs here and there. These are old photos, things have changed some. Maybe if I get time to clean the place up someday I'll post current photos.

 

[zannej]

Looks nice, Gary!

 

[Chris]

Gary, are you sure you can still call that a camaro?

 

[oldognewtrick]

Gary, are you sure you can still call that a camaro?

Camaro shaped Space Shuttle maybe...

 

[Gary]

oldognewtrick , it's been an expensive dust collector the last few years. Too many other irons in the fire. Here's another shop. This one is the sign shop and woodworking shop when it needs to be.

Also a shot of the laser station, that shares space in the garage.

 

[slownsteady]

With you guys showing impressive workshops, it's no wonder the rest of us would like to keep ours under wraps.

 

[bud16415]

With you guys showing impressive workshops, it's no wonder the rest of us would like to keep ours under wraps.

Mine is far from impressive. My buddy built his he painted the walls a dark blue the lower 4’ and then white on the top and has a racing stripe around the middle. It looks really sharp. He did the checker board floor and the whole bit. When I put the plywood up (notice each piece is stamped REJECT) I was going to paint it and then I said what’s the point.


I’m a chronic messy tools in piles person and used to spend more time looking than working. With this house I vowed to change my ways and so far its been working. I have a few totes and tool boxes I keep empty and when I need to do a remote job I try and take what I think I will need only. I have one box I keep a second set of common tools in I call my handy box. Lots of times I just grab that and go. You always forget something though.


It is just really nice to have an open area to work and know where your stuff is finally. Just thru the man door is a little deck I built and a fire pit. The work shop does double duty as the outside kitchen if we are sitting around the fire. People for some reason enjoy sitting in the shop and having a beer and talking.


Now post your shop no matter how humble there is no place like the workshop.

 

[zannej]

Once my ankle recovers, I need to get some more shots of mine, although it is a total mess right now.
It has a sort of porch area that wraps around the right side and rear of the building. Concrete was poured for the ground (used to just be dirt) underneath the overhang. Yeas ago we walled most of it in with some plywood and used plexiglass for windows. Dad built shelving most of the way around the outer perimeter (inside the walls). Despite being painted, some of it deteriorated. There was a door out the back left side but it's all destroyed now.
There is a side door on the right (near the front) for main access and there are shelves lining the walls. There are shelves in some pockets at the back where they are on either side of a small room that has a vent fan and is very well insulated. On top of that little room and the little side alcoves is a loft. There's a ladder that folds up with a rope and there is a pulley system for raising heavy objects up to the loft or lowering them down without having to carry them down the ladder. There's an window air conditioner unit sort of built in to a spot on the left wall just above a utility sink. We have shop lights hanging from the lower crossbeams and the roof itself is pretty high. The front of the building has two large barn doors that slide open, but right now there are toolchests and furniture in the way and it's almost sealed shut. There's a nice workbench in the front middle, a tablesaw off to the left, and a Shopsmith in the front left corner. Pegboards line the left wall in some spots with little bins for screws/nails/etc. There's a drill press on one of the shelves on the right and an old defunct refrigerator that is no longer plugged in. Stuff is pretty much piled everywhere though.

 

[tuffy]

mines about 24x24 I've got tools wood ( tires which are my sons) thrown all around once i get it cleaned up I'll post a picture.