I figure I should start with a post on my workshop. A few years ago we added a garage onto our house which of course opened up the previously one car (barely) garage. Since my previous bench was shared with a boiler and washer and dryer, I though it was time for an upgrade. As you can see from the below diagram, I had a 9×13 space to work with. In addition to the odd shape it was also doubling as an thru-way for the new garage so my layout options were limited.
The Layout
Apart from the typical various power tools, I had a miter saw, drill press (bench top) , band saw (bench top), and a folding table saw (which hardly use, but can’t seem to part with). I opted for a long bench (see details in this post) with the miter saw in the centered. The drill press which I inherited from my father had a stand he built. I cleaned it up and put locking wheels on it so it can be re-positioned if needed. This stand would double for the 9″ band saw too. The table saw would be easy to store in the corner and since I left the center free, it could be brought out there when needed.
This just left everything thing else: tools, tools, screws, misc parts, tools, sand paper, etc. etc. Well most of the hand tools were going to be stored in a Craftsman tool chest, also inherited. Power tools, under one bench. I also had a few plastic drawers laying around: one set for drill / Dremel bits, etc. under the drill press, the other for router bits, saw blades, table saw attachments and stored under the miter saw. I actually bought some plastic magazine containers for my circular saw blades (10″ & 7-1/2″). For basically everything else (parts, screws, liquids, specialty tools), I put in a shelving unit (see this post for details) specially built for 72″ x 16″ recess which would be otherwise useless.
One last thing which is easy to overlook: lumber. I unfortunately didn’t have any real room left so I built a rolling cart for out in the garage (yes, that will be another subsequent post also). Why didn’t I use the walls for lumber, or really anything for that matter? I forgot to mention, everything is concrete or concrete block (even some of the ceiling). The only viable location was behind the bench which I didn’t want to diminish the light or leave more surface area for dust to settle.
Electrical
Before jumping to the final product, let me show my electrical layout. Its pretty cut-and-dry: plenty of outlets on a separate circuit from the lights. Unfortunately all outlets are on a single 20A and somewhat regretting it as I have tripped it a few times already. Luckily the sub-panel is in the same room (highly recommend) and its all conduit so can easily run another circuit if I want. I literally, wrote that and then went and added another breaker for the left side of the room since I remember those run directly from the sub panel; the right side would still share the circuit with a few outlets in the garage.
I wanted to make sure I had enough light but be efficient. I went with 4 sets of 2 T8 LED tubes, each generating 2200 lumens. I was toggling between 3 or 4 and glad I did 4; as many will tell you, you can never have too much light. If interested here are the specifics on the lights:
- 2200 Lumens 4 FT Retofit LED T8 Tube Lamp – Frosted Lens – 18 Watts – 5000K – DLC – Ballast Bypass or Direct Replacement – T818W1200BIXXDF50F1
- LED Ready – 2-Lamp – Linear Utility Strip – 4 FT – Single End – LED T8 bulbs not included – 75303 – MaxLite LSS2XT8USE4803
The Final Product
Here is from the top of the diagram looking towards the garage. You can see the fake wall that what once was the old garage door. It is built using planks and comes apart in two pieces + the door in case I ever need to get a boat out of the workshop (yes, that was a NCIS Gibbs reference).
Here is look from said wall looking back.
Final Thoughts
As with any workshop, this is an evolving project. A few things I probably will add is a bench vice and some dogs. Also some more outlets may be nice, though that may be just because there looks to be a few empty spaces on the walls that could use one.