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FBS
Apr 27, 2015

The real fun of living wisely is that you get to be smug about it.

I finally got rid of the spare washer/dryer clogging up my one-car apartment garage and I'm looking for tips on a small workbench for general garage stuff.

I've got four feet or so of width for a dedicated work surface and I don't want to spend a huge amount of money, and I'd like something I can move to a two-car garage eventually without it feeling worthless. Let me know what to look for please

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boxen
Feb 20, 2011
The standard cheap or free recommendation (and what I have in my single-car apartment garage) is some kitchen cabinets from a friend who's remodelling. They're not super fancy, but the storage is nice and they were free.

If you can't track anything like that down, Milwaukee makes some nice toolchests/workbenches. I almost got one of those before i grabbed the cabinets.

cakesmith handyman
Jul 22, 2007

Pip-Pip old chap! Last one in is a rotten egg what what.

Having made a workbench out of a sheet of plywood, some 2x4s and screws in a couple of hours, I'd say make one.

Suburban Dad
Jan 10, 2007


Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself




FBS posted:

I finally got rid of the spare washer/dryer clogging up my one-car apartment garage and I'm looking for tips on a small workbench for general garage stuff.

I've got four feet or so of width for a dedicated work surface and I don't want to spend a huge amount of money, and I'd like something I can move to a two-car garage eventually without it feeling worthless. Let me know what to look for please

I built this. I'm a terrible carpenter and it's solid as hell. You can adjust to your space.

https://www.familyhandyman.com/workshop/workbench/how-to-build-a-workbench-super-simple-50-bench/

dubzee
Oct 23, 2008



There's tons of plans online to make your own but if you're lazy like me this is hard to beat for $100.

harbor freight to the recuse!

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





I have a low end Craftsman bench - maybe a bit nicer than the HF one there - and it's fine at best. Where it utterly fails is if you need to put something in a bench vise and really yank on it. There's just not enough mass to work against.

Even a DIY build out of 2by and plywood should do much better in that regard.

LloydDobler
Oct 15, 2005

You shared it with a dick.

Someone gave me a solid core door and I've used it as a workbench for decades. It's just sitting on cinder blocks now but I really need to get some 4x4 legs for it so it's solid, which would open up more storage space under it as well. Then I could mount a vise to it.

I wish I was motivated.

Suburban Dad
Jan 10, 2007


Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself




My vise is mounted to the bench I linked above. No issues wrenching on it but it has a ton of fluids and poo poo on the shelves so it has some additional heft.

FBS
Apr 27, 2015

The real fun of living wisely is that you get to be smug about it.

dubzee posted:

There's tons of plans online to make your own but if you're lazy like me this is hard to beat for $100.

harbor freight to the recuse!

I was all set to grab this one until I got to the store and checked out the display model, it was really wobbly and unstable.

I may end up just building one from Suburban Dad's link.

tangy yet delightful
Sep 13, 2005



FBS posted:

I was all set to grab this one until I got to the store and checked out the display model, it was really wobbly and unstable.

I may end up just building one from Suburban Dad's link.

This (http://woodgears.ca/workbench/) is the workbench I built but you'd need to adjust the length and use something different from a solid core door as a topper for a 4ft wide space.

Fermented Tinal
Aug 25, 2005

by Pragmatica
Re: Workbench chat.

Norm Abram's workbench is pretty great, but it would not be able to be built on a tight budget.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2cL6GwPoyc

carticket
Jun 28, 2005

white and gold.

Looked at a house today with an attached two car with a car port in front of it and attached to that was a one "car" drive through garage with 10x10 doors. The garage was amazing, but a contractor owns it and so the house part of it is a crazy Voltron conglomeration of additions.

69 GTO in the garage though. doesn't stay.

Rhyno
Mar 22, 2003
Probation
Can't post for 10 years!
Oh man, drive through garages are super cool.

slidebite
Nov 6, 2005

Good egg
:colbert:

Yes. Yes they are. My landscaping would have been a crazy amount of labour unless I had a pull through since I had zero other access other than a gate or man door to my backyard.

carticket
Jun 28, 2005

white and gold.

slidebite posted:

Yes. Yes they are. My landscaping would have been a crazy amount of labour unless I had a pull through since I had zero other access other than a gate or man door to my backyard.

Yeah, this guy just used it for storage. He ended up buying another lot behind him on another street and connecting them. That lot has a 40 foot heated garage and like 5 campers on it. It is offered up for sale with the house, but not in the asking price (which is too high given the house).

OBAMNA PHONE
Aug 7, 2002
I still think DIY is the better way to go for a cheap workbench

My bench:



4x4 for the front legs, no rear legs.

4x4 along the back of the bench which is lagged into the studs, the rest of the frame up front is just 2x4.

I used one sheet of plywood, qty 2 4x4x8, qty 2 2x4x8

Ferremit
Sep 14, 2007
if I haven't posted about MY LANDCRUISER yet, check my bullbars for kangaroo prints

Recycled kitchens/school work space. Accept no compromise.

NitroSpazzz
Dec 9, 2006

You don't need style when you've got strength!


What's the overhead storage? I've got low ceilings but we're both short so I've considered something like that before.

Have the stuff to hang the motorcycles from the ceiling but haven't bothered yet. Don't worry they're only ~145lb a piece.

Wife works this weekend so I'm going to attempt again to get some progress made in the garage. Not sure if it'll be organizing, cleaning or electrical work.

OBAMNA PHONE
Aug 7, 2002
i think it's SafeRacks, available from costco or online. i think i see ads from third parties in valpak coupons too

the PO of the house put them in

iForge
Oct 28, 2010

Apple's new "iBlacksmith Suite: Professional Edition" features the iForge, iAnvil, and the iHammer.
It's kinda messy right now due to being in the middle of multiple projects but here is where I spend most of my time when I am home!





Rhyno
Mar 22, 2003
Probation
Can't post for 10 years!
Best LED shop lights? Still Costco?

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

Rhyno posted:

Best LED shop lights? Still Costco?

I, too, have this question. Ideally something that can string together.

Rhyno
Mar 22, 2003
Probation
Can't post for 10 years!
I hung my crappy ones up and they're dimmer than the single LED bulbs in the ceiling lights, looked at LED tubes which cost more than LED fixtures on average (for a single tube).

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

Rhyno posted:

I hung my crappy ones up and they're dimmer than the single LED bulbs in the ceiling lights, looked at LED tubes which cost more than LED fixtures on average (for a single tube).

I'm running a mix in my garage right now -- I have an older Costco 2-strip light tied to each garage door opener and two 4x4' florescent fixtures retrofitted to LEDs, again, older. They are okay, but a newer setup is going to give me more light and more light is better.

Rhyno
Mar 22, 2003
Probation
Can't post for 10 years!
Oh for sure. I need to grab some socket adapters so I can have two or three running from each fixture, should light up the garage like the sun. I'm looking at putting two in the attic as well since the single bulb up there does fuckall.

PitViper
May 25, 2003

Welcome and thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart!
I love you!
I've got 8 of the LED hanging fixtures from Sam's Club in my garage, and two more in the basement utility room. 4/8 in the garage are the newer "linkable" kind, and the older ones are last in the chain. The older 4 have been on almost 24/7 for... 3 years? They've been great.

the spyder
Feb 18, 2011
I've bought the last three generations of Costco LED lights. I still highly recommend them. Best price/lightoutput/colortemp I've seen. We just put up 24 at my friends warehouse shop for workbench lighting. 4 strung together off 1 plug.

Oh and 36 of the first gen lights draw 13amps according to my killawatt.

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

Okay thread, this is ridiculous. I have a bad habit of not putting tools away when I'm done with a project. That's been taken to an extreme and I've got poo poo from one end of the bench to the other in various depths. That needs to change.

My classes end this week, so I've got time to organize this shithole. I've got a great workbench that I built, but you cannot see it through all of the garbage. Time to get cleaning. :toot:

At present:

Only registered members can see post attachments!

tangy yet delightful
Sep 13, 2005



With those walls it will look beautiful once you have it organized. Then you just need to put stuff up after each work session out there :)

angryrobots
Mar 31, 2005

meatpimp posted:

Okay thread, this is ridiculous. I have a bad habit of not putting tools away when I'm done with a project. That's been taken to an extreme and I've got poo poo from one end of the bench to the other in various depths. That needs to change.

My classes end this week, so I've got time to organize this shithole. I've got a great workbench that I built, but you cannot see it through all of the garbage. Time to get cleaning. :toot:

At present:



Well I feel better now

Suburban Dad
Jan 10, 2007


Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself




Heh, only half my workbench is cluttered with poo poo. Good nuff

IOwnCalculus
Apr 2, 2003





90% of my garage looks like that, so... yeah.

Boaz MacPhereson
Jul 11, 2006

Day 12045 Ht10hands 180lbs
No Name
No lumps No Bumps Full life Clean
Two good eyes No Busted Limbs
Piss OK Genitals intact
Multiple scars Heals fast
O NEGATIVE HI OCTANE
UNIVERSAL DONOR
Lone Road Warrior Rundown
on the Powder Lakes V8
No guzzoline No supplies
ISOLATE PSYCHOTIC
Keep muzzled...

meatpimp posted:

Okay thread, this is ridiculous. I have a bad habit of not putting tools away when I'm done with a project. That's been taken to an extreme and I've got poo poo from one end of the bench to the other in various depths. That needs to change.

My classes end this week, so I've got time to organize this shithole. I've got a great workbench that I built, but you cannot see it through all of the garbage. Time to get cleaning. :toot:

At present:



What kind of wall paneling is that? I think something super modular like the slats would be the best solution for me.

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

Boaz MacPhereson posted:

What kind of wall paneling is that? I think something super modular like the slats would be the best solution for me.

Commercial slatwall, I posted a picture a while ago in this thread, I love it. You can see the edge of the workbench on the left of the picture below.

meatpimp posted:

For me, this thread is tough. I gave up a nice under-house garage like OneOverZero has for a suburban existence. I at least held out for an extra-wide 3 car garage. Even so, I'm always hurting for space. Luckily, shortly after we moved here, Linens & Things closed and I bought their towel aisle. I think it was around $300 and that yielded over 50' of commercial slatwall and 60' of commercial shelving. I've still got a few dozen loose shelves and some shelf framing in my basement. One of the best buys ever.

I didn't get a shot of the whole haul, but here's in-process with most of the slatwall up. (This is almost 10 years ago, the garage is much more full and the car is gone.)


meatpimp fucked around with this message at 21:55 on May 6, 2019

Boaz MacPhereson
Jul 11, 2006

Day 12045 Ht10hands 180lbs
No Name
No lumps No Bumps Full life Clean
Two good eyes No Busted Limbs
Piss OK Genitals intact
Multiple scars Heals fast
O NEGATIVE HI OCTANE
UNIVERSAL DONOR
Lone Road Warrior Rundown
on the Powder Lakes V8
No guzzoline No supplies
ISOLATE PSYCHOTIC
Keep muzzled...

meatpimp posted:

Commercial slatwall, I posted a picture a while ago in this thread, I love it. You can see the edge of the workbench on the left of the picture below.

Son of a bitch, that is sweet.

monsterzero
May 12, 2002
-=TOPGUN=-
Boys who love airplanes :respek: Boys who love boys
Lipstick Apathy
A decade in retail prevents me from ever hanging in my garage slat-wall despite it's obvious advantages.

carticket
Jun 28, 2005

white and gold.

So, I'm still trolling for houses, and I come across a listing for a small house that at first glance doesn't appear to have a garage. I get to the end of the listing and look at the pictures...

quote:

The oversized 1500+ sq ft detached 2 bay, 4 room heated garage with separate electric offers enough space for any of your projects with its 12 ft ceilings. Ever thought about owning horses? This additional 50x18 barn would be a great space for them.

Already sent an email to my realtor to try to setup a showing.

E: missing from listing: comes with free water in basement.

carticket fucked around with this message at 19:44 on May 18, 2019

meatpimp
May 15, 2004

Psst -- Wanna buy

:) EVERYWHERE :)
some high-quality thread's DESTROYED!

:kheldragar:

meatpimp posted:

Okay thread, this is ridiculous. I have a bad habit of not putting tools away when I'm done with a project. That's been taken to an extreme and I've got poo poo from one end of the bench to the other in various depths. That needs to change.

My classes end this week, so I've got time to organize this shithole. I've got a great workbench that I built, but you cannot see it through all of the garbage. Time to get cleaning. :toot:

At present:



Making progress. I'm also tackling the 16' wall of shelves during the project. Probably 2 days of work done at this point and a random glance doesn't show it looking much different. :mad:

Suburban Dad
Jan 10, 2007


Well what's attached to a leash that it made itself?
The punchline is the way that you've been fuckin' yourself




^ Nice. Progress is progress.

Looking into adding on a 3rd bay to our standard 2 car attached garage. Need to talk to contractors to see if this is actually possible with our property/zoning and also, financially. :shepspends: Time to get reading and get some quotes. I wonder if it can be made to look decent since on that side there's a 2nd story above the garage which we won't be building that high (unless I want gently caress you attic storage space and room for possible future lift...might be nice actually).

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dreesemonkey
May 14, 2008
Pillbug

Suburban Dad posted:

^ Nice. Progress is progress.

Looking into adding on a 3rd bay to our standard 2 car attached garage. Need to talk to contractors to see if this is actually possible with our property/zoning and also, financially. :shepspends: Time to get reading and get some quotes. I wonder if it can be made to look decent since on that side there's a 2nd story above the garage which we won't be building that high (unless I want gently caress you attic storage space and room for possible future lift...might be nice actually).

Post a picture. If it's doable zoning-wise, I have to imagine going higher sidewalls and/or different trusses to give you more clearance would be a marginal price increase compared to the total build price. Hell, lifts are comparatively cheap too. Adding a lift and sidewall height for a from-scratch garage build probably wouldn't be more than $5-7k or so extra (complete guess).

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