What do you do first?
New User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: indiana
I have a 30 by 50 garage and it is still not big enough. I am a field service mechanic for a caterpillar dealer so I might have 3 or so jobs going at once. A tip for you when you start your rebuild is when you take bolts out put them back in the holes you removed them from this keeps your bolts with the part they go with and wont get lost. And makes it faster when going back together. Another thing is to keep notes on were you stopped so you don’t leave bolts loose. I could go on and on the main thing is take your time and most of all be careful.
heavywrench
heavywrench
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 545
Likes: 1
From: Shreveport, La.
Drew, just curious, you stated "we're buying a house", is that the case or is it the parents are buying a house? I'm wondering cause it sounds as if whatever you decide about garage space is the way it's going to be, and you did say you're 15 right?
Overall, my suggestion is really basic.
Set yourself down with a notepad and pen, make a list of all the things you want to accomplish and/or the things you need to make those accomplishments happen.
Prioritise your list, that is put the most important thing to accomplish on top, then second is #2, and so on.
Keep rewriting your list until your happy with its contents and the order things are in.
The second part of the preparation =
K - keep
I - it
S - simple
S - stupid
This part works in many areas of life, and don't take the stupid part personal, it's just a saying.
Overall, my suggestion is really basic.
Set yourself down with a notepad and pen, make a list of all the things you want to accomplish and/or the things you need to make those accomplishments happen.
Prioritise your list, that is put the most important thing to accomplish on top, then second is #2, and so on.
Keep rewriting your list until your happy with its contents and the order things are in.
The second part of the preparation =
K - keep
I - it
S - simple
S - stupid
This part works in many areas of life, and don't take the stupid part personal, it's just a saying.
More Turbo
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 566
Likes: 5
From: SC
But it keeps getting bumped back to the top, so what the hell.....
One of my very first projects when I finished building my garage. I needed quick and cheap. I ended up using plywood and 2x4's. I happened to have a nice heavy sheet of 3/4" plywood, so I cut it lengthwise and made two tops. I then nailed a 2x4 to the wall at my chosen height and framed the rest from that. I used second 2x4 nailed to the wall to support a middle shelf. The middle shelves were made from a thinner (and cheaper) sheet of plywood. I trimmed them up to fit around each bench's three front legs.
I added some 2x4 reinforcement on the corner of one because that's where I bolted my vise. That bench is my "beat+bang" dirty bench. The second I keep cleaner and is the "assembly" bench.
Both worked so well, I built 2 more as shelves for heads, trannies, and such and a fifth one just for my Mustang stuff (and another vise). All have been in regular use for about 5 years now and are holding up just fine.
If you want just one bench like this, you'd need one 4x8 sheet of plywood. Or you could split it up. Buy a half sheet of the pricy thick stuff and split it for the top. Then another 4 foot sheet of whatever for the shelf. I'd estimate about eight 8 foot 2x4's to do one bench. I think. It has been 5 years.
One of my very first projects when I finished building my garage. I needed quick and cheap. I ended up using plywood and 2x4's. I happened to have a nice heavy sheet of 3/4" plywood, so I cut it lengthwise and made two tops. I then nailed a 2x4 to the wall at my chosen height and framed the rest from that. I used second 2x4 nailed to the wall to support a middle shelf. The middle shelves were made from a thinner (and cheaper) sheet of plywood. I trimmed them up to fit around each bench's three front legs.
I added some 2x4 reinforcement on the corner of one because that's where I bolted my vise. That bench is my "beat+bang" dirty bench. The second I keep cleaner and is the "assembly" bench.
Both worked so well, I built 2 more as shelves for heads, trannies, and such and a fifth one just for my Mustang stuff (and another vise). All have been in regular use for about 5 years now and are holding up just fine.
If you want just one bench like this, you'd need one 4x8 sheet of plywood. Or you could split it up. Buy a half sheet of the pricy thick stuff and split it for the top. Then another 4 foot sheet of whatever for the shelf. I'd estimate about eight 8 foot 2x4's to do one bench. I think. It has been 5 years.
Last edited by GypsyR; May 15, 2004 at 10:08 PM.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,157
Likes: 1
From: Central Kali
Buying tools is an addiction. When I was 18 I had a Craftsman tool box that fit in the trunk of my 65 Mustang. Now I have a 6 car garage that will only fit one 69 Mach I. The rest of the space is taken up by tools. 
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,377
Likes: 2
From: Elkhart IN
as for lighting in my garage i mounted a 48 inch twin tube lamp on the inside of my garage door in addition to all the light on the ceiling, so that all i had to do when working under a hood was back in and close the garage door. worked perfect but if you do it make sure you secure the cord outa the way of the garage door. lol bad things may happen if you dont
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Gone but not forgotten.
Joined: Jul 2001
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Quote: Buying tools is an addiction.
How true that is. I have redoing my garage for about a month now - added a new work bench, closet, stainless sink with hot/cold, shelves everywhere, lots of pegboard, piped in the compressor (finished that today). I still have to add a CB and 220V outlet for a welder, paint and clean up the mess and IT WILL BE FINISHED. While doing this, I decided to clean out my toolbox (hadn't done that for years), I found that I had 66 screwdrivers and rediscovered many things I had forgotten I had. I gave a bunch of the redundent tools to my son in law. If I can figure out how, I will post some pics (it will never look this good again).
Dono
How true that is. I have redoing my garage for about a month now - added a new work bench, closet, stainless sink with hot/cold, shelves everywhere, lots of pegboard, piped in the compressor (finished that today). I still have to add a CB and 220V outlet for a welder, paint and clean up the mess and IT WILL BE FINISHED. While doing this, I decided to clean out my toolbox (hadn't done that for years), I found that I had 66 screwdrivers and rediscovered many things I had forgotten I had. I gave a bunch of the redundent tools to my son in law. If I can figure out how, I will post some pics (it will never look this good again).
Dono
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