Building my shop

[radhak]

uh oh - pics please !

[davebil]

Thanks for everyone’s input so far. Today I priced 7/16" OSB at HD at $4.98 for a 4 x 8 sheet. That would let me do all walls in OSB for $100. Pretty cheap IMHO. I would paint it white of course and hope it doesn't soak up too much paint. I am now considering this option and using the peg board (over $12 a sheet) a little more sparingly or precisely. I will of course have to put some spacers between the peg board and the OSB but that’s not a problem. My only worry with the "pegboard only areas" option is the air tightness of it or lack thereof. Any comments on this? The ceiling in the downstairs is the floor upstairs and is T & G, so that helps. Still might insulate it though.

The lighting will all be T8 fluorescents and each will have its own switch (a pull switch) as well as a master switch at the door. The outlets for the bench tools are on a dedicated 20 amp circuit...maybe even 2 circuits with GFI's of course. The lights are on their own circuit as well and there are 2 other circuits for various uses like outdoor lights and an AC unit.

As for the large bench area, I have been convinced that I may not need that much. I do like the idea of a dedicated miter saw area, but I am not sure I have that much room. My biggest concern is that I tend to clutter whatever counter space I have with whatever junk I have. I'm sure this shop will be no different. So I may go with a smaller bench along the 16 foot wall with the window in the middle. I'd like to build some enclosed storage under the bench for smaller power tools and such, just not sure whether to use drawers or cabinets with hinged/sliding doors. I also really like the idea of sliding my TS under the bench to give more space when not in use. Don't know if I can have both though.

Thanks again for everyones suggestions. I will post some pics soon if anyone is interested. It doesn't look like much now, but it will get better.

My new garage shop is done with OSB painted white ( 2-3 coats white primer) from floor to truss. I did my lighting in a rectangle around the walls with two large fixtures in the center. I ran my wiring in conduit outside the walls. Here's a link to the thread earlier this summer with pictures.

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=29895&page=5

[Iansaws]

Builing My Shop: The Shop Evolves

Well my workshop is moving along better than I had hoped, thanks in part to your advice and to a great deal of good fortune. I have installed a 28000 BTU LP wall mounted heater I picked up at Northern on Black Friday and am working on the cabinet doors. I also have got 100 amp service run from the main house breaker panel to the side of the house closest to the barn. I just have to dig a deep trench to run the line from the house to the barn underground. Last week I found a ad posted at the hospital where I work asking if anyone wanted some free cabinets that had been removed from the pharmacy during a recent renovation. The ad claimed they were in fair condition, but would be good for a garage. Perfect!! The cabinets were much better than described or expected and there was also a bunch of countertop as well. The cabinets were all high grade melamine construction and I got 4 floor to ceiling cabinets and 3 wall cabinets sets with doors, but the best find was the floor cabinets. I got 6, 24” cabinets and 2, 30” as well. I installed 3 of the 24” cabinets on either side of the window on the 16‘ wall and had enough counter top to cover both with enough left over for a backsplash (still haven’t decided if I want that or not). The other cabinets are earmarked for rolling miter saw stand and a rolling router table. The idea is to be able to roll them between the fixed cabinets, lock them down and use the countertops as an extended level surface to hold long material. I also got another 5’ x 4’ counter top (same material) that I temporarily placed on sawhorses and am using as a workbench. My plan is to build a variable height rolling table and use this countertop as the work surface. Needless to say this find was a big boost to the shop construction schedule. At some point I will run some clear 2” vacuum pipe I got from craigslist.com and shopvac.com all the way around the shop just above the counters with regular blast gates. I am thinking of running another tube under the floor to where the table saw will likely be so that I don’t have vacuum tubing laying on the floor where I will eventually trip over it. I will continue to keep you posted. Thanks again for all the advice.

JT

[Iansaws]

Finishing question.

I have built doors for the upper cabinets and I would like to finish them as opposed to painting. The cabinet frames will have to be painted as I used some materials that were pre-primed to build these. I am painting the frames the same color as the lower cabinets..."off-white to a biege" I guess. Anyway, I want to put a light finish on the doors. They are just 1/2" pine plywood with a 1/4" strip of pine cut from 1 x stock. A friend suggested that I use danish oil and I happen to have a can that I have bought last month and never used. I want something that will be fairly easy to clean and that dust will not cling to. Would danish oil be a good choice for ease aof application, durabilty and functionality? Also any tips for applying would be appreciated.

[Shipwreck]

Sheetrock?

I am in the middle of building my new shop and could use some advice. I am starting with a newly constructed 16' x 24', 2 story "barn" and am using the bottom floor for the shop (the upstairs will be for storage and whatever else the LOML wants to use it for). I have just finished roughing in the wiring and insulating the walls. Now I am trying to decide what to use to cover the insulation. At first I had decided on fire-retardant "sheet-rock", which sells for about $7.50 for a 4 x 8 sheet at Lowes, since the walls are right at 8 feet high, I figured I needed about 22 sheets. My plan was to tape the seams and stop there...no mud or paint..it is a shop after all. After talking to a few friends though, other options have emerged such as using pegboard up high and 1/4 inch plywood down low. This would have the advantage of being more sturdy and functional than my first option. I plan on having about 1/2 of the wall space as a 48" high workbench area with my drill press, band saw and miter saw mounted in these areas. I also have a BT3100 with a router table to place centrally and will of course have an assembly table. Any thoughts on the wall material, design and construction would be greatly appreciated.

If the building is not attached to your house , your not required to use FC board.

[Iansaws]

Thanks Ship. I have finished with the walls except for painting them which will happen soon I hope. I decided on 9/16 OSB instead of sheetrock. It was more economical and practical.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Thanks Ship. I have finished with the walls except for painting them which will happen soon I hope. I decided on 9/16 OSB instead of sheetrock. It was more economical and practical.

Thats what I am in the process of doing right now. It is a lot easier than drywall. Certainly lighter to put up on ceiling. Also less likely to get holes punched in it by long boards, etc. Soaks up the paint though!

[Iansaws]

Sheetrock?

"Sheetrock" is Southern for drywall.

[chopnhack]

The shop is taking form! Great work - also....you SUCK
just kidding, thats just the jealous side of me talking

[jcrenick]

At good approach to covering walls is this:
Put in a 1 x 6 baseboard(use treated if in contact with concrete floor), then set a 1 x 6 just above bench height as if it were to sit on top of the bench. Install another at the top of the wall. Then "fill" in between them with ply or drywall. Fill in the top section with drywall or peg board. You can orient the drywall vertically in slightly less than 4' lengths. This gives you tapered seams all around so mudding is easy. It also gives you extra supports all around for mounting stuff.

[radhak]

That's a very nicely designed shop - love it, and envy you!