Tandom Garage setup

[woodinville guy]

It has been a while since I've been doing woodworking between my job and moving to Austin Texas.

I am now having a house built that has a 3 car tandom garage. I have been given the tandem section of the garage. Does anyone have any designs/pictures of a workshop setup in this size of a garage. I figure that I'll be able to roll the saw and other tools into the long bay of the garage but I'll have to roll back the tool when done. I had them put in a full glass door and a window in this half of the garage so I will get in some natural light.

[Red88chevy]

Welcome to Texas! I have a "3 car" garage, but its difficult to imagine how they would get 3 cars in there. So we have 1 car, yard junk, and wood working. While your in the construction stage, I would make sure they put in plenty of electrical outlets. I really don't understand their thinking, but the last 2 "new" houses I've lived in have had maybe
2 outlets in the entire garage, but 6 to 8 outlets in the kitchen. It seems like there should be atleast 1 outlet on each wall. Unless you can store the yard equipment and all the other stuff you collect somewhere else, you'll really only end up with 1 car space or little more for woodworking. Now is also a good time to deck the attic over the garage and any other unairconditioned space for storage of some of this other stuff like Christmas decorations, camping stuff, etc. Good idea getting natural light. Even though you have more space than 2 car garage, you really don't have more wall area, so that is still at a premium. I've played with the shop software on the Grizzly site a few times and it does help, but sure would be easier to do before you get everything in the garage!

[JR]

What's a tandem garage?

JR

[poolhound]

I agree a million percent about the outlets. As I have just rewired my garage it is so awsome to be free from previous power constraints. I would reccomend you get them to put in a sub panel for the shop and wire in at least 4 20Amp circuits. I did this and put two double outlets on each circuit located so that in any quadrant of my workspace I could get access to 3 of the 4 at any one time. This way I can have any large machine plus DC plus compressor all going at the same time. With a SP it also means you have 220 available if you need it.

[poolhound]

What's a tandem garage?

JR

Isnt it a garage that two people can ride on together - hmmmm that may be something different

[TB Roye]

You park on car in front of the other. I think he ment Tandem. A lot of the new houses in my area that were being built on small lots have Tandem garages to save space on the small lots. You can't park a full size pickup or SUV but two Honda fit fine in the ones I have seen only trouble there who gets the spot by door. My son in Idaho as a 3 car Tandem Garage but it is big,the two carsare in the front of the garage and the area in front of one car could be a nice shop of a place to put your boat.

Tom

[scmhogg]

Dave,

I have one third of a regular three car garage. It is very cramped. I have perpetual bruises on my hips.

I have kitchen type cabinets all along one long wall. My "bench" is where the counter would be. Two thirds of the counter is covered with 3" thick bench top. The front of the top extends out about 8". As the garage ceiling is over 10' high, I have a lot of box storage above the cabinets

The entry door and three steps to the house is on one short wall. This makes for a lot of wasted space.

On the other short wall [the unused single garage door end] I have a small bench that my son and I made when he was small. [See Kid Bench] http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...22kid+bench%22

On the Kid Bench I have a mortiser and belt and disk sander. A floor drill press is next to the bench. And, a vertical compressor is next.

On the other long side I have a Rigid oscillating belt sander, on a stand. A Grizzly "baby" drum sander on a steel tool cabinet. My router table. A radial arm saw, small 8" Craftsman, usually with dado installed. A 10" Delta band saw on top of a 3' tall steel drawer cabinet. Facing the parking area, behind the Rigid sander, is a Delta bench top 6" jointer on a stand.

In the middle of all this is my BT3000 and a 12" Delta Planer on a stand.

Other tools are mounted on boards and hung on the wall above the garage door. Grinder, mini lathe, HF wet sharpener, 1" belt sander,and a Lion miter trimmer.

There is very little room to move around. But, it is a rare occasion, when I have to move a tool to accommodate a long or wide piece. I cut 4' X 8's , on the floor, with a circular saw, on one inch foam, when LOML's car is out.

Steve

[woodinville guy]

Thanks for the advice this is helpful. The is the house plan: http://www.newhomesource.com/homedetail/planid-479581


I get the long part of the garage which is 10' wide x 28' deep. I plan on making the bay in back be the benches and having to tools on mobile bases and roll them around.

I like the idea of a subpanel.

[JR]

If you get the whole long section, you'll be in great shape. I'm using the third bay in the three-bay, just like scmhogg. It's about 12'x20'. Going out to 28' would make me very happy.

Mobile bases on most tools is a great idea. I have them on my BS, jointer, planer, TS, and assembly bench. Some people have suggested that the TS might be best left untouched, but I don't have that luxury. I move my stuff around for just about every operation.

It looks like you have a lot of wall space, which is good. I have a lot of trouble finding places for jigs, patterns, tools (like scmhogg's stuff hung above the door). Try to plan such that you don't have benches along the entire wall. You'll want to walk right up to your pegboard, patterns and such.

With that much length you'll obviously want to orient the TS so material runs through from one end of the bay to the other. With that as a given, the other tools can be where you like. Jointer and planer nearby one another is a good idea. Assembly and finishing stuff - free-standing table, clamps, sandpaper, sanders, air cleaner, hand tools - should be grouped.

Wood storage would probably be best right near the garage door. You might think about a storage cart that can stand between the car bay and the shop bay, freeing the wall for other stuff.

Just a few ideas.

JR

[mschrank]

I found this workshop planner handy while laying out my shop:

http://grizzly.com/workshopplanner.cfm

[Thalermade]

You mentioned that you are planning to have glass door and a window installed. there is a garage in my neighborhood that has windows that are about a foot high and 8 foot long. they are installed near the top of wall - looks like it is about 8 foot up or so. Another garage I have seen that has a peak running front to back has two large plate windows in the front and back (above the garage doors ).

Do you need that large of a laundry room? Cut that room in half and you will have a great compressor/dust collection room!!

have fun
Russ

[woodinville guy]

You mentioned that you are planning to have glass door and a window installed. there is a garage in my neighborhood that has windows that are about a foot high and 8 foot long. they are installed near the top of wall - looks like it is about 8 foot up or so. Another garage I have seen that has a peak running front to back has two large plate windows in the front and back (above the garage doors ).

Do you need that large of a laundry room? Cut that room in half and you will have a great compressor/dust collection room!!

have fun
Russ

My wife would kill me if I eat into her laundry room :-) I am thinking that in the future maybe I could put the dust collect on the outside in a seperate dust collection shed.

[pelligrini]

Do you need that large of a laundry room? Cut that room in half and you will have a great compressor/dust collection room!!

I was thinking the same thing, seems like a waste of space for just a pantry too. Not many people really use a dining room either. Might be a good place to put the kitchen.

Looks like there should be some good attic space above the garage.