Shop or Man Cave

[bigstick509]

I have noticed my shop/garage has turned into more of a retreat then a shop. With a sound system, TV,computer and tablet I spend almost more time there as I do in my office. I still putter a bit in the shop but not much woodworking is getting done. Contributing to this is my shoulder's injuries but I do miss serious woodworking. How about you?

[capncarl]

My shop is sometimes the focus of our get togethers but it's far from a man cave. With no room left on any wall a TV is out of the question. An air conditioned shop and a refrigerator full of beer and a hodgepodge of wore out office chairs draws quite a crowd during the hot days of summer though.

One of my friends hung a wide screen tv on his wall and put a sectional couch on a rolling platform and a pool table in the end of the shop. Quite a man cave but the couch took up more room than a cabinet shop tablesaw and the pool table wasn't movable. Bass fishing was his main hobby and leaving the $50,000 boat on the driveway didn't last long. No more pool table or couch and the boat is in the shop.
capncarl

[jking]

I have a very small area in the basement and a 1-1/2 car garage which also gets used to store bikes, outdoor toys, lawn mower, etc. So, there are no man cave type items in my shop space. Unfortunately, my shop space gets encroached upon by other things, so, the result is still similar.

[cwsmith]

Is there supposed to be a difference???

Counting for TVs (wide screens or not), radio, beer supply, etc. I think depends on your wants, space, and budget. For me, my shop is rather small and in the basement. The garage is simply too full of other stuff like the Miata, lawn tools, and general "just put it in the garage" storage. Besides, who can be comfortable when it's only ten degrees out there now?

My "space" is here in the basement shop. It's where I keep my laptop, all my tools, and reference books. I spend most of my time down here, including having a snack, and like earlier this morning my breakfast. My sound is just a little Sandisk radio/MP3 player. But though a small area (one of two adjoining 12 x 11 ft rooms I use for shop space), its both heated and air conditioned... and the kitchen is right up stairs.

I haven't done a woodworking project in almost a year now, as other family projects have taken priority. (Doing a lot of 35mm slide and photo scanning to digital...like a few thousand.) But here I am sitting with the laptop on the workbench, my BT is an arm's length to my right and the router table rests in the corner. To my left is drawer space, a cluttered bench top and behind me is a folding workbench, behind which is some board storage. The adjoining room is where I keep the RAS, self-standing drill press, compressor, and most of the tool storage and woodworking books and catalogs.

So here I am sitting at my HF woodworking bench, keying away on my laptop. I'm in full "scanning mode" right now, with the flatbed scanner also on the bench, and a light board sitting behind me on the folding bench. I've got my coffee, I'm warm, and rather happy. Everything around me is a reminder of who I am and what I might be able to do, should the mood strike. My tools are easily moved into work position, and other stuff can be moved out of the way or tucked into another area. So, I guess this space can be called "my man cave" but I don't care for that label... with my wife, it's "Charlie's in his shop" and that works really fine for me. Everyone needs to have an area that they can call their own and be comfortable to do whatever in.

CWS

[leehljp]

I don't think I would enjoy a lot of amenities in my shop at all. A shop for me is a shop for working. I can see me fighting to keep from using a sofa or chair as temporary storage, or keeping them clean enough to sit on. OR keeping a TV clean enough to see. I love the sound of saws and tools (even with sound protection). If I had the space for a TV and sofa, I would probably move them out and add more tools, or WOOD! This is from a fellow that loves the smell of wood.

I have trouble watching two movies back to back on a rainy day with LOML. I watch TV some but it doesn't hold my interest long. I love the smell of wood or the feel of a tool in my hand and the idea of getting a job done. I would like a comfortable chair to look at a wood magazine and then look up at my wood and tools and see if I could make that - while drinking a cup of coffee! That would be MY man cave - if you would call it that.

My idea of amenities is having an 8 X 8 space for a shower, sink and commode. I would like an oven, microwave and dorm size refrigerator:
> Oven for drying small pieces of wood or for powder coating;
> MW for heating coffee or drying pieces of wood for pen making;
> Refrigerator: for storing glues and similar heat/time perishible items, along with water, tea or drinks.
AND a Coffee maker.

OH, and a dedicated laptop to research help for projects.

[bigstick509]

So here I am sitting at my HF woodworking bench, keying away on my laptop. I'm in full "scanning mode" right now, with the flatbed scanner also on the bench, and a light board sitting behind me on the folding bench. I've got my coffee, I'm warm, and rather happy. Everything around me is a reminder of who I am and what I might be able to do, should the mood strike. My tools are easily moved into work position, and other stuff can be moved out of the way or tucked into another area. So, I guess this space can be called "my man cave" but I don't care for that label... with my wife, it's "Charlie's in his shop" and that works really fine for me. Everyone needs to have an area that they can call their own and be comfortable to do whatever in.

CWS[/QUOTE]


Said much better then I did in the OP. Its scary but I was also sitting at one of my HF benches when I posted this morning. It is a great to have the means to do a project when the mood stricks. One of the good parts of retirement, having the time.

[dbhost]

My shop is a shop, except my wife thinks of it as a junk collection room.

The only somewhat comfortable seating surfaces are my padded shop stools...

Having said that, I have been prone to taking my tablet out to the shop, streaming something from Netflix, Hulu, or my own DLNA server and spending a couple hours just cleaning shop and getting some me, myself, and I time.

It's not really a man cave, but it is a good place for me to get my head "back in the game"...

[atgcpaul]

Now that we've had kids for a few years now, my shop is my Fortress of Solitude..but usually only during their naps on the weekends or after their bedtime. If I need to use the bathroom, I hold out as long as I can, because if I reenter the house (detached shop), it's inconvenient to take off the shoes, etc, and then there's always the chance that one of the kids will catch me with "Daddy!" and that's my queue to wrap it up and come back inside.

We have a "date night" every other month where we take turns watching another couple's kids. Every Sunday night, the kids are in a kids' church program for 1 1/2hrs. Sometimes we will go out to eat, but there are other times we retreat to our respective caves and just do our own thing.

Other than the heaters and AC, the only real amenity I have in there are some PC speakers that I'll connect to my tablet. I have an old laptop I could setup, but it doesn't have a camera so the tablet is more convenient to snap pics of my project and post directly to BT3. I couldn't work while a TV was going--too distracting--but music isn't a problem. I also wouldn't want to eat out there--too much dust, bugs, and chemicals.

When the kids get older and aren't always threatening to push the green TS on button, I want to setup a kids corner so we can hang out together. When it's nice outside, they'll play on the patio right outside the shop door which I leave open. They can peak through the screen door I installed and I can hear if anything is sketchy.

[JoeyGee]

In my shop, I have some leather recliners and a leather couch that can also recline. I have heat, A/C, stereo, MP3 player, satellite radio, DVD player and two TV's. Of course, that all goes into the driveway when I have to move the van out of the garage to get some work done

[jussi]

Right now my shop is a woodworking shop. Took out everything, even the lumber, and now it's only full of woodworking tools. In the near future however, I plan on adding a small flat screen and computer. I like to stream music, podcasts, and talk shows. And will output them on a Bluetooth speaker. Right now I do it via my phone but in the future I'll use the computer. I also have a few woodworking DVDs and a member of a couple of online woodworking guilds and it would be nice to follow along in the shop. A couch will never enter my shop. Well not unless I win the lottery and buy one that's 4x the size of my current place.

[capncarl]

CWS, I like your answer, reminds me that a man cave does not have to be like you see on TV with men worshiping jocks. My detached garage is on grade with the driveway so when we have my wife's cousin for a dinner guest (she had a stroke and can not navigate steps) we set up a couple of tables in my shop and have the meal in the shop. Everyone likes the mechanical decor! My wife and I eat in the shop quite often, you are right bigstick 509 there is nothing like being retired. If the if the do-good butts in my neighborhood assoc hadn't filed an injunction and stopped my shop I would have a bathroom / shower in my shop and would not had to go in the house.

[bigstick509]

Capncarl, sorry to hear about your problem with homeowner association. We are in a large condo sub with a large percentage of retirees. I'm very careful to keep the noise level to a minimum so the stay at home neighbors don't get P'OD. I still miss owning a traditional home but love the zero upkeep and responsibility for maintaining the grounds.

[capncarl]

They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. When the word got out that I was going to install a car lift in 1 bay of my shop the old fools banded together, their battle cry, he's going to be changing water pumps! If I'd only know all I had to say, it's a mother-in-law apartment, I could have built as big as I wanted! Enough hate your nosey neighbor bonding! Back to man caves!!! I'll start it off!

Who has a stripper pole in their shop?

capncarl

[cwsmith]

HOA's seem to be quite painful for lot of people. I've never had to deal with one, but have heard stories from many friends. I've been hoping to expand my garage, which presently has a 8 ft extension on one side. I've been hoping that I could rip that off and re-build it at 16 ft, with and 8 ft extension in the front and also add a second floor. Big dream, going on for a couple of years now, but the time and money just hasn't been there. This year I'm planning on selling the Painted Post house and that would give me the funds; but now I've been told by one of the local code inspectors that he doesn't think I will be allowed. Since this house was built in 1887, there's been an abundance of 'Codes' and if I were to tear that section off (or the garage down) I couldn't built it back on the same space, as there must be 5 ft clearance from the property line. Worst part of the story, is that supposedly I can't build anything by myself, as all work MUST be done by a registered contractor. That would be way beyond my budget! Still, I'm going to investigate further.

Now having a 16 x 28 ft shop with a second floor for other hobby purposes, or a guest apartment, would be a wonderful thing... and that would be a perfect "Man Cave". But I don't think it's going to be allowed.

CWS

[Carpenter96]

HOA's we don't have to deal with up here (I thought you guys were the land of the free). My shop is a shop and not a living room. I have one chair that I sit at for some operations and to take a break. I have a bathroom 2.5 feet inside the house and I have heat but not AC yet. The AC is something I want to put in before I retire (4 Years). I would not mind finding a spot for a small TV with a DVD player or perhaps a computer to watch woodworking videos on. I don't drink so people rarely come over to the shop to socialize, I can do that in the living room or on the back deck. I love being in the shop but had to add a clock because I would loose track of time. No windows to remind me it's getting late. It is well sound insulated so I don't bother my wife or the neighbors. If I had all sorts of furniture I would have to get rid of some stationary tools and that's not going to happen. To each their own, what ever makes you happy.

Regards Bob