Having a nice set of tools in your garage is great. If you know how to use them, you can fix minor things like your kid’s skateboards and even major things like the engine in your car. But just having a tool set sometimes isn’t enough.
If you really want to get some stuff done in your garage, you should convert an area of your garage into a workshop. It isn’t hard to do, and you’ll be the envy of all your friends who are constantly coming over to build and repair things. If you’re curious as to how you can convert your garage (or part of it) into a home workshop, check out these ideas.
Setup
In most cases, you’ll want to choose a wall that isn’t near your car and dedicate that wall to being your workshop. Make sure it’s a solid wall that things can be hung from. You’ll want to sketch some mock ups of where you want things to go, and go to a local home improvement store to pick up the materials you need.
After you’ve got the materials, it’s time to get to work on building the first tool bench. Make sure it’s big enough for all your projects, yet small enough so it doesn’t interfere with anything else in the garage. Above the bench, hang some pegboard, which you can pick up inexpensively at any home improvement store. Once you’ve got your setup all built, it’s time to start filling it.
Tools
You’ll want to have at least the basic tools in your workshop, but the ultimate home workshop goes far and beyond just the basics. One thing that a lot of workshops don’t have but could benefit from is some sort of edge preparation equipment. Investing in some sort of edge preparation machine will extend the life of your tools, and reduce sharpening costs in the long run as you won’t have to take in your tools to have the edges prepped anymore. All sorts of drills, saw blades, and other tools that require maintained edges will benefit if you invest in some edge prep equipment. You could even charge your buddies who come over to sharpen their edges, too!
If storage space is an issue, remember that you can always rent tools if needed, and as long as there’s room to operate that rented equipment you’ll be fine. Hanging storage is also a good option as long as what you’re hanging isn’t too heavy, as you don’t want to damage your ceiling or walls.
Cleaning
One important thing to consider when designing and building your home workshop is how you will deal with the mess that’s created when you use your workshop. Whether it’s paint, sawdust, or any other type of material, be sure you think ahead in how you’re going to keep your garage clean.
Make sure you have a way to respond to any sort of spills or accidents, and make sure you take preventative steps to keep your garage clean. Check out this article for a few ways you can keep your new workshop in good shape.