asmasm

iTrader: (1)

There is a whole thread on garage journal about socket organizers:
Best socket organizer. Ideas? - The Garage Journal Board

Also, those lisle magnets trays are pretty cheap. Doubt you are going to save more than $5 on a china version.

vehicular

iTrader: (3)

I haven't been on Garage Journal in years. I should probably look around on there for a while.





In other news, I went to the home inspection yesterday, and it went pretty well. I'm expecting the report tomorrow, but we should be good.

I eyeballed the back yard, and I wasn't sure a 25x50 will fit back there without looking silly.





So I did some homework. According to Google Maps, the blue line above is 70 ft, and the red line is 90. The Green box is approximately 25x50 and the yellow box is approx 30x40. Both are backed up against the corner of the fence (i.e. the shop would replace that portion of fence) which is as far back as they can go without a waiver from the county.

I used Maps' Measure Distance Tool calibrated against the neighborhood plat (accoring to the surveyed plat, from the west fence to the middle of the drainage ditch on the east side should be 110 ft, Maps said it was 108.x) to determine that the kick out in the driveway on the east side is right up against the easement, and any permanent structure I build has to be 4 ft inside there.

I think I'm good, but I won't have any room for a pad out back.

2ndGearRubber

I use these for ultimate socket storage, they're by far the best options I've found.




Westling Machine - Milaca, MN

Billet aluminum swag






Bottom-line pricing on Vim V444 at ToolTopia.com



100% customization.

m2cupcar

iTrader: (5)

I moved all my corded and air tools to the wall from drawers and improved garage life significantly.

aidandj

iTrader: (5)

What is that second wall thing. I want it badly.

m2cupcar

iTrader: (5)

It's sold as a trailer air tool rack/hanger @ Jegs/summit//amazon. They're about $20 and all win. Rest of the tools are hung with various hooks from Home Depot @ $1 each.

m2cupcar

iTrader: (5)

I'll recommend some exhaust fans at the gable vents too. Excellent for evacuating heat, stench and smoke.

vehicular

iTrader: (3)

Does anybody have any specific experience with Rustbullet or Nohr-S floor coatings? They seem like the easiest really high performance floor coatings available. I'm not sure I really want to stomach the kind of money it would take to coat the whole floor with them, though.

Any other options? The Rustoleum and Quikcrete products are really cheap, but the internet seems to think they suck. I can't tell if they're just not as good as the really nice products, or if they're actually just expensive paint.

vehicular

iTrader: (3)

I like this idea, but I'm afraid the vents will just be a massive heat loss in the winter.

rleete

iTrader: (21)

At work we used whatever is sold at the big box stores in the bulk form. Held up pretty well. But that was commercial smooth finished concrete, never exposed to weather. Still there, still looks good several years later. Never gets more than foot traffic.

Neighbor tried something in his garage, also from big box store. Floor was pitted, so he wire brushed the hell out of it to remove any trace of loose material. Swept, vacuumed and pressure washed and dried. Applied product per instructions, and it flaked off in large pieces after only one winter. Floor looks like hell now.

So, unless your floor is in very good shape, I'd stay away from DIY floor coatings.

vehicular

iTrader: (3)

It will be a brand new slab, so....

m2cupcar

iTrader: (5)

I suppose that has a lot to do on whether the space is finished or not. Mine is not and in the winter I use our outdoor propane "patio/umbrella" heater which works wonders for heating the space. I sealed around the gable vent fans with OSB so the originally large opening is now reduced down to the diameter of the fans which is significantly smaller.

vehicular

iTrader: (3)

UPDATE!


I have been chasing my *** with the mortgage people for 2.5 months now, but the end is finally in sight. After endless issues, everything is lined up and we're on the move.

The bid is set up for a 25x50 with an 8ft storage room in the rear. The walls will be up on a curb that will be poured with the slab. There will also be a floor drain that will run out to the drainage ditch next door. He'll do a brick front face and 18" of brick around the other 3 faces with siding to match the trim on the house. He's not going to finish it out or wire it, but part of his bid is to bring me enough drywall and insulation to finish it out after I wire everything.


I have a buddy who bought these lights for his shop:

4-foot LED Shoplight - Sam's Club

He has 8 over 1100 sq ft, and is thrilled with them. I haven't seen them, but several of our other friends liked them enough that hey went home and ordered their own when they saw his. I'm going to go check his shop out tomorrow after work, I think. I'll report back on how effective the lights are.


I think I'll do PEX air line. I have enough reservoir volume that I'm not really concerned with moisture in the lines. Plus I have a 3M ceramic element filter/dryer, and I'll probably run an iron pipe water trap right off the compressor and a ~10 ft rise from there to the runs out to the line spools.


For flooring, I'll have him trowel finish the slab smooth, then I'll epoxy it down the road, I think.


I'm going to have him stub off the pipes for the shop sink, and I'll do something with it later. I'd really like to do a tankless water heater, and a hot/ cold hose spigot on the wall so I can wash cars inside in the winter.


I also intend to do a waste oil heater at some point, but that will be way down the road.

codrus

For sockets I really like this style of holder -- very compact and easy to find, holds them all in a 3" drawer:




For lights, I'm in love with my new GE ET14 LED recessed troffer lights. Not cheap, but very nice:



The latest addition to the garage is a Bend-Pak HD9-ST:



The other side of the garage is piled high with random crap that the movers dumped there. I really need a week off work so I can sort it all out properly.

--Ian

ericwh

iTrader: (1)

I would really like to have a metal fab area separated from my garage area. Grinding and cutting dust/shavings get everywhere and covers everything.

vehicular

iTrader: (3)

Why did you choose a 4 post lift over a two post. It just seems so much less useful than a 2 post.


Also, what benefit do you see for those GE lights over something cheaper? They claim less light output than the Lights of America fixtures I mentioned, and they cost 8 times as much...

asmasm

iTrader: (1)

Now he can park another miata under it.

codrus

The biggest factor is that a 2 post is too wide -- it doesn't fit, not if I want to park a car next to it. A Bend-Pak XPR-9 has a minimum width of 132 inches, whereas an HD9-ST is 99, and that 3 feet is critical. The 4-post is also out of the way of the door swing for the car parked next to it.

Other strikes against a 2 post are that they require concrete work, are less stable in earthquake country, and are undesirable from a storage point of view because the suspension is unloaded.

A 4 post lift by itself means you can't do suspension work, but that's what the roller jacks are for. Adding those gives you 90% of the functionality of a 2-post, while addressing the other concerns. About the only thing you can't do is lift the body off the "roller skate" for an Exocet transplant.

As for the lights, can lights have the wrong beam pattern for illuminating a shop, they're too narrow. You'd need a zillion of them. I wanted LED, I wanted recessed (something that sticks down 3 inches means 3 fewer inches I can raise the car), I needed drywall-compatible (not suspended ceiling) and they needed to be low-enough power that they could be boxed in and have insulation on top of them without overheating. That limited the field. The GEs were expensive, but they're awesome, a very even light pattern, no hot spots.

--Ian

HHammerly

iTrader: (3)

This is my shop, ground floor is 34x18 basement is 28x14, i just replaced all the t12 fluorecent lamps for led lamps from earthled at $11 each and am very happy with the light.
Hard to put a lift when there is a basement under the shop flor...

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

If need a zillion of them means the beam pattern sucks then your picture showcases some that suck. I've got about half as many of the HomeDepot Racing brand HO lights in my garage and it seems about as bright as your picture.