Big G
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Post by Big G on Feb 1, 2010 12:10:13 GMT -4
Alright kids, so if everything goes according to plan, I'll have my garage by the summer. I know we've had some interesting treads recently about heating methods and tips & tricks for your garage, but I've got some more specific ideas I'd like to run by you and get some opinions. First some specs; - 24X24 (may go as big as 32X32, but for now, we'll consider this the min.) - 3-4' cement pony wall -piped for in-floor -9' car door -insulated to the hills. LOL -steel bars across windows Here's what I'm thinking is going to be the basic layout; Work bench; The 3 red circles represent 4-6" steel pipe that would be set into the cement pad, and used as the "legs" for the bench. Some thick steel plate would make up the top (1"?), and the red rectangles represent 2.5" square tube welded to the underside of the steel plate. These would be attachment points for such things as the vice, grinder, etc. This way they can be removed for a flat bench, or relocated for ease of use. Wall fan; A conventional wall fan will be mounted, but I'd like to make up a couple of attachments for it. One would simply be a flat piece with insulation to keep drafts down when not in use, and the other a sheet metal piece that would allow attaching flex pipe so that a more localized air suction could be used. Likely for the bench most of the time. Compressor; There's nothing I hate more then a loud compressor. The plan is to mount it in the back right corner, but up on a platform, so as to not use up floor space. Not sure if my "enclosure" will cause heat issues.... but I seam to recall reading a thread somewhere similar, and it worked out well. Anyway, that's it for now. I'm sure I'll come up with more later.
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Post by theonlybull on Feb 1, 2010 12:24:27 GMT -4
for your bench, i assume you want something to pound on, and take a beating. don't use 1" plate... alot of money for what you'll get.
our benches are 2x8 plank, with 1/4" plate screwed down, and around the edges. the wood make the bench much more "dead" then iron alone.
this isn't as good if you want to cut n weld on them...... doable, but gotta not get the bench as hot.
for your fan. we had one with the "insulated door" was hinged, and just swung away. as for attaching pipe, or flex hose, you'll need to flow a certain amount of air, of the fan will stall, and not draw anything. i ran into this with our box fan, and fume extractor. ours is perminate, so there's a box, with a few openins, and a swinging door, that draws smoke from the celing, but is limited how far it can open by a screw.
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Big G
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Post by Big G on Feb 1, 2010 12:46:04 GMT -4
Yeah, the corner bench will be wood framed & metal covered, but the island bench will be primarily for hot work.
I'm kind of stealing the design from somewhere I worked before. It was the sturdiest thing I've ever seen. They also had a ground strap permanently mounted to it.
I guess if I used more legs, I could get away with thinner sheet steel?
I've heard that the noise made by a compressor comes from the intake, and that mounting a muffler will considerably quiet it. I'll try this first before building an enclosure.
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Post by casey on Feb 1, 2010 13:14:10 GMT -4
i just build a 24x24 garage here at my house. the layout is pretty much the same. i can take a few pics for you so you can get an idea.
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Big G
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Post by Big G on Feb 1, 2010 13:24:55 GMT -4
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Post by mostheman on Feb 1, 2010 13:34:42 GMT -4
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Post by theonlybull on Feb 1, 2010 17:10:07 GMT -4
our welding bench, is 1/4" plate, with 1/4 x 2 flatbar ribs under it, and around the edges. with 4 pipe legs. it's 24" x 36". big enough for most jobs, small enough, one can move it, and it doesn't take up the whole shop. anything bigger is done on a few sets of steel saw horses.
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'Roach
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Post by 'Roach on Feb 1, 2010 17:53:53 GMT -4
dammit Mo! now I've killed an hour reading that I could have been cooking supper!!! ;D
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stroh
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Post by stroh on Feb 1, 2010 17:57:31 GMT -4
x2 although that garage is awesome.
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Big G
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Post by Big G on Feb 1, 2010 18:25:48 GMT -4
Some neat ideas here;
I'd like to integrate something like the X in the table for clamping.
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jptj
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Post by jptj on Feb 1, 2010 18:38:27 GMT -4
If you have the room and the means - DON'T GO TOO SMALL! There's no such thing as a garage that's too big. Ours is 24'X26' and I wish it were at least wider. If it weren't for the second story, there definitely wouldn't be enough room. As it is, I got a 10'X12' shed to put behind it for the tractor cart, wheel barrow, spare wheels, engine stand, etc. that are useful but just take up valuable workspace. The one I have down at dad's is 28'X32' - much more comfortable in which to work, but at times I still wish I had gone at least 32'X32' on that one.
Your floor plans look great, but when in reality you put that workbench, cabinets and toolbox in there, and throw in a vehicle (Jeep? ;D) in there, you're gonna find that space is at a premium.
Again, if you have the room AND means to do it...don't build too small!
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Big G
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Post by Big G on Feb 1, 2010 19:37:40 GMT -4
Yeah, I guess the only downside to having a bigger garage would be the cost to heat... not sure if I'll be keeping it at a constant above zero, or if I'll be saving up projects to go out every now and then and heat it up for those times.
I do plan on having a decent sized shed that will house all the yard tools, spare tires, etc.
Not pictured are the drill press, parts washer, sand blaster, welder, plasma, press, etc, etc, etc. All things that are going to eat up wall space. Like I said, 24X24 is min... I'll be getting more specific prices on bigger sizes before building.
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Creepy
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Post by Creepy on Feb 1, 2010 20:21:02 GMT -4
It costs me about $35-$40 a month to keep 20x24 at 5deg minimum, and 1/3 of the month at 15-20deg (in winter) with the overhead electric.
If your in floor water heater tank can do that, you'll be laughing. It should?
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Post by theonlybull on Feb 1, 2010 20:53:17 GMT -4
we work everyday, in a 20x40 shop, heated with forced air/oil. with a programable thermostate, we heat the shop for around 450-500$ a year. temp is set to 45 from 5pm till 6:30am, then it goes steps up a couple times to 55*F @ 7:50am... real cold days, doing machine work, it'll get bumped up to 58*F. and some days we have the 10x10 door open all day
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Hawkes
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Post by Hawkes on Feb 1, 2010 20:57:42 GMT -4
Separate sheds for toys and junk is really nice, I have 2, need 10 more. ;D I do all my sandblasting and welding outside, what would be really nice is an overhang, keep the rain and snow out, but not be concerned about making such a mess. If I had more space or less stuff in the garage I might be okay with doing that stuff inside. When I say I weld outside I really just open the door and do it in the doorway, not the most comfortable setup. Mine is too messy, and too full, I'd risk burning it down. One booger into the dust under the bench is all it would take. I sometimes run the table saw in there and you know what kind of mess that makes.
Making that bench as a permanent island means losing flexibility, I wouldn't like that. What if your tractor blows a hydraulic hose while the Jeep is on the jack stands, gonna fix it outside? Putting the door in the middle would be way easier to get two vehicles in, even if one is smaller like a 4 wheeler or even a lawn tractor.
My fathers garage has the I beam and trolley, great setup, handy for a lot of things. Won't half of it be useless if you install a garage door opener? Might want to think about that one. Some guys install a hook in the floor for various uses, I think a piece of big chain hooked to a piece of plate under the concrete floor would work, could make a recess so you don't trip on the hook sticking out. Good for pulling a frame or holding something down when you're working on it.
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