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Tell me your small shop regrets!

I debated over LED's over fluroescents as well. I opted for 4' fluorescents. They last quite a long time, and they have lights that aren't affected by the cold now. Zero regrets. Light colored walls, and tons of fixtures are a must, too.

My favorite thing I did was build a 2' shelf that runs the entire length of my back wall in my 16x16 shop. I cut 2x4's at an angle, and it doesn't affect floor space at all. It makes it great for storage of pipes, boards, conduit, whatever.

My other opinion is do not put anything in the walls. I'm always reconfiguring my work spaces. It'd be nice to have the ease of adding or changing everything. Once it's in the wall, it's there

I personally really like L shaped benches, with shelves made of 2x6's on one side. My last bench I built it to fit a US General 44" box under it. Just haven't had the cash freed up to buy another. Anything to save floor space in a small shop.
 
20x30 here.

Within reason, put everything on wheels. Retractable reels for extension cords and air lines. Heavy and immovable shit goes where a vehicle can't, as in a corner, or behind some other obstacle.

For regrets? Buying too much shit. Easy to think you have all the room in the world, then all of a sudden, you have no space to fit a vehicle. Build a shed or lean-to to store stuff you need to have but don't use too often.
 
45acp said:
Agree on the lighting, disagree on the outlets.

Shop 1 i ran a plug every 4ft. Shop 2 i got two good cord reels. DGAF about outlets anymore. Nice to have over a designated work area, but other than that its easier to pull a cord out of the ceiling and have it wind itself back up.
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Every shop is different. I put quad outlets every 3 or so feet and almost all of them have at least two dedicated tools or chargers in them at all times. Some like in my grinder/buffer area are full and I wish I had run yet another circuit! :laughing:

I could use a second cord reel. They are handy for power in the center of the bays and where you don't want to be walking over a cord.
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
For regrets? Buying too much shit. Easy to think you have all the room in the world, then all of a sudden, you have no space to fit a vehicle. Build a shed or lean-to to store stuff you need to have but don't use too often.
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This.

Also, when I bought my place the walls had unfinished OSB, painting them white and adding a bunch of cheap 4' LED fixtures made a huge difference. I agree with the folks who say hose/cord reels, they made life a lot better.
 
45acp said:
Honestly I'm gonna go against the grain here and say forget all the air line runs with various drops and get a good (non HF) hose reel. Its 23x23... its not like you're gonna have multiple people in there running various air tools at the same time. Put it up on the ceiling close to the big door and it'll cover everything in the shop easy.
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I second this.

The working area of my shop is 40x50. I have a hose reel mounted to my lift and it reaches all the areas of the shop. I will more than likely mount another one to the ceiling, but just the one can service everything in the shop.

I dont know if I'd get too concerned with running hard lines with hook ups all over the place.
 
If you can find one cheap, a stainless steel picnic table can make an awesome work bench.

A buddy of mine scored a couple from an old jail tear down. They are 8 feet long and have a heavy metal frame. I was able to cut up the frame, removing the bench parts, and mount them to the wall studs. I used the bench portions as matching shelves above the new work bench.
 
Everything that can be on wheels should be on wheels. I have a 25x25 2 bay that I am going back and reconfiguring. Im adding wheels to a bunch of stuff, like my press and sand blaster. Something I wish I did from the beginning.
 
Put a work bench and a couple of power points in the horse stall area, it's great to be able to do sanding and grinding and sawing outside (weather permitting), plenty of ventilation and you don't have to deal with the mess.
Especially good if you like working with some dead tree carcass, I can't stand saw dust in my shed.
 
A4L7E3X said:
Put a work bench and a couple of power points in the horse stall area, it's great to be able to do sanding and grinding and sawing outside (weather permitting), plenty of ventilation and you don't have to deal with the mess.
Especially good if you like working with some dead tree carcass, I can't stand saw dust in my shed.
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That is a good idea.
 
Johann said:
Every shop is different. I put quad outlets every 3 or so feet and almost all of them have at least two dedicated tools or chargers in them at all times. Some like in my grinder/buffer area are full and I wish I had run yet another circuit! :laughing:

I could use a second cord reel. They are handy for power in the center of the bays and where you don't want to be walking over a cord.
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If you're building the shop, sure do outlets everywhere... but if you're moving into a shop don't bother. I got one of those long power strip doohickeys under the shelf for charger related stuff
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Toreadorranger said:
Everything that can be on wheels should be on wheels. I have a 25x25 2 bay that I am going back and reconfiguring. Im adding wheels to a bunch of stuff, like my press and sand blaster. Something I wish I did from the beginning.
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Or get a cheap pallet jack and put pallets under everything...

Aaron Z
 
A4L7E3X said:
Put a work bench and a couple of power points in the horse stall area, it's great to be able to do sanding and grinding and sawing outside (weather permitting), plenty of ventilation and you don't have to deal with the mess.
Especially good if you like working with some dead tree carcass, I can't stand saw dust in my shed.
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You are a god damn genious. Thank you for mentioning this, I never considered using that area for anything but lawn equipment storage. A fold down bench and some outlets will be added.
 
45acp said:
Yea, I also have a decent 110v reel and its cut down on the extension cord use by 90%.

I'm in a 30x40, just one Kobalt (lowes) hose reel up by the door and it does everything I want. I can air tires out in the driveway, and it'll reach every corner of the shop. Doing front brakes on the wife's ride right now and when I'm done I can yank the line and it disappears.
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I took this advice and just put a 40ft reel in the center of my 25x25 garage. x2 on this. Great advice.
 
when we built the shop added 9' tall roll up doors. regret? wish had added one to other end of shop for drive in/drive out.
 
My garage is 40x35 (3.5 x double deep) with 11' ceilings. Pretty decent sized for an attached garage these days. But when the builder mentioned he was lowering the garage (to make my driveway not so steep)and that my ceiling height would increase to 11', I didn't think to have him put taller doors on the front of it.

Also should have done more 110v outlets. I put in 2 50amp 220 outlets, one for compressor and one for welder/plasma. I have the ability to put in a 30 amp 220 in the box that is in the garage which someday I'll probably do.

I had easy access to above the garage so I did 4 4 bulb LED fixtures in the place, need to add one or two more. But if getting above the ceiling was an issue I would have had the builder do it. Just would have sucked at his prices.

Oh and HVAC... man I would love to have some A/C in this mother.
 
Silverback07 said:
My garage is 40x35 (3.5 x double deep) with 11' ceilings. Pretty decent sized for an attached garage these days. But when the builder mentioned he was lowering the garage (to make my driveway not so steep)and that my ceiling height would increase to 11', I didn't think to have him put taller doors on the front of it.

Also should have done more 110v outlets. I put in 2 50amp 220 outlets, one for compressor and one for welder/plasma. I have the ability to put in a 30 amp 220 in the box that is in the garage which someday I'll probably do.

I had easy access to above the garage so I did 4 4 bulb LED fixtures in the place, need to add one or two more. But if getting above the ceiling was an issue I would have had the builder do it. Just would have sucked at his prices.

Oh and HVAC... man I would love to have some A/C in this mother.
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AC is a big one. I got a 15k 220v window unit a year or two ago and it's a fuckin game changer. Right along with that though, some kind of air filtration system if running plasmas, or welders, or grinders, in a closed space with the AC on.
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
AC is a big one. I got a 15k 220v window unit a year or two ago and it's a fuckin game changer. Right along with that though, some kind of air filtration system if running plasmas, or welders, or grinders, in a closed space with the AC on.
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Insulated or Not? Ive been considering running one, but I'm not insulated so I know its going to be an uphill battle.
 
Toreadorranger said:
Insulated or Not? Ive been considering running one, but I'm not insulated so I know its going to be an uphill battle.
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Not insulated. Specifically, attached, so one wall is insulated by the house, open truss ceiling with a large gable end vent, and two 8'x8' insulated garage doors. I turn it on an hour before I start work, and on a 95+ degree day it'll keep the garage at 70* (cooler than I prefer) without issue.
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
Not insulated. Specifically, attached, so one wall is insulated by the house, open truss ceiling with a large gable end vent, and two 8'x8' insulated garage doors. I turn it on an hour before I start work, and on a 95+ degree day it'll keep the garage at 70* (cooler than I prefer) without issue.
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That's good to know, That's almost exactly what I have except I have older wood garage doors and a walk up attic.
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
AC is a big one. I got a 15k 220v window unit a year or two ago and it's a fuckin game changer. Right along with that though, some kind of air filtration system if running plasmas, or welders, or grinders, in a closed space with the AC on.
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An air conditioned shop was a requirement. When I lived in Phoenix I had a portable swamp cooler that would keep my garage chilly. When I was living in tampa my attached garage faced west and was unbearable to even stand in during the summer, but that was a temporary rental so I never added anything.

Here I will be. Not only am I less and less tolerant of the heat as time passes, but this shop is dark colored and faces west. Deciding what way I want to go is going to depend on the BTU per dollar when I'm ready to buy.

I thought I wanted a mini split, now I'm thinking a portable might be handy if the house AC ever fails, but it'll also be in the way a lot. I don't mind using a kerosene heater in the winter and actually prefer it cold to work, so the heating side doesn't really matter to me. I did start insulating. Even without a lid on it the garage is substantially cooler. I bet your place would be downright frigid if you insulated, even if you just did some blown in cellulose in the attic.

I busted up my ankle and i'm stuck in an air cast, hopefully I'll be out of this thing soon so the shop could be a place for projects, not a project....
 
More lights, more outlets, more 220 outlets, more air. I wish I had a water spigot run close to the garage door but inside the shop. I double wish I had a hot water spigot right next to it. I'd like to add a powered vent fan in mine. We get pretty poor airflow and after a minute of welding it's smokey
 
Insulation, ac/heat and more outlets or hose reels. My shop is 20x30 with no insulation and outlets every 4’. I’ve got so much shit against the walls that I’m always grabbing an extension cord. My goal is to insulate and either do a mini split or a big window unit before winter. Before I insulate I’m gonna add another welder plug on the opposite end of the shop.
 
For air I put my compressor in the rear corner and then ran that RapidAir 1/2" stuff around the place. Just ran it around the ceiling with drops running down the wall where I wanted it. I have 7 drops to include 2 hose reels. Super easy and fairly cheap.
 
I've had a bunch of small rental garages, current one is 14x20. I can fit a 50" matco tool box, small mill, 12"x36" lathe, bench grinder on a stand, air compressor, push lawn mower, 220 volt welder on a cart, 2 tool carts, and a whole lot more in it with enough room to work on a WJ Grand Cherokee.

I have 5 Amazon commercial LED's and then 2 harbor freight over my Mill and Lathe, with white walls it's extremely bright in there. The white walls help a ton. The amazon lights are cheap enough you can throw them out and hang another. Power more is better but if you need to build small extension cords for dedicated purposes/ put long cords on things. With the progress in cordless tool besides an angle grinder and fixed equipment how much corded stuff do you have any more?

For air lines I just buy a cheap 50' air hose, cut it up, add barbed fittings and hose clamps, and mount it to the ceiling. I run drops to my mill/ lathe with coil hoses for each machine/ one that reaches outside for blowing off the lawn mower. The only thing I use air for any more is a blow gun, die grinder, or to fill up a tire. The compressor is right by the door and I can run an air hose into the driveway. There's currently 16' of air hose out the the front of the wife's jeep to run the die grinder and blow gun, when I'm done fixing a bunch of engine leaks I'll roll it back up and it will stay there for a while.

Organization is key. Everything has it's place and is organized. Walmart has $4 clear tackle boxes in the fishing section. I have a dozen or more with things like #10 sheet metal screws, heat shrink connectors, m8 bolts, ect. You grab the box of whatever and take it to where you are working. Another thing is storage for in process projects. I have a 1 drawer harbor freight cart I keep my grinding wheels in the drawer but fill the top and shelves with in process parts and then you can close the top and use it as a flat surface. I built a bunch of shelves and might build more for in process junk. The other is keeping yard stuff out of the garage or if it must be in the garage giving it a dedicated spot. I built some hangers on the wall that will hold between 4'-20' of material, getting it up and off the floor is key. The more dedicated storage/ crap you can put in a spot the better. The other is purging stuff you will never use/ left over parts. I keep 1 coffee can of random nuts and bolts, when it's full the stuff either goes in a drawer/ tackle box with it's relatives or gets thrown out.

Time to go and finish chasing leaks on the wife's DD.
 
45acp said:
Honestly I'm gonna go against the grain here and say forget all the air line runs with various drops and get a good (non HF) hose reel. Its 23x23... its not like you're gonna have multiple people in there running various air tools at the same time. Put it up on the ceiling close to the big door and it'll cover everything in the shop easy.
Click to expand...

I bought good used USA made retractable hose reels off of CL and installed three of them up in my shops ceiling in different areas. I have airline QCs at various points also including going through the wall to outside. I also installed shutoff valves to kill off a line if it’s leaking until I can repair it.

I ran copper lines in my shop years ago but I’m going to run some more lines using blue 1” pex.
 
Landslide said:
I bought good used USA made retractable hose reels off of CL and installed three of them up in my shops ceiling in different areas. I have airline QCs at various points also including going through the wall to outside. I also installed shutoff valves to kill off a line if it’s leaking until I can repair it.

I ran copper lines in my shop years ago but I’m going to run some more lines using blue 1” pex.
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The pex stuff is awesome. I bought a kit from (cant remember) that was maybe 100ft of 1" pex with multiple drops and end drains. Loved it in my old 30x60, but once I got the hose reel I hardly ever used the points on the wall.

Outside exit is also a good idea for tractor/ lawnmower/ trailer stuff. Ive ran one in this shop and have a 50' hose on the lean to shed out back.
 
45acp said:
The pex stuff is awesome. I bought a kit from (cant remember) that was maybe 100ft of 1" pex with multiple drops and end drains. Loved it in my old 30x60, but once I got the hose reel I hardly ever used the points on the wall.

Outside exit is also a good idea for tractor/ lawnmower/ trailer stuff. Ive ran one in this shop and have a 50' hose on the lean to shed out back.
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I have a couple drops at my mill and large and plan on routing one out into both my storage semi trailers backup to my shop also.

I bought a 500’ 1” ID pex line I buried from my house to my shop in two runs. One for water and the other for air. My compressor is in my house basement in climate controlled environment. I have this already ran in the plastic line but it runs out of my house bandboard and down the outside basement wall. New lines are going through my basement wall well below grade so I don’t have to shut my water off come winter anymore.

my plan is to use the leftover pex to route out my other air lines. I just buy the 1” brass fittings for the pex and use the crimped ratchet tool on the compression bands.

the huge 1” ID line is an air volume storage also. I don’t have any real delay with air moving 210’ down to my shop.
 
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