What's the best shop idea ?

[Hal H]

What's the best idea you did to improve your shop, or idea you've seen.
A piece of equipment, shop layout, new lights, or anything else ?

Hal

 

[T Bredehoft]

Lights. I've converted almost completely to LEDs, strips on the ceiling, four photoflood reflectors, a couple of close-up units. I can see what ever I want, don't have to move a light or a fixture to see better.

 

[intjonmiller]

High density storage. I'm in a 1950s excuse for a one car garage, and I do wood and metal working, so every cubic inch counts. Mismatched cabinets picked up from various sources over time was not a bad way to start on the cheap, but ultimately resulted in a LOT of wasted space where they didn't fit the space efficiently. Wasted space + growing tool collection = stuff everywhere and nowhere to work.

 

[FOMOGO]

Along the same lines as Jon, loft/mezzanine storage areas, ceiling height allowing. Keeps your work areas clear and usable. Mike

 

[Groundhog]

I partitioned off a small area (6'x10') with a single 5' high wall in a corner to make an area to do sanding, grinding, polishing, etc. It is pretty amazing how much grit it keeps out of the rest of the shop.

 

[MetalMonkey]

HEAT! Had an NG heater hanging from the ceiling at my last house in the two car garage/shop. Here at the new-to-us place I have a 30x40' shop, but no real efficient way to heat (no NG available)...

 

[MozamPete]

One of the most useful things I did was mounting a number of plug sockets along the front of my workbench - great for plugging in the hand power tools, power supplies, charges, etc which are only needed occasionally. Nice to have power available exactly where you need it.

These were just a number of old sockets that I had replaced in my house when tidying up the kitchen.

 

[Hal H]

Metal monkey

Have you checked into propane ? Fill your tank in the summer when the price of propane is at it's cheapest.

Hal

 

[Hal H]

Pete

Nice vise, is that a quick release lever under the handle ?
What voltage are you outlets ? The placement of you outlet saves having the cords run all over the top of the bench.

Hal

 

[wlburton]

My default wall covering in all my shop spaces is peg board (painted with a light colored semi-gloss paint to make it easy to keep clean and to brighten the space), even where shelves, benches, or cabinets will be going. That makes every non-covered wall space available for hanging tools and materials, even under benches and over doorways. The photo to the left shows part of one wall covered with some of my tools for removing dents from band instruments. I keep some smaller and more fragile tools and supplies in drawers and plastic parts boxes or on shelves, but with peg board everywhere I can fit a huge number of tools--along with steel, brass, aluminum, and plastic rod stock--into a relatively small space.

Bill