2024 Shop Tour - Small & Efficient One Car Garage Workshop (20' x 12')

[@ryanelfman3520]

I'm near Seattle and seeing a London, ON shop is great!

[@AngieWilliamsDesigns]

You will love the OF 1400. I have never used the 1010 but the 1400 is amazing.

[@MasonWoodshop]

Haha, my bank account isn’t going to like your comment. I’ve been on the fence for the OF 1400 for the past few weeks as I have run into a job where using a 1/2” bit could have helped.

[@deziomakes]

Nice space! I read some of the other comments dissuading you from foam in the drawers. I love it, personally. There are a few techniques that get best results. I've found the shallower product from Rockler to be plenty thick and it's competitively priced compared to branded Kaizen. Also, you can cut it with a laser! It's addicting... you've been warned.

[@MasonWoodshop]

Thanks for the advice and I never even considered the potential to cut it with a laser! I do think I’ll try foam in a few spots and the tip on checking out the Rockler version is helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@oakridgeboy6407]

Nice little vid. of your shop.I too am in a small shop and I know how hard it can be to find storage space.! A couple of suggestions would be to 1) is it possible to relegate the toys to the shed? and 2) find some space somewhere and build a multi-drawer hardware cabinet.I got fed up looking for screws,washers etc-would go and buy new only to then find what I thought I had all along! I made a 22 drawer cabinet and now if I need whatever kind of hardwsre=that' where I go. If it ain't there,I don't have it! Saves a lot of frustration. As to the lighting,add at least three more fixtures.I used to think my shop was well-lit-then I doubled the amount of fixtures! I could operate in there now! Make sure you get all your electrical upgrades done (for now and future use) before doing anything else to the walls. BTW-instead of a california air compressor, look at the CT MAXIMUM uniy.It is reasonably priced and quite quiet.

[@MasonWoodshop]

Thanks for watching and sharing those idea (I'll check out the Maximum compressors! The shed is unfortunately about 200 feet back from the garage so I don't think I'll win much of that battle. Great advise on the drawers and that aligns with what someone else said. I'm thinking that I might replace the bookshelf with 26" wide 12" deep 3" tall drawers that can then take a variety of cheap plastic boxes. I really like that thought on lighting and if I'm going to overhaul the electrical that would open up a number of lighting options. Plus, LED lights like these are quite inexpensive.

[@planeboardwoodworks5903]

I think you did a great job with your layout! I like some of the organizing ideas listed in the comments below. One thought may be finding a way to utilize your ceiling for more storage. (Ladders, etc.)

[@MasonWoodshop]

Thanks!! I do have quite a bit of vertical space that I can utilize for a handful of things. Great suggestion!

[@robertmaggi6979]

Nice shop mate thank you for your tour , if i can give you a suggestion i would take down that peg board and kaizen all those mechanic tools in to draws and take down half that hard wear shelving and us whats left for systainers and get containers that go into draws far all your hard wear organized by type, and then build yourself a great french cleat wall on both walls and have all your main wood working tools at a hands reach it looks like that that's what you need and I'm sure there will be a lot of people that will be telling you the same thing take care mate.

[@MasonWoodshop]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I really like your recommendations and I think it jives well with my initial thinking. You’ve given me me an idea in that when I put boards up that main wall I could put not-so-deep drawers where I currently have the bookshelf for hardware storage. These would easily hold the weight of a lot of hardware and it’d make them so that the door can still fully open.

[@andrewpinson1268]

I recognize a good number of small quality tools in drawers not counting numerous Festool tools. For the size of your shop I think you are doing the best that you can. If you could send all of your wood to that shed out back you could make some floor to ceiling cabinets maybe with drawer slides for all your Festool Systs. or for hardware. Yellow and black Stanley plastic containers in drawer slides is what I went with. But they might take up to much room. I would take a second look at options to the foam inserts for tools. Might take up to much space per drawer.

[@MasonWoodshop]

Great tips, thank you! I've been putting off foam in the drawers for that exact reason - it would take up a lot of room. Hardware is likely to end up in the Systainer organizers over time, but that'll be a whole organization process into itself, haha!

[@Gazman299]

New subscriber here. You got me with that MFT workbench. It's perfect. My suggestion would be to start with that cinder block wall(after the leak is flashed off). I would pad the entire surface with plywood, so that attaching to the wall would be a breeze. Then ideas would flow from that, I think. That's such a large almost untapped area. Even wrap the fireplace surround. I'm slowly expanding the footprint of my little hobby woodworking station. It has potential as it is a two car garage(no cars inside), and is deep. Always looking for anything that I can gift to the thrift store to clear more room. Bicycles, ugh. The kids have left the nest, but my wife can't let go of them. I sometimes roll them outside, and even pump up the tires hoping that someone will steal them, but the wife always drags them back after she notices. 🙂 The bikes are really still brand new, cause they've each probably only been used five times each, if that. Hahahaaa

[@MasonWoodshop]

Thanks for such a great comment! I really like that suggestion on padding the entire cinder block wall. It would give me flexibility to do a number of things and give a much cleaner look. I’m jealous of the space you have in your garage and like you, the bikes are often outside during the day so that I don’t constantly trip over them. Thanks for watching!

[@annieswanson9369]

Another awesome video Cole!

[@Cooper_42]

If you go with the foam, it won’t strengthen the drawers, and you’ll need 20 more drawers. I’d focus on keeping the drawers ‘themed’, and trying to organise them more like the ‘router drawer’.

[@MasonWoodshop]

Ha, that's so true! Even with them messy, I at least know where everything is and can get to it relatively quickly.

[@FearsomeWarrior]

No to foam. Plier organizers that stack them on edge. Foam fills the drawer in negative way and makes it a nightmare. Just have to use organizer drawers and decide what can be organized better somewhere else. Sandpaper sustainer? More sustainers leads to more plywood cabinets to store them. The cycle continues! Muahahahaha!

[@MasonWoodshop]

Fantastic recommendation on the plier organizer, thank you! Ha, I never understood why people had massive walls of Systainers, now I know.

[@Lwimmermastermetalart]

I’m not quite sure why ppl like those 8 or 10 inch disc sanders. The pads don’t last as long. I prefer belt sanders. Especially long belt ones which last much longer. But hey that’s just me I guess🤷🏻‍♂️

[@MasonWoodshop]

I've been finding that the pads last reasonably well when I use one of those rubber-ish sandpaper "erasers", but when I do need to change them after the grit is worn down it's a huge pain with how they stick on. A big wide stationary belt sander would be my preference if I had the space.

[@stevenking997]

Is that sawstop a kids toy? Or you actually decided to get the smallest one. That makita miter saw is better than the festools. You getting the festool is paying 1500 to downgrade.

[@Lwimmermastermetalart]

Hey not everyone can afford to get a big Saw Stop saw. At least he didn’t buy a Ryobi or something similar 😂

[@MasonWoodshop]

LOL, the SawStop Compact is built really well.