Sunday, September 07, 2014

WOW!! How Big a Two-Car Garage Is

Today after almost 8 months at the new place with extensive help from my daughterlings, we finished the first complete sort of the garage.  Not all the shelves are up yet and I am still storing the mower and snowblower in there until we get a shed, but already there is room now to work or park a car. The prep was somewhat rushed because I need a place to park a couple of motorcycles for a few days, but it still felt good to get it done.

The work areas are divided into a large bench for hand tools and finishing where there is no power, a power tool area for woodworking, and a general area for assembly or doing repair work (lawnmowers, cars, etc).  Unfortunately bicycle storage takes up a lot of space, though I suspect that will be reduced as the girls start driving.

I have two 4x8 sheets of plywood sheets ready to go for my next couple of projects.  I plan on revamping my table saw with a bigger plywood top and a new fence.  I'm also planning to build a cabinet for my compound miter saw.  Both will be waiting for me to heal from my current back problem.  Hopefully I can get them done before winter.  I am also working on a solar heater for the garage window, which would make the shop easier to keep going in the winter.

Saturday, September 06, 2014

Reused Lumber Cart

Storing lumber takes a lot of space.  Moving lumber can be a pain, especially full sheets of plywood.  For a small investment in four casters and some screws, my daughter's built a wood storage cart under my direction out of reused lumber.  Some old wooden swingset pieces make up most of the cart.  The build used some extra wooden braces and toe screws to sturdy it.  One side is 6 feet long and open for large pieces.  The other side has bracing on the ends so it is suitable for smaller length pieces which can be sturdied with a couple of bungee cords.