The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Shop ideas?

Finally got a slab going into my 36x48 shop. I've run my electrical and water pipes and added rebar where the hoist will go. Are there any good ideas out there I haven't thought of prior to the concrete being set up?

There are steel pads that are about 12" x 12" (they come in all sizes really) that have 4 rods with a big mushroom head on one side. That side goes down and the flat side goes level with the concrete. They work great if you put a couple here and there, then you can weld a stand or whatever you need to one at a later date.

Dont like it, grind it down and start over.

I am sorry I didn't put in a few tie down "pots" or at least a chain anchor or two before I poured my floor.Many times I could have used a tie down point.

The one thing that I miss the most in our truck shop where we maintain our over the road trucks is not having some D rings in the floor. We made our last addition about 25 years ago and I had D rings in the back of my pickup and forgot to have them put in. I'm talking about the D rings like alignment shops have for bending axles. I even had some 6" square man hole things made to cover them with a plate when they were not in use. It is so often we would like to bend something by chaining to the floor and putting a bottle jack under it.

A friend of mine put trailer reciever tube in the slab in a few spot then all you have to do is insert reciever with grinder stand, helping hand, vise and so on, neat idea wished I would have done it

Thanks for the advice. I've heard alot on the anchors being very useful.

I am building a shop and am considering installing some type of tie-down system in the floor. I kind of like the idea of using a receiver-hitch style opening, but how would you insert a pin to keep the hitch in the hole when in use.

Does some company make a good one that you would recommend?

This was discussed in great length not long ago, perhaps a search would turn up some of those ideas. Personally I'd want a bathroom with shower and washer/drier and climate control. Tools? The sky's the limit.

Sorry to jump in on your post tri5trucking, but I will be doing the same thing Monday am and I was wondering about installing a 2 posted lift. I have the ceiling height but was wondering what should be the distance from the walls and back of the garage to make room for a work bench and other tools. Any help would be great.
Thanx
Mike

We have a washer and dryer in our shop. Works good on shop towels as well as greasy clothes. They can be bought at garage sales for almost nothing. Cold water and Simple Green does fine. Build it tall enough that if you get a lift, you won't go out the roof. I also miss a track for a hoist. Even though we have a couple of fork lifts, a couple of cherry pickers, and a loader, there are times when an over head winch would be nice because they are controllable and don't leak down. I bought an 8000 lifting capacity air operated winch at a bankruptcy sale 10 years ago and still haven't got a track to put it on.

You might concider over head beams for a gantry crane. I put one in my shop best money I've ever spent the realy great thing is no more stupid cherry picker in the way.

I have the height and plan to put in the 2 post lift. I have the dimensions at home. My buddy owns a garage and I've modeled it from his hoist. The best thing I can think of is to measure a truck at his shop as far as space from the wall. Usually the doors of the truck are right where the posts are.

Door sizes should be at least 9 wide by 8 foot tall minimum. I have two doors in my shop, one is 18 wide by 12 tall, and a 10 by 8. You should also have at least one good sized window for some ventilation and natural light.

John

The biggest mistake I made when I built my shop was not going with a 12' cieling, I went 10' and for just a few bucks more for 12' I could install a 2 post lift in the future, but now I cannott.

Here is a great site for garages and shops. GARAGE JOURNAL There are some great ideas, layouts, suggestions and more.


I can think of several things that I would do if starting from scratch:

Electrical: Use the largest panel you can get, set a sub panel at the opposite end to avoid running all of your wires to one panel. Choose panels that have quad breakers available for future expansion (Home depot has Square D Home) avoid this one. I like Siemens or Bryant.

See if 3 phase is available for lathes, large motors etc. Otherwise you will have to have a 3 phase converter power source 220 volt 30 - 50 amp depending on the equipment you will be operating.

Stub out at least one extra 3/4" pipe for future use after the walls are closed in. Leave one conduit outside of the floor plan for outside lighting, future well etc.

Install/loop conduit at each post to avoid having to drill through each stud to set your boxes. I like having three way switches at each door and this method makes it easy. All of this is under the slab and can be run in PVC in most jurisdictions.

Make sure you have marked out your locations for 220 V (compressors, welders etc.) I like having a 220V outlet at the front opening to allow for welding outside.

Stagger your circuits at your work benches so that you have more than one circuit feed the bench for multiple tool use. Remember to include at least one 220V outlet at your work station. Decide whether you want your outlets low or at bench height. The local jurisdiction will determine if you have to have your outlets @48" because they may believe that it is going to be used as an automotive shop and they want the outlets above the vapor line.

Set a couple of outlets high on the wall for beer signs, neons etc.

Carefully design your lighting so that all of the lights do not have to be on at one time, sometimes you only need minimal lighting when doing a small project.

Think about outside lighting and work lighting outside the shop. If you plan on having RV storage outside, consider lights an electrical hookup. Good time to add outlets for power washer, battery charger, tools etc.

Make sure you have additional empty conduits in locations for future lift, compressor etc. These should be dedicated runs, 3/4" or larger.

Think about future purchases, Big Screen TV, stereo, computer etc. Run communication/cable conduits to these locations.

If you are going to add a kitchen or some appliances, make sure you have enough power to add them.


I will add more later.

We are in the process of completing a shop/storage facility. The design was by an architect, the building was engineered by a large metal building company and it was installed by a contractor who specializes in metal buildings. This building is totally built with steel including the studs and roof. Even with the professionals we had design flaws. It is always best to check the plans multiple times and have others check them too before you proceed in building.

It is apparent that you have moved beyond plans and are in the process of building. It is critical that you get your ideas down on paper quickly as the building will be up and beyond quick fixes soon.

Electrical is one of the most important systems that you will be working with. Having a good working plan that addresses all of your needs is best before you pour the concrete. Getting the conduits underground was one of the best things we did. It saved hours of work and lots of wire. Having extra conduits stubbed up at several different areas, including posts that stand alone in the middle of the slab will help us in the future.

I mentioned earlier about installing large panels that will except quad breakers. our contractor installed two small panels and one large main panel. I have already maxed out on one of them and the one that is designated for the wood shop is going to be maxed out too. Some panel makers don't have all of the quad breakers easily available and that makes it difficult to do a quick install of equipment. Quad breakers are two two pole breakers combined in a space of one two pole breaker. There are split breakers too. They are two one pole breakers that use up a one pole space.

Some prefer setting their compressors in a shed outside of the building to minimize the noise in the building. if you decide to do that make sure that you have enough power for the compressor and a dryer.


WATER AND DRAINS:

Something that our designers forgot to include was outside faucets. I was able to get them in before the slab was poured and I am very happy I did. How else was I going to power wash, wash the truck and do general watering and cleanup?

We used PEX, this was the first time that I worked with it. It is easy to stub up at multiple locations for future hookup by the plumbers. If you can manage it, install a sink for cleanup. I put faucets at all four sides of the building and included one on the outside upper deck for easy washing of the deck.

If you are going to install a toilet and sink, consider adding a shower if you have the space, it will keep the wife happy when you come in from working on the truck all day and not smelling like one.

Floor drains to the storm drain system are not acceptable in my area because of the potential of an oil or gasoline spill. We are using a septic system and dumping in that was not something we wanted to do either. so we chose not to have floor drains, which will make washing the floor occasionally a little more adventuresome.

WINDOWS AND SKYLIGHTS:

Another design flaw was non tempered glass windows on the main floor. These are easy targets for thieves. They should have been tempered glass and have a one way film on them to keep nosey eyes from looking in. We are now considering bars or mesh screens to protect our tools and other valuables. What a way to screw up a perfectly good looking building.

We included several skylights in our plan and they are great. It allows lots of daylight in and during the day that's all you need to work. That saves a lot of electricity.

DOORS AND ROLL UP DOORS:

This was a big design flaw. I spent a lot of time with the architect, I emphasized the need to have large openings for an RV, I don't own an RV, but we wanted the ability to store one if we eventually bought one. He gave me 12' high roll ups, but they are only 8' wide, we can't even drive in a uhaul flatbed inside the building, that sucks! I made sure that we had the height on the plans but I failed to see that he drew in 8' wide doors, what a moron! This got past 5 of us too. If I had not run all of my electrical conduits and water at each door I may have been able to make one door 10' wide, that's still a possible solution for the future.

When designing the egress of the building, take special care in designing easy access to your work area. Don't put up doors that lead you through storage areas or around areas that your project may be sitting for a couple of years. I designed an electrical/equipment room and included a door in and out for safety purposes, no one wants to get trapped in an emergency. We used metal doors with closers and deadbolt locks throughout the building. I have keyed them to a master and passage key. This allows me to give out keys to certain doors and not others and we have one key that opens them all. All of the doors are 36" wide, this allows easy access to equipment that is being moved from one area to another without having to go outside and around the back to move the equipment.

INSULATION AND SHEET ROCK:

We insulated all walls and ceilings including the interior walls and that has made this building very comfortable in the Summer and winter (Northern California) It should also help keep down the noise from equipment use too.

We have sheet rocked all of the walls and will be installing 3/4" plywood on some for hanging tools and cabinets. We also purchased some used slotted walls from and business that was going out of business. We bought several types of hooks and shelving units too. These slotted wall units will be in several areas, but we have not installed them. Hopefully we will all get together and come up with a workable plan instead of just sticking them up.

No one says the bars or mesh has to be on the outside of the building. If you put inside, put them on hinges so you can unlock and open them every once in a while.

I would love to see pics of your new shop!

Thanx Tri5,
Ihave been waiting this long a few more weeks wont hurt anything.
I'll get my '48 in there and do some measuring and set the lift
where it will be at its best.
Thank everybody for your help!
I'm putting windows in my shop but i'm leaving just plain ol insulated 2 pane glass so if the person wants in my shop without a key them I hope it will do a little slice and diceing before they get in or out.
Have a good day!
Mike [IMG]http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/9239/p8240085qz2.th.jpg[/IMG]28'x38'Home away from Home