# One car garage



## plumbbob90 (Apr 30, 2019)

Hey guys. I'm moving in a month. My new shop will be limited to a one car garage approx 12.5x22. I was wondering if some of you guys in similar spaces could post some pics of your shop so I can get a few layout ideas. Thanks guys. 

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## BernieL (Oct 28, 2011)

Hi Plumbbob90 - Welcome to the forum... kind of hard to give you advise since we don't know anything about you. Will your shop need heat or AC? What kind of tools do you own? What would you like to build in your new shop? Not knowing any answers to any of your questions, my advice is do what I did when I set up my 22ft X 22ft shop. Sit in the middle of it for a couple of hrs and envision the lumber coming in and exiting as your finished products. My main workhorse tool is my table saw and I have 2 posts in the middle of the shop - how do I maximize the use of my tb saw?
My 2nd envision was my workbench... I didn't have the space to have a free standing workbench... so how would it be best placed and most useful...? 

My workshop has changed many times over the years, but my tb saw and workbench have stayed... I'm wishing you good luck with vague answers to you vague question!


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## plumbbob90 (Apr 30, 2019)

Thanks for the reply Bernie. Actually my only actual question was if anyone was willing to share a photo of their shop so I could see how much could actually fit in a one car garage. 

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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Try Google!*

My "small shop layouts" resulted in this:
https://www.google.com/search?q=sma...hAhVOlKwKHZ7eBXkQsAR6BAgHEAE&biw=1920&bih=944

Lots of ideas there. How much stuff you can fit in will determine itself after time. You will figure out ways to get more stuff in as you get more stuff .... LOL







I've managed to get 4 table saws, 3 bandsaws, 2 RAS, 2 drum sanders, 2 router tables, a 6" jointer and 2 planers as well as 2 workbenches and 25 ft of other bench top stuff. Then there's vertical lumber storage where ever it will fit. I have French doors to the outside and an entrance door and a stairway entrance. Behind the bandsaws is a kneewall with 2 doors to access horizontal lumber storage. So, you see how it goes...... :grin:


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

A photo of my "shop" won't do you much good. I prefer to work outside. There are many advantages when compared to working in a closed space. 

Most of my tools and workbenches are on wheels or easily moved. I bring out what I need, work on them, clean them up, put them away, and then vacuum the sawdust from the ground with a shop vac. Setup time is quick. Cleanup time is not, but the whole process works. The trick is finding a suitable storage arrangement that:

* Minimizes storage space requirements.
* Makes it easy to pull out the tools we want, without having to move a lot of other tools out of the way. 
* Ensures that stored tools do not block access to garage cabinets, other tools, etc. 
* Ensures that stored tools do not interfere with other garage activities - parking vehicles, non-woodworking storage, Spouse's crafts, etc.


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

Here in the UK, one car garages are the norm, if you are lucky to have a garage at all.
I have just a car port.
For most the workshop is in the open. That is why the B&D workmate was so popular.
My nephew in San Antonio TX has a triple garage.
johnep


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

plumbbob90 said:


> Hey guys. I'm moving in a month. My new shop will be limited to a one car garage approx 12.5x22. I was wondering if some of you guys in similar spaces could post some pics of your shop so I can get a few layout ideas. Thanks guys.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk


Working in a one car garage think portable. When I went into business I built entire kitchens for people out of a one car garage. I would drag the equipment out into the driveway to cut the parts out. Then instead of a work bench I used saw horses and a sheet of plywood. When I finished the cabinets I did that in my back yard where I could spread them out to spray them. I finished in lacquer to keep bugs and leaves out of the finish.


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## Shop_Rat (Dec 22, 2015)

Tool Agnostic said:


> … Most of my tools and workbenches are on wheels or easily moved...


I have a shop that is considered by many as large (32'x 75') and houses no cars. Yet almost every tool I have, sans the extremely heavy mill and lathe in the metal munching shop, is on wheels. And even my 600 pound small mill-drill is mobile. All but the welding bench is movable in the fab shop. I’ll admit to stationary benches in the wood shop though.

The table saw sits in a "normal" location for six or eight foot long rips, but when I need to rip ultra long boards or shove full plywood through it (which is rare), it gets turned 60 degrees and moved left two feet so it’s in line with the shop door.

My lower use tools- shaper, jointer, planer, and scroll saw are all tight against the wall and covered with grill covers, rolling out only when I need them. The RAS table spans 16 feet along a wall with wood storage underneath. It can also double as an assembly bench. And so on.

Put wheels and brakes on everything possible. You can have a load of tools if you wish and can very quickly roll out a “session” shop with only a short time disruption.


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## Curtislv426 (Oct 30, 2017)

Hi plumbob. I pretty much have same dimensions. Well close to it. I think I have one car and a half garage. So my length is going to be longer I think . The width is about the same. I'll take a picture tonight or tomorrow if I get better lighting. A lot of my stuff is on wheels so it's mobile. The lathe takes up a pretty good amount of floor space but I keep that right in the middle of my floor and then I will it wheel it out into the driveway if it's in my way

Curt

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## Mikhail2400 (Jun 20, 2018)

My shop is 16' x 12' but will be expanding a little bit soon. It has workbenches down one 16' wall with a sliding miter saw in the center. I have a table saw w/outfeed table on the floor, I have a drill press and a band saw on wheels that I roll out when needed. I have benchtop planer and jointer which stays stored till needed. My dust collector is now outside but in the pics you will see its still inside. Not the best pics of the shop but its what I have on hand now.


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## Curtislv426 (Oct 30, 2017)

My dimensions are 11.5 x 20.5. A little messy but it works for me. On the left is bandsaw, planer, jointer, and table saw. All on wheels. Lumber storage above. Lathe in the middle on wheels. Workbench with miter saw mounted and then a heavy stand up drill press. Underneath the blue tarp is one of my arcade machines.









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## Dkmn (Sep 8, 2018)

Here's a picture of my bench folded down. I have to fit a car in there too.


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## BattleRidge (Jan 8, 2018)

My woodworking shop is within an area 14' x 28' x 10'h in my 30' x 40' workshop with the rest of the space containing my tractor w/ implement, mechanical / metal working area, general storage and my pick-up (which can be moved outside for occasional large project layout / assembly or while cleaning / prepping reclaimed lumber prior to storage on the rack).

My main work area is a 4' x 8' combination work bench / assembly table / outfeed area with a 30" x 30" drop-down area for the oscillating belt/spindle sander, portable router table, scroll saw or other items (each of which stores beneath the work surface when not in use). The height is just below the top of my table saw (and a future upgraded table saw). It also has storage for a variety of powered hand tools on shelving along one side, and woodworking supplies & tools, sandpaper and other items on the other side (to eventually be stored in pull-out drawers once built). Power is supplied via steel conduit along the floor that is recessed into anti-fatigue matting that is on the floor.

Much of my equipment runs the length of one wall and I have the spot between the BS & RAS reserved for a future floor-mounted drill press. For wood storage, I built an A-frame assembly which makes sorting simple for both in-shop stock and allows for organizing wood that has been cut and prepped for upcoming projects. Heating is provided by an overhead propane forced-air garage heater (Mr. Heater / Big Maxx). Lighting is by LED light strips on the ceiling.

For dust collection I have two lengths of 4" PVC running along the floor with blast gates connected to 4" flexible hose to each of the machines, the band saw and jointer on one line, and the radial arm saw and a length of flexible hose that I connect to my table saw, planer or other uses when needed (this hose is kept beneath the radial arm saw when not in use). I typically only have one machine in operation at a time, though during some operations where I will be alternating frequently between two machines, I will keep the blast gates open to each (one on each PVC pipe) with great performance. I also have a Super Dust Deputy Cyclone that I will be installing before the DC at some point. I use a shop vac / Dust Deputy combo for the drop-down area tools and the handheld power tools, though I may plumb this into the main DC system at some point.

I have the spacing between the machines arranged to allow virtually all of my cutting to be easily done with the RAS surface lower than the BS, the planer on a Black & Decker Workmate with wheels to easily move as needed (though I would like to eventually build a wheeled cabinet), and the jointer is movable on wheels (with a longer flexible DC hose) to allow moving when jointing longer boards. There is also a wood support that I place on the jointer table to help hold longer boards while being cut on the RAS.

The layout has worked quite well for myself individually or while working with my son(s) there too.

I keep my woodworking area separate from my finishing area (which is in a section of the basement of my home), though will do some painting and such in the workshop as appropriate.


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## RogerC (Oct 15, 2012)

Here's my guitar building shop in my 1 car garage:


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## Buckmark13 (Jul 16, 2018)

RogerC said:


> Here's my guitar building shop in my 1 car garage:


Now that's impressive...nicely done!


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## plumbbob90 (Apr 30, 2019)

Nice! That's exactly what I'll be doing in mine. You have a very efficient setup it seems. Thanks for the pics

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## KevinSA (Aug 21, 2019)

Thanks for the pictures guys.


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Wish I had that much room. Got about 2/3 of a garage.


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## 1 Bob (Aug 22, 2019)

Hi Plumbob

Put as much as you can on a sturdy set of wheels....there are quite a few vids on f/book !!

Bob


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Here are a few comments about wheels for heavy power tools:

* Good quality mobile bases and similar rolling solutions are not cheap. 
* There can be significant differences between mobile bases in ease of use, ability to roll over cracks, bumps, etc. without issues. Some bases "glide", others are far less smooth. 
* Big wheels make a big difference in ease of use over small wheels.
* Some bases have three wheels, others have four. I do not like or recommend three-wheel bases, although it may be the only choice if you want the integrated wheels that are designed to attach directly to the tool. My old bandsaw came with a low, three-wheel, flat rolling frame designed to match the feet of the bandsaw. It must have been made at the same time, the early 1950s. Bandsaws are tall and top-heavy. The bandsaw with its all metal base and three tiny metal wheels is scary to move, especially with that single tiny metal wheel in the front.
* Look at how the tool will rotate into position. Some bases allow the tool to be rotated in place. Other bases work like shopping carts, with a pair of fixed wheels and one or more rotating wheels. In a tight space, they are much more difficult to maneuver. 
* Some mobile bases allow to the tool to rest directly on the floor when ready to use, where the wheels are not supporting the tool. This is the best design.
* If you want wheels where the tool rests directly on the floor, think about how you will lower and raise the tool. If the wheels are raised and lowered independently, will it be a problem with the tool tipping back and forth? I have a set of workbench casters and noticed that a lot of people tie two casters together with a single foot-bar to raise and lower one side of the workbench without tipping. 
* Sometimes a mobile base will lower feet to the floor in the front, but rest on its wheels in the back. It is not as good as when the entire tool rests on the floor, but it seems okay to me. 
* Other mobile bases leave the tool on the caster wheels while in use. Now you have the issue of the wheels wiggling and vibrating with the power tool when it runs. 
* Most casters lock the wheel, but not the swivel. If your tool will rest on its wheels during operation, consider "Total Lock" casters that lock both the wheel and the swivel. I have found them only at Rockler, but there may be other sources.
* Many tools have mobile bases available from the manufacturer. Sometimes they are generic mobile bases from outside the company that happen to fit the tool. They are painted and branded to look like they were designed together. Other mobile solutions are integrated into the tool itself. I have seen some that are really really good, and others that are really really bad. I know a few people who bought a better generic mobile base rather than buying the manufacturer's less capable integrated solution.
* A few tools have lower doors. I am thinking mostly about bandsaws, but some table saws have low access panels, and there are probably other tools that fit the description. Be sure that the base won't interfere with the lower door opening and closing.
* You can make your own mobile bases out of metal or wood or a combination of the two. Some bases provide the metal parts and you supply the wood frame. Don't skimp, use solid hardwood on those.
* You may have to reinforce your tool to make it mobile. Sheet metal can be thick or thin. 
Example: My Delta lathe came with a stand whose bottom is made of two square steel tubes on either side, perpendicular to the lathe. The ends of each tube have a welded 1/2 inch nut on the inside, designed so you can screw in threaded casters. I bought Total Lock casters at Rockler, and screwed them in. Done, right? Nope. The top of the casters where the threaded post comes out has a welded nut on top, making the surface area of the connection between the caster and the stand small, instead of supporting the caster by its bearing race. The thin steel of the square tubes bent when the casters rolled over pillow top pavers. When the metal in the square tubes bent, it made the casters point in skewed directions so the lathe could not roll. I fixed it by installing flat Simpson ties inside the base tubes to stiffen them, and provided drilled wood supports so that the weight of the lathe was on the bearing races and not the small nuts on top of the casters. 


Example of a Superb Mobile Base:

In my opinion, the standard from which all other mobile bases should be measured is SawStop's Industrial Mobile Base for their industrial (ICS) and professional (PCS) cabinet table saws. It is not the same as their "PCS Integrated Mobile Base." The Industrial Mobile Base has a "cradle" design with a hydraulic lift. You pump the foot pedal a few times to raise the saw. Another pedal lowers the saw to the floor. It has four large swiveling wheels and allows full rotation in place. Quoting from Trent Davis' blog, the SawStop Industrial Mobile Base, "Will cause you to despise all other mobile bases you ever use." He's right.


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## TheRoosterCruzer (Apr 21, 2020)

Love the Galaga sign over the door


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