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"Storage"
One possible way to create extra space in your tiny garage is to install a vehicle lift like the SuperLifts SR-7H shown above. The standard SR-7H has a 7,000 lb. rating (its locks have a 3-to-1 safety rating), a 98.5″ drive-through clearance, a 71″ max. under-ramp clearance, and uses four aircraft-quality lifting cables, each with a lift strength of 14,500 lbs. Its 3″ hydraulic cylinder has a lifetime guarantee on its seals. 36″ approach ramps store between the rails. The SR-7H is heavily advertised as made in the USA.
So after you’ve converted your garage into a tiny house (TM 4/28/10), you decide that you still want to do some woodworking. If you’ve got a storage space of around 5′ × 5′, you can follow this neat Instructable by steliart from Nicosia — Cyprus, and cleverly craft everything so that it fits in the small storage space. In his case, the storage space was near his open-air parking space. His 59″ × 20″ multi-tool bench, shown above, has five major tools (drill press, sander, jigsaw, circular saw, and router with a lift), a vise, five small drawers, storage space on the bottom, and eight electrical outlets. It rides on five casters with brakes. The angled cut on the left corner above is to allow room to get into the storage space when the bench is inside it.
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There are several reasons that I wish I’d had something like this recently while working on a “little” project, including the convenience of having all the things I need in one place rather than scattered throughout my pants pockets, and the potential prevention of “jean sag” because of all the stuff in those pockets. The 9-¾” × 5-¾” Bucket Boss 54045 Rear Guard tool pouch has four front pockets for tools, pencils, wallets, penlights, and so on, plus a rear padded and reinforced pouch and a clip loop for tape or keys. A snap loop secures it to your belt or tool bag.
As promised in my earlier post about the RacorPro HeavyLift, I finally installed one in my garage, and will now report on how it went. The picture* above shows the unit attached to my garage’s ceiling (that’s not a mini-bike hanging from the lift: that’s my mountain bike near the far wall of the garage hanging from its own lift, a Harken Hoister).
The installation went reasonably well. It’s a one-man job, as long as you take your time, study a few things, and basically work around the somewhat confusing instructions.
Your latest large shop purchase came in a crate secured with steel straps. Swearing, you go look for some snips that are hard enough to actually cut the straps. Sure they can be tough to remove, but that’s the point. Now you find yourself wondering how they put the straps on in the first place.
Generally you need two tools to apply steel strapping: a tensioner and a sealer. You use the tensioner to take up the tension and hold the strapping while you use the sealer to crimp the seal in place. Of course if you ship a large volume of similar products, you could always buy a dedicated machine such as the large coil strapping machine pictured above.
No, not that kind of file… I’m talking about file folders here, and I like these erasable file labels. I’ve been trying to update and organize my various shop projects, manuals, and notes so I can actually find something without spending a month of Sundays looking. The labels are a polymer that can be written on with a Sharpie® permanent — on most stuff except these labels, apparently — pen (any color), and erased, again and again and again if necessary, using one of those vinyl erasers like a Pentel Clic. I can grab an old beat-up folder with an illegible tab, slap one of these labels on it, and re-use it for years.
The $9.99 WSK40 starter kit, shown above, is for third-cut folders, and comes with 80 white 3.44″×0.59″ labels, a black Sharpie® fine point marker, and a LabelOnce™ permanent ink eraser. LabelOnce™ has a variety of different-sized labels for hanging file folders, ring binders, storage boxes, and more.
LabelOnce™ [Manufacturer's Site]
The Make blog recently had pictures of Ian Ross’ shop (his “sanctuary”) and workbench(es). Ian, from Australia, works on a variety of things such as restoring vintage engines and fans and constructing Nixie tube or radio projects. His shop contains some 30-years’ worth of collecting discarded electronic devices and salvaged items for projects and kinetic sculptures. In the back, next to that gray cabinet on the right, is his main workbench.
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My lovely wife, a.k.a. the chief cook and bottle washer, has been “asking”* me to add an extra, and wider (for less-frequently used bigger things), shelf in the top of the pantry. Our pantry, in a SW corner of the kitchen with a door at 45°, has a 9′ ceiling, and there’s plenty of space above the existing top shelf. The current shelves, on the wider 48″ South and West walls of the pantry, are 3/4″ thick MDF about 11-1/4″ deep supported by 1×2′s attached to the walls. It’s basically L-shaped, but two separate pieces with the shorter West wall pieces butted up against the longer South wall pieces. The South wall pieces are supported on three edges by the 1×2′s, but the West wall pieces have 1×2 support on just two edges, and not much support where they butt up against the South wall piece (they may be toenailed). I did not like the minimal support for this edge, and thought there must be something better.
Looking for a place to store the handled items in your shop — you know, like your broom, shovel, rake, etc.? Rubbermaid’s Tool Tower fits into a corner and holds up to 30 long-handled tools. And unlike cheap wall-mounts, it won’t eventually rip off the wall — generally when you least want to take the time to re-install it — leaving ugly holes.
I don’t remember exactly when I saw my first pocket door — it may have been when I went off to a big city for college — but I do remember thinking “Wow, disappearing doors! These are really neat!” And, many years later, I still think they’re neat. I can see a few places in our house (mainly closets) where pocket doors would be a great addition.
If I was going to put in a pocket door or two, I think I would use the kits available from Johnson Hardware. They claim their pocket door frames can be installed quickly in 2×4 timber or steel frame stud walls sheeted with drywall. Tricycle hangers ride in precision extruded aluminum track, and they use zinc-plated steel sides and back on the split jamb and studs uprights. A frame kit for a 36″ wide door up to 80″ high and weighing less than 125 pounds costs around $62 (door not included).
Have any Toolmongers put in pocket doors? What did you use?
Johnson Hardware [Manufacturer's Site]
Johnson Prod. 153068PF Pocket Door Frame Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Johnson 153068PF [Google Products]
TM on Flickr
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