Porsche Garage - Phase I

[mark 74 carrera]

So it has worked out that I have an entire single stall to myself in our home garage. I had a sink installed when we built it but after that it is a blank canvas. So I spent quite a bit of time (maybe too much) thinking through the logistics of the whole thing. The "Ultimate Garage Hanbook" by Richard Newton was great for ideas on layout and components. Anyway, last week I started work on phase one. I wanted a large and very sturdy work bench. I researched many examples from pre-fab units to plans you can purchase to build one yourself. The potential materials you can use are all over the place. I wanted something that would look presentable when the entire garage is complete, but I can't afford a Griot's garage right now so I made some compromises. I decided to design and build my own. For around $300 in materials from Home Depot and two full days of my time I am very happy with the results. Here is a shot of the first base built.



The construction is really simple. It's a combination 2"x6" and 2"x4" with the metal brackets shown. On Saturday, I measured and pre-cut everything and then applied Spar urethane. Next I took two 3/4" thick plywood sections and glued and screwed them together. I used roofing plywood on the bottom and then a red oak finished plywood on top. Here's a shot of it without its back slpash.



I used two strips of 3/4" iron on red oak veneer (This stuff is great and it was easy to use) to cover the edges of the plywood. So from a distance the top looks like a solid slab of wood. Early Sunday I coated the top with urethane and started assembling the bases. Basically, assemble, paint, assemble, paint, etc. As of now the top has four coats of urethane on it. I put a good base on it and then when it gets banged up and filthy, I will sand it down and apply a flesh coat of urethane. I hoping to get a nice patina that tells a story some day. Here's a shot of the bases in place.



The top with back slash attached.



Here's the finished product in place.




I left the base on the right open in the front so that I can store an air compressor or the roll out shop vac under the work bench. I have plans to add a shelf and doors on the left hand base. Future work will include upper wall mounted cabintets, peg board for tools and hopefully some other cool stuff.

Mark

[JHinOH]

Nice looking bench, I really like the idea of a patina on the wood over time as well. I bought a laminate counter top piece for mine, I think I'll go with a wood top next. Mark, what are the last 3 numbers on your VIN's? - I have Targa # 103 myself

[Paulporsche]

Nice, but I have some concern re the raised floor @ that location. Looks like a potential trip/fall/ pronation ready to happen. Perhaps a ramping up of the floor there...

[mark 74 carrera]

JHinOH,

I have 0065 and 0079. Have you joined the 74-75 Carrera registry headed up by Bob Westmorland of PCA? If you get Pano look on the back under registries and you can contact him and add your car.

Paul,

That is actually the last part of the project. Here in Austin, by code you have to install a curb stop. I am going to extend it and then cover with some kind of hard rubber liner to create one surface.

Mark

[calling911]

Originally Posted by mark 74 carrera

JHinOH,

I have 0065 and 0079. Have you joined the 74-75 Carrera registry headed up by Bob Westmorland of PCA? If you get Pano look on the back under registries and you can contact him and add your car.

Paul,

That is actually the last part of the project. Here in Austin, by code you have to install a curb stop. I am going to extend it and then cover with some kind of hard rubber liner to create one surface.

Mark

A curb stop?? What has happened to Texas? Are hippes infiltrating? They're everywhere!

Here's my Porsche garage

I just used a cheap formica top.. I have to say its holding up way better than I thought. Still need to do drawers and doors on it.. one of those when I get around to it deals.

I need a sink like yours too.. sweet.

[RWebb]

I kin see you ain't never bin to Osten-Tatious, podnuh...

That bench is a lot more attractive than anything Griot's has [despite the lack of mortise and tenons, dovetails...]. Nonetheless, there are some advantages to metal. You can buy a big cheap baking sheet - often a beat up used one - for a rebuild of a tranny or something. Just stick it on the top while working.

You could add wooden drawers to your carcass - which can be had over the Internet if you don't want to make 'em yourself.

Or you could buy an entire steel drawer unit - used Craftsman is good.

[Plavan]

Looks good. FYI- Costco is having a sale on the Moto Floor tiles. I got the cabinets from Home depot. They are pretty darn nice (Made by closet maid)
Great ideas on the baking sheets.

I worked feverishly on my new garage last weekend. I still have a little more work to do. I'm waiting on a mid rise lift and some frames for posters and racing pictures......
All my neighbors are jealous
One of the many benefits of getting "Un Engaged"- I do not need to ask anymore- I just do it

[Rick V]

Sorry I couldn't resist. This is the Porsche dealership where I wrench.

[4flyboy]

I hate you guys........

[Rich Lambert]

We're breaking ground on my new garage on Monday! Good ideas...keep 'em coming.

Rick, don't Porsches break down or need maintenance in Virginia?

[RoninLB]

Originally Posted by Rick V

[

Sorry I couldn't resist. This is the Porsche dealership where I wrench.

hey Rick

any idea of how that floor was finished?

[efhughes3]

I like it, nice work. I had to do the blank slate thing earlier this year as well. I'm just not as good a carpenter as you, so I bought the Gladiator stuff. I had a great metal "supermarket" in Dallas that sold metal very reasonably. I have a 2' X 3' sheet of .090 Aluminum that I have in the middle of my bench for a protective work surface. I think it was all of $15 or 20 in their scrap rack.

Before and after:

[rfn026]

So many great ideas and so little time. You guys are putting my garage to shame.

Richard Newton
Ultimate Garage Handbook

[Rick V]

Originally Posted by RoninLB

hey Rick

any idea of how that floor was finished?

Ok sorry if this is a hijack but the info may be usefull. Ron, that is the new poly/paint stuff that has become very popular to use in the shops here. It took 4 days from start to finish before we could move back in. It cleans up great, and is very durable. They have a sand like grit in it for traction but that is useless when it gets any kind of fluid on it. And trust me the Audi guys like to have fluid on the floor.
They cam in and media blasted the floors to remove oil and old paint. then they filled all the seams and cracks with an epoxy type of filler, 2 coats of sealant/primer, then 2 more coats of paint. and the finished product. I would like to do that here but I don't have the time/money/patience.

[Rick V]

Originally Posted by Rich Lambert

Rick, don't Porsches break down or need maintenance in Virginia?

My paycheck would answer................NO

[Jack Olsen]

That's a nice bench -- you should be able to jump up and down on that thing without any worries.

I had an even lower budget for my bench project than you. But I found a local place that sells used lumber, and got a solid-core door and some roofing planks for the facia part that had gotten their own water-damage patina. My sub-structure is like yours, except I doubled-up the 2x4s and held them together with both adhesive and bolts. I had some drawers left over from a closet I'd torn out, and I put them in at the last minute. I'm grateful for the drawers every time I use the bench -- they're a great place to keep gloves, safety glasses and other miscellaneous stuff you need to have handy but don't want to see, and they're deeper than typical workbench drawers.

You can see I also got some steel stock to edge the thing along the front. It preserves the edge, covers up where the hinges were when the bench was a door, and also keeps stuff from rolling onto the floor.



You're smart to be thinking about shelves/cabinets in the space underneath the working surface. I put my compressor in a crawlspace under the house, in an insulated and ventilated box, which makes it possible to listen to music or carry on a conversation when I'm using air tools. I buried the air line underground (protected), and have a regulator and hose by the bench.



If you do other types of projects in the same space, you might want to add a work surface that folds up and out of the way. I made mine so that I could still park the car with it up or down, since I knew that one day I'd forget or it would swing down unexpectedly. It's nice to have the extra work space for projects that need it.



And like Plavan says, flooring makes a huge difference in terms of how the room 'feels.' I did ceramic tiles on a whim (only about $500, all told, with the tiles themselves .59/sqft), and it's something I appreciate every time I step into the place. It's hard to overstate how much of a difference it makes to have a more 'finished' feeling surface on the floor, instead of (in my case) 83-year-old grease-and-oil-soaked concrete.

You can see the difference in my photos of Poor Man's Garage 1.0 and PMG version 1.1:



And while I'm on a picture-posting roll, you might want to also think about putting additional work surface above that sink. I had a cheap sink already in place, but I put up a plywood 'counter top' around it with the plastic they use to protect showers as insurance against spilled water. It isn't fancy, but I find myself using it all the time:



The y-connect-and-hose stuff is so I can run warm water outside for washing the dogs.


Two other things that made a huge difference for me:

1) Using motion detector switches for the lighting means I never have to think about turning the lights on when I walk in -- everything is instantly visible. It also means the lights get turned out automatically after I've left the room.

2) Letting my wife pick out some colors for the place. It was white, before, which is fine and reflects light well. But now I have kind of a retro-looking shop, which I like more than I would have thought I would. Painting it all was a pain in the neck, but it also covered up the mix of scrap wood, cheap particle board cabinet covers and everything else I'd thrown up in my garage-cleaning-and-organizing push back about a year ago.

[mark 74 carrera]

Jack,

I have followed your thread on your garage. I have to say that your wood/painted combo is where I got the idea for the Spar varnish and metal bracket look. I wanted it to have a little character even if it was new. I will add drawers/shelves later.

Where did you get the metal trim band that wraps the top of your bench? That is what I wanted at first but could not find a solution that would work. I like the light switch idea. I will also paint to add a little color.

My ultimate layout will have work stations and will allow the car to be parked inside. I did make the decision that the car I am working on will be in the adjacent garage so that only the component I am working on will come into this space. That way I get to use the entire one stall as a shop even if only temporarily.

I haven't decided on the flooring type. I have decided after seeing everyone else's, the concrete floor just won't do.

Mark

[mark 74 carrera]

Ed,

That is a sweet garage! How do you like the scissor lift? I was thinking about putting one in my other stall. How do you like that flooring?

Mark

[mark 74 carrera]

Calling911,

I want to get a drill press and I have a grinder. First, what were the factors in a free standing drill press vs a bench unit? How did you make the grinder stand?

Mark

[mark 74 carrera]

RWebb,

Using a metal tray was exactly what I was told to do by a friend of mine. My bench is 30" deep. What size do you think is big enough? Any idea where to get one?

Mark