The Complete Guide to Garages by Chris Marshall

Author:Chris Marshall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Creative Publishing international
Published: 2009-06-23T16:00:00+00:00

Creative use of space in and around your garage lets you build a workshop that meets your needs without making your garage unusable for other functions.

Bench-top power tools can be used on your workbench or you can build rolling bases to make them easy to transport from place to place. Either way, they offer excellent flexibility and efficiency.

With ample cross-ventilation, a garage shop is pleasant to work in during spring and fall months, especially if you work in the cool of the day. Winters and summers are a different story, depending on where you live. Garage walls are often uninsulated, so your workshop can become nearly intolerable to work in on bitterly cold days or during hot, humid summers. Uninsulated spaces will be difficult to heat or cool efficiently. Wood glues and finishes won’t cure properly below 55°F, so you’ll have to move gluing and finishing tasks indoors or save them until spring.

A couple of heating options can make winter shop time more tolerable and even pleasant. Standard “milk house” style electric heaters designed for heating a room simply won’t generate enough heat to warm an entire garage. Kerosene or propane-fueled heaters, especially those with built-in blowers, will do the job more efficiently. A higher output, 240-volt heater will also work. Either choice is safe to use in a garage, provided you open a window or door or raise your garage door a few inches to exhaust carbon monoxide. You’ll also need to turn off the heater when routing or sawing for long periods of time so the heater flame doesn’t ignite the dust.

Cooling a garage shop during the summer can be equally challenging. Cross-ventilation will help draw breezes through the shop, especially if you use a fan to help move the air.

Unfinished garage walls make it easy to store supplies, lumber, and tools. Mount shelving, workbenches, lumber racks, and pegboard directly to the wall studs. You can even store lumber and other odds and ends overhead if the roof trusses are accessible.

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