Unfinished garage becomes a woodworking haven
Blessed with an eye for potential, David Willett looked at his dark, unfinished 11⁄2 -car garage built in 1956 and saw the bones of a workshop. He envisioned a haven for woodworking, and after much hard work he achieved that, along with a place to hang out when cooking on the grill.
To begin the garage conversion, David ground the concrete floor smooth, filled the cracks, and applied an epoxy floor coating. After installing insulation, he hung drywall on the ceiling, and slatwall panels on the walls. An insulated garage door, gas heater, and window air conditioner keep the shop comfortable year-round. During humid months, a dehumidifier that drains outside reduces rusting on his tools.
David chose prefabricated RedLine cabinets to speed up his shop conversion and because he liked the powder-coated finish. He then built custom holders inside some of the drawers to keep tools organized and protected.
Take one look at the shop and you'll see that plenty of storage, and David's knack for organization, keep the shop clutter-free. The slatwall panels provide highly configurable storage. David even found use for space behind the cabinets of his extra-deep radial-arm-saw station for storing long, narrow items, such as dowels.
David grouped his tablesaw (with a router table in the wing), jointer, and a traditional workbench at the heart of the shop, with the bench also serving as an outfeed table. For general lighting, he worked with the Big Ass Fan Company, which helped him spec out the ceiling-mounted LED fixtures. Recessed can lights directly over the tablesaw "island" and countertops increase illumination in those spots; under-cabinet LEDs supply task lighting around the perimeter of the shop.
David has plans to add a room at the back of the shop for a dust-collection system. In the meantime, shop vacuums control dust.
When not in his shop, David enjoys spending time on the deck right outside, with its wall-hung outdoor TV and barbecue grill.