I FINALLY finished my shop!

[Bill G]

At least not in the worst possible spot ever.

 

[user 188535]

The young man is 14-15 year's old and in my opinion does not need to spend $300-$500 on a vise. That money is much better spent on other tools at his age.

I already have a Wilton. I also have a small Columia vise. My Stihl FG 2 is on its way from the UK.

 

[Bill G]

I already have a Wilton. I also have a small Columia vise. My Stihl FG 2 is on its way from the UK.

You are doing good! Please do not let the naysayers get you down. You are on the right path.

Some may or may not understand this but had you been a student in my class and a FFA member when I was teaching you would already have the early basis for a State winning Proficiency Award. Your State FFA and American FFA degrees would be a cinch. I am not sure of all the rules now but @wildwes could give you a better idea.

 

[Philbert]

Very nice.

As far as the vise, maybe consider mounting it on a thick piece of plywood (laminate two, 3/4” pieces, or use a piece of glulam).

Then, make a pattern of mounting holes, so you can move it to different locations, as needed, or, until you find ‘the right spot’.

Secure it in place with wing nuts, or some fast acting clamps, so you can quickly remove or relocate it.

I did that with my bench grinder(s), chain grinder(s), spinner / breaker set, etc.

Philbert

 

[OM617YOTA]

Congrats! That's hugely better than I or my friends had at your age. Well done.

To hell with the naysayers, they're jealous. You have a better setup there than many of the grown men here on the forum have now, to say nothing of when they were your age. You'll tweak your setup as you use it, and figure out what works best for you and make changes as you go. How many of these guys put together their first shop perfectly, the first time? Answer: none.

I'd have put the vise exactly where you did too, right where it's supported by both the main bench legs. Use it for awhile and see if it really is in the way of your workflow and how you use the space. If it's in the way then yes move it, but don't move something that works for you just because a bunch of grumpy old men on a computer screen say it's not right. You work in that shop, they don't.

I will second the security suggestions, and suggest an outdoor motion sensor light as well. There are heat pump window units that will also heat while using much less power than a normal resistance heater. Might not work in your climate in the coldest times, but will save you a lot of power the rest of the time. Looks like most of your tools are cordless, so running them on one electrical circuit at the same time as you run your heating/cooling is less of a concern. I also think in time you'll ditch the pegboard and just get cheap OSB and 3" screws instead. Previous owner put up pegboard in my shop and it looks pretty, but a huge PITA in actual use. Wish I'd torn it out at first, rather than try and use it. Again though, I'm just a grumpy old(compared to you) man on a computer screen, if pegboard works for you in your shop, enjoy it. It's your shop, we don't get a vote.

 

[retiredfarmer]

Great job

 

[retiredfarmer]

What I like is what good money management you have. To me you did that for a song. An insurance policy will likely work better that I different door lock etc. Ask dad if he can help you out with that your tools would have been covered in the house policy perhaps you shop will be as well or most likely it will by a small extra charge on the house policy. Lol also a few beware of dog signs are a cheap way to go an even bigger worry than hearing I big dog growl is thinking there is a big dog and that the dog is being quite. Once again you have wonderful money management skills

 

[Husky77]

Your 'fatal' mistake is, the corrugated metal roof with no vapor barrier under it. You will get condensation dripping on everything whether it's heated or not. Just you being in there will cause a temperature differential and condensation and dripping..... and rust. Not seeing the rest of the area, if you have air movement via say an exhaust fan, that will mitigate it to some extent but won't eliminate it.

That vise is gonna give you some bruises when you knock into it.

A cheap roof to save a bit but will cost you long term. Trust us, it will sweat and drip and soon drive you nuts. Not to mention rusty tools

 

[user 188535]

Locks don't mean squat. All that takes is a cordless grinder with a cut off wheel and about 10 seconds and it's defeated. I never lock my machine shop nor do lock the big barns or the house but then we live in certified 'Flyover Country' where people have respect for other's property. I do let it be known that I'm a firearm nut and always have at least one handgun in easy reach (or my derringer in my pocket, loaded). Probably not a good idea for you for a couple reasons, mainly you are too young to have a legal firearm and secondly, where you live is not at all firearm friendly.

It has no exposed shackle and the bottom of the hasp is covered up by trim.

 

[user 188535]

A cheap roof to save a bit but will cost you long term. Trust us, it will sweat and drip and soon drive you nuts. Not to mention rusty tools

Well. We just got a massive downpour and everything stayed dry.

 

[Mike Van]

If you find condensation on the inside of the roof to be an issue, you can get 1" board insulation, rip it to width & get it between your rafters. Just keeps the sometimes warmer inside air from hitting the colder metal - Nice job, way too clean in there though -

 

[les-or-more]

It has no exposed shackle and the bottom of the hasp is covered up by trim.

Nothing will keep out a determined individual, 2 hours put this bank vault door in the parking lot.
Having good relationships with your neighbors and watching each others backs is priceless.

 

[mark3885]

Looks great , it’s like buying your first home. You can use it and customize it as you see fit. What are the interior dimensions? I would look into adding some insulation for the roof and adding a few 2x4 to hold it up . A beer fridge would be nice but you have a few years before you’ll need it.

 

[user 188535]

Looks great , it’s like buying your first home. You can use it and customize it as you see fit. What are the interior dimensions? I would look into adding some insulation for the roof and adding a few 2x4 to hold it up . A beer fridge would be nice but you have a few years before you’ll need it.

It is 6.5' by 9.5' with a 22'' door.

 

[VW Splitter]

Great job. Looking good. I’m not gonn

 

[VW Splitter]

Great job, looking good. I’m not gonna say it all again but reread post #26, I agree with everything yota said. I probably would have mounted vice in the same spot you did, where it is supported by the bench leg. My vice is the most used tool in the shop. Use the one you have until you’re ready to change it out for some reason. And exhaust fan might be a good addition. It would help with that moisture issue, keep you cool in the summer, allow you to do some rattle can painting inside. Maybe even run a chainsaw in there if needed. my vice is set up right next to the exhaust fan. If you do change out the vice one day, the one I really like has the swivel head on it, which is very helpful sometimes in this picture the swivel head vice allows me to shoot the exhaust up towards the exhaust fan. And run the saw inside the shop. You can read about what works well for others but that might not be what works well for you. I like your set up. Looking good. Press on.

 

[OM617YOTA]

If you're going to run engines in the shop, get a CO alarm. I've had that one sneak up on me, sudden headache and such. Put in a CO alarm and was surprised at how fast the alarm triggered after running an engine for a couple minutes, and that's in a two story 30x30 shop. Now the exhaust fan goes on and the door gets opened, even if I run something for half a second. If I don't want to do that, then I need to run the engine outside, no fooling around.

 

[Sidecarflip]

That's exactly why I didn't show the outside. Although that I trust most of the people on this website, the image could still end up being viewed by the wrong person. I have invested in a very good lock.

I don't 'trust' anyone except my wife and my dog. Having said that I don't lock anything because there are always firearms handy. Besides, everything is insured.

You can trust everyone on this website because you are just an electronic to them.

 

[sean donato]

Looks good, fairly well laid out for the size. I
echo the roof condensation issue. It has little to do with it raining outside and everything to do with temp swings and water drops forming under the tin. Needs to be vented or insualted. I vote insualted since it won't cost much in that little area you have and will gain you a decent amount of r value inside.

 

[Sidecarflip]

Great job, looking good. I’m not gonna say it all again but reread post #26, I agree with everything yota said. I probably would have mounted vice in the same spot you did, where it is supported by the bench leg. My vice is the most used tool in the shop. Use the one you have until you’re ready to change it out for some reason. And exhaust fan might be a good addition. It would help with that moisture issue, keep you cool in the summer, allow you to do some rattle can painting inside. Maybe even run a chainsaw in there if needed. my vice is set up right next to the exhaust fan. If you do change out the vice one day, the one I really like has the swivel head on it, which is very helpful sometimes in this picture the swivel head vice allows me to shoot the exhaust up towards the exhaust fan. And run the saw inside the shop. You can read about what works well for others but that might not be what works well for you. I like your set up. Looking good. Press on.

My shop is air conditioned and heated in the cold months. Presently it's 40 out and 65 in with 27% RH. Have to keep it that way. Precision machine tools demand it.