Woodworking is an excellent and useful hobby. Not only can you spend your spare time working in a creative outlet that you love, you can also create new furniture and other items that are useful for your own home or can be sold for a profit. But woodworking also takes up a lot of space. Your garage is probably the most convenient place in your home for your woodworking hobby. Take a look at some tips that can help you create a woodworking paradise in your garage.
Hang Your Most Reached-for Tools on the Wall
If you know anything about woodworking, you know that there are some tools that you’ll be using over and over again. Your straightedge rulers, hammers, chisels, and saws, for example, should all be within easy reach. You’ll be using these items repeatedly as you work, and you don’t want to have to dig through drawers for them.
Instead, install pegboard or slatwall along at least one wall in your garage – preferably a wall that’s located close to your workbench. Use this space to hang the hand tools that you know you’ll need to have within easy reach.
Protect Your Power Tools
Bench-top power tools can be some of the hardest woodworking tools to store. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes that aren’t consistent – you may have several important bench-top power tools of different sizes and shapes, so you may not be able to line them up easily on a shelf. Some can also be exceptionally heavy and may not be easily supported by standard shelves. Plus, these tools have motors and parts that can be affected by dust and debris, so it’s important to protect and store them carefully when they’re not being used.
Your best bet is to invest in a heavy-duty cabinet designed for garage storage. This way, you can choose one with shelves at a variety of levels, so you can store heavier or larger tools on the bottom and smaller ones on top. You can also close up the cabinet when you put your power tools away for the day, protecting the tools from any damage.
Invest In the Perfect Workbench
A good workbench is essential to the success of your woodworking shop. What kind of workbench you need depends partly on the size and layout of your garage. If you have a smaller garage and you need to use it to store your car at night, you may want to consider investing in a portable workbench. You can pull it out into the center of the garage while you work, which will give you the room that you need, and then put it away in a corner when you’re done.
If you have more space – for example, if you have a two-car garage and only use one side of it for your car – a workbench that’s built into the wall might be a better choice. This can give you more stability and allow you to spread out, which can give you the ability to work on bigger projects.
If you love woodworking, you owe it to yourself to design a garage that you can practice your craft in. For more great garage design ideas, schedule your free design consultation.
