If your garage shop is small or shares space with a car, design a layout that expands for work and contracts for parking.
Follow these tips:
• Build a bench against a wall, and keep it as narrow as is practical— a deep wall bench tends to attract tools that don’t get put away. In most garages, the best wall is the one opposite the garage door. If possible, position the bench near a window for maximum natural light.
• Use a portable bench such as a Workmate and folding sawhorses for larger jobs.
• House most hand tools in rolling cabinets.
• Store benchtop tools under the bench. Doors on the storage area keep tools cleaner and can be locked for safety.
• Use the ceiling for lumber storage. Build brackets for holding stock, or simply place wood and other long pieces in the roof framing.
• Reserve the front end of the garage for garden tools, bicycles and lawn equipment to keep these items easily accessible.
Club member Tom Klenck is an avid woodworker and former magazine editor who lives in Hamilton, New York.