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Brett Hartwig

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So if i wanted to throw $500 to a work area in my basement..what would you include? No major woodworking, just your basic home maintenance guy. What would be good ideas as far as shelving, tool organization,etc. Think $500 could get it done nicely?
 
Not enough info. We don't know what tools you already have. Nor what kind of hobby work you like to do.
 
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I would start with a good bench with a flush mounted vice, then a small attachable metal vice. Look for some good lightening. Pick up some tool cabinets. You should be able to find everything you need at garage sales and auctions for under $500 and have some left over for hand tools you need. Get those at pawn shops. Go slow and what you need will come your way
 
Freeport, Don't forget the large access door from workshop to the outside ! Remember the story of guy who spent all winter building the boat of his dreams in his basement and then when finished found boat was too big to get it outside.



Seriously, good luck with your project. Would like to do the same but first need a basement . ☺



Bill
 
A good workbench should be the starting point. Buying them is expensive and they're usually not well built when pre-made or ready to assemble. I prefer building one ground up. Vices seem to always be handy when I need to beat on something with a BFH (all of my projects seem to require this at some point). I also like having a grinding wheel mounted to the bench. Pegboard behind the bench for the most commonly used tools and those that are hard to store elsewhere like squares and levels. $200-$300



Get enough lighting. A couple 4' workshop lights can be had for less than $100. Add an LED worklight on a stand for another $100 for portable light.



Then keep an eye on Craigslist and yard sales for cabinets and tools sold by angry wives. Golf clubs are found this way, too, lol. It's hard to find good cabinets at low prices. Don't bother with "value" cabinets like the Husky line at Home Depot. A decent one is going to eat up your whole budget. Either get a good one, or find a way to go without for a while. I'm currently without.



The cost of shelving is surprising. Cheap shelves have burned me a couple times. Depending on how much you need, this could easily take up your entire budget, even for just one decent shelf.



I keep nails and screws on shelves made with cheap L-brackets and a board across them. If nails/screws/bolts aren't in a correctly labeled, store bought box, I toss them. I've spent too much time searching through buckets and drawers looking for the right screw/bolt just to end up driving to buy a new box anyway so I don't keep stragglers around anymore. One 4' shelf holds all of the ones I keep on hand. This has helped me keep organized more than anything else, really. I have to make a conscious effort not to hoard fasteners.



Most of my power tools are on a shelf I built into the bottom of my workbench. Socket sets are in the case they came in and usually either on top of the bench or wherever I last used them, usually against the wall in the garage. A couple small Craftsman toolboxes house the remaining tools like screwdrivers and such.

 
Just add wood. Solid, and cut to desired size. :supercool:
 
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I agree with Redfish and Hugh. A workbench is the most important tool you need to start with in any workshop. I agree with Hugh, that most of the workbench kits or assemble at home kits are crap. Check some of the DIY websites for Workbench plans...some are free, so might cost a few bucks, but it's well worth it to get a quality workbench, especially if you can customize it to fit your particular requirements. Remember that most woodworking benches are a bit lower than other workbenches because of the design of the wood working tools likc chisels and planes.



I also agree with the need for a good quality flush-mount wood working bench vise. For metal work, I had a very old vise my landlord in Germany gave me many years ago. I make a large laminated block of oak (about 6-8" thick) to fit the base of the vise. When I needed to work on metal, I simply clamped the wood block base into my wood working vise. This method works very well because the large block of wood on the base of the vise allows you to easily mount the vise in any direction, and it also elevates the vise up a little higher for more comfortable work height for metal work. I made the base of my metal working vise from an old Oak shipping pallet. I think I got that was attached to the bottom of something big I purchased and had shipped to my house, but you can buy them for a few bucks from some warehouses, and check for local pallet makers/recycling centers in your area.



...Rich



 
Thanks for the replies..all very helpful. i actually already have the bench part done...used scraps left over from our house building to make a couple of sturdy benches made from 2x6 frame and 3/4"plywood. Thinking now about pegboard, tool storage/orgnization, shelves, etc
 
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not sure why my pics always end up sideways...but, here is the area to work with and my two benches already there. I could use the whole 30 foot wall is I wanted.

[Broken External Image]:
 
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You could go a long way with what this guy is offering and you won't find anything stronger that cheap.



 
I build all of my shelving out of Unistrut. It is like a giant erectors set. They make every single type of angle you can think of.



If erected correctly, it is very strong, somewhat light, and very affordable. A 2' deep x 10' long x 8' high shelf with 6 shelves will cost me about $200.00.



Much cheaper than those Home Depot 2' x 4' x 4' shelves they sell for $50.00 each that can't hold more more than 20 lbs.





Tom
 

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