Introduction
Here is a guide that will help you know what you need to set up a great workshop in your garage.
Most garages aren’t big enough to fit every kind of tool in them, and most people will have some kind of special interest, so in this article series we will focus on hobby centered garages.
This series will break down 4 essential garage types, three of them are specialized to a hobby and one is more general.
This article is about the more general workshop, and will be the basis for the other three workshops, so be sure to read this one before moving on to the other articles.
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Weekend DIY’er Workshop
This is what everyone needs in their garage, regardless of their hobbies.
In fact the other 3 garage workshop setups will assume that you have all the tools listed in this workshop set up because of how important each item is in this garage set up.
The Weekend DIY’er is the perfect workshop for people who might not have a special interest in making things, but want to be ready for simple home repair and small projects.
Protective Gear
Before we dive into the tools which are everyone’s favorite, make sure you’ve got all of the protective gear.
No matter what kind of project you’re doing, you should always put your health first.
Safety Glasses
It is very easy to get dirt and dust in your eyes when working under sinks or in an attic.
Safety glasses are very inexpensive and will keep your eyes safe from unwanted debris.
Ear Plugs
Hearing loss is no joke.
Hearing loss is incremental, so everytime you expose your ears to really loud noises you are that much closer to losing your hearing.
Buy a big pack of ear plugs and remember to wear them whenever you do things that make a lot of noise.
Even simple things like using power tools, or a hammer for long periods of time can take a toll on your ears.
Mask
A mask can protect you from inhaling some nasty dust or even harmful fumes depending on the kind of mask you get.
For general purpose I recommend an N95 mask.
Gloves
A decent pair of leather gloves is crucial when it comes to tasks like moving boards with nails in them, or even dealing with yard trimmings.
You’ll want to get a decent thick pair of gloves that are durable.
Tools
Now the fun stuff.
The following are tools that every home should have and will help you become the ultimate DIY’er.
Claw Hammer
A decent claw hammer is necessary.
Tons of home projects can be done with a hammer and the claw hammer is the most useful for general purpose.
Measuring Tape
I recommend a Stanley 25’ measuring tape.
They’re easy to read, and long enough for just about any project.
There are many nice things about stanley tape measures and little tricks you can use with them.
One handy tip is that the numbers on a stanley tape are colored differently to show stud spacing.
Here is a video which goes into greater detail about some of the neat things you can do with a stanley tape measure.
Power Drill
Every DIY’er needs to have a drill.
I personally prefer corded drills as they can be more powerful, but cordless drills are also a good option.
You can often find deals for drills and driver sets which are relatively inexpensive.
Most home DIY projects require a drill at some point, whether that’s hanging pictures or mounting shelves a drill will come in handy.
Hand Saw
Some kind of hand saw will definitely be usable at some point during your DIY projects.
There are many different kinds of hand saws.
One of the easiest hand saws to use is the traditional panel saw, this is also one of the most common .
A panel saw will get you through most of your basic sawing needs without the need to upgrade to a power saw.
If you do a lot of cutting you may want to invest in a power saw, but a panel saw will be enough for most home projects.
Ladder
A ladder is something that should be in every garage.
They are needed when changing light bulbs, working on gutters, stringing Christmas lights, and many other projects around the house.
Level
You need a drill to hang a picture, but to hang a picture correctly you’ll need a level as well.
Levels also come in handy when needing a straight edge or fixing shelves
Organization
Pegboard
While you might not think of a pegboard being a necessity for most people’s garages, they will save you a lot of time in searching for tools in a crowded garage.
A lot of tools come with bags or cases but often making sure those tools get put away in those cases are bags is not a priority.
This leads to an unorganized garage, lost tools, and wasted time.
Pegboards help solve that issue by dedicating a space to each of your tools and putting them on a pegboard is much faster then keeping track of the bag your tool came with.
Workbench
If you are serious about doing things yourself at home a workbench will be your best friend.
Many people think they can get by with scrap wood on top of saw horses, but this leads to a possible unstable workstation that is easily thrown off balance and can be dangerous to work on.
A workbench offers a much more stable platform to work on.
You can even store some frequently used tools inside of a workbench.
They make the experience of DIY projects much more enjoyable.
