Ideal order in the garage: do-it-yourself shelves and racks. Self-assembly of metal and wooden shelving for the garage Wooden shelving for the garage
For car enthusiasts, the garage often becomes a second home. In addition to its main purpose - storing a car, a garage is also used for car repairs, and for repairing tools and household appliances, and for other purposes. This is where unnecessary things are usually taken, old furniture, which is a pity to throw away, some Appliances, in need of repair, old bicycles and even inflatable boats for fishing enthusiasts. Everyone has their own list of rubbish stored in the garage, however, over time, its quantity usually increases and makes our life very difficult.
Why do you need garage shelving?
Among the main reasons to install shelving in the garage, we note the following:
- Firstly, difficulties arise when entering and leaving the car.
- Secondly, in the accumulation of old things it can be difficult to find necessary tools, get to what you need in this moment details.
- Thirdly, the aesthetic appearance of such a garage leaves much to be desired, in addition, such chaos in the room gets on your nerves and takes up a lot of time.
- Fourthly, in a cluttered garage the risk of fire increases, and it will be much more difficult to cope with the resulting ignition, because flammable substances are usually stored in the garage: gasoline, oils.
Of course, there are exceptions. Some garage owners manage to keep them in perfect order, where everything is laid out on shelves, hung on hooks, sorted by purpose. If you have noticed, in such rooms there are usually shelves along the walls on which all the contents of the garage are laid out.
Advice ! A garage is not a museum or an exhibition, and absolute order on the shelves does not always correspond to the state of a person’s soul. The main advantage of shelving in the garage is the convenience and comfort of work; it allows you to perfectly navigate your stocks and folded items. In addition, you definitely need a rack for storing tires in your garage.
As practice shows, a rack remains the best option for storing tools, spare parts and other garage equipment. It has sufficient capacity, does not take up much space, and open access to the shelves allows you to quickly find the item you need. The rack will be convenient for storing large parts and fairly heavy items.
If you decide to organize the contents of your garage, a shelving unit will make it much easier for you to get organized. And to figure out what is most suitable for your garage, you need to familiarize yourself with the possible options.
Conventionally, the available types of racks are distinguished:
- stationary;
- prefabricated;
- mobile;
- rotating.
The stationary structure is installed in the garage on permanent place, for greater stability can be fixed to the wall, usually made non-removable. The advantages of this scheme include high strength and the ability to accommodate the heaviest parts and tools. It is made from durable, wear-resistant materials and will easily withstand use for several decades.
Most often, prefabricated metal garage shelving is available for sale. They are made from perforated metal racks, to which horizontal shelves are attached. They are usually sold unassembled, with a set necessary fastenings. The assembly of this option is quite accessible to everyone, even those who do not have special repair skills. The advantage is that you can change the height of the shelves depending on your needs. This way, you can store both a set of spare tires and large tools.
Mobile options have small wheels, thanks to which you can move the entire set of tools around the garage, and, if necessary, even roll it outside. The advantage of this design is its mobility, the ability to easily rearrange the garage from one point of the garage to another without unloading its contents, and also to roll everything up at once necessary tools to the repair site. But its carrying capacity is inferior to the non-collapsible version. This rack is also sold disassembled and assembled with a screwdriver directly in the garage, like a construction set.
A rotating rack can be purchased to store light, small-sized tools and parts, as well as nails, bolts, screws and other small items. He has small sizes, but it will be easy for you to find the required part, turning the rack around the axis of rotation. At the same time, you can free up space on a large rack for massive items.
If you wish, you can not buy a ready-made shelving for the garage, but make it yourself.
Before you buy or make a shelving unit, you need to decide what space in the garage you can allocate for it. It is best to place it along one of the walls, or along the entire length of the wall. The height is limited by the height of the garage ceiling, and the width is determined by your needs. It is advisable to leave a distance between the rack and the car of at least 80 cm in order to have free access to the shelves, as well as to protect the car from possible heavy objects falling from the shelves.
In addition to the dimensions, decide on the expected load on the structure, think about what you will put on it. Perhaps, for the convenience of placing tools, you will need not one, but two racks on opposite walls, or one solid stationary one and one mobile one. All this is determined from the point of view of convenience, it depends on the type of work performed in the garage, and for what additional purposes you use it.
It's easy to make a garage rack with your own hands. If you haven't done this kind of thing before, this will be good practice.
How to make a garage rack with your own hands
Before construction, it is necessary to determine the dimensions of the product and make a drawing indicating the dimensions. The length of the shelving depends on the length of the wall or your needs. The height is limited by the height of the ceiling in the garage.
The width of the shelves, that is, the distance between the vertical posts, is usually about 1 meter; if necessary, it can be increased to 1.5 meters, no more, as this will reduce the strength of the shelves.
The depth of the shelves usually varies from 30 to 60cm, depending on your individual preferences. The height of the shelves can be different, for example, the most top shelf can be made up to about 30cm for storing small and light items. The middle shelves are up to 60cm high, and the height of the lower shelf is increased to 1 meter to accommodate large items and heavy spare parts.
To build a rack, it is better to use durable and reliable materials that can withstand heavy mechanical loads so that they last for a maximum of years.
Tools for making a metal rack with wooden shelves:
- ruler, level, tape measure;
- Bulgarian;
- welding machine;
- construction pencil;
- hand saw;
- paint brush;
- drill, hammer, screwdriver, pliers.
To build a set of shelving, you will need to purchase metal for racks (a metal rod or pipe), metal corners, boards for shelves or thick plywood (chipboard), from the heels of electrodes for electric welding, a primer for metal and paint, dowels and brackets (if you plan to attach the rack to wall).
Let's get started
Oddly enough, the most difficult thing in making shelving for a garage is planning and detailed thinking - where and how tools, spare parts, paints and varnishes, old junk, so that everything is at hand and does not interfere with work.
To make shelving for the garage, we will follow the approximate order of work:
- Use a grinder to cut the metal into the required lengths indicated in the drawing.
- On the vertical racks, mark the places where the shelves are attached.
- Weld metal corners onto the vertical supports by welding. Before welding the corners, you need to make sure that their location on adjacent racks is symmetrical so that the shelves do not turn out to be inclined.
- After the metal base is welded, it must be primed well and then painted to protect it from rust.
- Cut to size of shelves wooden boards, you can make shelves from boards, plywood or OSB.
- To make the rack more stable, vertical racks They are attached to the wall of the garage with brackets.
Important ! When making shelving, leave as much room for alteration and modification of the design as possible. Probably, tomorrow, or in the near future, you will have new ideas, and it will be a pity to cut the tightly welded or concreted frame and shelves of the rack.
Wooden shelving in the garage is even easier to assemble. To install them, it is necessary to concrete the corners No. 50 and 10-15 cm high into the floor and wall. Samu load-bearing structure made from 75-100mm timber. If the bottom shelf is selected to be 70% of the car tire diameter, this design can be used in the garage as a rack for wheels.
Probably, each of the men who acquired a garage was faced with the problem of storing necessary things and tools. They are always dangling underfoot, and some are even impossible to find. In order to save space in small room and thereby systematize and put in their places all the tools and more, and they came up with shelves and racks for the garage. You can make them the way you want, and how it’s convenient for you, even on the entire wall, on two walls, or you can attach one shelf. There are even ceiling shelf options.
However, such shelves are not safe, but sometimes they are the only ones suitable for the type of garage. It is best, of course, to stick to the classic options. In addition, shelves in the garage with your own hands will last much longer; looking at and using them will be doubly pleasant.
The material for the shelving is either wood or metal. Wooden racks cannot be partially disassembled; they are secured using bolts, screws and nails. Such racks are attached to the wall and cannot be moved. The second type of racks is welded. They are completely non-separable due to the fact that all metal parts are welded together. Collapsible racks can also be made from metal. They are fastened with special bolts, but such structures can hardly be called stable, because during assembly a so-called backlash is formed. To achieve greater stability and rigidity, they are fixed to the walls. This is done very simply. A plate with metal holes is attached to the outer racks with bolts or welded and a so-called “crutch” is inserted into it. Before installing the crutch, you need to drill a hole at the level of the plate in the wall itself with a diameter smaller than the hole in the plate.
Both types of rack structures have good statistics on service life, but for some reason the main choice falls on welded racks. Collapsible racks are selected for certain cases, there are several of them. In the first, the possibility of moving to another garage cannot be ruled out, but moving a huge non-demountable structure to another garage, and if it is far away, is very difficult, since such racks can weigh several tons. Partial removal will make the task of transporting the rack much easier. The second case involves the absence of a welding machine, unless, of course, the rack is made manually at home. But in general, almost everyone chooses welded racks, especially if the assembler has experience in working with welding machine, because then the work will move much faster, and welded racks are especially stable and strong.
The trading market presents its own version of shelving. A certain type of rack is sold, which is made of corners and grooves. They are quite stable and easy to use, and besides the fact that they can be disassembled, there is also a small function for rearranging the shelves. This way you can arrange the shelves at the desired height. It would seem that the racks are ideal, what could be even better. However, their price is very disappointing. Because they cost exorbitantly.
The design of the racks itself is not complicated. There are several main parts of the rack design:
- Racks;
- Crossbars;
- Shelves.
There are cases when transverse steel posts are welded diagonally on the rear wall of the rack along the outer posts. Such measures are used to achieve increased durability by compensating for lateral loads.
The size and height of the rack and shelves is determined by the estimated things that will be stored on it. The main thing is to maintain the required distance between the racks, which are located in the same section. This distance directly depends on the stability and rigidity of the material from which the rack is constructed. In any case, the shelves should never bend under the load you plan to give it. If you are not going to load your rack too much, then the distance between spans can be made no more than 2 meters, but for heavy loads it is best to leave up to 1.5 meters and no more. If you planned to make a rack along the entire length of the wall and it is really mediocre in size, then when assembling the rack you must weld the intermediate posts and the distance between the spans should also not reach more than 2 meters.
It is imperative to say something about the shelves of the rack, or more precisely about their height. The first shelf from the bottom should be at a height of 50-70 centimeters from the floor and, as a rule, this shelf is filled with the heaviest things. Subsequent shelves are made at any convenient height, but for example, a shelf height of 30 centimeters will not be practical and not entirely convenient, but 35-37 centimeters is much better, by the way, this is the height that is considered standard. You can check the desired height using a 1.5 liter plastic bottle. It should easily fit between the shelves and be removed in the same way. Just in centimeters, this is how it turns out, and it is this height that is standard and convenient for use.
Look at the DIY garage shelves photo.
As you may have already read above, there are not so many materials for shelving - wooden and metal. Of course, it is easier to work with wood, and they are not very heavy in weight, but the main disadvantage of wooden racks is their inability to withstand a large mass. As for the metal ones, they weigh tons, but they are also capable of holding even a hippopotamus, unless, of course, all the steps of assembling and welding the racks were carried out correctly and according to the instructions.
Undoubtedly, the main aspect is also the price. If you buy metal material for racks in retail chains, the cost will be almost the same if you bought a ready-made rack. But there is an option to purchase material at metal warehouses. They sell metal whips ranging in size from 6 to 12 meters. The next step will be cutting the metal rods into the required sections along the specified length. This can be done directly at the metal depot, but you will have to pay extra for such a service, but the price for it is not too high. This way, you can save almost 20 to 30 percent of your expenses.
Wood materials differ significantly in cost from metal. But don’t think that you can save a lot by making a wooden one instead of a metal one. As a rule, racks are made from elite and premium wood, and they are, to put it mildly, not cheap.
As is known, garage conditions not the best, especially for wooden structures. Constant temperature changes, humidity, dampness, frost, heat - all this has a very detrimental effect on wood material. If you want your wooden shelving to serve you for at least a couple of years, you must treat the material with special protective, antibacterial agents. Wood treatment compounds are best purchased for outdoor use, as the conditions indicated are very similar to those in a garage that does not have heating. If desired, compositions can also be selected that tint the wood, and subsequently it will not need painting. You can work with the treated material only after final drying.
Let's see how to make shelves in the garage with your own hands from wood:
All pieces of wood shelving are joined using the quarter-foot or half-foot method, which is a common practice for carpenters. If this method is not within your power, then you can nail the bars end to end. But with such a connection it is necessary to use corners and metal plates to increase stability. The rack elements are fastened with nails, but when using corners and overhead plates, fastening with self-tapping screws is also possible.
The standard dimensions of the racks are 50 by 50 millimeters. The crossbars can be made from exactly the same block, only slightly smaller in size - 50 by 30 millimeters. For flooring you need:
- Planks with a thickness of at least 21 millimeters;
- Moisture-resistant plywood in a thickness of 10 millimeters;
- Laminated chipboard;
- Oriented Strand Board (OSB).
Planks and plywood are cheaper in cost. Laminated chipboard seems to be a more expensive material, but its huge advantage is that it does not require systematic painting or painting at all. In order not to shell out large amounts of money, you can buy materials at sawmill bases, where they are sold in packs and their cost is much different from new ones. The only disadvantage of such a purchase is that the materials may be scratched.
There is one more small nuance. Shelves made of Chipboard material They have a side cut and when moisture gets on them they can swell and crumble. To avoid this disaster, you need to treat the cuts with silicone.
DIY wooden shelves in the garage photo options.
If your choice fell on metallic look shelving, there are so many materials to choose from. There are two versions from which you can make both shelves and rack stands, there are also standard materials, with the help of which “warehouses” are created. Those intended for other purposes can also be used. metal materials, For example, cable channels and stand cable, which are originally used in communications.
What materials are needed to create a metal frame:
- Metal corner 3-4 millimeters thick. Corner shelves should be 25-40 centimeters wide, but you need to take into account the volume of loads that will be carried out in the future;
- You can also take profile pipes. They are less susceptible to deformation and are very difficult to twist or bend. And in comparison with corners, profile pipes are more elastic. The required pipe sizes for racks are approximately from 40 by 40 millimeters and up to 50 by 50 millimeters, for crossbars from 40 by 25 millimeters and up to 50 by 25 millimeters;
- Profile pipes are intended for racks, but crossbars are made from corners. The thickness of the metal should be 2-3 millimeters, the width of the shelves starts from 25 millimeters and above. The corners should be turned out by laying the flooring, something like a nest;
After constructing the frame, flooring is needed. It is made from exactly the same materials as when forming wooden racks. Chipboard, OSB, plywood, board are taken and cut to the required size. Some people make flooring not only from wood, but also resort to very non-standard way– sheet metal. In wooden structures this method is not supported due to the high mass of this material, but laying on metal carcass very real.
The most standard and basic flooring material is still the good old plank. The most reliable and also inexpensive flooring. For such purposes, floorboards are used (they have a minimum number of burrs); their thickness should be from 21 millimeters. Be sure to be treated with antiseptic and protective equipment to prevent wood from swelling from moisture and other external influences. Can be painted if desired wooden shelves.
The advantage of metal shelves is that they can withstand heavy loads, although they have a fairly low thickness, there are also disadvantages and this is a very loud sound during operation, the shelves can rust and because of this they need to be sanded and painted very often. By the way, the metal frame also needs to be treated and painted so that rust does not appear.
Several features during the assembly of metal shelving
Metal racks have two assembly options. The first is to weld the required parts using a welding machine, and the second is to connect each part with bolts. As for the welding method, as for me, there are no questions, but with bolts it’s a little more complicated. When welding where corners are used, they are welded with an overlap of 5 millimeters. After laying out the shelves, such a small difference will not be noticed at all. There is an option of welding after cutting off the excess part of the corner and making a butt joint, but in this case it will take a lot of time to trim the excess parts of the corner.
But with bolts everything is different. First you need to connect the side parts with the shelves, and only then attach them to the rest of the frame. To connect, you need to screw in two bolts, this will help achieve greater stability.
There is a classic, or rather factory version of a shelf (stand) for tools. Buy perforated a metal sheet, on which all the necessary tools are hung. The only drawback of such a stand is the cost.
Do not despair! Of course, there are many ideas that you can do at home with your own hands and here are some of them:
- You need to take a board, chipboard, or plywood, mark in the right color on it under each tool that will hang there, and fill it with nails or screw in self-tapping screws. Not a bad option, and it’s also done quickly, but it’s not exactly beautiful and elegant, but it’s convenient and I did it myself;
- If you have nowhere to put heavier tools, for example large keys or knobs, you can take a mesh, screw it to the wall and weld hooks of the required size from wire. Uncomplicated and easy option and a way to quickly get out of a difficult situation;
There are a lot of such examples that can be given, and all of them are taken from life. Everyone gets out and comes up with their own original ideas, which a lot of people are soon starting to use. Such tool stands can be made from almost any material that is at hand. Turn on your imagination and create, because any thing made with your own hands is the fruit of creativity.
The garage is used not only for its primary functions, but also all kinds of building materials and tools are kept in it. Often sports equipment finds its home here, and, of course, a wide variety of things that have fallen out of use in the house, but are left to be stored “just in case.” The picture is quite familiar to many owners. But so that these and similar items do not make it difficult for the car to leave and enter, it is necessary to equip a rack in the garage on which all things can be placed. In addition to convenience, this will allow you to maintain order and everything will have its place. Installing the racks is quite simple.
Preparation
Before starting actual work, it is necessary to draw up a project. After looking around the garage, estimate the number of things that will be placed on the racks. The size of the structure depends on this. Next, the free space is measured. Optimal solution- free up completely or at least as much as possible one of the walls of the garage for shelves. Their height depends on the size of the cargo that will be placed. If you are making a rack for wheels in the garage, then the bottom shelf is left high. This allows you to accommodate rubber, cans and other large items. Next, let's look at how to make a shelving unit in the garage.
Design parameters
Calculate the number of shelves needed, as well as their depth. It is better to choose the size with a reserve. Make a sketch on paper. 5-10 cm is subtracted from the total length of the wall for convenient installation. This is the horizontal size of the future rack. The height occupies the entire space from floor to ceiling. The distance between the two supports (vertical), that is, the width, depends on the weight of the load. It should not be more than 1.5 meters. Usually they make 1 m. Do not make too much deep shelves. After all, it will be very difficult to get something from the depths. 50-60 cm is enough for most things and tools. For small accessories, you can make a depth of 30-40 cm. The height of the bottom shelf is from 80 to 100 cm, in other cases 25-60 cm is enough, depending on the intended content.
Metal rack for the garage. Design Features
You can install a ready-made rack in the garage. However, it may not fit in size, for example. In this case, it is better to install shelving in the garage yourself. The work should be carried out immediately with high quality, using reliable and durable materials. It is necessary to choose durable components that will not break under the pressure of a large load, and will also be resistant to mechanical damage. When making vertical racks, they can be used with a shelf from 30-50 mm. A profile with rectangular cross-section, big side which is 40-50 mm. The latter option will cause less installation difficulties.
To attach the shelves, you need to make a frame. It can be made from metal corner with shelf 15-25 mm. The vertical posts and frame can be connected in several ways. Most often, for installation, welding is used or holes are drilled and the structure is secured with bolts. The latter option implies the ability to change the height of the shelves, but it requires more effort to install. If you have a welding machine and an inverter, then it is more convenient to resort to welding. The shelves themselves can be made from boards 15-20 mm thick. The thicker they are, the stronger and more durable the structure. However, you can also use regular chipboard or chipboard. Before installation, they must be painted and additionally “oiled.” This will prevent the occurrence of fungus and protect against moisture.
From preparation to action
When the plan and all the components are ready, all the necessary tools have been collected, you can begin to install the rack in the garage. Using a grinder, metal is cut into required sizes. You can contact a metal warehouse, but the service will be paid. Then the proposed location of the vertical posts is marked. Marks are also made for where the shelves are attached. The corner sections are welded to the vertical posts. They will serve as a frame for the shelves. It is imperative to control the horizontal position. After all, they must be even, otherwise the tool will roll off. Once installation is complete, it is primed and painted. This will protect the structure from corrosion. The second stage is cutting the wooden shelves. Their location can be either along or across the frame. The latter option does not allow the shelves to sag, which means the entire structure will be more stable. Attach the shelf to the frame. If they fit perfectly and there is no need to resize, then you can proceed with installation. However, before this, the components are treated with impregnation or painted.
Finishing touches
After waiting for the shelves to dry, they can be screwed to the frame using self-tapping screws. The fastening must be tight. To give greater stability, the shelving in the garage is attached to the wall with brackets using vertical posts. At this point, the installation is complete, and you can use the shelves for their intended purpose.
Wooden shelving for the garage. Installation Features
This option is considered a budget option. If there is no desire or opportunity to spend money on metal, then you can resort to this method. But when installing vertical posts, a beam of at least 100 mm thick must be used - provided that the entire structure is placed from floor to ceiling. For shelves, plywood or chipboard with a thickness of 15-25 mm is used. The wooden structure is durable, but has a low load-bearing capacity. In addition, there is a risk of fire. Typically, such a rack in a garage is designed to store small tools and materials. To secure the shelves to the frame, you also need M5 bolts, the length of which is 60 mm.
Additional under the ceiling
When choosing brackets, you need to focus on those that will compensate for the pressure of the load and distribute it over the entire surface. This will avoid concentrating the weight on one point. The design of the brackets can be very different. A horizontal line is marked on the ceiling. In fact, the brackets are attached to it. It is safer to use anchors rather than self-tapping screws during installation.
Once this installation is complete, the wood or plywood shelf can be installed. It is already attached with self-tapping screws. To add strength to the structure being created, you can use 15x15 mm corners, then wooden shelf knead on them. This will avoid sagging under the weight of objects. Before installing shelving in the garage, it is advisable to plaster the wall. In this case, the floor covering must be smooth. Garage shelving is an important indoor fixture. It will be a good helper for any car owner.
Ideally, a garage should only protect the cars entrusted to it from cold, rain and hooligans. But if this building simultaneously serves as a workshop, and at the same time as a storage for necessary (and not so necessary) things, it is necessary to properly organize the small area remaining free near the car. This will make the garage more convenient, and you will always know what is where. Today we are figuring out how to arrange inner space super functional garage with minimal cash costs.
How to make your garage comfortable
When choosing ways to arrange your garage, always keep in mind that each thing should have its own specific place. In addition, the tools need convenient and unobstructed access. The owner, who has been doing minor repairs in his box for many years, can simply look around - where he usually leaves keys, screwdrivers and other small things.
Storage systems need to be built in this same area, because the place was clearly chosen because of its convenient location.
Do not forget that tool boxes and racks should not interfere with free movement, even when the machine is parked in the box. The distance from the car body to the nearest shelves is maintained at least a meter. Another requirement is to at least roughly classify all things according to their “demand”.
Those that are used regularly should be stored at chest to eye level and as close to a clear passage as possible. Equipment and tools that are rarely used are put away either upstairs or on the floor. It’s better to throw away rubbish that you’d hate to throw away (but maybe it’ll come in handy). But if his hand doesn’t rise at all, send him to the farthest corner, where it’s hardest to reach.
Proper organization of space: photo
DIY workbench Without a stable and convenient workbench in the garage, you won’t get much done. Depending on the scale of major repairs, it can be free-standing, folding, cantilevered, or have its own stand, which is so convenient to hold and various small items. In any case, the workbench requires an even horizontal surface, adapted to the main type of work, as well as strength and stability.
Selection of materials
Ideally, a garage workbench should withstand a load of 200–300 kg, so it is better to weld a strong metal frame from angle and profiled pipes ( square section preferable). For greater reliability of the structure, it is also necessary to provide rigid connections for the legs. But in the case of minor repairs it is quite possible to get by wooden base
, so select the material to suit your tasks.
- The production of a bench cover also directly depends on the type of work performed. In accordance with this, there are three types of workbenches:
- Carpentry - here you need a wooden work surface. If the lid is made from solid wood, preference should be given to oak or beech boards that have undergone vacuum drying. This method allows not only to remove excess moisture from the forest as much as possible, but also to relieve internal stress, reducing the risk of cracking.
- Metalworking - requires durable and non-absorbent metal. For the countertop, take a sheet of iron with a thickness of at least 1.5–2 mm. If you are short on money, you can save a little and take 0.9 mm steel, but this is the lower limit - you can’t go any smaller. Universal - has a wooden workbench board with a removable or bolted-in secret casing made of of stainless steel
. Such a lid will be resistant to various liquids and shocks.
But the underbench is equipped at the discretion of the owner. Here you can make shelves, cabinets and/or drawers. The weakest part of the workbench is retractable mechanism
boxes. It must be done on telescopic guides
Schemes and calculations The first thing you need is a drawing of the future workbench. You can build it yourself, find it in open sources, but it’s easier and more reliable to take a ready-made one and slightly adjust the design to suit yourself. This applies not only to the height of the tabletop, which must be adjusted to the height of the owner, but also to the length of the workbench cover, as well as
additional elements for convenient work. Standard sizes
- carpentry workbench
- home handyman:
- length 2–3 m;
The dimensions, frankly speaking, are very, very average, so in any case they will have to be adjusted taking into account the free space in the garage and the owner’s area of interest. For example, a workbench located near a wall should have a tabletop no deeper than 60 cm, so that you can freely reach its far edge with your hand. And if the passage to the table is provided from all sides and you often encounter bulky long objects, you will have to increase both the width and length of the surface.
Picking up optimal size workbench, consider the future " attachments", which will be needed for work. By itself it doesn’t take up much space, but in total it steals a lot usable area countertops.
Drawings for workbenches of various designs
Let's consider the procedure for manufacturing wooden workbench for minor repairs (we will show metal production a little later in the video). For the frame you will need planed timber 100x70 mm; a cheaper 100x50 will be used for the frame. The tabletop is made from 50 mm thick wood boards, the amount of wood is determined according to the drawing.
Required Tools
- hammer;
- drill;
- screwdriver;
- hand-held circular saw;
Don't forget about hardware (screws, bolts - just not nails), wood glue, as well as a tape measure and a carpenter's level.
Assembly
To attach a vice, sharpener or electric motor to the tabletop, markings are made on its surface for fasteners. Ready wooden structure treated with fire retardant impregnation and varnished on water based. If you are planning on work surface fulfill minor repairs
machine components, invest in a stainless steel sheet of at least 2 mm or textolite to protect the wooden countertop. For greater stability, the workbench can be screwed to the floor, placing steel plates approximately 150x150 mm and rubber pads (20–30 mm thick) under the legs to dampen vibrations from power tools. Corner workbench
must be secured with anchors at three points to the adjacent walls.
Video: DIY steel workbench A workbench welded independently from ferrous metal (especially used) must be carefully sanded and coated with several layers polymer paint
for protection against corrosion. Moreover, internal surfaces and surfaces covered by other elements need this no less than external ones. But you shouldn’t paint the tabletop, otherwise over time the peeled flakes of the coating will get into the mechanisms assembled on it.
Gallery: Variations on a Theme
The walls of the garage almost always sit idle, but with a competent approach to the issue of storage, they can completely unload the box from things and tools lying everywhere. In this case, everything will be kept in exemplary order and accessibility - you just need to install shelving.
Selection of materials
A rack with ready-made compartments for storing small items can be purchased at a hardware store, but already 3-4 such modules will force you to say goodbye to a considerable amount. It is much cheaper to make a shelf system yourself - of such length as is needed. It will take a little more time than assembling a finished structure, but you can get it done in a weekend.
Garage racks consist of a frame, shelves and, at the request of the owner, can be equipped with additional boxes, drawers or even be closed with solid doors.
We will consider the simplest one - an open system.
- Materials for work: Frame - wooden blocks
- or perforated profile. For powerful systems for heavy equipment, it is better to take a steel corner with a thickness of 6 mm or even pipes, but this will be more expensive.
Shelves - boards, 9–12 mm plywood or chipboard (only for lightly loaded structures). You can take a metal sheet, but then it was easier to actually buy a ready-made structure.
Dimensions, diagrams, quantity of materials
When starting to calculate materials, you should already have a rough idea of what and how much you need to place on the shelves. The height and length of the structure, the sizes of individual cells and their total number depend on this. Sections of the rack will have 2 vertical posts, plus another pair at the end of the row and support strips for each shelf (they also serve as stiffeners).
- Standard sizes of open shelving:
- The length is arbitrary, but if you are making shelves that cover the entire wall, the frame should be 50–100 mm shorter for ease of installation.
- The width of the shelves (installation step of the racks) is 1 m.
- Depth - no more than 500–600 mm.
The distance between the shelves is from 250 to 600 mm, but at the bottom for oversized items it can be increased to 800–1000 mm.
As you can see, the choice is not too limited, so be guided by your own convenience. If you have no ideas, use ready-made drawings from the Internet.
If you want to make roll-out racks, you will have to additionally strengthen the frame crosswise along the back wall and purchase durable wheels (necessarily with stoppers). You may need to purchase additional metal profiles for shelves for heavy equipment or a large number of things. In this case, additional longitudinal stiffeners are installed under them:
- one (along the axis) - for weight from 90 kg;
- two - at 120 kg and above.
But it is safer to mount the racks on the wall - this way you will transfer the main load from the frame. Depending on what the garage was built from, fasteners are also selected:
- There are no special problems with brick or concrete - you only need anchors and metal brackets, planks or corners.
- The latter are also suitable in the case of metal box walls, only they will either have to be secured by welding (if the walls are made of ferrous metal) or mounted on bolts, drilling through holes and shortening the life of the entire building.
- Self-tapping screws are enough for wood. In case of OSB is better use bolts and reverse side place counter plates or wide washers under the nuts.
- Foam concrete blocks - capricious construction material regarding wall fastenings. Here, ideally, you need a chimankera.
If the garage walls are not strong enough to mount the rack, it can be anchored in the floor. In this case, it is better to immediately make vertical racks up to the ceiling in order to fix them there as well.
Tools
Nothing extraordinary is needed here, and the entire tool can be found at home in any handy owner:
- drill and/or screwdriver;
- hacksaw;
- Bulgarian;
- carpenter's level plus measuring angle.
Instructions for making a rack
A spatial structure from a perforated corner or special rack metal profile is assembled on a free area, and then screwed to the wall. We are considering a stationary option, so the rack is mounted on site in the following order:
- Make markings on the wall for fasteners, drill holes and drive in dowels.
- Slice metallic profile according to the dimensions from the rack diagram.
- Attach the far vertical posts to the wall, checking each one is level, as well as its parallelism in relation to the adjacent slats.
- Connect the frame with horizontal connections from corner profile along the long side (at the height of future shelves).
- Fasten short stiffening ribs perpendicularly to the wall planks.
- Install the front racks, connecting them to the side strips for the shelves, and, if necessary, install diagonal braces.
- Screw on the front jumpers.
After this, all that remains is to form the flooring from the boards or cut and lay sheets of plywood in place. No need to attach.
Video: Assembling a wooden rack
Photo: Various racks
Tool shield (stand)
It is more convenient to store small hand tools such as keys, screwdrivers, pliers and other things not in bulk boxes, but on a wall organizer
Materials and work order
All you need is a perforated fiberboard sheet and wooden slats for the frame. The amount of materials will determine the size of the shield, and only a few screws and washers are needed for fastenings. It is also worth purchasing a couple of metal hinges so that the organizer can be easily removed from the wall if necessary.
By choice of material:
- Metal- shelves for the garage made of angle and steel or duralumin sheets.
Advantages:
- strength;
- durability;
- sustainability;
- ability to withstand heavy loads;
- fire safety;
- ease of care.
Flaws:
- high dead weight;
- unsuitable for mounting on cinder block walls;
- high cost of material.
Advantages:
- light weight;
- ease of manufacture;
- aesthetic appearance;
- no requirements for wall quality;
- cheapness.
Flaws:
- fire hazard;
- exposure to dampness;
- constant need to restore appearance.
Reference: To attach shelves to a vertical surface use various types brackets, lugs, threaded rods, bolts and washers, anchors and even furniture canopies.
By design features:
- Open.
- Closed.
- Removable.
- In the form of a shield with cells.
By type of fastener shelves are:
- Mounted:
- on the walls;
- on vertical posts;
- ceiling;
- single;
- multi-tiered.
By functional purpose:
- For storing tools and accessories.
- For storing containers with liquids (car cosmetics, fuels and lubricants).
- To accommodate tires and wheels.
How to make it yourself shelves in the garage— photo options:
What should the shelf be like?
The most popular and easy to manufacture suspended structures, which can encircle the walls of the garage, solving the problem of storing the most various items. The main requirement for a shelf: it should not sag under the weight of the load, it is designed so as to ensure convenience access and safety on the aisle.
Hanging version is not designed for weight more than 15 kg per 1 meter of structure. Therefore, there are recommendations for appropriate proportions:
- width (depending on the load) no more than 1.5 meters, preferably 1 meter;
- height - from 25 to 60 cm, for large items - 80-100 cm (lower shelf);
- depth - 30-40cm (in multi-tiered shelves) and 50-60cm - separately hanging.
Important: The height of the owner is the criterion for choosing the placement level for this type of storage. A shelf installed above the chin will make it difficult to use.
It’s good when the possibility is thought out:
- attach additional shelves to existing mounts;
- adjust their height based on emerging storage needs;
- use the free space underneath (for storing cans, tires).
Replacing an old structure with a new one requires mount updates: Used fasteners may damage the reliability of the product.
Pay attention to the drawing of a shelf for the garage with your own hands: 
How to make a shelf with your own hands?
- Made of metal. The manufacturing process is welding (you will need skills in working with a welding machine, safe place work, assistant):
- initial stage - sketch indicating required sizes, details and design features;
- preparation of frame elements - corner blanks;
- welding of racks (for upper or lower support) and frame for the shelf; it is possible to fasten the frame to the racks using bolts (M5);
- frame primer;
- cutting out shelves from perforated sheet metal, thick plywood (2.5 cm) or chipboard;
- fire retardant impregnation of wooden elements;
- assembly structural elements using screws or self-tapping screws;
- painting with fireproof paint for exterior use;
- fastening to the wall with anchors or dowels.
- preparing a sketch;
- making a frame from standard timber 10x10cm (vertical posts and frame);
- planed boards, multi-layer plywood, chipboard are suitable for shelves;
- the board is attached to the frame with self-tapping screws, to the racks - bolted connections using a metal corner;
- the wood is treated with a fire retardant;
- The product is coated with water-based varnish or paint.
- sketch;
- shelf blanks made of planed boards or chipboard;
- the boards are connected to the brackets using self-tapping screws;
- the finished structure is impregnated with fire retardant and painted.
