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That was pretty much my old house in Calif. 100f pretty much all summer there.

Kevin, My thermometer was showing -22F yesterday morning with windchill down in the minus thirties. I can also warm up my 20'x20' insulated garage with a 220V industrial heater in a short while although the meter wheel is spinning pretty fast! No new Packard to work on yet however but still looking. My 1947 Super Clipper is owned by a funeral home and occasionally gets used in the service. It resides in a heated garage!

I have a portable 110V air conditioner I use in the summer when I MUST work on a car. I close the garage door down to the last 6-inches and use that space to have the exhaust vent exit. It is amazing the amount of water it extracts from the air. This unit makes the work area almost comfortable. I don't have to heat the garage in the winter.

(o[]o)

We got up to nearly 60f last weekend, so that was a good time to get my work benches built and the garage unpacked (mostly).

This is two workbenches, a 8 foot and a 6 foot one that I build from 2x4's and plywood of my own design. So that gives me 14 feet of space. The tool boxes in view contain all the common hand tools (wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets, etc) that I use a lot and the household may use. My big free-standing toolbox is on the other side (out of view) and contains all other tools, and there is a storage shelf rack over there also.

I built the benches tall enough so everything would tuck underneath to maximize floor space, and worked for my 6'4" height. This garage only has a single 20 amp outlet, so everything that needed power had to tucked against this one wall. Also, this wall contains the door through to the house. So, it's the reason I couldn't go a full 16 feet.

Attached is the "SketchUp" I did of the workbench design I always use. Simple to build, 2x4s, 3/4" plywood and either 3" deck screws or construction screws. Easy to adapt it to make any size you want. You can also add a front leg "rail" and then easy drop in a bottom shelf. They are very sturdy and I've even stood on these when I was doing some ceiling work in the past.

In one prior house that had an unfinished garage, I omitted the rear legs and lag bolted it directly to the wall.

I'll probably go buy a piece of 2'x8' heavy gauge steel sheet and lay over the top to give me a cleanable surface that won't absorb grease and oil.

Total cost for the build is about $70. So one of the cheapest work bench options. Also because there is no backsplash on them, they can be pulled into the middle of the room when you need a table with access all around. Because garage floors are usually sloped towards the front, I use a couple of cut paint sticks as shims were needed to level everything.

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Kev, nice work. These benches should serve you well and we all look forward to the projects that you will be posting.

My garage only had one outlet when I first moved in and this one was in the ceiling for the door opener. I survived with an extension cord into the nearest outlet in the house and a plug strip and an extension cord plugged into the ceiling outlet. Later, I added 4 outlets on 2 walls by connecting to outlets in the house on the walls opposite where I needed power. I'm enjoying the convenience of the new outlets.

I also added 5 2-tube lights plus a single tube light over the primary work bench. I still would like to have two more ceiling lights, but the roll up garage door does not allow enough room. I bought 2 work benches and a wall cabinet from Sears.

(o[]o)

Large benches like big garages have a down side they soon fill up with stuff you may need or don't want to get rid of. or may only be me who has this problem. Looks good see you have fan hope you won't need it as much at your present location. One suggestion I have is if you go to yard sale or such keep your eyes open for ceiling fan as they are nice for creating air movement during summer months and style not a big deal in garage

Use 1/8 or 3/16 masonite to cover the bench instead of steel or metal.

Metal bench top can be a hazard for electrical work. I have an all steel bench that i covered with 1/8 plywood. It was a Q&D fix. My other long bench is nearly identicle to the bench u have. But covered with masonite.

Big vice or arbor preess mounted to bench mite require anchoring bench to wall for those repairs that require getting rough with the vice.

A bench 'splash board' is great just to keep things from rolling off the back side of the bench.

Acolds, actually that isn't a fan there on the bench, it one of those parabolic reflector space heaters. If you're standing near the bench it does a good job a providing a "cone-of-heat" to keep you warm without having to heat the entire garage space first.

amazon.com/Presto-Heat-Parabolic-Electric-Heater/dp/B005T5UH4A

Hi Big Kev,

Long time no speakie! It was ironic to see your garage bench project, very nice, mate! You will recall when you were here last that mine was an explosive disaster? Well, when the War Department was in Oz 3 years ago, remember when I started weeding stuff out, started putting crap out front with a free sign? Kev, I tell you, I had stuff that even my garbage men would not take, not kidding, mate! What's funny is the Better Half came back and didn't notice a thing. That is the trick...do it when the old ball and chain is AWOL, a bit at a time. I have sold some of the big stuff, and got it whittled down to what I could manage. War and Finance finally authorized budget to have some hombres help out with reworking the drywall, painting, etc. They did a real nice job, great to work with. Then I started working on an organization plan. That really puts SWMBO in a whirl. Analyzes everything. That is the biggest challenge, getting it through committee, along with Dust Patrol. I am waiting on my hardware for the doors and drawer fronts, but they are otherwise all ready to go. I'll post more pictures when I have all the cabinets done.

Best,
HTL

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Pretty fancy looking! Looks great! I bet the "Parts Manager" can now store even more starters and generators than before!