Shop or Man Cave

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  • lrr
    Established Member
    • Apr 2006
    • 380
    • Fort Collins, Colorado
    • Ryobi BT-3100

    #16
    My shop is in my basement, and I am once again glad it is -- since I woke up this morning, looked out, and it was snowing like crazy. (I have to find some excuses for convincing myself that a basement shop is great!)

    My basement shop is half of my basement, the other half is finished with carpeting, and there is a bath with shower as well. I am working on my wife to convince her we do not need the "kid's play rooom" in the basement any more, since kids are 29 and 32, and do not live at home any longer ...

    We had a satellite box in that room for TV, and I also ran cable to the shop so I could watch TV. But I found it was a bit of a distraction. We finally returned the satellite box, and I moved to widescreen HDTV into the shop. But I use a Chromecast to stream to the TV. I can watch Netflix, which I rarely do. What I do use it for is YouTube, so I can go look at a how-to video, especially for improving my woodturning skills. I could probably stream music, but will next add a stereo receiver and speakers to just listen to music on my iPod. I have everything I need, I just need to add another shelf high on a wall to provide the space for the equipment. The one feature of my shop that I really like, that might add a few points on the Man Cave Rating Scale, is a shop sink. Great for general cleanup, and particularity nice for cleaning up paint trays, rollers, and brushes, rather than trying to do so at the kitchen sink. The one much-desired item missing from the shop is a urinal, but the basement bathroom is next to the shop door, so it does help somewhat ...
    Attached Files
    Lee

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    • bigstick509
      Veteran Member
      • Dec 2004
      • 1227
      • Macomb, MI, USA.
      • BT3100

      #17
      I guess the term man cave was a bit to general. My shop is a two car garage that competes with the jeeps so all tools must be mobil. Definitely no room for couch or recliners. Although I do have a stool at each bench and a small roll around for low work.

      Mike

      "It's not the things you don't know that will hurt you, it's the things you think you know that ain't so." - Mark Twain

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      • atgcpaul
        Veteran Member
        • Aug 2003
        • 4055
        • Maryland
        • Grizzly 1023SLX

        #18
        Originally posted by lrr
        My shop is in my basement, and I am once again glad it is -- since I woke up this morning, looked out, and it was snowing like crazy. (I have to find some excuses for convincing myself that a basement shop is great!)
        This is why my ideal shop would be in a walk-out basement with high ceilings. I guess a detached shop has its merits, but I feel I'd keep my attached-to-the-house shop slightly cleaner than my forget-about-it detached shop, and I wouldn't need to replicate my DIY tool collection between the house and the shop. I'd definitely find more time to get into the shop, too, if it were attached to the house. However, if I were living back in SoCal and could afford a house with a detached garage/shop, I think I'd stop whining.


        Originally posted by lrr
        The one feature of my shop that I really like, that might add a few points on the Man Cave Rating Scale, is a shop sink. Great for general cleanup, and particularity nice for cleaning up paint trays, rollers, and brushes, rather than trying to do so at the kitchen sink. The one much-desired item missing from the shop is a urinal, but the basement bathroom is next to the shop door, so it does help somewhat ...
        What do you mean? That sink could serve dual functions. Yes, add a shop sink to my ideal shop. I like to use the Norm method of glue cleanup--wet rag and a bucket. It's kind of gross when I forget to empty the bucket.

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        • lrr
          Established Member
          • Apr 2006
          • 380
          • Fort Collins, Colorado
          • Ryobi BT-3100

          #19
          Originally posted by atgcpaul

          What do you mean? That sink could serve dual functions. Yes, add a shop sink to my ideal shop. I like to use the Norm method of glue cleanup--wet rag and a bucket. It's kind of gross when I forget to empty the bucket.
          Yes it could. If the basement bathroom outside the door of the shop was not there, a footstool would definitely be in front of the sink ...
          Lee

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          • capncarl
            Veteran Member
            • Jan 2007
            • 3564
            • Leesburg Georgia USA
            • SawStop CTS

            #20
            Carpenter96' not to derail this good thread, but I understand that Canada does have HOAs. I wanted to build my house in a HOA neighborhood, but not a dictator HOA like I've heard about. My previous neighborhood did not have a HOA and we had people junking out cars, rentals and apartments, houses in real need of repairs, and the neighborhood going downhill fast. The HOA action against me was 7 years ago and is the last action they have taken that I know about. If I had been knowledgable of the covenants my shop would have been called a mother-in-law apartment and I would have the additional square footage I wanted, and a bathroom, and a lot more buyer appeal when I sell. So, this problem was my fault. A good thing did come out of this misunderstanding, I stood up to the old fools and told them what to kiss, and Now I knew the rules and would be watching them, took all the wind out of the wind bags. Again, my apologies for derailing the thread.
            capncarl

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            • vaking
              Veteran Member
              • Apr 2005
              • 1428
              • Montclair, NJ, USA.
              • Ryobi BT3100-1

              #21
              My shop is in the basement (garage is for cars). Not all of the basement is mine - besides my area there is a small bathroom, laundry room and a small office next to laundry. Office is where we keep household papers, pay bills, etc. Office is designed so that my wife starts laundry and while waiting for it - goes to the office to do shopping or pay bills.
              My shop is purely shop, there is nothing there from mancave. The only seating is small padded stool. No beer, no tv, no electronics. I only spend time there when I do woodworking.
              I work from home, so I do have a real office on the second floor, that is where I have my computer.
              Alex V

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              • JimD
                Veteran Member
                • Feb 2003
                • 4187
                • Lexington, SC.

                #22
                My shop garage doesn't have cabinets or benches for tools so it also certainly doesn't have electronics or seating (of any kind). My last shop had the cabinets and DC set up but still had no entertainment or seating. When I'm in the shop, I usually have my hearing protection on so I couldn't hear music if it was playing. If I want to watch TV or something I go back in the house. When I'm in the shop, I want to think about the latest project. My favorite place for relaxing is where I am right now, in my recliner with the TV in front of me, the lake visible out the windows (before the sun goes down), my electronics on one side and an end table for my food and beverage on the other side. It is "my spot". The shop would not be clean enough for relaxing. There is also barely enough space for tools, no room for other things.

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                • EarltheWoodbutcher
                  Forum Newbie
                  • Dec 2014
                  • 15
                  • Tucson, AZ
                  • BT 3000

                  #23
                  My shop is my shop. No mancave. The shop is very, very small. We moved into a retirement community, knocked out a wall from a storage room into the garage. The storage room is about 15' x 6' and it is outfitted with the BT3, table top drill, band saw, scroll saw, wood carving table, and cabinets. I can move the saw into the garage for bigger projects. I do have a nice office chair where I can dream, meditate, contemplate and in general solve all the worlds problems. No TV, couches, radios.

                  Comment

                  • radhak
                    Veteran Member
                    • Apr 2006
                    • 3058
                    • Miramar, FL
                    • Right Tilt 3HP Unisaw

                    #24
                    I think of my garage as my man cave.

                    There's no place to sit (just a wood step-stool that's always occupied), there's no electronic gadget in sight, and I'd rather not bring any beverages in there. But, that is the place I think of as my retreat, my time out. I have a couple of projects in flight right now, that I should have finished a year ago, that I can get into any time I'm there.

                    But even if I am not there to actively work on a project, that place is where I don't have deadlines, I don't have any supervisors (neither those who pay me, nor those that are married to me, nor even are 'legally dependent' on me ), and I don't have any stressful obligations. It's my man cave because it rejuvenates me - I can go there simply to 'waste my time', and come back happy!
                    It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
                    - Aristotle

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                    • Tom Clark
                      Forum Newbie
                      • Jul 2007
                      • 92
                      • Deming, NM
                      • Powermatic 66 w/48" sliding table

                      #25
                      Seems like our shops are mostly where we like to spend our time. Another thread has posters dreaming about winning the lottery. It's not necessary to be super rich just to have a cool shop. It is hard to live out in the country when you are still working, but once retired it is not only easy but inexpensive.

                      I may have a dream shop, but it was not expensive at all. Sold the city house and that cash paid for the new country home and the shop.

                      Shop is just a well insulated steel building, divided into 3 rooms for the shop, garage, and exercise/storage room. You would be surprised how cheap it is living in the country compared to living in the city.
                      Check out the prices of steel buildings - the modern version of barns. Shop tour here.

                      I enjoy spending hours in the shop making wood projects and RC airplanes, so if a man cave is a place where you enjoy spending time, guess mine is. There is another night-time man cave, but both the wife and friends enjoy spending time out there on clear evenings - and we have a lot of them here in the desert. Yes, I built the observatory and telescope, another fun project.
                      Attached Files
                      Last edited by Tom Clark; 04-30-2015, 06:25 AM.

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                      • bigstick509
                        Veteran Member
                        • Dec 2004
                        • 1227
                        • Macomb, MI, USA.
                        • BT3100

                        #26
                        Outstanding shop, and very envious of observatory Tom. Quick question regarding photo 3 in shop tour. The cabinet in lower left has a filter and switch, is that a ambient dust extractor? It also looks like you have heat and a/c at top back of that photo, very nice.

                        Mike

                        "It's not the things you don't know that will hurt you, it's the things you think you know that ain't so." - Mark Twain

                        Comment

                        • Tom Clark
                          Forum Newbie
                          • Jul 2007
                          • 92
                          • Deming, NM
                          • Powermatic 66 w/48" sliding table

                          #27
                          I first saw a shop dust collector in one of the magazines many years ago. It was just a big empty box with a squirrel cage in the front sucking air through a filter. I thought what a giant waste of space, so when I built one to sit next to my workbench I filled the empty space full of drawers, and built the height to match my workbench. In the current shop it sits across from the workbench, but still you can see all the dust from routers and sanders being sucked in instead of floating around in the air.

                          Don't remember the year - maybe around '85? It was before they started selling them to hang on the ceiling.
                          Attached Files

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                          • ArtworksIII
                            Forum Newbie
                            • Mar 2015
                            • 94
                            • Spokane Wa
                            • Craftsman

                            #28
                            Shop or Man Cave



                            Definitely a shop.

                            Comment

                            • capncarl
                              Veteran Member
                              • Jan 2007
                              • 3564
                              • Leesburg Georgia USA
                              • SawStop CTS

                              #29
                              Did anyone catch the Holmes Ultimate Shop? It was shown several weeks ago, sorry, I just thought about it, had a Sr. moment. It is really a pretty structure, solar collector, water collector, completely off the grid with battery and generator. Much too nice to work in. It doesn't look like much thought was put into it really being a shop, rather a place to hide from your wife. It has slick epoxy floors and a car lifts. I would have thought that since Holmes specializes in home restoration he would have his shop set up for some sort of woodwork but I did not see a hint of woodworking tools or space. The auto/mechanical section of my shop has an epoxy floor, not what a shop that ever uses a welder, tourch or grinder needs. This was a nice show and people that don't know the difference were probably impressed!
                              capncarl

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