M

mtaviator

Member
Hey all,

I'm finishing up a garage addition (28x32), that may serve as an RV factory in the not too distant future. :)

My question is- Is there anything you would install in the shop/garage specific to RV building?

I put in-

-dozens of outlets
-lights out the wazoo (6 four tube fixtures plus some task lights)
-220/20a for my table saw
-220/30a for a welder
-big workbench
-basin sink

What else while it's not too late?

Thanks
 
Shelves and hangers

Shelves of different kind. Very useful to have couple shelves by the outlets for charging stations, storing stuff etc.
 
Oh yea, forgot to mention I have a good compressor. Although I might upgrade if I start building. I'm thinking of making an enclosure under the deck behind the garage to keep the noise outside.

Thanks.
 
In the wall air

I put air lines in the wall with out lets about every 20 feet and under the front edge of the work bench that is permanently mounted to the wall. If I did it again I would put auto rewind reels for air and power in the ceiling.
 
Refrigerator...for keeping the ProSeal cold...as well as the beverages :D

Also, AM/FM radio, Air Scanner Radio, XM radio, Cable TV, Laptop PC with wireless to house, VHS or DVD player...for "From the Ground Up" and other videos...

My wife calls my shop the "Man Cave."

One more thing...a security system. I have two, but I can't go into detail here.:rolleyes:

P.S. I have 9 foot ceilings, so on the walls I installed 4 by 8 OSB turned sideways (4 feet high). Then I installed 4 by 8 foot peg board from 4 feet to 8 feet (yes spacers behind pegboard to match thickness of OSB). Then I installed one foot of OSB at the top. All the OSB panels as well as the ceiling are painted white. Using OSB, I can screw or nail anywhere I want to. I have plenty of peg board space to hang stuff on near eye level. Works for me.
 
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Exhaust fan/down draft table with hardware cloth for

painting, epoxy and mek fumes. Window or fresh air intake on opposite side of garage. Plenty of used 3 speed 115 volt furnace blower assemblies available from your local hvac guy. Install 20 x 25 air filter before blower. I also recommend hvac...keeps the sweat/humidity/corrosion off of your aluminum skins.
 
shop

Lots of wall room with peg board or similar to hang tools, and lots of shallow shelves to lay out stuff.

I find you spend so much time looking for the cleco pliers, or the rubber mallet, or... if they are hanging and have a nice spot you know where they are and will notice when they arent in their spot. Saves TONS of time.
The narrow shelves are dedicated to diff areas of the plane and parts bags so there and the smaller finished assemblies go there (flap motor, flap panels, linkage parts) etc. You see progress, you know where parts are (where is that bag of spinner hardware?, on the spinner shelf with the spacer, the spinner cap etc)

Just what worked well for me.

I second the air comm, always fun hearing some traffic to keep you going. A few oshkosh and supplier stickers around with some posters adds to the mancave theme too. Enjoy your project.
 
plumb a dry vac through PVC to drop down from overhead, this way you're not dragging around a vaccum cleaner potentially knocking into your parts

works well for me, keeps cords and hoses off the ground too, basically anything electrical, air, or vaccum, i want coming from the ceiling, not the ground where i can trip on them or step on them

doing mine in a 2 car garage
 
More light

I have a 24 x 36 barn all lined with white metal panels. I installed 8 fixtures on the ceiling each with 2 eight foot HO lamps rated at 110 watts each lamp. It's not enough! I just doubled the number of fixtures and lamps and it's finally good enough to paint. The new lights are mounted at the top of the side walls. I don't run them all at the same time unless I am painting or working on the bottom side of something but it sure is nice to have.

I also installed a hoist system on the ceiling with two rails the full length of the shop, each spanned by bridge beams, each of those carrying a 1/2 ton electric hoist. Everybody thinks it's major overkill until they see my photos of hanging the wings all by myself or the engine etc. Really cool!

I second the radio, internet, beverage cooler (proseal preserver) TV for football, but would like to suggest a recliner to relax into while researching. ;)
 
shop mod

If I was building a shop from the start there would be two things I would add during the intial build. A water drain in the center of the shop so if you did any wet sanding or washing it would go away. And once the floor was finished I would paint it with floor paint so you can easily find the small parts you drop.

Allan Stern
RV 6A N570RV
RV 8A N348AS
 
I see you live in Arkansas? which means hot and humid much of the year. I suggest a good dehumidifier that runs 24/7 during most of the year. You could run an ac, but that's much more expensive to run when your not using the garage. You sure don't want your precious tools and parts sitting around in a humid/wet environment. Also run a hose from the dehumidifier to a floor drain or under garage door.
 
This probably only applies to me...but if I were building a workshop intended to construct my RV in, I would disconnect the cable TV to the house and install it in the workshop instead.

That way my fianc? would HAVE to hang out in the shop to watch her precious food network shows.
 
Phlyan Pan said:
This probably only applies to me...but if I were building a workshop intended to construct my RV in, I would disconnect the cable TV to the house and install it in the workshop instead.

That way my fianc? would HAVE to hang out in the shop to watch her precious food network shows.
Click to expand...

OUCH...My family would burn my shop down if I tried this.
 
Phlyan Pan said:
if I were building a workshop intended to construct my RV in, I would disconnect the cable TV to the house and install it in the workshop instead.
Click to expand...

No TV, no family -- I have the whole living room for myself (isn't the definition of "living room" the room where I live, i.e. spend a significant fraction of my time?). Heated, large windows, lots of light, kitchen with fridge and sink next door. Building in the house isn't a bad option at all, if one has a dedicated room for it. And no, there is no sofa in my living room. ;)
 
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