Ideas for a Multipurpose Garage Workshop?

WTFmonkey asks: "Having looked at several woodworking websites and magazines, I've got some good ideas for the woodworking part of my planned shop. Sadly, I can't find any shop ideas specific to electronics and computer repair. What is considered essential for a good workbench? Dinner-table height or counter-top height (I'm 6'2"), and what is an adequate depth? Lighting strategies, handy equipment, organization issues? To put it succinctly, what are the most comfortable and effective benches you've worked at, and why?"

Comments

One tip..

[hookedup]

You may want to have a rubber top of your work bench. Keeps things from slipping around, doesnt stain, and nonconductive :) If you can't get a bench with it built in, buy yourself a rubber mat, the type hockey rinks use would suffice.

Re:One tip..

[mistert2]

I found that rubber truck mats from farm supply stores are cheap. They come in all sizes.

I like a good maple bench top is the best, think shop class pre-90's.

Re:One tip..

[pagercam2]

Uh???
Rubber is an insolator which means that static can't disopate, anti static bags have conductive stripes or surfaces to help conduct static away from sensitive parts, if you buy a real anti static mat you will find that it has a conector to gound the pad an remove any static. Using an insolator is a common mistake that should be avoided. Anti static mats are one option and the fact that they are soft allows one to press on boards for cutting and stops small parts from sliding or blowing away. Professional setups usually have some sort of masonite top and then an antistaic mat with grounding points for both.

Other that that, lots of electrical outlets is a must bolting down a few outlet strips works well escpecially if you can find the industrial sort where plugs are a few inches part, nothing sucks worse than having six outlets but only being able to use 3 because the plus and transformers are too wide and block outlets on either side.

Most people seem to prefer the raised workbench, but that requires a raised chair .....
I prefer a normal height table with as much depth a away from the wall, a few items like osilicopes, bench supplies and a PC take up a lot of space and while you don't touch them that often you still want them within reach, ossilicopes are ussually pretty long.

Some sort of tool holder is important, for screwdrivers, dental picks, pens, and all the little tools that you need to keep handy.

Lots of space is needed so you can leave out data sheets, manuals etc.. I have had good luck with two tables in a corner and a pivoting chair so that you can have as much stuff within arms reach as possible.

Workbenches

[NanoGator]

Be plentiful with power outlets. My office has a workbench with a whole lotta plugs right along the surface of the table. Be mindful of wall-warts (Power supplies with huge ass bricks) as well.

What I use for repair

[UserChrisCanter4]

While this is not necessarily what I'd recommend for serious metal work or case modding or anything, the following is basically what I'd want in a computer area in my garage (a place where I could repair, upgrade, build, tinker, etc.). It'd basically jive with what I have at the repair center I work at.

First thing: get yourself an anti-static countertop. If you poke around, you may find that it'll cost you basically as much to get a decent anti-static counter as to get a halfway decent metal or laminated wood area. Static isn't a huge deal where I live (my part of Texas is humid enough that I never even bother at the house), but it is nice to have, particularly if you are in an area dry enough to worry about it. I actually prefer a countertop over a desk-height area, with a nice bar-stool height rolling chair. I'd go for flourescent lighting for power consumption, and get a good pull-down incandescent (the hooked sort that have a semi-retractable cable to take them up out of the way when not needed) for when I really need some brightness.

Get a large file cabinet. Fill one drawer with a big-ass, multi-tier toolbox with the assorted big 'n' small screwdrivers, nut drivers, pliers, dremel bits, etc. that you need. Get one of those small, sectioned tackle organizers designed for small hooks, flys, etc. Use it to compartmentalize your screws of different size and type. Fill another drawer with large capacity file dividers (the big, say, 2" sort), and fill those file dividers with anti-static bags with spare components (the assorted video, LAN, RAM, etc. that you might use for trouble shooting). Get some of the gallon-size freezer bags and use them to organize your cables. Unless it's something very non-prone to tangling (IDE ribbons, for example), stow each cable in its own bag. File these.

Get a cheap CRT, a keyboard with zero "grandma" buttons, and a basic, 2button + scroll optical mouse. If possible, have both KB and mouse use USB with PS/2 adapters, that way you're set for whatever randomness comes onto your bench. Get a cheap set of speakers (but make sure they're powered units). Run these into a KVM switch, and have a throwaway old machine with a big-ass hard drive in it for when you need to dump everything off for whatever reason (or preferably, have a file server and never have to worry). Get a cheap 10/100 hub (not switch) for checking LAN functionality and for the occasional time when you might want to sniff packets coming off of a machine you're troubleshooting. Oh, and order a notebook IDE->full-size IDE adapter. You never know when you might need one, and although they cost next to nothing, I never seem to be able to find a local vendor that carries them. If you're planning on, I don't know, tinkering with the neighbors machines for the hell of it (God help you), I'd tell you to snag a cheap PCI IDE card with a couple of controllers, for those times when you need to pop a drive in to pull some data off or check whether the problem is drive, board, or cable.

If you're the type of person who tends to work on a lot of things at a time, just pick-up a wire rack shelf to have some place to stow projects while you work on them.

Note: A lot of this applies to the fact that I work on other people's machines day in, day out. I don't have anyhting near this level at the house, but if I were going to build a small workshop anyway, the costs for equipment mentioned here would be in line with what I'd expect to spend.

Considerations.

[/dev/trash]

Have you considered how you will keep the sawdust from leaving the woodshop side and entering the computer side?