10 ft Ceiling / Upper Cabinets

[Tommy Squires]

I am building out my finishing room and plan counters and upper cabinets on at least two of the walls. Room is 15' by 15' and the ceiling is 10 foot high. I am torn about the space above a normal (7 foot or so) height upper cabinet. I hate the idea of wasted space but will I really use any cabinets I build there enough to justify the expense? What are your thoughts?

[Lewis Cobb]

I am building out my finishing room and plan counters and upper cabinets on at least two of the walls. Room is 15' by 15' and the ceiling is 10 foot high. I am torn about the space above a normal (7 foot or so) height upper cabinet. I hate the idea of wasted space but will I really use any cabinets I build there enough to justify the expense? What are your thoughts?

Greetings -

Just a random thought but what about something like simple shelves with those Rubbermaid "tubs" that seem to be on sale every weekend at the hardware stores? You could use them for storing seldom used items that you don't mind climbing up on a ladder to retrieve when you want them.

Lewis

[Garth Keel]

even at 5' 19" the top shelf w/be a little tall but, I bought a short platform "ladder" at Lowes that is about 18" tall and it helps a lot. It was about $40 IIRC. don't let good storage spac3 go to waste! :D

[Joe Chritz]

Run a french cleat above the uppers and you can make shelves and mounts for just about anything and move them around.

The space is hard to access but very handy for stuff you don't mess with very often.

Joe

[Chip Lindley]

Cabinets all the way to the ceiling call for one of those *library ladders* that travels side to side on a track. Wheels on the bottom roll it where you need it.

[Jerome Hanby]

Not sure what your current clamp storage is like, but mine uses shop built wide plywood "L" brackets with right triangle braces on each side and slots cut for the clamps. I have these mounted on my peg board covered wall as high as I could put them without the ceiling interfering with me placing and removing clamps. A shelf at that height would be a pain to access, but grabbing 24" or 50" k-bodies is no problem at all.

Maybe you could leave tall upper compartments and make them clamp storage. Seems like you could have storage on all three sides of each alcove...

[Tommy Squires]

All good ideas. Access in not the problem. I can find a way to reach but I am struggling with will I. Clamp storage is out near my bench. Lots of other storage in the main part of my shop. Cost of closed cabinets is not minor to me and more of a pain to fabricate and hang. I use french cleats elsewhere so I am familiar with them. Just don't want to go to the trouble of building them and never use them. Might try to design something that I can build in later if I find the need. Mainly just fishing for ideas that others have used and like. Thanks for all the responses. Love me some SMC.

[Thom Porterfield]

What about a rack for little-used but too-valuable-to-replace lumber? A couple of steel angles bolted to the studs would do the trick. Y'know, having that 8/4 x 12 slab of claro walnut looking down at you every day is just the thing to get you all fired up to make that ...


... well, you know. :D

[Chip Lindley]

All good ideas. Access in not the problem. I can find a way to reach but I am struggling with will I....Just don't want to go to the trouble of building them and never use them.

A man with a shop can NEVER have enough storage! At the least, build shelving to the ceiling and the STUFF will come. All that upper wall space is totally going to waste!

Getting boxes full of parts, motors and good junk off the floor is a huge priority for me. Cabinets with doors are nice, but not necessary. It's either shelving, OR build a storage shed to house all my goodies.