Garage Shop Ideas

[Mike Randall]

I'm in the process of converting one bay of my garage into my first wood working shop. My better half has asked my to some how partition it off to limit the amount of dust, etc. getting into the other bay. We don't need anything permanent. Just looking for ideas.

Thanks,
-Mike

[Doug Garson]

How about some kind of fabric drapes? Low cost and effort compared to building a wall, easy to move out of the way when you need some extra space or when it's no longer required and she learns that driveways are for parking and garages are for workshops. This approach is used all the time in home renovations where you want to keep the dust out of the rest of the house.

[Grant Aldridge]

You need dust collection and/or mobile bases to roll tools into the driveway. I suppose you could hang a curtain of some sort but it won't be a replacement for dust collection, or just making the dust outside

[Frederick Skelly]

Doug's fabric idea is a good one - could even use shower curtains. Will let in some dust.

I've been toying with installing a couple pegboard walls, mounted on tracks. Could use barn door hardware if it's heavy or something lighter like the hardware bi-fold doors use if it's lighter. Will also let in some dust.

You could also put in a floor to ceiling wall, with a door. That would minimize dust. I can think of several ways for that to work without making it heavy or permanent.

Fred

[Mike Randall]

You need dust collection and/or mobile bases to roll tools into the driveway. I suppose you could hang a curtain of some sort but it won't be a replacement for dust collection, or just making the dust outside

I plan on having a rudimentary dust collection system with a shop vac and dust deputy. But since I'm just starting out, we don't know how much doesn't actually get collected and will settle on other things in the garage. We live in the Northwest, so weather can sometimes limit the usefulness of the driveway option.

[Mike Randall]

Let me ask another question. Are we making too much out of how much dust there will be?

[Frederick Skelly]

Your cars will get dusty. Consider hanging a good air cleaner if you dont want to install collection yet. For really dusty activities (sanding), I wear a mask and point a fan to blow dust outside if it isnt snowy/cold.

[Joe Mioux]

run a wire near the ceiling, pull it tight with a turn buckle,

buy some clear plastic that approximates the length and height of your area.

fold a couple inches of the plastic over the wire, staple it.

you created a cheap curtain that can be pushed to one end when you want the garage open.

cost? under $30

[sean meltvedt]

Joe has the right idea. I made a spray booth in my shop with cables and plastic sheeting. Only I used little brass grommets to thread the curtains on the cable. Been up for a few years all is good.

[Jon Snider]

I built a wood and epoxy boat in the middle bay of a three car garage. Even with regular cleaning and blowing out the dust, everything was covered. Wife was not happy. If you don’t build a wall, and choose to go with some type of plastic enclosure, I saw these on a job site which might be a way to get in and out.

Aire Guardian door
http://www.abatement.com/aire-guardianr-door-guard.html

[Mike Randall]

I built a wood and epoxy boat in the middle bay of a three car garage. Even with regular cleaning and blowing out the dust, everything was covered. Wife was not happy. If you don’t build a wall, and choose to go with some type of plastic enclosure, I saw these on a job site which might be a way to get in and out.

Aire Guardian door
http://www.abatement.com/aire-guardianr-door-guard.html

Jon, after reading some of yesterday's comments, I had a similar idea. After some research, I found this type of entry door held together with magnets.

https://www.amazon.com/FastCap-CURTA...ustomerReviews

There were also comments about an air filtration system in addition to the dust collection system. Do you think that would have helped your situation?

-Mike

[michael langman]

I use the cheap blue tarps, hanging from the drop ceiling with wire, in my basement wood shop to keep the dust in.

[Mike Wilkins]

Was just flipping through Fine Homebuilding magazine and saw the ZipWall system. Great idea to partition off areas to prevent dust migration.

[Mike Randall]

I just took a look at the system. Pretty interesting

[Tom Bender]

Two thoughts,

Do you have a ceiling? If not will you partition the truss space?

A plastic wall can be closer to the car without banging the door.