Tips and Must-Have Tools for Small Shops

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Does Adam Savage have any suggestions, including tools, for small shops? Would he recommend putting wheels on a lathe? And any tips for rust removal? In this live stream excerpt, Adam answers these questions from Tested members @crimsonchained, @joshuadrum8313 and Leon M, whom we thank for their support! Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam questions:

Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman

Thanks for watching!

[tested]

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With thanks to Tested members @crimsonchained, @joshuadrum8313 and Leon M, for their support! Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks, like asking Adam questions:

[j.r.millstone]

If you're setting up a shop in your basement, don't overlook air filtration. VOCs and dust will absolutely find their way into the rest of your house if you don't have ventilation and filtration.

[RowanHawkins]

I put this in a reply, but realized it really wants to be a top level comment. In every parts drawer put a small card with how to get more of that part, optionally how much you paid and how long ago.

That way when you run out, any shop helper can order more and you no longer need to keep that detail in your head. Putting the price helps you figure out how much a build cost if you need that detail and if it took you 2 years to use the stock, then maybe order less next time.

[justinknash]

My small shop must haves:

- hot glue gun
- dremel tool
- Irwin quick clamps
- Duct, electrical, and gaffers tape
- Electrical / rubber mat to work on
- Pegboard metal wall organizer with accessories

[grant]

Those long power bars are awesome. My workbench has a 6ft long one that runs the whole length so there is always an outlet right where I need it.

[aspooner]

A large, quiet air compressor is one of my best shop purchases.

[stevenbergom]

When it comes to workbenches, buy a cheap one, use it for a while and take notes about what you like and what you don't. Then build your own. I built a Nicholson-style bench (ala Paul Sellers) and I couldn't be happier. Chris Schwarz has written several books on wood-working benches that are very helpful.

Also make sure to have a bookshelf for all the books you will inevitably buy.

[ssskids]

Another cheap workbench surface is a used (flat) solid core door. Ask remodelers or restore people as well as Craig’s list. A door, two saw horses, and a couple of long wood screws to hold them together make for a quick flat surface to get started with. Put another board across the base of the sawhorses with some sandbags to help hold it down. Eventually you’ll want something that is sturdier, but if you can find a cheap/free door, this is not a bad way to get started.

[LarryRobinsonintothefog]

Back in the 70s I was worked at a TV repair shop where the boss had placed power stripes on all of the benches where we could plug in test equipment & televisions. It was nice and well thought out.

[scottderyck]

as a kid I was spoiled, my dad bought a diner's countertop and he put it against the back wall of the garage. and he bought a couple booth table tops we would put on saw horses.... they were FLAT so I used them when building model airplanes etc. plus if i needed a tie down point I never worried about putting a small hole for a wood screw in any of it. At one job we would make tables to build small weldment machines. One end would be a 3/4 to 1" thick pc of steel 1 foot by 3-4 foot wide. the other end would always get destroyed and we didn't want a metal top so we used particle board and when it got really messed up we just replaced the top. It did suck to loose all the battle scars. We did drill holes in the steel tops to hold vises and to put parts on to drive pins through, they were great and built to drive tanks on.

[NRay]

Holy crap, Adam went ham with the Sortimo storage boxes!

[ericedwards]

Additional recommendations for setting up your shop:

Get basic PPE/ safety equipment: a fire extinguisher, a first-aid kit, dust masks and/ or respirators, work gloves, disposable nitrile gloves, safety glasses and or a face shield, ear plugs and/ or other ear protection, steel-toed work boots, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Set up your shop with proper ventilation, whether that is with cross-ventilation (which is more passive) or forced-air ventilation (which is active). If you will be spray painting frequently or doing similar processes that make fumes, install a spray booth. If you will be sanding or doing other work that makes particulates frequently, install a down-draft table.

If you will be storing solvents or other harsh chemicals, install a locking steel safety cabinet to store them in.

And last but not least, a Shop-Vac is your friend.

Hope this helps! 🙂

[TomTRobot]

Happy to see you showed a power strip that has the outlets perpendicular to the length of the strip. Folks should be told to avoid the cheap plastic ones that have the outlets in-line with the length where the cords get in the way of their neighbors. In these days of "wall warts" having a wide spacing between outlets makes a big difference, too. A nice four-foot power strip at the back of the bench is very convenient, and leaving some space to allow excess cord to hang down out of the way.
For a workbench that's up against a wall: consider including a lip or board barrier at the back of the bench to stop those small rolly parts from rolling off the edge and behind it. Similarly, design to leave space between the floor and any supports, shelves, drawers, etc., so you can retrieve any small things that roll under. Because as we all know from Murphy, dropped parts naturally seek the nearest object they can roll under or behind. A corollary is that spilled liquids will also seek the nearest thing they can seep under. So think about what you'll do if you have to mop things up, slide in a vacuum cleaner, or use pick-up tools.

[mikeincinci]

Lumber liquidators have solid wood countertops. You can pick up returned ones (or ones damaged in shipping) at the showroom. I priced oak for a workbench countertop and the walnut one they had on the floor was cheaper, and it saved me loads of time.

[danielstickney]

One caveat about Evapo-Rust: It is ineffective below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It still works but it takes months to see any results. So you either need to keep it at or above 70 degrees or have the patience of a saint. A power strip with individual switched outlets and a built-in USB charger is just the ticket for a charging station.

[FunAtDisney]

One thing I would highly recommend for any power strip is a built in circuit breaker (fuse, etc). A good friend of mine who was the PIO for OC Fire (and went to numerous house fires caused by power strips) recommended that to me. It might add $5 in price at most.

[mrsansen]

To quote a friend "add lights until you begin to actually tan". If you EVER are gonna paint anything, you want the lights.

[michaelwest]

I put a power strip on the front edge of my bench, recessed back under the lip of the top, much handier to use tools on floor, auxilary work tops or at bench rather than having cords pulled across. Add one to a shelf for charging, testing gear, etc. And I use two 4-foot or one 8-foot light right over my top, plus various spots. Mount a wood working vise, then mount a machinist vise to a block, and you have a place to mix and match work holding. I have at least 5 vises that do different tasks, some fixed but the movable ones really work well. And I have a small bench anvil to use as a beating surface rather than the vise, at 9 lbs it makes a great dead weight, work holder, third hand!

[f.d.]

As a designer (woodworker by trade) and workshop instructor, my advice for every small shop would be this: *HANG YOUR SHELVES FROM THE CEILING* (sorry for shouting) using 3/8 or 10mm all-thread. This way you save all the floor space and you can move much more freely around your work-bench and have space for assembling your projects etc. Also, this way you can move your machines around much more easily. Machines you have to dig out of a pile of material before you can use them won't see much use, if any...

[lawdog]

Digital multimeter !!!! You can get a Fluke 101 for under $50, I use mine all the time and I have some very expensive Flukes but the 101 it my first grab, it’s small, relatively accurate and just easy to use !!!