Hi Everyone, On the tail of the lift video I thought it would be fun to talk about what it takes to set up a home garage. Let me know in the comments what I missed and what you have that you can't live without in your home garage shop!
The Harbor Freight jack stands issue is the ratchet bar would easily fall or not lock. The ratchet bar teeth were shallow/inconsistent- some would lock, others not, and a slight bump could drop the car on your head. I think there was issue with other brands as well, so best to check.
Good episode thank you. I’d have a fire extinguisher both at your door leading into the house and one at the furthest corner near the exit/main garage door. You never know where you’ll be entering the room from at that crucial moment. You don’t want to have to “run by the fire to get to the extinguisher” and then go back.
Referring to your overhead heater...down here in Arizona it's the opposite. I have a 220V ductless air conditioner installed. Without garage air conditioning, when the outside temperature's 115°, so will be the inside of the garage. Imagine working indoors in that temperature!
I moved to a new house last year and before I put one thing in the garage I epoxied the floor and painted the walls and ceiling white. That made a big difference to make the garage bright versus the bare drywall. Since I was moving from a large garage to a normal 20'x 20' garage I needed storage solutions. I installed adjustable shelving, wall hooks, and a heavy duty shelving unit. Getting stuff up off the floor and organized on the walls made sure that everything has a place. Also, don't forget to declutter once in a while to get rid of things that you aren't really using anymore.
Many people don't think about using pallet racking. You can buy used pallet racking in various sizes, lengths and heights. I use a 10' high by 8' wide by 2' depth. The first shelf is set high enough for my 8' wide Husky tool chest to go underneath and I have plywood that doubles as my workbench. Next shelf up is high enough for me to hang led lights from. Then the rest of the shelves have various car parts and tools.
Franny hello from the UK - again. So enjoyed your workshop tour but was a little concerned about the way your grinding wheel/buffer was secured. This may have been mentioned in previous comments but just in case I wanted to warn you about the law of sod as we call it in the Uk and tell you what I do. Vibration of the wheels will potentially vibrate loose your clamp and I would hate to see it hurt you. What I did was to mount the motor onto a separate board with a larger footprint. This still makes the tool mobile. For me I used two 25mm (1inch) diameter by approx 50mm (2”) long dowels which were threaded in one end and bolted them through the ‘sub base’ with the protruding dowels sticking out from below. I then marry these holes up with holes I have made in my workbench to correspond with the dowels. Then when you need it you just bring out the grinder/buffer attached to the sub-base, locate it in the bench holes and apply your clamp or any other means of holding it down. On my other buffer I have mounted that to a sub- base but instead of using the dowel pegs I mounted a strip of wood to the underside which can be held in a vice. These are just a couple of safety comments but I would hate to see you get hurt and would never forgive myself if I had not said anything. Keep the vids coming, Sid
Great setup Heidi . Only thing I see that you need is more space. Just like all of us. I have a detached 3 car garage out in the country. My shop is more for farm/horse/tractor stuff and is pretty rustic. I’m a retired electrician so I’ve got the place lit and wired to the max. I also love my little pancake compressor. I don’t use the big air tools but do have about 100 tires around the place to keep inflated. I bought 50 feet of good hose and hang it on a hose fell by the compressor. I also love my cord reels mounted on the ceiling. And never throw out any old kitchen carts, butcher blocks, old grills or anything with wheels. I’ve repurposed all that stuff into rolling work tables. So miter saw, grinder, drill press etc can be rolled around where needed. Also old doors make great workbenches and storage shelves. Chocolate covered Smurf 😀. That’s me every day. We buy the big jugs of spray and wash.
I really like vintage made in USA tools, so I have many toolboxes, my shop is 3200 sq ft on four acres. I have two industrial blast cabinets so no waiting for sand/glass bead blasting work. We really enjoy your channel and be safe.
I bought a very nice air compressor many years ago and it has been my best friend . I do spray painting and body work. The air tools are a must for doing this type of work and if you put plastic sheets up to cover everything you can virtually eliminate overspray . My next investment will be for a 120/240 volt multi purpose Mig/Tig welder .
Hello Heidi and Franny's Garage, Great video as always! You've got some TALL garage ceiling space....YUM! Love: 1) Power drops great! 2) Power lifts @ $2k each.....what a deal. 3) Lighting - great ideas and application. Very interested in "wall mount" soft panels. 4) bench space, back boards, organization and added roller toolbox 5) Climate control 6). Supreme utilization of space and organization for all things need garage and home. suggestions: 1). Add computer monitor and access to laptop or dedicated system 2). Upgrade air supply...not a lot, but also add hard points for use and pull-down hoses if possible 3). Get a small, high quality. utility cart for transfer of parts around your work area. Can make a permanent home around your bench for horizontal storage, but helps when tools/parts needed at vehicle. Only my thoughts! Love videos, keep posting Cheers, Mr. P
One additional tip I would add - the last three garage door openers I installed were Chamberlain / Liftmaster with the My Q system. It is Wifi enabled, so working with an App it will alert me on my iPhone, iPad and Apple watch when the garage opens or stays open for a length of time I determine. In addition I can ask Siri to open my garage door so there is no need to carry a remote inside my cars. I drive up in my driveway and ask Siri “ open my garage door” and she does. The system also has light switches. In my old house when the garage door went up the garage lights and the outside lights would turn on. My wife and I lived in Minneapolis and our garage was on an alleyway. This feature made it much safer and more comfortable for my wife coming home after dark. You can also open and close the garage door from anywhere there is cel service. Expecting a delivery? Have them call you and open the door for them. It also integrate with Amazon for garage delivery - which I will be honest I don’t trust but its possible.
I do use an air ratchet once bolt and nuts are broken loose, otherwise it's just a DA and my paint guns. I tell you hanging plastic to spray a car, taping roll paper to the floor first. Over spray is still an issue. Had a similar issue with off gasing last year with a refinished art desk I did for a granddaughter, stinky and sticky stuff for a couple of days, never again, did the application outside and brought it in overnight, it even destroyed the air purifier filter.
Bluepoint/snapon/Mac tools/blackhawk…….are the cream of the crop,yes they are expensive but when you are under a ton of steel paying a premium is always a smart move.
Great stuff Franny, I wish I had lifts like that in my garage. One thing I like to do, is use all my larger cardboard boxes, cut them up and place them under my cars when I am working on them. Afterwards, I just recycle them, and it keeps my ground nice and clean.
I’ve been tweaking my garage over the past couple of years. The first thing I did, was paint the walls a light colour to improve the brightness. I doubled the lighting and installed a motion switch when we built it. A lift master jackshaft garage door lift will free up ceiling space. I went with SwissTrax flooring due to the fact that it eliminates puddles on the floor during the winter 🇨🇦 when the snow melts of the car or truck. I too installed a powerful heater which keeps the garage at a comfortable 20 Celsius. I have gladiator walls panels with gladiator shelves. It gives it a clean matching look. I have both hot and cold water taps which is very convenient. To give clean look, I have 3 double door cabinets to store cleaning products, towels, and my air compressor, bin cabinets for screws,nuts and bolts and miscellaneous. Thank you for taking the time to shoot a video tour of your garage. 👍🇨🇦
Hi Franny, Love the insight on the lighting of your garage. Your flat panel LEDs are awesome. I’m going to get rid of my old neon lights and put in those panels. I’m not a fan of the peg boards, I have all my tools in tool chests now. Much easier that way. I also avoid air tools if I can. If the car hasn’t seen salt or grime you really don’t need them. Battery tools or elbow grease for me. Love your videos, thanks for the awesome content
I bought a mini-split heat pump for my garage. I tried a 220v heater like yours and also a natural gas ventless heater. The 220v cost too much to run and the gas heater threw too much moisture into the air. The mini-split is economical to run and also provides great A/C during our short, but hot Portland, OR summers.
That's a great idea! We have 20K of solar on the house so I don't worry too much about electricity, but you are right... A heat pump would be more efficient. A little chill in the dead of summer would be nice ;)
I am absolutely fascinated by your garage... I never knew it was possible to have that kind of a setup at home. Those lifts!!! I so relate to the lighting. I added a LED light that can be charged with USB on Amazon for the galley, and it has made such a big difference.
Hey there Franny, thanks so much for the tips! I think the retractable blade ceiling fan is brilliant!! If I may make one suggestion to add to your shop, it would be to put an old computer or even a tablet easily accessible. It's great for looking up info or watching how-to vids from great content creators like you and Heidi!
Another great film, Franny. I have a very different situation but I did pick up some really good ideas. I have a long-term rental in a 2400 sqft old single-story barn. I can do anything I want. The owner hasn't stopped by for years. I sectioned off 900 sqft for the workshop. I love your heater but where I am in NE. you couldn't afford to run it. What I am taking away the most are your panel lights which I had not seen and the ceiling fan is awesome. I will be doing that this coming week. I'll just say that I have found the secret to immortality. The workspace is as you have said no clutter, although I have 6 toolboxes. That said, my daughters have told me I cannot die until I clean out all of my future projects out of the storage area. I turned 75 two weeks ago. I need to live forever!! My only suggestion is as someone else commented. In a garage even without combustibles stored, there should be a commercial extinguisher at every door. Sorry for the long story but thank you so much for all of your time and effort with every film.
If you ever see a Wal Mart, K Mart or any big box store going out, try to get some of their old shelving for the shop. They are very tough welded steel, and powder coated. The uprights allow you almost unlimited positions for height and they hold a ton of weight.
You have a great set up Franny, you should paint that bare wooden blockboard and plasterboard on walls and ceilings white emulsion to help improve light and visibility in your garage. I did this on mine and reduced the need for extra lighting hugely!!
Very nice presentation Franny. Space is at a premium in my garage, so I got a 72 inch Extreme Tool chest (Home Depot) with wood top. Much cheaper than Snap-On boxes, but well built and made in US. The work surface is high for a work bench so I built platform from 2x6s and plywood. I got a six foot length of rubber from Amazon for the bench top. It should last for many years. I also put in Racor cable lifts to store kayaks, ladders, etc, on the ceiling. Would be good for your tires too. You use a cordless drill and provided crank to lift and lower. Very convenient.
Hi Ladies . I have a very small two car garage Here is how my system has evolved over time . It has a loft where I keep parts I want to hang on to but wouldnt normally need .I keep them in large marked bins on shelves . I have an old armoir that I keep my repair manuals , fender covers etc. and draws that I hold new parts till I am ready to use. I have two heavy duty wall mounted shelves that I keep fluids etc. on . I recently bought a larger upper and lower tool box. I only wished I had only bought the lower part so I would be able to use the top deck as extra work space . I made two hinged folding work surfaces that lay flat against walls when not in use. Because of the shortage of space I have made part of my basement the place where I keep my car cleaning products as well as an area where I can clean and repair parts . I usually try to plan the basement work when the weather is too hot or cold in garage .I also keep two old sears craftsman roll carts which holds a smaller assortment of hand tools and things like taps and dies etc. My suggestion to all would be to invest in small rack of hardware draws to hold bolts , nuts and fasteners . I have bought from Bolt Depot in Massachusetes ,their prices are very good and delivery prompt. I hate when I am in the middle of a repair and I have to run to auto store for a needed fastener . I get a smile on my face when I reach into draw and I have the correct fastener . I like this video and agree keep garden and lawn tools in the shed . You and Heidi have a very nice collection of cars happy motoring always and thank you for taking the time to make these informative videos.
I agree on skipping the air tools - since I am DIY, I am more focused on getting everything prefect on the repair versus the speed of the repair - all the extra wrenching means I can skip arm day at the gym :)
Heidi and Franny's Garage reminds me of "This Old House" which has a similar presentation to this channel, and I have to say that this home shop setup video really nails that vibe to a T. Definitely gonna revisit this video for any future garage plans.
I would add that painting the walls and ceiling bright white helps to reflect the light. Having running water is a good idea to clean yourself and not bring dirty into the house.
Another great video! I have many of the exact same tools you show off here. Good reminder about a fire extinguisher and maybe locking up your garage! Love it!
Electrician here… I loved your idea of the expanding ceiling fan. I’ve installed them, but never in confined areas, just as a novelty, probably. Anyway, I’m surprised that you didn’t go with cord reels for your battery tenders, as opposed to stationary outlets. That’s what I use and they work great. Installed many for customers. Thanks for the tips. I’m gonna get that tool chest and one of those cheaper Harbor Freight jacks. Might even upgrade my bench grinder. Oh, and I’ve already ordered that Jeg’s parts washer. Lol. Your ideas are really cool and I thank you kindly. 🙂
So glad you brought up the Jack stands. Those HF stands have been out for quite some time and I returned mine about a year ago. We live in Texas so I installed a mini-split HVAC system. Went from 90 degrees to 74 year round! I lack enough shelves for just auto work. It’s a issue for all of us. You should share the Kelvin and lumen levels on your lights. I just upgraded mine to 5K and it makes the color perfect for detailing.
Great tips Franny. One thing I do now is label every drawer of my tool chest, every box, particularly the tools that come in their own plastic box. Even though you know where or what things are, I still found myself absent mindedly going to the wrong one first. It is probably about time I do another garage update myself ;)
Great tips, I disagree with the air compressor but that is a good point you make about the integrity of the procedure when using hand tools.. Love the lifts and floors you have and I am very envious of your organizational skills compared to mine. Looking forward to your future videos. I also agree with the earlier comments about a good vise being a mainstay of any garage.
I bought a heavy duty shelf by Husky to store car parts and other large, heavy miscellaneous items such as spare rims, gear box, and seats. I also store some loose items in large storage bins. I have tool chest very similar to yours. In addition, I have a two shelf work cart that can be rolled around and used as an additional work surface. My garage is very small (18 x 20) with 8 foot ceilings so space is at a premium.
Hi Franny - I thoroughly enjoyed this tour around your garage and workshop, you really do have a great set up there. I love the level of thought that goes into every detail, it is such a functional and intelligent shop you have. I'm also glad to see so many of the details that you have also in my own garage. One thing you may like is that when I walk into my garage via the utility room in our house, I have had a PIR motion sensor installed to pick me up as I open the internal door so that the main garage ceiling lights come on for 1 minute. You've made me think I should have another one set up for when I open the shutter door and drive back into the garage. Finally just to add that your presentation skills are so impressive, you always make every subject that you talk about so very interesting. Thank you from over here in the UK! :-)
Thank you so much Franny! I just bought my first home & I’ll be building a lil shop to work on my 72 beetle. Thanks for your insight ladies! -fellow Aircooled gal
This is GREAT! I'm envious of your garage. My garage consists of: no garage. My tools consist of: hammer, saw, adjustable wrench, tape measure, duct tape and screwdriver (which is holding up a window currently) hahhaaa I'm a huge music lover, so i would toss in a sound system of some sort =) LOLz Thanks for the tour!!!! Great ideas =)
One use for ur tool box if heavy duty is to use them to drop car engines on but it needs to be pretty heavey duty but supper handy. Perfect for using under the lift and works well. My garage is focused around the work bench so no cars in it. But next buy will be a two post lift. Four post are great for storing cars but two post works well for working on them. Like u compressors are not really needed any more. Power tools are great. With the garage attached to the house u should have better fire fighting gear. The grinder causes sparks which isn’t great
I would recommend Sonic Tools floor jacks and Jack stands! They're not very expensive and have a lifetime warranty WITH delivery. Process is super simple, I have only had to warranty stuff due to TONS of use.
Another excellent video. A few things that I would add (2 are super simple and cheap): - Get some yoga mats for the garage. They are wonderful for protecting paint when leaning on a car and can be an excellent work surface when disassembling or servicing assemblies with lots of tiny parts. - Hockey pucks have TONS of uses in the garage. Perfect to put between a jack or a chassis and excellent for isolating hammer blows. You can't go wrong with some hockey pucks - The bench grinder is great but also look at a table top belt sander and disc sander. Incredibly useful and can be bought for about $100 - Lastly look into getting a heater for your parts washer fluid. The water based fluids are MUCH better when they are heated. It is a night and day difference to room temperature.
Hi Franny great episode, having ceiling fan envy now that looks awesome. I have my led lights and even my compressor on smart switches via Alexa. The compressor is stored in my loft space so it doesn't take up floor space. Being able to turn off lights via voice is super handy when polishing inspecting paintwork by hand light without having to move from your work area. 👍
I need to break out metric from standard inch. I started w american cars and moved to porsche and bmw. Have some big big tools for my large toyota suv trucks for winter. Hope to go auto cross w trailer soon
Great vid! Was fun to tick off pieces. Lift - check. Heating - check. Compressor - check. Power everywhere - check. Tire racks - check. But unfortunately I couldn't check the epoxy floor box :( And now moving everything in here out to epoxy it is basically impossible. START WITH THE FLOORING! Doh. In my case I have radiant floor heat but shouldn't matter for epoxy. Wish I'd done it when I'd moved in, prior to lift, workbench, etc being put in place. Parts washer is also on my list for the future :)
Thank you for the tour great tips love the fan idea fire extinguishers are a must small and large but please if you are unlucky to have a fire call for help regardless of the fire size and only then attempt to attack the fire that you will be able to handle sorry to say I’ve come across folks injured because the fire was to advanced ,don’t forget a smoke alarm a means of early detection ,sorry a rant I know you have a great garage and cars stay safe girls 👍👨🏻🏭🇬🇧
Understand wanting more light. As I get older, I want more light. I'm building a garage now, (currently stuck in permits) and am trying to get it built so it'll fit lifts, though I don't work on cars myself. Maybe if I get the lift, I'd try changing oil, though maybe that's as far as it goes.. Putting in 220 for the future, cuz' maybe I'll go electric someday. We'll see.
I only have a small garage. i'm a Biker 100%. but i have a chair it's always good. WoW all that info. very nice done love it. and Moin from North Germany :_:
Excellent use of your space. Fire extinguisher: Nothing beats Halon. They're not legal anymore, but I got one on Ebay. Regular extinguishers make a horrible mess of an engine compartment. I'm told a small squirt of Halon is all you need. Lighting: Maybe because of my age, I can't see anything without a headlight, so I'm not sure it was worth putting up so many lights in my garage. Storage: only a bigger garage will work. That's the solution to a lot of problems, of course - but only temporarily since stuff is like a gas: it will expand to fit its container.
Halon is good, but as you say, no longer legal (and is also pretty bad for the environment). I've gone over to Halotron extinguishers, which are expensive, but a lot cheaper than cleaning up after a CO2 extinguisher.
I built a utility sink into the service closet where are our HVAC and water heater are. Since the previous owner converted to a wall mount tankless, it left enough room for a utility sink where the tank used to stand. Regarding air circulation, I visited a large shop which used fans hanging from windsocks so low cold air gets directed up and released at the ceiling. I don't know if they were a product you can buy or an improvised thing.
Wish I had the lift(s), and the Ferrari. But I have a cherry old 71 Camaro. Looks like my garage is set up very very much like yours. However, two things I added that I have found absolutely required for me (I have old cars and motorcycles, and often parts are hard to find) are a milling machine, and a lathe. The milling machine I have found gets used more than all my 10mm sockets and wrenches combined!
Speaking of things that might fall over the car, include bicycles and motorcycles. Once, my dad parked his motorcycle along side the car and the side stand just retracted after a while and the bike landed over the front fender. Dent it so bad, it had to be replaced.
I need to disagree on the compressed air. An impact wrench is the most gentle way of loosing nuts (I know electrical can be gotten these days). But the air is fantastic if you are welding for cooling. An air mini grinder is fantastic for removing rust and grind welds. Also an air chisel is perfect for separate spot welded parts. I also use it for brake bleeding, sand blasting and so much more. If you first got a good compressor the options are so many and the prize per tool is much cheaper than electric ones.
This isn’t exactly a tool like you were describing, but I’ve watched several of your videos about washing your cars and you use a foam cannon and pressure washer. What brands do you use? I want to buy them for my spouses’s birthday to be used on the new car.
Nice overview. Any reason why the walls and ceiling are not finished? I see that a lot in garages and wonder whether there is any reason besides it "not being important".
Franny: Do you have a list of your videos and an address where I can find them? Today I was trying to find the video where you tuned the Zeiniths on a 356 but I could not find it. Just started my 356 engine yesterday-first time since 1987. I have been an expat since then in Germany for the USArmy. Now I am retired with time to get her on the road. Thanks
We did order those fire blankets and all the cars have Halotron extinguishers. In addition a couple of the cars have the Elements as well. We do need to ad a couple dedicated extinguishers.
Great video! I'm in the planning phase of getting my garage put together and expanded from 2-3 bays. Unfortunately I do not have the height for lifts, but this gave me a lot to consider when it comes to lighting/electrical, air flow, and safety. Little things like motions sensors are brilliant. Have to agree - I've seen or been victim to over zealous use of air tools breaking more than needed fixed and would keep as much manual as possible or explore the electric options you mentioned. With the electric car, did you have to have the electrician expand the breaker box or put in additional circuits to handle the load?
Thanks! Our car is still just a stage I charging so 120V. No need for new wiring. Any higher than that and you probably will need someone out to do some special wiring...
Interesting and informative video. Hope M539 Ytuber is taking notes for his new garage. Added advantage of not using a compressor is that you get a good workout, whether you want it or not.
For storage we use pallet racks (smaller style). my issue is that we do all parts of our restorations from drivetrain to the bodywork and paint so just using the one garage became a nightmare. I cleaned out our older back garage and replaced the roof on it recently along with us putting in a shed for dedicated woodworking, yard tool storage, and horse hay that all used to be in the rear garage, Currently finalizing the rear garage as a full metal fab shop (body panels mostly) and body working area so the main (front) garage can be dedicated to mechanical and finish work. Its been nice to get things in their respective areas and not clutter up one garage with 8 uses and no room like we have been.
I think in your last video you mentioned a diffuser that you installed in the nozzle of your parts washer. Can you share where you found it? My washer pressure is too strong too. Thanks.
Hi Tom, I just disassembled it from the pump and added a piece if tubing inside that just fit inside. I experimented a bit until I got the flow I needed. I nice valve would be even better.
Greetings.......Would you folks adopt me? I just turned 70 so I am almost house broken. Almost. Can't afford a house so no garage but I have seen these being talked about...... afg-fireball-3-lb-designs Take care............
Do you have level 2 charging for i8? If so how's that working for you? If not, considering installing? Also how do you keep warm in the winter while working in the garage?
First you need a high cfm compressor a garage is useless without one. Extension cords and air lines on reels save time and frustration. Good lighting everywhere, at least a mig welder. A lift if your over 40. I can’t live without a dozen angle grinders, lathe, milling machine, tig, vapor blaster, flat screen, stereo, guitar and amp. Of course you don’t need a lot these things for oil changes, brake jobs et.
Have a compressor and a full set of air tools. These days rechargeable tools are so good I only use the compressor for blowing things off, blowing out stuck brake pistons and inflating tyres. Air hammer is still good though as is the die grinder.
Hi Everyone, On the tail of the lift video I thought it would be fun to talk about what it takes to set up a home garage. Let me know in the comments what I missed and what you have that you can't live without in your home garage shop!
♥️
@@Evapors How are you? I hope all is well :)
The Harbor Freight jack stands issue is the ratchet bar would easily fall or not lock. The ratchet bar teeth were shallow/inconsistent- some would lock, others not, and a slight bump could drop the car on your head. I think there was issue with other brands as well, so best to check.
How much did the floor coating cost?
I would say having a good vise is a must and a decent music source like a stereo or a blue tooth speaker :)
Good episode thank you.
I’d have a fire extinguisher both at your door leading into the house and one at the furthest corner near the exit/main garage door. You never know where you’ll be entering the room from at that crucial moment. You don’t want to have to “run by the fire to get to the extinguisher” and then go back.
That's a great idea-- I've got 2, but they're both by the door!
Referring to your overhead heater...down here in Arizona it's the opposite. I have a 220V ductless air conditioner installed. Without garage air conditioning, when the outside temperature's 115°, so will be the inside of the garage. Imagine working indoors in that temperature!
Yeah, it can get hot here too, but not that crazy.
I moved to a new house last year and before I put one thing in the garage I epoxied the floor and painted the walls and ceiling white. That made a big difference to make the garage bright versus the bare drywall. Since I was moving from a large garage to a normal 20'x 20' garage I needed storage solutions. I installed adjustable shelving, wall hooks, and a heavy duty shelving unit. Getting stuff up off the floor and organized on the walls made sure that everything has a place. Also, don't forget to declutter once in a while to get rid of things that you aren't really using anymore.
Many people don't think about using pallet racking. You can buy used pallet racking in various sizes, lengths and heights. I use a 10' high by 8' wide by 2' depth. The first shelf is set high enough for my 8' wide Husky tool chest to go underneath and I have plywood that doubles as my workbench. Next shelf up is high enough for me to hang led lights from. Then the rest of the shelves have various car parts and tools.
Franny hello from the UK - again.
So enjoyed your workshop tour but was a little concerned about the way your grinding wheel/buffer was secured. This may have been mentioned in previous comments but just in case I wanted to warn you about the law of sod as we call it in the Uk and tell you what I do.
Vibration of the wheels will potentially vibrate loose your clamp and I would hate to see it hurt you. What I did was to mount the motor onto a separate board with a larger footprint. This still makes the tool mobile. For me I used two 25mm (1inch) diameter by approx 50mm (2”) long dowels which were threaded in one end and bolted them through the ‘sub base’ with the protruding dowels sticking out from below.
I then marry these holes up with holes I have made in my workbench to correspond with the dowels.
Then when you need it you just bring out the grinder/buffer attached to the sub-base, locate it in the bench holes and apply your clamp or any other means of holding it down.
On my other buffer I have mounted that to a sub- base but instead of using the dowel pegs I mounted a strip of wood to the underside which can be held in a vice.
These are just a couple of safety comments but I would hate to see you get hurt and would never forgive myself if I had not said anything.
Keep the vids coming, Sid
Great setup Heidi . Only thing I see that you need is more space. Just like all of us. I have a detached 3 car garage out in the country. My shop is more for farm/horse/tractor stuff and is pretty rustic. I’m a retired electrician so I’ve got the place lit and wired to the max. I also love my little pancake compressor. I don’t use the big air tools but do have about 100 tires around the place to keep inflated. I bought 50 feet of good hose and hang it on a hose fell by the compressor. I also love my cord reels mounted on the ceiling. And never throw out any old kitchen carts, butcher blocks, old grills or anything with wheels. I’ve repurposed all that stuff into rolling work tables. So miter saw, grinder, drill press etc can be rolled around where needed. Also old doors make great workbenches and storage shelves. Chocolate covered Smurf 😀. That’s me every day. We buy the big jugs of spray and wash.
Oh sorry. I meant Franny. You and Heidi do a great job on these vids.
That's a great set up. I position fire extinguishers at exit points so I don't have to put myself in harm's way should the worst happen.
Good call!
Dang, why can’t I have neighbors like you two! My garage is set up very similarly. If I did live closer I’d be there offering help 👍🏻😁
I really like vintage made in USA tools, so I have many toolboxes, my shop is 3200 sq ft on four acres. I have two industrial blast cabinets so no waiting for sand/glass bead blasting work. We really enjoy your channel and be safe.
Bench grinder 💪🏿 I have my father's old one
Adding a motion sensor to the overhead lights is a terrific idea, I am off to Home Depot!
i highly recommend Esco jackstands....I have both the soft pad an the saddle pad extensions. very well built
Yep, that's what I have too. They're great--very sturdy.
I bought a very nice air compressor many years ago and it has been my best friend . I do spray painting and body work. The air tools are a must for doing this type of work and if you put plastic sheets up to cover everything you can virtually eliminate overspray . My next investment will be for a 120/240 volt multi purpose Mig/Tig welder .
Hello Heidi and Franny's Garage,
Great video as always! You've got some TALL garage ceiling space....YUM!
Love:
1) Power drops great!
2) Power lifts @ $2k each.....what a deal.
3) Lighting - great ideas and application. Very interested in "wall mount" soft panels.
4) bench space, back boards, organization and added roller toolbox
5) Climate control
6). Supreme utilization of space and organization for all things need garage and home.
suggestions:
1). Add computer monitor and access to laptop or dedicated system
2). Upgrade air supply...not a lot, but also add hard points for use and pull-down hoses if possible
3). Get a small, high quality. utility cart for transfer of parts around your work area. Can make a permanent home around your bench for horizontal storage, but helps when tools/parts needed at vehicle.
Only my thoughts!
Love videos, keep posting
Cheers,
Mr. P
Thanks so much!
I have four huge snap on tool boxes. Wish i started with a plan. Just added as i needed
Fantastic videos!! (One small request: More VW Bug vids, please.)
One additional tip I would add - the last three garage door openers I installed were Chamberlain / Liftmaster with the My Q system. It is Wifi enabled, so working with an App it will alert me on my iPhone, iPad and Apple watch when the garage opens or stays open for a length of time I determine. In addition I can ask Siri to open my garage door so there is no need to carry a remote inside my cars. I drive up in my driveway and ask Siri “ open my garage door” and she does. The system also has light switches. In my old house when the garage door went up the garage lights and the outside lights would turn on. My wife and I lived in Minneapolis and our garage was on an alleyway. This feature made it much safer and more comfortable for my wife coming home after dark.
You can also open and close the garage door from anywhere there is cel service. Expecting a delivery? Have them call you and open the door for them. It also integrate with Amazon for garage delivery - which I will be honest I don’t trust but its possible.
Lol. Yeah, we would never give our garage door code to Amazon. That's just asking for trouble.
I do use an air ratchet once bolt and nuts are broken loose, otherwise it's just a DA and my paint guns. I tell you hanging plastic to spray a car, taping roll paper to the floor first. Over spray is still an issue. Had a similar issue with off gasing last year with a refinished art desk I did for a granddaughter, stinky and sticky stuff for a couple of days, never again, did the application outside and brought it in overnight, it even destroyed the air purifier filter.
Bluepoint/snapon/Mac tools/blackhawk…….are the cream of the crop,yes they are expensive but when you are under a ton of steel paying a premium is always a smart move.
Great stuff Franny, I wish I had lifts like that in my garage. One thing I like to do, is use all my larger cardboard boxes, cut them up and place them under my cars when I am working on them. Afterwards, I just recycle them, and it keeps my ground nice and clean.
Hi Franny, I love it! Take care!!
Thanks so much!
I’ve been tweaking my garage over the past couple of years. The first thing I did, was paint the walls a light colour to improve the brightness. I doubled the lighting and installed a motion switch when we built it. A lift master jackshaft garage door lift will free up ceiling space. I went with SwissTrax flooring due to the fact that it eliminates puddles on the floor during the winter 🇨🇦 when the snow melts of the car or truck. I too installed a powerful heater which keeps the garage at a comfortable 20 Celsius. I have gladiator walls panels with gladiator shelves. It gives it a clean matching look. I have both hot and cold water taps which is very convenient. To give clean look, I have 3 double door cabinets to store cleaning products, towels, and my air compressor, bin cabinets for screws,nuts and bolts and miscellaneous.
Thank you for taking the time to shoot a video tour of your garage. 👍🇨🇦
Wow! Sounds like an amazing shop!
Hi Franny,
Love the insight on the lighting of your garage. Your flat panel LEDs are awesome. I’m going to get rid of my old neon lights and put in those panels. I’m not a fan of the peg boards, I have all my tools in tool chests now. Much easier that way. I also avoid air tools if I can. If the car hasn’t seen salt or grime you really don’t need them. Battery tools or elbow grease for me. Love your videos, thanks for the awesome content
I bought a mini-split heat pump for my garage. I tried a 220v heater like yours and also a natural gas ventless heater. The 220v cost too much to run and the gas heater threw too much moisture into the air. The mini-split is economical to run and also provides great A/C during our short, but hot Portland, OR summers.
That's a great idea! We have 20K of solar on the house so I don't worry too much about electricity, but you are right... A heat pump would be more efficient. A little chill in the dead of summer would be nice ;)
I am absolutely fascinated by your garage... I never knew it was possible to have that kind of a setup at home. Those lifts!!! I so relate to the lighting. I added a LED light that can be charged with USB on Amazon for the galley, and it has made such a big difference.
Hey there Franny, thanks so much for the tips! I think the retractable blade ceiling fan is brilliant!! If I may make one suggestion to add to your shop, it would be to put an old computer or even a tablet easily accessible. It's great for looking up info or watching how-to vids from great content creators like you and Heidi!
Another great film, Franny. I have a very different situation but I did pick up some really good ideas. I have a long-term rental in a 2400 sqft old single-story barn. I can do anything I want. The owner hasn't stopped by for years.
I sectioned off 900 sqft for the workshop. I love your heater but where I am in NE. you couldn't afford to run it.
What I am taking away the most are your panel lights which I had not seen and the ceiling fan is awesome. I will be doing that this coming week.
I'll just say that I have found the secret to immortality. The workspace is as you have said no clutter, although I have 6 toolboxes. That said, my daughters have told me I cannot die until I clean out all of my future projects out of the storage area. I turned 75 two weeks ago. I need to live forever!!
My only suggestion is as someone else commented. In a garage even without combustibles stored, there should be a commercial extinguisher at every door.
Sorry for the long story but thank you so much for all of your time and effort with every film.
Shop stool with tool tray, tool cart, portable jump starter.
More space!!! That’s what I need!! 😉
If you ever see a Wal Mart, K Mart or any big box store going out, try to get some of their old shelving for the shop. They are very tough welded steel, and powder coated. The uprights allow you almost unlimited positions for height and they hold a ton of weight.
You have a great set up Franny, you should paint that bare wooden blockboard and plasterboard on walls and ceilings white emulsion to help improve light and visibility in your garage. I did this on mine and reduced the need for extra lighting hugely!!
Very nice presentation Franny. Space is at a premium in my garage, so I got a 72 inch Extreme Tool chest (Home Depot) with wood top. Much cheaper than Snap-On boxes, but well built and made in US. The work surface is high for a work bench so I built platform from 2x6s and plywood. I got a six foot length of rubber from Amazon for the bench top. It should last for many years. I also put in Racor cable lifts to store kayaks, ladders, etc, on the ceiling. Would be good for your tires too. You use a cordless drill and provided crank to lift and lower. Very convenient.
Hi Ladies . I have a very small two car garage Here is how my system has evolved over time . It has a loft where I keep parts I want to hang on to but wouldnt normally need .I keep them in large marked bins on shelves . I have an old armoir that I keep my repair manuals , fender covers etc. and draws that I hold new parts till I am ready to use. I have two heavy duty wall mounted shelves that I keep fluids etc. on . I recently bought a larger upper and lower tool box. I only wished I had only bought the lower part so I would be able to use the top deck as extra work space . I made
two hinged folding work surfaces that lay flat against walls when not in use. Because of the shortage of space I have made part of my basement the place where I keep my car cleaning products as well as an area where I can clean and repair parts . I usually try to plan the basement work when the weather is too hot or cold in garage .I also keep two old sears craftsman roll carts which holds a smaller assortment of hand tools and things like taps and dies etc. My suggestion to all would be to invest in small rack of hardware draws to hold bolts , nuts and fasteners . I have bought from Bolt Depot in Massachusetes ,their prices are very good and
delivery prompt. I hate when I am in the middle of a repair and I have to run to auto store for a needed fastener . I get a smile on my face when I reach into draw and I have the correct fastener . I like this video and agree keep garden and lawn tools in the shed . You and Heidi have a very nice collection of cars happy motoring always and thank you for taking the time to make these informative videos.
I agree on skipping the air tools - since I am DIY, I am more focused on getting everything prefect on the repair versus the speed of the repair - all the extra wrenching means I can skip arm day at the gym :)
Heidi and Franny's Garage reminds me of "This Old House" which has a similar presentation to this channel, and I have to say that this home shop setup video really nails that vibe to a T. Definitely gonna revisit this video for any future garage plans.
Always like your work Heidi thank you. Just in the process of setting up my workshop here so tips are always valued
Can we have an episode on the Vespa’s? Also I love Ava. Anything with Ava is always a hit with me!
I would add that painting the walls and ceiling bright white helps to reflect the light. Having running water is a good idea to clean yourself and not bring dirty into the house.
Great tips and ideas! Thanks
Another great video! I have many of the exact same tools you show off here. Good reminder about a fire extinguisher and maybe locking up your garage! Love it!
Electrician here… I loved your idea of the expanding ceiling fan. I’ve installed them, but never in confined areas, just as a novelty, probably.
Anyway, I’m surprised that you didn’t go with cord reels for your battery tenders, as opposed to stationary outlets. That’s what I use and they work great. Installed many for customers.
Thanks for the tips. I’m gonna get that tool chest and one of those cheaper Harbor Freight jacks. Might even upgrade my bench grinder. Oh, and I’ve already ordered that Jeg’s parts washer. Lol.
Your ideas are really cool and I thank you kindly. 🙂
So glad the video was helpful :)
So glad you brought up the Jack stands. Those HF stands have been out for quite some time and I returned mine about a year ago.
We live in Texas so I installed a mini-split HVAC system. Went from 90 degrees to 74 year round!
I lack enough shelves for just auto work. It’s a issue for all of us.
You should share the Kelvin and lumen levels on your lights. I just upgraded mine to 5K and it makes the color perfect for detailing.
I'm up north, near Canada, and one of the newer mini-split AC/heat pumps can heat my detached three-stall garage. Wonderful.
Great tips Franny. One thing I do now is label every drawer of my tool chest, every box, particularly the tools that come in their own plastic box. Even though you know where or what things are, I still found myself absent mindedly going to the wrong one first. It is probably about time I do another garage update myself ;)
Thanks Jeff! A good labeler is a great idea! I "almost" have it memorized too ;) love to see your garage video!
Great tips, I disagree with the air compressor but that is a good point you make about the integrity of the procedure when using hand tools.. Love the lifts and floors you have and I am very envious of your organizational skills compared to mine. Looking forward to your future videos. I also agree with the earlier comments about a good vise being a mainstay of any garage.
Great video. I like the motion sensor and light panels; overhead fan; overhead 220V heater; security; LED lights above work bench.
I bought a heavy duty shelf by Husky to store car parts and other large, heavy miscellaneous items such as spare rims, gear box, and seats. I also store some loose items in large storage bins. I have tool chest very similar to yours. In addition, I have a two shelf work cart that can be rolled around and used as an additional work surface. My garage is very small (18 x 20) with 8 foot ceilings so space is at a premium.
Hi Franny - I thoroughly enjoyed this tour around your garage and workshop, you really do have a great set up there. I love the level of thought that goes into every detail, it is such a functional and intelligent shop you have. I'm also glad to see so many of the details that you have also in my own garage. One thing you may like is that when I walk into my garage via the utility room in our house, I have had a PIR motion sensor installed to pick me up as I open the internal door so that the main garage ceiling lights come on for 1 minute. You've made me think I should have another one set up for when I open the shutter door and drive back into the garage. Finally just to add that your presentation skills are so impressive, you always make every subject that you talk about so very interesting. Thank you from over here in the UK! :-)
Thanks so much!
Thank you so much Franny! I just bought my first home & I’ll be building a lil shop to work on my 72 beetle. Thanks for your insight ladies! -fellow Aircooled gal
Chocolate smurf lol
This is GREAT! I'm envious of your garage.
My garage consists of: no garage. My tools consist of: hammer, saw, adjustable wrench, tape measure, duct tape and screwdriver (which is holding up a window currently) hahhaaa
I'm a huge music lover, so i would toss in a sound system of some sort =) LOLz
Thanks for the tour!!!! Great ideas =)
One use for ur tool box if heavy duty is to use them to drop car engines on but it needs to be pretty heavey duty but supper handy. Perfect for using under the lift and works well. My garage is focused around the work bench so no cars in it. But next buy will be a two post lift. Four post are great for storing cars but two post works well for working on them. Like u compressors are not really needed any more. Power tools are great. With the garage attached to the house u should have better fire fighting gear. The grinder causes sparks which isn’t great
I would recommend Sonic Tools floor jacks and Jack stands! They're not very expensive and have a lifetime warranty WITH delivery. Process is super simple, I have only had to warranty stuff due to TONS of use.
Another excellent video. A few things that I would add (2 are super simple and cheap):
- Get some yoga mats for the garage. They are wonderful for protecting paint when leaning on a car and can be an excellent work surface when disassembling or servicing assemblies with lots of tiny parts.
- Hockey pucks have TONS of uses in the garage. Perfect to put between a jack or a chassis and excellent for isolating hammer blows. You can't go wrong with some hockey pucks
- The bench grinder is great but also look at a table top belt sander and disc sander. Incredibly useful and can be bought for about $100
- Lastly look into getting a heater for your parts washer fluid. The water based fluids are MUCH better when they are heated. It is a night and day difference to room temperature.
Thanks! Those are great tips :) I do have several square rubber pads. They are real knee savers!
Gréât vidéo asual ! 👍🏻
Hi Franny great episode, having ceiling fan envy now that looks awesome. I have my led lights and even my compressor on smart switches via Alexa. The compressor is stored in my loft space so it doesn't take up floor space. Being able to turn off lights via voice is super handy when polishing inspecting paintwork by hand light without having to move from your work area. 👍
I need to break out metric from standard inch. I started w american cars and moved to porsche and bmw.
Have some big big tools for my large toyota suv trucks for winter. Hope to go auto cross w trailer soon
Great vid! Was fun to tick off pieces. Lift - check. Heating - check. Compressor - check. Power everywhere - check. Tire racks - check.
But unfortunately I couldn't check the epoxy floor box :( And now moving everything in here out to epoxy it is basically impossible. START WITH THE FLOORING! Doh. In my case I have radiant floor heat but shouldn't matter for epoxy. Wish I'd done it when I'd moved in, prior to lift, workbench, etc being put in place.
Parts washer is also on my list for the future :)
Thanks..just about to build my shed so very opportune video
Thank you for the tour great tips love the fan idea fire extinguishers are a must small and large but please if you are unlucky to have a fire call for help regardless of the fire size and only then attempt to attack the fire that you will be able to handle sorry to say I’ve come across folks injured because the fire was to advanced ,don’t forget a smoke alarm a means of early detection ,sorry a rant I know you have a great garage and cars stay safe girls 👍👨🏻🏭🇬🇧
Understand wanting more light. As I get older, I want more light. I'm building a garage now, (currently stuck in permits) and am trying to get it built so it'll fit lifts, though I don't work on cars myself. Maybe if I get the lift, I'd try changing oil, though maybe that's as far as it goes.. Putting in 220 for the future, cuz' maybe I'll go electric someday. We'll see.
Good afternoon Franny! Great video as usual! Cheers!
Great video.
Thanks!
I only have a small garage. i'm a Biker 100%. but i have a chair it's always good. WoW all that info. very nice done love it. and Moin from North Germany :_:
Excellent use of your space. Fire extinguisher: Nothing beats Halon. They're not legal anymore, but I got one on Ebay. Regular extinguishers make a horrible mess of an engine compartment. I'm told a small squirt of Halon is all you need. Lighting: Maybe because of my age, I can't see anything without a headlight, so I'm not sure it was worth putting up so many lights in my garage. Storage: only a bigger garage will work. That's the solution to a lot of problems, of course - but only temporarily since stuff is like a gas: it will expand to fit its container.
Halon is good, but as you say, no longer legal (and is also pretty bad for the environment). I've gone over to Halotron extinguishers, which are expensive, but a lot cheaper than cleaning up after a CO2 extinguisher.
Good video!
Enjoyed the garage tour.
Your paint outgassing comment was very interesting. Who would have thought?
Have you seen the size of home garages in the UK? Garage envy over here. Great video as usual 👍🏻🤓🇬🇧
My epoxy floors have way more grease and dirt and deep scratches
I have 6 of the large 200 watt std bulbs.. pretty hangar like
I built a utility sink into the service closet where are our HVAC and water heater are. Since the previous owner converted to a wall mount tankless, it left enough room for a utility sink where the tank used to stand.
Regarding air circulation, I visited a large shop which used fans hanging from windsocks so low cold air gets directed up and released at the ceiling. I don't know if they were a product you can buy or an improvised thing.
Garage goals! 😍😍 Great video!
Chocolate Smurf 🤔😜! 👍
Wish I had the lift(s), and the Ferrari. But I have a cherry old 71 Camaro. Looks like my garage is set up very very much like yours. However, two things I added that I have found absolutely required for me (I have old cars and motorcycles, and often parts are hard to find) are a milling machine, and a lathe. The milling machine I have found gets used more than all my 10mm sockets and wrenches combined!
oh, and an air conditioner for summers. Learned that many years ago I can work way longer if I'm comfy.
👍Great information.
@heidi & Franny - Noticed the Gator sticker on your pegboard. Did both of you go to UF? Go Gators!
Just Franny. I went to CU, Boulder. Heidi
Go Gators!!
Speaking of things that might fall over the car, include bicycles and motorcycles. Once, my dad parked his motorcycle along side the car and the side stand just retracted after a while and the bike landed over the front fender. Dent it so bad, it had to be replaced.
Yikes! Yup, we moved the bicycles out. Good call!
I need to disagree on the compressed air. An impact wrench is the most gentle way of loosing nuts (I know electrical can be gotten these days). But the air is fantastic if you are welding for cooling. An air mini grinder is fantastic for removing rust and grind welds. Also an air chisel is perfect for separate spot welded parts. I also use it for brake bleeding, sand blasting and so much more. If you first got a good compressor the options are so many and the prize per tool is much cheaper than electric ones.
This isn’t exactly a tool like you were describing, but I’ve watched several of your videos about washing your cars and you use a foam cannon and pressure washer. What brands do you use? I want to buy them for my spouses’s birthday to be used on the new car.
Nice overview. Any reason why the walls and ceiling are not finished? I see that a lot in garages and wonder whether there is any reason besides it "not being important".
Mostly the cost... Over 2K... That and I like not having to worry about the walls - I can write on them, drill holes, whatever... :)
Hi big fan super
Thank you so much 😀
A car lift is cheaper than adding on to the garage. A car lift doesn't raise property tax like a house addition.
Very good points!
Franny: Do you have a list of your videos and an address where I can find them? Today I was trying to find the video where you tuned the Zeiniths on a 356 but I could not find it. Just started my 356 engine yesterday-first time since 1987. I have been an expat since then in Germany for the USArmy. Now I am retired with time to get her on the road. Thanks
Lovely stuff. What fire fighting equipment do you have in the shop please ?
We did order those fire blankets and all the cars have Halotron extinguishers. In addition a couple of the cars have the Elements as well. We do need to ad a couple dedicated extinguishers.
Great video! I'm in the planning phase of getting my garage put together and expanded from 2-3 bays. Unfortunately I do not have the height for lifts, but this gave me a lot to consider when it comes to lighting/electrical, air flow, and safety. Little things like motions sensors are brilliant. Have to agree - I've seen or been victim to over zealous use of air tools breaking more than needed fixed and would keep as much manual as possible or explore the electric options you mentioned. With the electric car, did you have to have the electrician expand the breaker box or put in additional circuits to handle the load?
Thanks! Our car is still just a stage I charging so 120V. No need for new wiring. Any higher than that and you probably will need someone out to do some special wiring...
Interesting and informative video. Hope M539 Ytuber is taking notes for his new garage.
Added advantage of not using a compressor is that you get a good workout, whether you want it or not.
Franny, what is the brand of that retractable ceiling fan you use? Seems very nice.
It is pretty cool. Not expensive either: amzn.to/3CB895y
Thank you. Will check it out.
Hi Franny, enjoy your video as usual, thank you both. Just wondering what cleaning fluid you use in your parts cleaner.
Thanks so much John. Jegs makes their own cleaner concentrate. I've found it works quite well and is less irritating than Royal Purple or Super Green.
@@HeidiandFranny thx for info…j.
For storage we use pallet racks (smaller style). my issue is that we do all parts of our restorations from drivetrain to the bodywork and paint so just using the one garage became a nightmare. I cleaned out our older back garage and replaced the roof on it recently along with us putting in a shed for dedicated woodworking, yard tool storage, and horse hay that all used to be in the rear garage, Currently finalizing the rear garage as a full metal fab shop (body panels mostly) and body working area so the main (front) garage can be dedicated to mechanical and finish work.
Its been nice to get things in their respective areas and not clutter up one garage with 8 uses and no room like we have been.
Imagine having to pack all this up to move......!
I think in your last video you mentioned a diffuser that you installed in the nozzle of your parts washer. Can you share where you found it? My washer pressure is too strong too. Thanks.
Hi Tom, I just disassembled it from the pump and added a piece if tubing inside that just fit inside. I experimented a bit until I got the flow I needed. I nice valve would be even better.
Greetings.......Would you folks adopt me? I just turned 70 so I am almost
house broken. Almost.
Can't afford a house so no garage but I have seen these being talked about......
afg-fireball-3-lb-designs
Take care............
where did you get the ceiling fan from....
It came from Amazon: amzn.to/3CB895y
Do you have level 2 charging for i8? If so how's that working for you? If not, considering installing?
Also how do you keep warm in the winter while working in the garage?
Level 1 has been working just fine for us. We don't seem to go out several time a day. The garage is heated by a 22V electric heater.
Side question….Which of you is a Florida Gator??
Go Gators? F
First you need a high cfm compressor a garage is useless without one. Extension cords and air lines on reels save time and frustration. Good lighting everywhere, at least a mig welder. A lift if your over 40. I can’t live without a dozen angle grinders, lathe, milling machine, tig, vapor blaster, flat screen, stereo, guitar and amp. Of course you don’t need a lot these things for oil changes, brake jobs et.
off gassing yikes another unknown unknown
I enjoy your videos. I'm a vw beetle 🐞 addict and I know you are a great mechanic. I wish to propose to join you. Are you married? 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪
Love your channel but, you really do need a proper air compressor and air tools to make your life much easier.
Have a compressor and a full set of air tools. These days rechargeable tools are so good I only use the compressor for blowing things off, blowing out stuck brake pistons and inflating tyres. Air hammer is still good though as is the die grinder.