Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

Hi!

I'm getting ready to set up a "real" woodshop in the garage, and have
a fairly steep sloping floor to contend with. I measured about a 5"
drop over 25'. In fact if I release the parking brake, my car will
roll out into the street by itself.

Luckily, that;'s not going to be a problem anymore :)

My question is, how does one deal effectively with this with setting
up outfeed tables, workbenches and counters?

Since I only have one skinny bay to work with (about 11'x25'), my
current plan calls for a fixed countertop along the long side wall,
with hand built rolling shop cabinets below for storage and
convenience. I figure I'll put the counter in at 36" AFF on plywood
brackets and cleats, then store cabinetry and possibly a router table
underneath in their "garages," but move them around for project
convenience. My problem is that I have to design for the highest floor
spot, so a 36" counter would be almost 40" high nearest to the garage
door. Plus my rolling cabinets would look dopey with a larger gap to
the counter....

I'd also like to have the major machinery on rolling stands as well. I
guess I don't know if having a sloped floor will cause issues with the
table saw in/outfeed or general movement of heavy machinery. I would
hate to be using a jointer and have the thing decide it would rather
be in the neighbor's yard....

I guess I always have the option of building sloped sleepers and
covering the whole thing with 3/4" plywood (which would have other
benefits as well), but that's a bit extreme right now...

TIA,
- Matt

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

I'd go with the sloped sleepers before building bases to level up the
tools. Wood's a heck of a lot nicer to stand on over a long period than
concrete. Big questions would be; "How long do you expect to be in this
house?" and "in a pinch are you going to want to get a vehicle into the
garage?"

rhg

Matt Stachoni wrote:

Hi!

I'm getting ready to set up a "real" woodshop in the garage, and have
a fairly steep sloping floor to contend with. I measured about a 5"
drop over 25'. In fact if I release the parking brake, my car will
roll out into the street by itself.

Luckily, that;'s not going to be a problem anymore :)

My question is, how does one deal effectively with this with setting
up outfeed tables, workbenches and counters?

Since I only have one skinny bay to work with (about 11'x25'), my
current plan calls for a fixed countertop along the long side wall,
with hand built rolling shop cabinets below for storage and
convenience. I figure I'll put the counter in at 36" AFF on plywood
brackets and cleats, then store cabinetry and possibly a router table
underneath in their "garages," but move them around for project
convenience. My problem is that I have to design for the highest floor
spot, so a 36" counter would be almost 40" high nearest to the garage
door. Plus my rolling cabinets would look dopey with a larger gap to
the counter....

I'd also like to have the major machinery on rolling stands as well. I
guess I don't know if having a sloped floor will cause issues with the
table saw in/outfeed or general movement of heavy machinery. I would
hate to be using a jointer and have the thing decide it would rather
be in the neighbor's yard....

I guess I always have the option of building sloped sleepers and
covering the whole thing with 3/4" plywood (which would have other
benefits as well), but that's a bit extreme right now...

TIA,
- Matt

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

Actually, that's what I would go with. I had to work in a facility
with a sloping floor for three years, and it sucked in so many ways
that I hesitate to catalogue them here.

Level the floor. Really. It's not extreme. Honest.

Bill

Robert Galloway wrote:
I'd go with the sloped sleepers before building bases to level up the
tools. Wood's a heck of a lot nicer to stand on over a long period than
concrete. Big questions would be; "How long do you expect to be in this
house?" and "in a pinch are you going to want to get a vehicle into the
garage?"

rhg

Matt Stachoni wrote:

Hi!

I'm getting ready to set up a "real" woodshop in the garage, and have
a fairly steep sloping floor to contend with. I measured about a 5"
drop over 25'. In fact if I release the parking brake, my car will
roll out into the street by itself.

Luckily, that;'s not going to be a problem anymore :)

My question is, how does one deal effectively with this with setting
up outfeed tables, workbenches and counters?

Since I only have one skinny bay to work with (about 11'x25'), my
current plan calls for a fixed countertop along the long side wall,
with hand built rolling shop cabinets below for storage and
convenience. I figure I'll put the counter in at 36" AFF on plywood
brackets and cleats, then store cabinetry and possibly a router table
underneath in their "garages," but move them around for project
convenience. My problem is that I have to design for the highest floor
spot, so a 36" counter would be almost 40" high nearest to the garage
door. Plus my rolling cabinets would look dopey with a larger gap to
the counter....

I'd also like to have the major machinery on rolling stands as well. I
guess I don't know if having a sloped floor will cause issues with the
table saw in/outfeed or general movement of heavy machinery. I would
hate to be using a jointer and have the thing decide it would rather
be in the neighbor's yard....

I guess I always have the option of building sloped sleepers and
covering the whole thing with 3/4" plywood (which would have other
benefits as well), but that's a bit extreme right now...

TIA,
- Matt

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 12:43:07 -0500, Matt Stachoni
wrote:

Hi!

I'm getting ready to set up a "real" woodshop in the garage, and have
a fairly steep sloping floor to contend with. I measured about a 5"
drop over 25'. In fact if I release the parking brake, my car will
roll out into the street by itself.

Luckily, that;'s not going to be a problem anymore :)

My question is, how does one deal effectively with this with setting
up outfeed tables, workbenches and counters?

Since I only have one skinny bay to work with (about 11'x25'), my
current plan calls for a fixed countertop along the long side wall,
with hand built rolling shop cabinets below for storage and
convenience. I figure I'll put the counter in at 36" AFF on plywood
brackets and cleats, then store cabinetry and possibly a router table
underneath in their "garages," but move them around for project
convenience. My problem is that I have to design for the highest floor
spot, so a 36" counter would be almost 40" high nearest to the garage
door. Plus my rolling cabinets would look dopey with a larger gap to
the counter....

I'd also like to have the major machinery on rolling stands as well. I
guess I don't know if having a sloped floor will cause issues with the
table saw in/outfeed or general movement of heavy machinery. I would
hate to be using a jointer and have the thing decide it would rather
be in the neighbor's yard....

I guess I always have the option of building sloped sleepers and
covering the whole thing with 3/4" plywood (which would have other
benefits as well), but that's a bit extreme right now...

TIA,
- Matt


I would think a lot would depend on whether it is a consistent slope
or some sections slope more than others. Also, does it only slope back
to front or does it also slope from the sides to the middle?

If it is a consistent slope fron back to front, I really wouldn't
worry about it. Yeah, the cabinets under the counter will look a
little strange, but it's a shop. You might try splitting the
difference on the counter (i.e. start at 33.5" and end at 38.5" with
the middle (and the average) being 36" then cabinets that fit under
sections of it. (i.e. 8' of cabinets at 33", 8' at 35" and 8' at 36")
and mix & match within the 8" sections. With a consistent slope the
outfeed table shouldn't be impacted, but you will be pushing your wood
either uphill or downhill on the saw, jointer, etc.

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 13:23:13 -0600, Robert Galloway
wrote:

I'd go with the sloped sleepers before building bases to level up the
tools. Wood's a heck of a lot nicer to stand on over a long period than
concrete. Big questions would be; "How long do you expect to be in this
house?" and "in a pinch are you going to want to get a vehicle into the
garage?"

Thanks, two questions which I've been asking myself quite a bit
lately...

I could build the plywood-on-sleepers to be in removable sections,
that lock into sleepers that would be fixed to the floor at the
perimeter only. That way I could roll everything around and take them
up to get the car in, in case of a hurricane, 3' of snow, fight
w/crazy neighbor, etc. Imagine it would cost a buttload, though.

- Matt

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 17:35:06 -0500, Matt Stachoni
wrote:

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 13:23:13 -0600, Robert Galloway
wrote:

I'd go with the sloped sleepers before building bases to level up the
tools. Wood's a heck of a lot nicer to stand on over a long period than
concrete. Big questions would be; "How long do you expect to be in this
house?" and "in a pinch are you going to want to get a vehicle into the
garage?"

Thanks, two questions which I've been asking myself quite a bit
lately...

I could build the plywood-on-sleepers to be in removable sections,
that lock into sleepers that would be fixed to the floor at the
perimeter only. That way I could roll everything around and take them
up to get the car in, in case of a hurricane, 3' of snow, fight
w/crazy neighbor, etc. Imagine it would cost a buttload, though.

- Matt


you could also use the space below- the low end, anyway- to route DC
and air and power lines....

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

You have a typical garage floor, sloped 1/4" per foot to allow drainage
toward the door. My shop is the same way, and to tell you the truth, I
don't even notice it The outfeed tables slope the same as the table saw
table, so it's still flat, just not level. None of the other machines move
around due to the slope. The only thing I did level was my workbench, so i
have one level flat surface to reference things off of. --dave


"Dave Hall" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 12:43:07 -0500, Matt Stachoni
wrote:

Hi!

I'm getting ready to set up a "real" woodshop in the garage, and have
a fairly steep sloping floor to contend with. I measured about a 5"
drop over 25'. In fact if I release the parking brake, my car will
roll out into the street by itself.

Luckily, that;'s not going to be a problem anymore :)

My question is, how does one deal effectively with this with setting
up outfeed tables, workbenches and counters?

Since I only have one skinny bay to work with (about 11'x25'), my
current plan calls for a fixed countertop along the long side wall,
with hand built rolling shop cabinets below for storage and
convenience. I figure I'll put the counter in at 36" AFF on plywood
brackets and cleats, then store cabinetry and possibly a router table
underneath in their "garages," but move them around for project
convenience. My problem is that I have to design for the highest floor
spot, so a 36" counter would be almost 40" high nearest to the garage
door. Plus my rolling cabinets would look dopey with a larger gap to
the counter....

I'd also like to have the major machinery on rolling stands as well. I
guess I don't know if having a sloped floor will cause issues with the
table saw in/outfeed or general movement of heavy machinery. I would
hate to be using a jointer and have the thing decide it would rather
be in the neighbor's yard....

I guess I always have the option of building sloped sleepers and
covering the whole thing with 3/4" plywood (which would have other
benefits as well), but that's a bit extreme right now...

TIA,
- Matt


I would think a lot would depend on whether it is a consistent slope
or some sections slope more than others. Also, does it only slope back
to front or does it also slope from the sides to the middle?

If it is a consistent slope fron back to front, I really wouldn't
worry about it. Yeah, the cabinets under the counter will look a
little strange, but it's a shop. You might try splitting the
difference on the counter (i.e. start at 33.5" and end at 38.5" with
the middle (and the average) being 36" then cabinets that fit under
sections of it. (i.e. 8' of cabinets at 33", 8' at 35" and 8' at 36")
and mix & match within the 8" sections. With a consistent slope the
outfeed table shouldn't be impacted, but you will be pushing your wood
either uphill or downhill on the saw, jointer, etc.

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 13:23:13 -0600, Robert Galloway
wrote:

I'm getting ready to set up a "real" woodshop in the garage, and have
a fairly steep sloping floor to contend with. I measured about a 5"
drop over 25'. In fact if I release the parking brake, my car will
roll out into the street by itself.

My question is, how does one deal effectively with this with setting
up outfeed tables, workbenches and counters?

[Missed the OP, sorry.]

Don't think about it unless you intend to play marbles. That's a
slope of only 0.069. I've worked on much more slope than that, and
didn't even notice it. I know an old man who works in a basement of
and old house that slopes every which way [the basement floor, not the
house]. He turns out beautiful work, including perfect old-fashioned
maple spinning wheels.

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

And where do you put the when you take them up? The only way I'd do it
would be if I planned to live in the house to a ripe old age and never
remove them save just before heading for the rest home or dirt nap.
That said, a wood surface is alot nicer to stand on for hours on end.
Your tools aren't likely to tip over on a slope like that, but as you
mentioned, your "garaged" cabinets are going to be a poor fit under the
bench as the discrepancy becomes extreme and I'd want to keep the
counter level rather than the 0.0166 slope or whatever it comes out to.

bob g.

Matt Stachoni wrote:

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 13:23:13 -0600, Robert Galloway
wrote:


I'd go with the sloped sleepers before building bases to level up the
tools. Wood's a heck of a lot nicer to stand on over a long period than
concrete. Big questions would be; "How long do you expect to be in this
house?" and "in a pinch are you going to want to get a vehicle into the
garage?"


Thanks, two questions which I've been asking myself quite a bit
lately...

I could build the plywood-on-sleepers to be in removable sections,
that lock into sleepers that would be fixed to the floor at the
perimeter only. That way I could roll everything around and take them
up to get the car in, in case of a hurricane, 3' of snow, fight
w/crazy neighbor, etc. Imagine it would cost a buttload, though.

- Matt

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

Man, I must have an atypical garage. My garage is 24' deep and that sucker
doesn't slope 1" from the back to the door. Now, I do have to squeegee it
out once in a while (drips off the car), but it's not like a swimming pool
in there, either. 1/4" per foot is a lot - 6" over 24'. That seems really
excessive and would bother me working in a shop with a slope like that.
Water doesn't need a 6 inch drop over 24 feet to drain.

Matt, go with the sleepers. As far as taking them up, you should only have
to take up the ones where the tires roll. Unless you're driving a Maserati,
a normal car should have adequate clearance to clear a 4 or 5" rise at the
door.


"Dave Jackson" wrote in message
ink.net...
You have a typical garage floor, sloped 1/4" per foot to allow drainage
toward the door. My shop is the same way, and to tell you the truth, I
don't even notice it The outfeed tables slope the same as the table saw
table, so it's still flat, just not level. None of the other machines
move around due to the slope. The only thing I did level was my
workbench, so i have one level flat surface to reference things off
f. --dave


"Dave Hall" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 12:43:07 -0500, Matt Stachoni
wrote:

Hi!

I'm getting ready to set up a "real" woodshop in the garage, and have
a fairly steep sloping floor to contend with. I measured about a 5"
drop over 25'. In fact if I release the parking brake, my car will
roll out into the street by itself.

Luckily, that;'s not going to be a problem anymore :)

My question is, how does one deal effectively with this with setting
up outfeed tables, workbenches and counters?

Since I only have one skinny bay to work with (about 11'x25'), my
current plan calls for a fixed countertop along the long side wall,
with hand built rolling shop cabinets below for storage and
convenience. I figure I'll put the counter in at 36" AFF on plywood
brackets and cleats, then store cabinetry and possibly a router table
underneath in their "garages," but move them around for project
convenience. My problem is that I have to design for the highest floor
spot, so a 36" counter would be almost 40" high nearest to the garage
door. Plus my rolling cabinets would look dopey with a larger gap to
the counter....

I'd also like to have the major machinery on rolling stands as well. I
guess I don't know if having a sloped floor will cause issues with the
table saw in/outfeed or general movement of heavy machinery. I would
hate to be using a jointer and have the thing decide it would rather
be in the neighbor's yard....

I guess I always have the option of building sloped sleepers and
covering the whole thing with 3/4" plywood (which would have other
benefits as well), but that's a bit extreme right now...

TIA,
- Matt


I would think a lot would depend on whether it is a consistent slope
or some sections slope more than others. Also, does it only slope back
to front or does it also slope from the sides to the middle?

If it is a consistent slope fron back to front, I really wouldn't
worry about it. Yeah, the cabinets under the counter will look a
little strange, but it's a shop. You might try splitting the
difference on the counter (i.e. start at 33.5" and end at 38.5" with
the middle (and the average) being 36" then cabinets that fit under
sections of it. (i.e. 8' of cabinets at 33", 8' at 35" and 8' at 36")
and mix & match within the 8" sections. With a consistent slope the
outfeed table shouldn't be impacted, but you will be pushing your wood
either uphill or downhill on the saw, jointer, etc.

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 18:22:02 -0600, Robert Galloway
wrote:

And where do you put the when you take them up?

I'm thinking that would happen only on rare and temporary occasions,
so I'd just store them vertically along the wall or something.

The only way I'd do it
would be if I planned to live in the house to a ripe old age and never
remove them save just before heading for the rest home or dirt nap.

That's my issue - I consider this a starter home. The next one WILL
have a shop and the floor WILL be level and WILL be wood and WILL have
dust collection underneath.

Thanks,
-Matt

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

On Mon, 7 Nov 2005 21:24:56 -0600, "bob"
wrote:

Matt, go with the sleepers. As far as taking them up, you should only have
to take up the ones where the tires roll. Unless you're driving a Maserati,
a normal car should have adequate clearance to clear a 4 or 5" rise at the
door.

You know, that's true; especially if I ramp it from 8" at the door.

My only problem is how to build a tapering jig that's 8' long :)

Thanks all for the advice.

- Matt

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

On Tue, 08 Nov 2005 11:40:12 -0500, Matt Stachoni
wrote:

On Mon, 7 Nov 2005 21:24:56 -0600, "bob"
wrote:

Matt, go with the sleepers. As far as taking them up, you should only have
to take up the ones where the tires roll. Unless you're driving a Maserati,
a normal car should have adequate clearance to clear a 4 or 5" rise at the
door.

You know, that's true; especially if I ramp it from 8" at the door.

My only problem is how to build a tapering jig that's 8' long :)

chalk line. skilsaw.



Thanks all for the advice.

- Matt

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

Matt Stachoni wrote:
On Mon, 7 Nov 2005 21:24:56 -0600, "bob"
wrote:


Matt, go with the sleepers. As far as taking them up, you should only have
to take up the ones where the tires roll. Unless you're driving a Maserati,
a normal car should have adequate clearance to clear a 4 or 5" rise at the
door.


You know, that's true; especially if I ramp it from 8" at the door.

My only problem is how to build a tapering jig that's 8' long :)

Thanks all for the advice.

- Matt
10" long board with a 2" 'L' block to hold one end at the 1" in 5"
pitch. Put a hold down device or 2 along the length. For the high end
of the garage I'd use the cutoffs from the pieces for the low end. The
middle pieces I'd rip to get 2 same sized tapered pieces.
Joe

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

Damn you guys are smart!

Wish I found this group earlier. Probably could have saved $$$ on
building my "Anti-Yard-Monster-Inviso-Gate."

- Matt


On Tue, 08 Nov 2005 14:29:17 -0500, Joe Gorman
wrote:

My only problem is how to build a tapering jig that's 8' long :)

10" long board with a 2" 'L' block to hold one end at the 1" in 5"
pitch. Put a hold down device or 2 along the length. For the high end
of the garage I'd use the cutoffs from the pieces for the low end. The
middle pieces I'd rip to get 2 same sized tapered pieces.
Joe

Sloping gara, -er, SHOP floor
 

Matt Stachoni wrote:

convenience. My problem is that I have to design for the highest floor
spot, so a 36" counter would be almost 40" high nearest to the garage
door. Plus my rolling cabinets would look dopey with a larger gap to
the counter....

What about a "runway" along the front of the counter? You could move
the mobile stuff up to the top of the slope to get it on and off the
runway, and you wouldn't be handicapped by the height at the bottom end
of the counter while working on it. It's dual purpose, so it must be good!

er
--