# Garage & Work van remodel



## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

Several weeks ago someone here posted a link to Ron Paulk's Workbench 2. My brother told me about him several years ago, at the time I wasn't interested. This time my circumstances had changed as well as the workbench has been improved. So I decided to build one... or two. That was the start of a complete overhaul! 
About 8 years ago when I moved into this house I built a 3'x6' table to inset my DW745 table saw. Some time later I saw a video of a woodworker with 12"x8'x4" torsion boxes on sawhorses with a 12"x48" top. The two torsion boxes were only 12" wide so they can slide around on the saw horses, one was melamine for glueing and painting on, the other was partical board, for cutting on. This setup worked well but left my shop rather crowded.
This version of the Paulk bench has an integrated router table and table saw support! So I decided to use my existing saw horses and built new torsion boxes, Paulk style, to replace the ones I had before. (sorry I can't remember who to give credit to for the idea I used on my original bench). By integrating the table saw support, I completely eliminated the table saw table, freeing up LOTS of sqft.
While researching the Workbench I watched a lot of Paulk's Youtube videos. This lead me to watching lots of other people's Youtube channels and to see his design for the Total Station, a 3'x6' version centered around a miter saw. I decided to build this too! I used it on Friday to trim a bathroom remodel I'm finishing and WOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!! This is my first time doing trim without having the miter saw set on the ground or a 24" tall painter's platform. 

I'll include current photos in this post, showing my progress so far. The next post will have photos of my previous setup and another post of my van's transformation.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

Here are some pictures of my setup before. Photos of the front and back of my table saw workbench. In the beginning the shopvac was inside the table, convenient but loud. Last year I moved the vac into the attic and ran PVC down to a filter box just inside the garage door then to a hose hanging from the middle of the ceiling. Now that I have the total station, I plan to move where the hose hangs from. The third pic you can see my old router table. It was in the way when not inuse and not very stable when I did use it, setting on the torsion boxes with the router hanging between them.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

I thought I took a picture of the total station all setup at the jobsite Friday but now I can't find it. That's the 3'x6' total station sticking out of the sawhorse under the Workbench in the first post. I built the Total Station to transport with me to job sites. This means that I need to rearrange my work van so it fits in there, along with all the other tools and supplies I carry. I didn't take a 'before' picture of my van, I'm sure I have some old ones somewhere but it was stocked FULL of stuff. The van came with steel shelving units along the inside of each wall. These were filled with tools and a few supplies. The middle space of the van 3' wide, 4' tall and 9' long was filled with Rubbermaid Brute bins, buckets, screw storage containers, tool tote, air compressor and when I bring them the table and miter saws. One huge problem with this design is that I needed to unload some of the truck at ever stop just to get the tools I needed. If I didn't put everything away every time (sometimes hard to do at 7pm when I just want to go home and eat) the van quickly turned into a mess!

Ok time to go to church so I'll continue later...


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## Eugd (Jan 29, 2015)

The new workstation looks great, those feather boards look very impressive!


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Nice job.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

Eugd said:


> The new workstation looks great, those feather boards look very impressive!


Thanks, I built a couple of 'barn door' style doors out of cedar 2"x6" - T&G together into a single slab. I needed some more feather boards to hold everything in tight. Once they were all shaped I had three stacks of boards so consistent that the tongue and grooves all lined up all the way up. As I finished shaping a board and laid it on the others I had to be sure not to lock it into the next stack.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

Last week and this weekend I spent some time building the first big drawer for the bed of the van, moving the power inverter, batteries, covering the wheel well and building the first tool drawer (drawer within a drawer). Before the batteries were vented with PVC hose but that was too bulky so I made a custom wood duct.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

Ohh, I found a 'before' picture of the van. I took this after buying the BB. Notice the steel shelving on either side that came with the van.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

I've made quite a bit of progress in the last two months. Lots more drawers, cubbies, shelves and stashes.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Everand , I'm really liking the storage drawer in your van . The guys where I work aren't that capable , but this would work fantastic for them when they lower there tailgate and had access to all there parts . 
The main drawer doesn't use drawer sliders?


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

It's amazing the difference. I've been working out of this van for 5 years using the original steel shelves. It was a pain to climb in and out all the time and tools were buried so deep that often at the end of the day I'd just toss everything in so I could drive home. It got out of sorts REALLY fast! Now when I need something I just pull out one of the drawers. Only the tools I rarely use are in a cubby or one of the bins. And since the rest of the van stays tidy I can actually get to those in good time anyway.

No hardware at all. I either extended the sides below the bottom or glued runners under the bottom, so it just rides plywood edge on plywood. The first drawer (with the tool pullout) is flat on the bottom so the whole surface of the bottom slides. 

We did sand and wax all the sliding parts.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

Yesterday we added a shelf above the bench to hold spray cans. Modified shelves from the previous design to hold supply bins and made a little cubby for the caulk guns. Covered the passenger wheel well stash and found a home for the broom and T-square.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

So the challenge for today is to fit all these long items into their place. I have 6"x13.5"x6' between the lower Brute lid and the bench. So I'm thinking of an opening in the back (visible after opening the back door) to slide the bench extensions, vacuum hose and levels into their own place. Above that a box that opens from the top to keep the fish rods, drill bits, vent brushes and other long items.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Yes there's a lot to be said for having easy access and being well organized

In my work truck , I'm always trying to improve on things to make life easier


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

So here's the plan...


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Nice one Everend it's coming along nicely.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

This cabinet was a challenge but got it done and installed. There is still enough room to the right for the Total Station and with it loaded it's quite stable. I put the table extensions in it after taking this photo and drove around all day just sitting there. I was a little worried about it tipping over without the bench there to support it. It didn't move!


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## Gr8trim4u (Jan 5, 2017)

Nice job!! I always find it amazing when i back my trailer on the job first day and open the door. Client's eyes get really big and they are like whoa! It always seems to validate they hired the right guy. Knocking it out of the park also helps get you paid faster.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

Gr8trim4u said:


> Nice job!! I always find it amazing when i back my trailer on the job first day and open the door. Client's eyes get really big and they are like whoa! It always seems to validate they hired the right guy. Knocking it out of the park also helps get you paid faster.


 Amen to that!

Since my van's transformation is recent I still get to show it off to all my customers. Most of my business is repeat, same customers, new projects.


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## Everend (Mar 15, 2013)

Made some progress yesterday organizing two of the drawers. Also cut out some handles on the sides so they are easier the handle when I need to pull them out.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Very nice setup Everend . I hate getting in my work van on my hands and knees , so your idea would save your knees a bit I suspect.
Like the way you organized your tools . I'm sure it's going to pay off immensely


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