Idea Shop 5 is WOOD Magazine’s modular plan for turning a 15×22-foot bay of a three-car garage into a full-featured woodworking shop. Its core idea is repeatable cabinets, mobile tool bases, and a 45-degree interlocking wall-cleat system that lets you move storage and machines as your work changes.
What Idea Shop 5 is designed to do
The layout addresses a common constraint: getting serious woodworking capability into a single garage bay without permanently fixing every station in place. WOOD Magazine describes the design as a compact shop with work surfaces, wall storage, mobile bases, and dust collection.
Rather than treating each tool as a separate construction project, the system reuses related cabinet parts. A basic cabinet can serve as storage, support a work surface, or become part of a mobile tool station. That repeatability reduces the number of different case designs you must build and makes later rearrangement practical.
Footprint and planning priorities
The published footprint is 15×22 feet inside a three-car garage. That dimension is the design envelope, not a guarantee that every garage will have identical door clearances, electrical service, ceiling height, or safe operating space around machines. Measure your actual bay before committing to the layout.
The Tool Desk
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- FOLD AND GO: More than just a workbench for garage use, the Pegasus goes anywhere you need extra support . It’s easy to pop open for set up, it folds down compact to save on storage space, and fits under your arm for comfortable carrying
- TWO-IN-1 DESIGN: Seamlessly transition between a workbench and a sawhorse to tackle projects of all sizes
- HEAVY-DUTY SUPPORT: As a portable workbench, it offers a high load-bearing capacity up to 300 lbs. As a sawhorse, it supports an impressive 1000 lbs. From bulky lumber to potted plants and bikes to heavy equipment, Pegasus can handle the pressure
- EASILY EXPANDABLE: If you need more room, simply add another Worx support table—such as the Pegasus, the Sidekick, or Clamping Sawhorse. They’re all the same height and use the same connectors for seamless attachment
- LARGE SURFACE AREA: With a surface size of 31" × 25" and a working height of 32", this folding work table provides enough space to suit a variety of applications, from staining and woodworking to painting and repairs
Plan the circulation first
- Confirm that vehicles, doors, windows, and structural posts will not conflict with cabinets or mobile equipment.
- Reserve clear paths for moving sheet goods and long boards before fixing wall storage.
- Place dust-producing machines where hose runs can remain short and where a collector can be accessed for emptying.
- Use mobile bases for stations that must move to create infeed or outfeed clearance.
Use modularity as the organizing principle
Compare each station by footprint, storage capacity, mobility, tool access, dust-collection routing, material cost, and how quickly it can be reconfigured. The design is most useful when the same cabinet language supports several of those needs instead of creating isolated, single-purpose furniture.
The 45-degree French-cleat wall system
Idea Shop 5’s wall storage starts with cleats beveled at 45 degrees along their top edge. Matching cleats on cabinets and accessories interlock with the wall cleats, allowing a unit to be lifted off and repositioned without rebuilding the wall.
Rank #2
- Perfect for woodworkers, mechanics, and DIYers
- 60 x 20-inch rubberwood tabletop supports up to 300 pounds with a total workbench capacity of 600 pounds
- Four drawers, and lower shelf provide organized storage
- Built-in 7-1/2-inch capacity vise with included bench dogs for versatile clamping
- Backed by a two-year warranty
This approach turns changes in storage layout into a short removal-and-rehang operation. It is particularly useful in a small shop, where a cabinet that is convenient for one project may obstruct another.
Published cabinet depths
| Use | Depth |
|---|---|
| General storage cabinets | 12-1/4 inches |
| Hardware storage | 8-3/4 inches |
| Tool storage | 7-1/2 inches |
The system also includes bar- and pipe-clamp racks plus a perforated hardboard hand-tool board. Build the wall structure accurately and fasten it to framing or other suitable structure; the cleat geometry is what allows the hanging components to seat securely.
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Rank #3
- 2-in-1 Worktable: Portable work table is easy to switch between the sawhorse and the workbench, which can adapt to a variety of work scenarios, making your work more convenient
- 500 LBS Load Capacity: 2-in-1 clamping worktable and sawhorse feature quick clamps and holding pegs, supporting up to 500 lbs as a table and up to 1000 lbs as a sawhorse. Its aluminum leg frame provides superior strength compared to other workbenches
- Height Adjustable: Folding workbench can be adjusted at six different heights - from 30" to 35", catering to diverse work scenarios such as garages, lawns, and gardens. This height-adjusting feature allows you to handle projects at different levels
- Set Includes: 1-pack worktable; 2-pack 12” medium-duty E-Z HOLD bar clamps; 2-pack 6” light-duty E-Z HOLD bar clamps; 2-pack large bench dogs; 2-pack small bench dogs; 2-pack safety straps. Every accessory is designed for added flexibility to use
- Easy To Carry: The workmate's collapsible design folds flat for easy transportation and storage in a car, garage, or storage room. The hassle-free breakdown and folding mechanism make moving between jobs or locations effortless
Cabinet construction and materials
The official overview specifies medium-density fiberboard (MDF), medium-density overlay (MDO) plywood, and soft maple, combined with simple hardware and a clear finish. The workbench top is made from two layers of MDF banded with maple.
Why the material mix matters
- MDF: useful for stable cabinet parts and a dense, flat work surface.
- MDO plywood: suited to shop components that benefit from a plywood core and a durable overlay.
- Soft maple: used for edge banding and exposed wear surfaces in the published design.
- Simple hardware and clear finish: keep the system focused on durable shop utility rather than decorative complexity.
Seal and finish components according to the product directions you choose, and account for finish odor and curing time when working in an attached or occupied garage.
Rank #4
- INCLUDES: (1) Portable Bench Tool Stand with Bamboo Table Top, and (4) Bench Dogs
- FUNCTION: This multi-functional workbench tabletop accommodates a wide variety of woodworking projects, including clamping, cutting, painting and can used as a vise tool or sawhorse
- PREMIUM FEATURES: A portable design with fully adjustable vise panels for project versatility, a built in storage rack for your tools, plus an imprinted metric & imperial measurements and protractor scale for optimum accuracy
- BUILD: Flaunting a heavy duty steel frame and premium bamboo work top, this foldable work stand weighs an impressively lightweight 11 pound construction
- WEIGHT CAPACITY: Able to hold up to 220 lbs
Projects included in the Idea Shop 5 series
The project series, published across WOOD Magazine issues beginning in October 2003 with related November and December 2003 projects, covers a complete set of stations rather than one cabinet.
| Project | Role in the shop |
|---|---|
| Basic cabinet and mobile drawer cabinet | Reusable storage and support modules |
| Wall-cleat storage system | Reconfigurable hanging storage and accessories |
| Workbench | Primary hand-tool and assembly surface |
| Clamp and tool racks | Dedicated storage for clamps and hand tools |
| Lamp holder | Mounting point for task lighting |
| Mitersaw station | Dedicated cutting and support station |
| Flip-top work center | Two-sided support for different tools or operations |
| Dual-purpose sanding center | Sanding station assembled from several existing modules |
| Tablesaw/routing center | Combined contractor’s tablesaw and table-mounted router with storage and dust collection |
| Mobile base | Movement of cabinets and tool stations when floor space must change |
How the sanding center combines modules
The dual-purpose sanding center illustrates the system’s reuse strategy. It combines the flip-top assembly, easy-mover mobile base, basic cabinet, and three-drawer utility cabinet. The official plan describes it as approximately 32 inches tall, 24 inches deep, and 40 inches wide/deep.
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Best Value
- Instant Workspace Anywhere: Ready to work in just 30 seconds with no assembly required, this lightweight worktable is perfect for DIY projects, home improvements, and job sites.
- Robust & Spacious: With a large work surface supporting up to 1,000 lbs. and 12" clamps that can be installed horizontally or vertically, you can tackle heavy-duty tasks with ease and keep your materials secure for any job.
- Versatile Design: Ideal for miter saws, woodworking, and various other tasks, the quick-opening and folding system ensures seamless storage and transport, allowing you to set up and pack up quickly.
- Durable & Weather-Resistant: Constructed from weather-resistant polypropylene and heavy-duty resin with aluminum legs, this workbench won’t rust, peel, or dent for reliable performance in any environment.
- Made For Your Life: For over 75 years, Keter has invented, created, designed, and built products inspired by how people live to make their day-to-day lives better. Innovation has been at the heart of our success, enabling us to design lifestyle solutions for in and around the home in ways only WE can.
Because the station is assembled from previously defined components, its value is not only the sanding function; it also demonstrates how a shop can evolve without discarding earlier builds.
Tablesaw and routing center
The tablesaw/routing center combines a table-mounted router with a contractor’s tablesaw. The published design includes built-in storage and dust collection, consolidating two frequently used operations in one station while preserving the modular cabinet approach.
When adapting the concept to your own machines, verify the manufacturer’s required clearances, switch access, blade and bit height, fence alignment, and dust-port compatibility. Those details depend on the specific tools you install and are not universal dimensions of Idea Shop 5.
A practical build sequence
- Survey the bay: record the 15×22-foot target area, then note your actual walls, openings, posts, utilities, and machine-clearance constraints.
- Choose the first stations: start with the workbench, primary storage, and the tools you use most often rather than building every project at once.
- Build the wall cleats: cut the 45-degree bevels consistently and install the supporting cleats level and securely.
- Standardize cabinet parts: use the published 12-1/4-, 8-3/4-, and 7-1/2-inch depths where they fit your storage needs.
- Add mobility: put high-use or clearance-sensitive stations on the appropriate mobile bases before final placement.
- Integrate dust collection: route hoses and ports while building the tablesaw/routing and sanding stations, not after the shop is crowded.
- Test the layout: move each station through its operating positions and check infeed, outfeed, walking paths, lighting, and access to storage.
Where to get the plans
WOOD Magazine identifies the wall-cleat system, workbench, sanding center, lamp holder, mitersaw station, flip-top work center, tablesaw/routing center, and mobile base as projects from its October, November, and December 2003 issues. The magazine says the relevant issues and plans can be purchased through the WOOD Store.
The store listing titled Super-Flexible Shop Storage Woodworking Plan carries product code GR-00280. The captured listing showed $9.95; price and availability can change, so confirm the current listing before purchase. Related downloadable plans and back issues are also offered through the WOOD Store.
Quick Recap
Is Idea Shop 5 right for your garage?
- Good fit: you want a complete small-shop system, expect your tool mix to change, and value cabinets that can be moved or recombined.
- Less suitable: your space is substantially smaller than the published footprint, or your machines require clearances that cannot be provided in the bay.
- Best way to adapt it: preserve the cleat-and-cabinet logic while resizing individual modules around your walls, tools, and electrical and dust-collection layout.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
