Top 10 Ultimate Shed Accessories

Setting up your shed for a full-on show or race car build? Getting ready to restore a priceless classic perhaps? If a job's worth doing it's worth doing right but it's not enough to just have good intentions and the time to tackle a job. You need to have the right tools as well.

It might seem obvious to many but the number of times we see people working on cars at home in the shed relying on the flimsy scissor jack and nothing else beggars belief! The cheap jack that came with your car was designed to be used, carefully, in emergencies for changing a flat tyre, not to support your car while you work on and often underneath it. Look for an alloy jack like this one with a low profile (something under 100mm) to allow for lowered cars. Take our word for it, a sturdy trolley jack and a pair of car stands is a cheap investment for any car enthusiast and is a lot safer to boot!

A big part of any engine rebuild or restoration project is cleaning the parts you'll be using again. Anyone who has ever tried to to this correctly with a wire brush and a can of brake cleaner will tell you that there has to be a simpler way. This is it! A 240V parts washer like this one can be had for around $150 and when combined with the right water-based metal cleaner solution will make short work of oil, grease and grime removal.

You've probably seen these in body shops or in the hands of parts restorers but mega-dollar sandblasting cabinets aren't just for the professionals. Home and small workshop units like this one cost less than $1000 and will take a selection of media including coarse garnet and glass bead. Just the thing for that classic muscle car job where original parts in good condition are so hard to find.

It might seem obvious but a good toolbox is one of the best investments you will ever make for your shed, especially for those of us with space at a premium. In our experience the bigger a toolbox is, the better as the tool collection is something that grows each year and having everything in the same place makes things that much easier. Fully fledged roller cabinets are a big advantage too and while a quality setup like this one will cost around the $1600 mark it's worth every penny. They look pretty cool too and are the perfect place to apply all those stickers you've accrued over years of performance part buys.

Another super-simple shed accessory is the humble workbench. But take note as not all benches are created equal. Look for something like this one with solid steel construction and lockable drawers to keep the most expensive or breakable tools away from junior or the dog.

A sturdy bench is also the perfect place to mount other accessories like a vice to so keep that in mind when shopping.

Speaking of must-haves that bolt to the bench, a decent grinder and linisher is something that will never go out of style in a properly equipped shed. It's easy to spend up big on power tools like these but for the hobbyist or light home user you can pick up something like this for a couple of hundred dollars. Beats the heck out of a file and a whole afternoon of effort!

Welding stopped being the dark art it once was the day that small, light home MIG welding units became affordable, like this Uni-Mig 180 that sells for a little under $400. With six power settings (30A-180A) and running on single-phase power it's a great little unit that will see those jobs you used to have to send out to a shop knocked over at a tenth the price and a tenth the time. While welding might not seem like something you'll need to tackle every day, as the old saying says, 'If you have to borrow a tool more than once, buy it!'

Put your hand up if you've ever needed a spray gun. How about a blower or something as simple as a pump for a flat tyre. That's everyone, right? Like modern welders, air compressors are one of the cheapest but most commonly used pieces of shed equipment you'll never want to go without. The bigger the motor and tank, the bigger the price but for almost any situation you could think of something like the 3hp/58L unit pictured is more than enough.

There's nothing worse than trying to deal with a stubborn bush, bearing or ball joint that just won't budge. That is unless you have one of these in your shed. The uses for a press like this entry-level 20 tonne unit are almost limitless. Make sure you go for something with a removable head and pump so you can knock over jobs outside your workshop like bending  or straightening metal. You should get change out of $400 for something like this as well!

 That's just what we'd have in our shed though. What additions would you make to our list? Leave your suggestions in the comments section below. Our special thanks to the folks at Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse for helping us put this list together. You can check out their truly massive range of high-quality workshop gear at their website: www.machineryhouse.com.au