2-Level Workshop??

I'm in the process of deciding whether to build a new free standing workshop building vs. modifying current space in our house. Clearly the separate building would be ideal, but the initial cost estimates are making me think otherwise. I currently have a basement shop with reasonable room but REALLY want to get into a space with some windows and additional space. I am transitioning from primarily power tools to more and more hand tool work. I will likely end up with some type of "hybrid" model but the hand/bench work will likely dominate. If I stay in the house, I would need to keep my larger power tools (table saw, joiner, planer, lathe, etc. in the basement but could move my "bench space" to an existing ground floor space (with windows!) that would also have room for a bandsaw and a few other things. The 2 areas are directly linked by a dedicated stairway.

So my question... what has been anyone's experience, if any, with a 2 level workshop (in this case, a ground floor bench space connected to a lower level machine space)? Thanks!

I swear someone ask the exact same question fairly recently...

I am not crazy!!!

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...e-and-basement

You can check it out for maybe some additional info to what shows up in this thread.

I am actually planning on doing a 2 level shop and thought about having my hand tools upstairs and machines down, the only thing I ran into mentally is how often I need a handtool where I assemble and didn't want to haul things up and down during assembly. My plan it to having a turning area with of my bandsaws upstairs as well as a couple of machines I don't use often and are only used on indivisual pieces, smaller stationary sanders and mortiser. The other problem was sharpening, I would like to have all my sharpening in one place but would have to either walk up and down with the lathe tools or the hand tools. Bottom line the more I think about it the less I like it but will probably do it since it adds a lot of space for more tools which is always good!

It drove me nuts, every time I needed something it was upstairs or downstairs and moving stuff that needs working on from one to the other is a pain.

I have a split shop ( two difft buildings )

Drives me nuts ( but ya... A short drive )

Spend way too much time Going back and forth ( with tools, materials, etc etc )

If possible my advice is to keep it in one place. If the second level is storage or office or dust collector, etc... That would be fine ( I have a fair size overhead storage in the one building and this works great for materials but still accessible from below)

For a brief moment, my wife and I were looking at a house with a detached two story garage that would have been the shop. My thought was to set up her lathe and associated gear in the top floor and the main shop downstairs. I think unless you have some pretty solid disconnect between the things you do (maybe you do metal and wood work) then like the other poster said, you'll drive yourself crazy always needing something that is on the other floor.

As the others have noted, carrying stuff from one space to another is enough of a nuisance that you want to plan your shop to minimize it. So, whether on one floor or two, I wouldn't split the machine vs hand work into separate rooms unless you have multiple people who will use the shop at the same time (in which case the hand work folks would probably prefer not to need ear protection!). But there are other functions you could easily split off: wood storage, finishing, office (storage of plans, computer or drawing area, etc.).

I at one point had a two level shop. the lower was my wood shop while the upper was strictly finishing. it was an absolute nightmare. You would not believe how often finishing requires some little thing or activity that happens to be in the shop. Granted, my shop is a commercial s shop and probably has much more going on than your average hobbiest shop, but the idea of trudging up or down stairs evey time that thing you need is in the wrong half would still be frustrating.

Thanks for all of thoughts. I agree that it would be best to find a single floor solution, likely with a new free-standing building. You have all been very helpful!

If you had some sort of elevator between the levels, moving stock and projects would be easier.

Even if it's little more than a chute, a pass-through beats having to haul stock upstairs.
Most of the successful conversions I've seen involve building above a garage.

I keep cars in my garage - just the way SWMBO likes it...

jim
wpt, ma

I've kind of had that for a number of years. I cut my plywood and rough saw my lumber, to a convenient length, in my garage and then plane, joint, final saw, rout etc in the basement. I then convert my garage to a finishing room and complete my project there. In the last 5 yrs I added a second jointer, planer and band saw to my garage. My cyclone is in the garage so I have dust collections in both areas as well. Last summer I added a 3rd stall that I will share with our boat, so I will continue to have a split system until we get out of boating. All big tools are on wheels so that we can keep our vehicles inside when I not working in the garage. Oh yeah, since we are in Michigan I have a 150,000 btu heater for the garage for temporary heat.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eric Kipker

Oh yeah, since we are in Michigan I have a 150,000 btu heater for the garage for temporary heat.

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I don't think my furnace has that kind of capacity.... lake effect Winters are tough!

I have a two level shop and don't have any problems with it. Like a bi-level building. Upstairs is the woodshop. Downstairs is storage and other hobby area, furnace, sharpening station, breakroom, couch (napping), extra storage.

I have one too. My main shop is on the ground level will all my major tools and work bench. Upstairs I put my scroll saw and two stationary sanders along with small piece wood storage. I never work with huge workpieces with the scroll saw or sanders so it works well. I use the sanders and scroll saw only occasionally. I have room down stairs, but I moved the tools upstairs because it opened up space for assembilg large cabinets and I added a large wood and plywood storage. I have no major problems, but I would not want to split the key components of my shop like hand tool area and power tool area or project assmenbly area and so on.

I'm actually considering moving my lathe to the upstairs of my shop building to free up some more space. I would find it hard to separate most of the other workstations to a different area, however, although if I had the space, having a separate room for assembly and/or finishing would be nice. That's somewhat in line with your consideration of putting hand/bench work in a different area. Author and craftsman Chris Gochenour, who writes for Fine Woodworking had a shop arrangement somewhat like that, although the machine area and bench/hand work area was adjacent.