Ideas for small workshop in 3 car garage?

[Jerry Olexa]

My setup is almost identical to yours: 3 car garage w 2 cars, lawn tractor, and the usual yard/garden material equipment, etc, etc.. I agree with Tim's comment: Rethink your approach. I have virtually everything on wheels BUT my major shop is in the basement (better in Winter also). I keep my table saw and planer up in the garage for easy access for sheet goods and open air in summer and also have a smnall workbench there in the "bumpout area". ALL the rest of WWing is done in the basement shop which I'm currently expanding. I also feel better/safer doing glueups and finishing in the basement where there is less traffic. IMHO. You're trying to cram a lot into a small space. Just my humble opinion...

[Tom Jones III]

Sorry I don't have time to make up a drawing but I'm real busy today... I've got the same 3 car garage situation and here is how I've handled it,

The jointer and planer are on the left wall with a set of shelves. The DC is in the corner of the left wall and back wall. PVC runs waist high down the left wall to service the planer and jointer.

A couple feet over, running parallel to the left wall naming from the back wall towards the garage door: BS, workbench, PM 66 TS with long fences. The workbench and TS are overlapping a little with the TS on the car side. The swivel wheels of the TS are nearest the back wall. When I've got something large to cut on the TS (like plywood) I leave the fixed wheels where they are and swing the TS out. PVC for DC runs along the back wall until it gets to the BS, then runs down the side of the workbench between the bench and TS.

My lumber rack is on the back wall in front of the cars. The bottom lumber rack has been turned into a table and a compound miter saw sits on this table. Biscuit joiner and other small hand power tools are on the floor under this table. I would like to someday build permanent storage here. This table would be a good place to build a router table, or incorporate it into the TS.

[Matt Bollinger]

You're trying to cram a lot into a small space. Just my humble opinion...<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

No doubt there! That's why I was asking in the first space. I had a hunch that there are others who have worked in similar sized spaces and might be willing to share some tips from their experiences. (This space is actually larger than what I had at my last house, so I'm actually excited about this "small" space.) The basement is not an option, so I cannot rethink my approach. Thanks anyway...

I've attached a couple of photos I took last night. Keep in mind that the shop is in "rough draft" phase. I'll eventually make a nice bench, cabinets, shelves, etc...

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I currently work out of a 2 car garage. If I had to, I could make a car fit in there. I would just clear out the center and park it. My LOML is gracious enough to park outside so I get the same space.

You will do well to keep everything on wheels. Best bet would probably to try and always keep one stall clear. Then you only have to clear out one other stall to park the other vehicle.

[Matt Bollinger]

Everything in the photo above is actually in one stall.

Both cars will normally be parked in the other two stalls. When I'm working on larger projects (for an occasional week or two at a time) I'll keep the car from the middle stall out in the driveway and migrate into its space...

[Christian Aufreiter]

Hi Matt,

although my shop is a lot smaller I share the concerns others mentioned. Maybe your space is too small for the number of tools you own
I’d definitely put the drill press on wheels otherwise it will be impossible to drill large pieces.
Just an idea, is it possible to mount the dust collector/vac to the wall/ceiling? If you install some hoses and pipes you could get along with that setup. Or you buy a vac which could be placed under the table saws outfeed table. Where are you planning to actually work with hand tools, do assembly jobs etc.?

How about building a shed for the bikes and the lawn tractor?
I don’t know what bikes you have and how often you ride them but I’ve seen space-saving storage ideas where bikes are hung at walls.

Regards,

Christian

[Mike Cutler]

Matt. We have similar sized shops. Mine is 9'x20'. There are a couple of strategies. Put everything you can on wheels, invest in good quality mobile bases with locking casters. Try to make as many horizontal surfaces as possible the exact same height. A jointer can make an excellent outfeed table for a tablesaw(damhikt). I don't know how tall you are,but I'm 6'3" and all my shelves, and storage are up high, out of the horizontal plane of material handling. Integrate the router table into the extension wing of the table saw. Make a flip top bench for the planer that doubles as a flat work surface when rotated.
The key for me was to think of the shop in "layers". Where does the material need to move, and in what plane during handling?
I have a seperate limitation, in that my shop has walls on both sides, ergo I have to position the tablesaw such that the left hand side is closer to the wall. This means that I have to use the miter in the slot to the right of the blade, instead of the left.
My shop has the following equipment in a 9'x20' area. A Jet Contractor tablesaw, with outfeed table, 6" Jet Jointer, 15" Jet Planer,18" Rikon bandsaw, Performax 16-32 sander, and a mobile miter station with a 12" mitersaw. Oh yeah, there is also an delta 14-651 mortiser and a full rolling toolbox with a grinding machine on top. And of course, a portable Jet DC 1100 dust collector. It gets a little crowded in there at times, but it's my space. It's hard to find room for the Kero heater in the winter though
I'm thinking of making a flip top table for the Mortiser and my drill press, that will also act as an additional work bench, when they are not in use.
The key though is mobility, and keeping the working surfaces at the same height.
At least you can move the cars out of the way if necessary. To qoute Motny Python "You we're lucky"
Have fun, and don't expect to get it right the first time It will evolve over time. Have fun and try not to ding the cars with wood