New Shop Layout - Looking for feedback on plan

[Neil Bosdet]

Hi folks,

I've been laying out my new shop for months and now it's time to build. I'm wondering if anyone can offer suggestions for improving the layout. The building is already standing with a concrete floor. I have a bad back so will be floating a 2x4 floor system with a standard subfloor and laying hardwood on top. I have a couple of things (wiring) that will be under the floor so I need to decide now before the floor is closed off. In particular, I'm wondering about the lathes. I will have 2 lathes. One is dedicated with a duplicator and the other will be for bowls and anything else. DC will come in from the shed I'm building on the side of the shop as seen in the drawings. It will be overhead, 9 ft ceilings. I will build a post in the middle of the planer/jointer/bandsaws for DC and wires so their position isn't critical until later but certainly for planning everything must be placed to figured out where they all go and to plan if any wiring needs to go under the floor.

I don't do a lot of sheet work. Mostly hardwoods, domestic and exotic.

The labels didn't adjust for a couple of machines so here's a list that corresponds to the plan. I was limited with Grizzly's shop planner but I'm sure happy to use it.

Router Table = labelled as Knife Grinder
Miter Saw = labelled as Power Feeder

I'm sure I'm forgetting more info so please ask as needed.

Click here to view my plan.

Thanks,

Neil

[Chris Padilla]

I assume your "roller bench for gluing" is mobile and can act as an outfeed for your table saw? Will anything be on wheels?

Bandsaws often need in/outfeed support as can planers and joiners.

Lathes seem more appropriate against a wall or even a corner but I'm no turner so I could be all wet here.

The dust collection will run across the ceiling?

Grizzly's shop planner looks pretty cool...I hadn't seen that before. Overall, looks good...lots of space but it seems that there is some open wall space. I'd used that more and free up the center of the shop a bit. You always need room to move around easily and swing long boards.

Since you're floating the floor, you will have channels that should be accessible for future upgrades and movements so provide access in terms of removable panels and extra runs of conduit in appropriate places.

[Neil Bosdet]

I assume your "roller bench for gluing" is mobile and can act as an outfeed for your table saw? Will anything be on wheels?
Bandsaws often need in/outfeed support as can planers and joiners.
Lathes seem more appropriate against a wall or even a corner but I'm no turner so I could be all wet here.
The dust collection will run across the ceiling?
Grizzly's shop planner looks pretty cool...I hadn't seen that before. Overall, looks good...lots of space but it seems that there is some open wall space. I'd used that more and free up the center of the shop a bit. You always need room to move around easily and swing long boards.
Since you're floating the floor, you will have channels that should be accessible for future upgrades and movements so provide access in terms of removable panels and extra runs of conduit in appropriate places.

You assume correctly. The roller bench moves around easily and can be an outfeed table for the TS. The router table is on wheels but I don't move it much usually. I have another cabinet on wheels but that's it. Everything is stationary and I prefer it that way or I should say, I don't like needing to move machinery.

I was thinking the two work tables on each side of the Jointer and Planer would act as infeed and outfeed for them when necessary on long stock.

Hmmm. I don't see much free wall space. You may be seeing my 2 - 9' walls but they are garage doors. Limitations on this program.

I don't really like lathes against walls. My duplicator set up is dedicated and I work from both sides constantly. My bowl lathe, well let's just say I like being flexible. It could go against a wall or even a garage door.

T&G flooring going over subfloor. Access panels are not really an option.

Thanks for your suggestions.

[Ben Hatcher]

Neil,
I think it looks pretty good. Don't forget that you have vertical space, too. A wood rack could go above and/or below your miter saw, for example.

[Eric DeSilva]

I don't really like lathes against walls. My duplicator set up is dedicated and I work from both sides constantly. My bowl lathe, well let's just say I like being flexible. It could go against a wall or even a garage door.

I thought the same thing as Chris, but I'm also not a turner. What about putting one end of the lathes against a wall and having them perpendicular to the wall so the space between the two could be used to face either? Might buy a little more room. The reason I say that is if I had a shop that size, I'd be looking really hard to try to find a way of creating a dedicated finish area with outside ventilation that could be isolated from the rest of the room...

[Neil Bosdet]

I have a 600 sq ft loft with outside entry above the shop. I will use that for finishing and a gallery.

Where would you put a lathe that's perpendicular to a wall that wouldn't cause new issues?

Vertical spaces will all be used as you suggest. Too hard to put in the layout and have it make sense to another viewer. The layout tool doesn't layer well.

[Neil Bosdet]

OK. Suggestions for lathes have been considered. Thanks Eric. What do you think of this new layout?

It's got 2 benefits over the previous layout.

1. The lathes are butting up to a wall so electrical and DC become much easier to work with.

2. It opened up enough space to allow another worktable. Nice.

Click here to view my plan.

Thoughts?

Cheers,

Neil

[Peter Aeschliman]

How about storage? Cabinets for tools, clamp storage, etc? I way underestimated my need for cabinetry when I first set up shop.

Also in the spirit of not moving tools, wouldn't you benefit from a permanent out-feed table for your table saw rather than having to roll one of your tables over? Depends on the kind of work you do, I guess... I use my table saw constantly, so either I'd have to roll the outfeed table over every time (would drive me insane), or the rolling table would always be there anyway.

[Neil Bosdet]

I will have lots of storage. Under all the surfaces is storage plus on the walls. Again in the side building. My TS is a slider and is next to my miter saw bench so a permanent outfeed table doesn't work.