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Thread: Setting up New Basement Shop - Need Layout Ideas

  1. #1

    Setting up New Basement Shop - Need Layout Ideas

    This is my first post to the forum, although I've been a lurker for the past several months. I've been a hobby fabricator and racecar builder for several years, however recently I've started to develop more interest in adding wood working.

    I posted a few previous (non-wood projects) below, my golf cart, car, and mobile tool cart

    I recently moved from the DC area to Carlisle PA. My new house came with a decently sized basement room that I think is suitable for a wood working shop. I'm still acquiring tools, but I'm a 'jump straight in the deep end' kind of person so I'd like to develop a layout that will work as I continue to acquire equipment.

    What I have.
    > DJ-20 jointer
    > benchtop planer
    > Delta stand-up drill press
    > contractors table saw
    > DeWalt 12 CSMS

    Near term acquisitions (actively searching now)
    > Cabinet saw (size to be determined)
    > Dust collection system
    > router table?

    Eventually (months, not years)
    > bandsaw

    The workshop was originally two rooms. I've started by removing the longer of the two dividing walls, which I originally thought might be enough. I built a simple sketchup model of the workshop. I put a full link to the model below, along with the screenshot. You can see unfortunately there's a support column right in the middle of the space that I'll have to work around. The right wall of the shop contains a built-in cabinet (lower right) and built-in shelves (upper right)

    The bench on the lower wall can be moved or removed as it's free standing, however the one on the left wall is built in (and really nice actually)

    I'm so new to the hobby I'm certain there's layout things that I'll completely miss if I go about this in the naive manner so I was hoping to ask for some advice. I've been searching through the history, but of course, every shop and equipment collection is a little bit differently. The layout below is just me attempting to fit anything, and I'm sure, far from ideal.
    I'm looking forward to being a member here and growing as a woodworker.

    I have a first project in mind. I acquired 7 8/4 quartersawn red oak boards that I'd like to use for a tabletop. Probably a separate thread will follow.

    thanks!

    Duncan

    Workshop.jpgcargolfcart.jpgpitcart.jpg

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/.../WorkShop1.skp

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
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    Coppell, TX
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    908
    Duncan

    A few things occur to me from looking at the floor plan:

    1) Do both doors lead to stairs outside? Reason for asking is identifying where you'll be bringing material in and out as it affects the flow
    2) Can the DC move to the top wall aligned with the Saw? If its in a corner you are going to lose less in the way of useful wall/floor utility. Also the jointer could go where the DC is (albeit sticking out slightly due to the fixed cabinets/shelves) as this wall has more space fore and aft of the jointer for long boards
    3) The planer is a long way from the jointer but I'm guessing you are going to put that on a mobile base of some kind? Normally the planer follows the jointer in terms of prep so having them close may be useful.
    4) Are you taking the final dividing wall down? If you are, I'd be tempted to turn the Saw through 180 and move it closer to the top wall. You generally need space on the left side of the saw - with your support pillar it may get in the way of longer work in its current location. Also, if you turn it around, you'll have a smaller working circle than you do currently
    5) I'd also move the drill press to the wall where the jointer is right now as that would give you more space around the saw. This would only work if you switched the DC and jointer locations though
    Last edited by Andy Giddings; 09-04-2016 at 2:06 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Mechanicsburg, PA
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    402
    Not knowing is anything is designed to be mobile or not, think about the longest board you will reasonably be running through each machine. This will depend somewhat on what kind of projects you have in mind. A dining table could have some length.

    You need to have that much clearance on either side of each machine. 8' is prob safe, 6' maybe but just something to keep in mind.

    Your other stuff looks cool. An exciting new adventure for sure.

  4. #4
    Thanks. Exactly the type of feedback I was looking for. I've attached a revised drawing. I spent this afternoon taking down the last wall. It was obvious from the drawings that it was really limiting the possible layouts.

    > The lower right door leads to exterior stairs.
    > The left door leads into the rest of the basement.
    > At some point the planer will get a mobile base

    Changes,
    - I flipped the saw 180 degrees.
    - Moved the dust collector and drill press
    - Put the jointer on the right wall.

    Screenshot (25).jpg
    Quote Originally Posted by Andy Giddings View Post
    Duncan

    A few things occur to me from looking at the floor plan:

    1) Do both doors lead to stairs outside? Reason for asking is identifying where you'll be bringing material in and out as it affects the flow
    2) Can the DC move to the top wall aligned with the Saw? If its in a corner you are going to lose less in the way of useful wall/floor utility. Also the jointer could go where the DC is (albeit sticking out slightly due to the fixed cabinets/shelves) as this wall has more space fore and aft of the jointer for long boards
    3) The planer is a long way from the jointer but I'm guessing you are going to put that on a mobile base of some kind? Normally the planer follows the jointer in terms of prep so having them close may be useful.
    4) Are you taking the final dividing wall down? If you are, I'd be tempted to turn the Saw through 180 and move it closer to the top wall. You generally need space on the left side of the saw - with your support pillar it may get in the way of longer work in its current location. Also, if you turn it around, you'll have a smaller working circle than you do currently
    5) I'd also move the drill press to the wall where the jointer is right now as that would give you more space around the saw. This would only work if you switched the DC and jointer locations though

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,675
    It's all about workflow. "In general" the table saw, jointer and planer are the most used tools in a typical woodworking shop, so they should be located such that they are complimentary. You seem to have that covered pretty well in your latest drawing. Consider putting your dust collector in an enclosed space...it will greatly reduce noise levels in your shop and you'll appreciate that over time. (don't forget return air considerations for that)
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    Trussville, AL
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    191
    What are your plans for lumber storage?

    Personally I would swap out where you have the miter saw and planer in the bottom drawing. (I'm assuming the yellow bit is the planer) currently you have the planet along the longest wall, I'd prefer to have the chop saw along the longest wall. Of course that's irrelevant if the space is big enough. It's late here but I don't remember seeing any dimensions. I'd want at least 12' for my miter saw. Longer if possible. You seldom plane or joint full length boards, but you'll almost always chop them down.

    If this is your first shop my best advice is to keep as much flexibility in the design as possible. Even with all the expert (not me) advise you'll get here you will still inevitably find something that will work better than what you did first. Incorporating future changes into your design is one of the most important and challenging aspect of shop design in my opinion.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    NW Indiana
    Posts
    3,078
    First, I would put everything on wheels. This allows you to reconfigure easily. I would also look at your electrical and make certain that it allows for easy movement of machines. The same goes for the dust collector and how you pipe it to your machines.

    What ever layout you decide on, it probably will be changed after your first project.

  8. #8
    Keep your milling machines close to each other. This also makes dust collection easier to layout.

    +1 on the mobile bases. Once you actually get to work it really helps to tweak your layout.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    1,950
    I agree on keeping mobile as you will likely want to move things around and tweak the layout over time. Picking a basic starting point like you are doing and just start using it is what I think is the best way to figure out your layout. You will like things one way and it may be different than what others like but you will start to see things changing as you use it. I'm in the middle of rearranging right now after about 4 to 6 months of using my layout. Good luck and have fun!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    E TN, near Knoxville
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    12,298
    Duncan,

    What I did to lay out my shop worked for me. I drew a building layout to scale then made cutouts or scale models of each machine, existing and planned. I used paper but 3D is fine. But I added extensions to each machine model (and around workbenches) to represent the maximum stock maneuvering space I wanted, both for infeed and outfeed plus a little extra. For example, do I expect to put a 4x8 sheet on my cabinet saw? (probably never, but I might want to allow for it.)

    Then I made circular cutouts representing both my minimum and desired walking and maneuvering space around and between each machine and workbench. I moved these cutouts through the space and imagined actually carrying stock while moving. To help visualize the walking space needed I stacked some cardboard boxes to represent the pinch points and actually walked through them.

    Think about equipment you haven't thought about! (Yikes, I don't see a lathe in your list.) Reserve bench space for misc smaller things like extra belt/disk sander, etc. Finishing area?

    Don't forget to plan the lighting after you position the equipment. I wanted no shadows or glare on a polished saw table.

    In my case I did all this before I built the building so I was able to plan access doors and refine interior walls accordingly.

    Consider building a sound reduction enclosure around your dust collector. I put my cyclone and big air compressor in an insulated closet with wide double doors for access. It makes a huge difference.

    All this went a long way towards preventing any "oops, I wish I'd thought of that", especially after installing DC, electrical, and lighting.

    JKJ

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Boston
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    1,740
    A few things to consider. Is the ceiling insulated and sheetrocked and how well? The DC especially makes a lot of noise plus the other tools are loud. You also need to run lights so it may be worth redoing it so you can minimize the noise.

    Try to keep the dirtier work like sawing planing towards the exterior door and finer work, assembly towards the interior door. It will keep the dust away from going in the house somewhat.

    You can add some cabinets above the bench in the corner for storage. As for electrical add plugs, 110 and 220 on all walls so you have flexibility to move tools around.
    Don

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Florida
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    1,950
    Regarding dust collection noise, my Oneida V3000 makes noise but it's not that bad to me. I can stand and carry on a normal conversation with someone while it is running. I'm in a 20x22 garage space that is attached to the house. It's insulated with spray in foam, and the same other items as the house and I have it air conditioned. That said, when I'm running the V3000 it is a low hum tone as opposed to say my planer that makes a high pitched sound. My family in the house can't even hear it when it's running and I've walked around the outside of my house and it is barely noticeable unless you are about 2 feet away from the garage door. My neighbors say they've never heard any of my equip other than the planer.

    My point is that insulation I think made a big difference and the type of dust collector also helped. It is a big fan on a 3hp motor as opposed to a smaller vacuum style dust collector so that's something to think about when shopping for dust collectors is the noise output as well as the tone/pitch of that noise.

  13. #13
    All good advice. I've put together a few shops over the years and come to the following conclusions:

    1. Spend more time on how and where to store wood. I keep full sheets of plywood in the garage along with sheet of 11/2" foam board, a clamping strait edge, and a circular saw with a sharp plywood blade. I make my primary cuts in the garage and then carry the smaller cuts down the stairs to my basement shop. Long boards come through the basement window. MY shop backs up to a partial crawl space with a concrete stem wall. In the upper half I made a lumber yard style wood bin so most of my long wood is stored in the crawl space. cutoffs and leftovers tend to get placed wherever in the shop and often times get in the way. especially on big projects.
    2. You can never have enough wall space for storage. in my present shop I added a wall to divide the space into a machine room and a hand room. I try to keep most of the dust out of the hand room so finishing is a bit easier. one of the added benefits was I gained both sides of the dividing wall. My hand tools hang on one side and most of my clamps hang on the
    other.
    3. Put as many of your power tools as possible on rolling stands. my mini lathe, router table, surface planer, bandsaw, and jointer can all be wheeled into my furnace room. I have a dedicated 1 1/2 hp DC attached to my table saw and another on wheels that I attach to the other machines as needed.
    4. Before rushing out to buy a bunch of power tools, take a workshop on using hand tools. I made a lot of stuff over the years with machine marks showing up after the finish was applied. A few planes and scrapers can make a world of difference in the finished product. good luck and have fun
    That which was given to me, I pass on to you.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Charlotte NC
    Posts
    189
    Yea, count me also as pleased with the low noise of the Oneida V3000....I had two screamer cyclones before and was skeptical when they said this was much quieter. Its the quietest cyclone I have seen and since my shop is in the garage attached to the house its not disturbing to the rest of the family. And it works great. Glad I went with the 50gallon drum...its fills fast.

  15. #15
    Good tips. The overhead is insulated with a drop ceiling. There are lots of outlets in the space, however only 1 220V. I installed a 90 amp sub-panel in the garage above when I moved in, so I'll probably run another sub-panel (~50amp) off that for the wood shop. That, plus some conduit and I can outlets wherever I need them.

    Duncan

    Quote Originally Posted by Don Jarvie View Post
    A few things to consider. Is the ceiling insulated and sheetrocked and how well? The DC especially makes a lot of noise plus the other tools are loud. You also need to run lights so it may be worth redoing it so you can minimize the noise.

    Try to keep the dirtier work like sawing planing towards the exterior door and finer work, assembly towards the interior door. It will keep the dust away from going in the house somewhat.

    You can add some cabinets above the bench in the corner for storage. As for electrical add plugs, 110 and 220 on all walls so you have flexibility to move tools around.

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