Looking for Shop Design and Set Up/Layout info??

[Jay Bowdring]

Hi, I am new to woodworking in the past year or so, and I am finally redoing my basement. I am looking for any info,tips, and websites anyone has about "setting up shop." I bought a bunch of prefab cabinets real cheap from a home imprvmt store that was discontinuing the cabinet style, so while I have been cleaning out Junk and painting and patching foundation walls, I've been trying to figure out how I want to layout my shop. I have some books and stuff that have helped out alot. Each one has different ideas I like/dislike so I can put my own twist on each thing and apply it to my own shop. Soooo anyways if anyone has anything they think might help me, I would greatly appreciate it!!!!

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!!!!

Jay Bowdring

[glenn bradley]

You're probably found some recurring themes in what you have already read. Wood storage near the door it will come in, Machines grouped by use (material break down, shaping and finish sizing, assembly), supplies for tools near the tool (don't walk across the shop to get that band saw blade, store it nearby) and that sort of thing.

I keep the tools that I reach for over and over again on a wall over the bench (favorite screw driver, bench chisel, square, small plane, pocket rule, pencils). Under this area in a drawer are other frequent use items; saddle square, bevel gauge, compass, precision marking tools, etc.

I keep my screws and clamps near the assembly area but for reasons as of yet unknown keep my glues under the drill press (???). I'll get to that one of these days. Oh, I also keep my trash bins (not scrap bins) near the door leading to the trash barrels; stuff like that.

Enjoy yourself. Organizing and reorganizing my shop as my skills develop and my needs change is my favorite thing besides actual woodworking.

[Cary Swoveland]

...Organizing and reorganizing my shop as my skills develop and my needs change is my favorite thing besides actual woodworking.

Reorganizing seems to be an ongoing task for many of us, though I'm not sure about it being a favorite pasttime.

There are lots of books on the subject of shop design. I've bought a few, but haven't found them very helpful.

However you design your shop, you will soon find ways to improve the layout. The changes may be minor or major. That's one argument for putting tools on mobile bases.

A good starting point would be to make scale drawings of the shop, tools, cupboards, wood racks, etc. Cut out the tools and such and play around with different placements. Note which sides of each tool require space for the operator and for the material being processed. Some tools can go against a wall (drill press, jointer), others cannot. Sometimes you can line up a tool with a doorway (e.g., band saw, miter saw), so when you have a long board to cut you can open the door to obtain additional space. Do not limit yourself to orienting tools so they are parallel with walls. If your tools are on mobile bases, figure which arrangments work most of the time, and how you could move tools to process unusually long or wide boards.

The centrepiece of most shops is the workbench. It is used a lot and takes up a lot of space. Do not automatically assume that you will need a traditional, massive, hardwood bench. They are designed for using hand planes, chisels, scrapers and other hand tools. If you will mainly be using power tools, consider other options. Have a look at Festool's MFT for ideas ( http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDet...&prodid=492652 ).

If additional storage is available in an adjacent room, consider keeping most of your wood there. That frees up room in the shop and makes it easier to keep the shop reasonably clean.

Don't overlook good overhead lighting.

Cary

[lou sansone]

FWW has a bunch of books that are worth looking at. I also find it helpful to look at how others have done it in a similar space. I have a seperate shop, so that will not be much help. but there are plenty of guys here with a shop like you are dreaming about. maybe they would share some photos

lou

[Dick Bringhurst]

I believe the Grizzley site has a shop layout program that will allow you to graphicly play around with different layouts to scale. Dick B.

[Ron Blaise]

Floor/wall space is going to be premium so keep that in mind with your cabinets. I have mine high so I can work under them. Table saw, planers, and jointer's need room to feed boards so I have them in middle of shop. Drill press, lathes, band saws, tools like that I have against my walls (with mobile bases). My workbench is mobile too. A lot will depend on how much room you have to work with. Enjoy your shop!

[Jim Becker]

The most important thing to think about relative to shop design and layout is work flow. (including infeed/outfeed space) Tools that you use as complimentary should be close to each other. (my saw and jointer fit that bill, for example as I bounce between them constantly) Staying mobile will help you adjust to that as you develop your own routines and little used tools can be "parked" out of the way most of the time.

[Wilbur Pan]

I'm in the middle of this process. The best advice I have is to spend twice the amount of time thinking about your infrastructure (lighting, electricity, plumbing) as you think you need to. Once you get the cabinets, tools, and the other fun stuff in, you won't be able to get to the infrastructure as easily.

I was lucky enough to have my neighbor's brother, who's an electrician, do my wiring for my workshop area. He gave me twice the number of outlets I had asked for (still within code). He said that I'll need them eventually, and I already see that he's right. I had also asked him for just one 220V circuit, which he put in, but he also ran some extra wire in case I wanted a second 220V circuit, which he's right about again.

This also gives you flexibility if you decide to reorganize and move tools around in the future.

[Mark Singer]

I agree with Jim flow is important. I use the dea of minimum effort.. My roll up door where the lumber enters is right next to the tablesaw....My outfeed table on the saw....is next to the jointer /planner. My layout table for marking , glue-ups and finishing is the outfeed table. The bandsaw and bench are adjacent for joinery and template work...If you think about the steps in building a project , from start to finish....it will give you a good beggining on layout

[Jay Bowdring]

I just want to say thanks for your advice. The books and articles I have read have goof info in them, but the situations are always IDEAL, and my basement is far from an "ideal" workshop, having to share it with the washer/dryer, the furnace/air handler and also need to leave enough space for storage. But I know with the right planning and taking my time i can set up a great little shop for my self!!

My basment is about 24X 24' but the space I am actually aloting for the shop is about 10' X 16-18' give or take a little. For most of the area, the ceiling height is 7'6" but the concrete floor isnt very flat so some spots are lower.

If anyone has had similar experiences with a 10x16 shop in the basement of a house that was built in 1906! Send me some pics, drawings, plans, or any info you could give me!

I just want to say thanks again to everyone who responded so fast to my post, especially with me being a very new member to Sawmill Creek.
Hopefully I'll get to know some of you soon, Thanks Again

Sincerely,

Jay Bowdring

[Roger Fitzsimonds]

Jay.

On yu wall cabinets I would mount them with french cleats so you can move them when you want to. You will want to eventually.

Roger

[Brian Dormer]

my 2 cents - you will probably have limited space (at least, more limited than you would prefer) so make every inch count. Plan all your table heights to complement each other (in my shop - nearly everything is at 36" - so I have infeed, outfeed and support for big boards going thru the TS). Look for oppertunities to overlap work areas (best example I can think of is Norm's Miter saw station in the NYW - it houses his chop saw, acts as a support for his radial arm saw, provides some work-table space and even has a place for a motrising machine - and don't forget STORAGE!!

I have a setup similar to the NYW chop saw setup - and I have my drill press at the end of the table - long boards pass underneath the table of the DP when I'm chop sawing and the table space is handy when I'm drilling.

Start planning with your TS (make sure you have maximum room ot maneuver) - then figure out where your chop saw "wall" is going to be. Find a home for your main workbench with hand tool storage near by. ANd go from there....

And finally - allow for FUTURE growth. Just because you don't have a <insert large tool here> yet - if you think you will - leave space for it.

[Pete Brown]

My basment is about 24X 24' but the space I am actually aloting for the shop is about 10' X 16-18' give or take a little. For most of the area, the ceiling height is 7'6" but the concrete floor isnt very flat so some spots are lower.

If anyone has had similar experiences with a 10x16 shop in the basement of a house that was built in 1906! Send me some pics, drawings, plans, or any info you could give me!

Jay, given that you share the space with the stuff you mentioned (washer, dryer, furnace) and the fact that this is in the basement of a house means you absolutely need to make sure you have your dust under control. That means a good dust collector, and good point collection at each tool. You'll also want an air filter to pick up the fine dust that floats around. Otherwise, expect lots of dust in your clothing in the laundry. Seriously.

If your dryer or furnace are gas, this is even more important. Similar if the furnace is oil, but the pilot in that is usually contained a bit better. I have no experience with coal, which can be common in old houses but is typically converted to something else these days (oil more often than not)

If you have open insulation above you, install a drop ceiling or at least some plastic. You want to 1. help keep dust from getting upstairs and 2. keep upstairs dust and fiberglass from getting on to your work.

My shop in my shed is a little bit smaller than yours at 11x15. However, I can open a door to joint or plane long stock. If you can do the same, that will help. My jointer and planer are mobile, as is my bandsaw. My tablesaw is fixed.

Your shop size will dictate the length of stock you can work with. For example, you'll need a good way to crosscut long boards before bringing them into your shop, as they won't fit on the table saw. Similarly, you will have to set the max size you can rip on your table saw. In my case, that is 6' due to the available space in front of and behind the saw.

Wood storage can be a pain. One way around that is to buy wood when you need it and not before. Then you really only have to store off-cuts and extras. Plywood and other sheet goods can really hog up space, and end up warping over time unless stored flat. Buy what you need, when you need it.

I use my festool saw on my patio to cut sheet goods. My tablesaw generally only sees solid stock. My bandsaw is used mostly for resawing, but also for some curve work now and then.

I store my wood in my finished basement in my house. Since I am working on a home renovation, the basement is a disaster and is full of wood: rough lumber, sheet goods and 1" thick primed trim wood. Some of the trim wood I bought too early now looks like boomerangs and bananas (this is a finished, heated basement, btw). Some of the chinese plywood looks even worse. What a waste.

Pete