The Perfect Size Shop

[Rob Will]

I voted 40x60. By the time you cardon off sections, you would have just the right amount of space. So what sections would I have?

1. A refinishing room separate from the dusty shop.
2. A room on the outer wall, with celotex insulation lining, not too big, that I could create my own airtight kiln in. My sawyer has such a room in his barn, he stacks green wood, turns on a blast heater to get the ball rolling, then leaves a couple dehumidifiers running. The heat from the motors is all he needs to cure the wood is what he says, and he does it full time.
3. Of course the main shop having plenty of room to move around, and permanent stations for everything. A couple of assembly tables that are boxed for perfect flatness. Also contains an air draft box/room for the dust collection, like we had in high school, with a shaker switch for the fan, and square ducts all the way to the floor everywhere, so you could even take pure dust pile sweepings and not have to use a dustpan. ( I had a neighbor who was buying those used from high school woodshops for about $300)
4. A separate section garage door accessible from the outside, that is not normally heated but with a blast heater available, for storing wood with enough room to store the portable saw mill.
5. An office and drawing room, that doubles as a showroom, and a place to store finish pieces to get them out of the shop before delivery. (I'm not sure how that would work???)
6. A bathroom

Well that is it. I guess I don't dream too big do I ?

Wow Bob! If we are going to have a "lumber drying section", maybe I should have offered a 60' x 120' just for you! Actually, I see your point.
My wood shop is 48' x 48' so I voted for 40' x 48' (but I don't bring wet lumber into that building at all, it dries elsewhere).
The main reason I did this poll was to help new members who are always asking the question: "how big should my shop be?". Everybody's needs, building site, and finances will be different. Hopefully, this will avoid one of our friends building a shop that is 50% smaller than what they really need. Regardless of the size, getting it right the first time would save hard earned $$ in the long run.

We live in a rural setting so buildings will tend to be bigger than many city sites will accomodate. Having said that, I have two good friends who have shops 24' x 36' and 30' x 40' respectively. Whether it is a basement shop, a single garage bay that you share with a car, or Bob's new 60' x 120' ...........

I hope everybody can spend thier money wisely and be happy with the outcome.

Thanks for the discussion and have a great year!
Rob

[Rob Will]

I picked the biggest because, wood, tools and machinery are not solids they are gases. They expand to fill all available space and conform to the containers in which they are placed. Hence, you can't possibly build a shop large enough.
Steve

LOL........that's so true Steve.

Rob

[Peter Quadarella]

I just picked the biggest one on your list. If there was a bigger choice, I would have picked that one. Is it possible to have a shop that is too big?

[Lee Schierer]

25% bigger than you thought it should have been when you first started setting it up is the right size. It si sort of like clamps, no shop is ever quite large enough. One of the laws of life is that equipment will expand to fill the space available plus at least 10% more.

[Roger Bell]

The question is a lot like how much money do you need to earn to live a good life.

Naturally, the first response is some variation of "more". And there is certainly nothing wrong with wanting that or working towards that.

The real issue in both cases is how best to live with what you have right now and how best to make it for you.

[Thom Sturgill]

I picked 28x26 (about 1000sq feet) because that is about the area of the geodesic dome I plan on building.

[Rob Will]

The question is a lot like how much money do you need to earn to live a good life.

Naturally, the first response is some variation of "more". And there is certainly nothing wrong with wanting that or working towards that.

The real issue in both cases is how best to live with what you have right now and how best to make it for you.

I agree Roger.
I think what we are really trying to avoid are problems in planning a new shop - problems that in the end are inadequate or wasteful. In my case, I could have been more effecient with many things. For example: I built a pole barn thinking it would be less expensive. By the time I insulated the walls and nailed on some plywood, I realized that I had actually purchased more lumber than had I built a stud frame building in the first place. A few more dollars up front would have saved money and resources in the end. Insulation is another item that falls into that category.

In my case, my handicapped father was no longer able to visit the cold and often "greasy" farm shop. The new wood shop is clean, warm and dry. It separates the "oily" work from the "clean work" and it makes it possible for my dad to stop by.

Yes, we all joke about bigger is better and always will. All jokes aside, sometimes "a little bit bigger" and getting it done right in the planning stages actually avoids wasting resources. There are also other areas such as adequate lighting, an uncluttered floor and enough space to neatly store materials - that adds an element of safety. All things in moderation but in the case of wood shops, building a little bigger than we originally thought we needed usually helps.

JMHO,

Rob

BTW: I hope nobody took the question to mean that we should automatically tear down the old shop. It was intended to help new woodworkers and those planning on building a new shop to select the right size for thier needs.

[David Duke]

I voted 40x48, the slab of my shop is 32x46 (1472 sf), if the actual shop space were that big it would be great but..........................my actual working area is 850 sf. While I have room for all the standard tools and pretty good space for assembly it seems crowded especially when building cabinets. These take up a world of room when building a complete set and I always seem to be moving my truck out of the garage an storing the case work in there until I get everything built and ready to install.

As I said the slab of my shop is 32x46 with a work areas of 24x32 with a 10x11 entry into it which houses jigs and my spindle sander, the rest is divided as follows, a 10x11 office; 6x11 room which houses my DC, compressor and also has a urinal and sink; there is also a 10x11 store room which SHMBO uses to store Christmas decorations (I've tried to reclaim it but it ain't happening !!!!!!!!!!); there is also a 11x24 carport on one end with a 6x8 storage room in which I keep my lawn mower and gardening tools (I hope to eventually build a separate storage shed for this).

[Mike Williams]

My under-construction (but almost completed) shop is 34' x 40' - I hope it is going to be the right size!

[David G Baker]

I already have a 30x40x10 that is nearly filled, due to parking a fair sized John Deere tractor in it. I have an 18x50 building that has a 16x24 lean-to on it. 2 1/2 car garage that has my road vehicles parked in it. I am thinking of another 30x40x12 to park my tractor and yard maintenance vehicles, etc. Not rich, just have 5 acres and a bunch of junk accumulated over the years.

[Corey Wilcox]

I may be breaking with the group somewhat, but I said 20 X 28. My father in law built a large shop a few years back (30 x 50 w/10' ceilings), but never considered the costs of actually heating it during the winter months. He ended up putting in two woodstoves to try and generate enough heat to keep his fingers from freezing while he worked. Not only does he have to bring all his glue, etc. into the house to keep it from freezing solid when he's not actively stoking the fire, he lost all kinds of floorspace to the woodstoves. IMHO, a smaller shop, although tight on space, would be more sustainable in the long run.

[Louis Rucci]

I voted 30 x 40 as I had planned on building a 30 x 35 (1050 Sq ft) shop. Since I don't like to cut living trees down unnecessarily I had to reduce mine to 28 x 32 (896 Sq ft). Keep in mind that's the outside dimensions. After laying 3 courses of concrete block to raise the ceiling to 10', the inside dimension ended up being 26.5 x 30.5 (808.25 sq ft).

One reason I'm going the EZ way and would like a combination Jointer/shaper machine to save space.

Still need to sell my 6" joint and 15" planer first.

One thing that wasn't mentioned, how much of the work are we willing to do for the shop? In my case, I had my contractor complete the building and leave the inside work for me. So all the wiring, insulation, sheet rock, plumbing, etc will be done as time and money permits.

Louis

[Bob DiGiacomo]

It costs a lot of money to go huge. I have a 24 X 24, but I am just a hobbiest woodworker. I spent about $17,000 just for the building and now I am trying to justify "is it worth it to buy full size tools for a hobbie shop?" I guess it all depends on 3 things
1) what line of work your in
2) How much money you have
3) And how your relationship is with your wife.

P.S. I must be doing alright. My wife just ordered me a cabinet saw for my birthday.

[Robert E Johnson III]

I picked 1200 sq. ft. because that is the size I built, but loml says that she needs part of it so for know I use 15'x30' and a wall seperating the two bay garage. I do have a large door 6' wide to access the other side.

[Rob Will]

My under-construction (but almost completed) shop is 34' x 40' - I hope it is going to be the right size!

That sounds like a good size to me too Mike. My good friend with 40 years experience as a WW'r, carpenter, and general contractor just completed his 30' x 40' x 12' building (extra height due to tractor). It is the most efficient building I have ever seen. He must have counted the nails.

I have a few questions since we are often discussing his shop layout:
Where do you plan to store lumber and plywood? Will plywood stand on edge or lay down?

Rob