Shop design

No more about Borderliners.

I am trrying to come up with a good design for tool positioning in my shop. Anyone who has a shop set up probably has an idea about what should go where and why. Post them here so I can figure out a good arrangement.

I've got:

A 19 x 22 foot building. But I have already put in some benches (that can be changed). Along the short wall, I have erected a 1/4 inch thich perf board for hanging tools that runs the entire width of the building. I put the bottom of the board at 39" abover the floor and it runs corner to corner.

Just beneath the perf board in the center, I have a 4 x 8' plywood table made of two sheets of 1/2" plywood doubled to 1" for strength. This table is arranged with the short end against the wall of the building and the long side protruding 8' into the area. To each side of this table are i 28" wide doubled 1/2" plywood work surfaces, each is 5' long so I have a "T" arrangement. with the cross part of the T against the back wall and the 4 x

8 table being the vertical.

Along the right wall (looking toward the perf board, are 4 former bookcases. These were 4' x 4' and I stacked them by twos so I have, in effect, an 8 x 8 foot block of shelves. Beside the shelves is another plywood work surface

28" x 5 feet. Over that work syrface is a smaller book case mounted two feet above the work surface and fitted with a fluorescent fixture underneath. To the right of this is a 5 foot open space and the last 4 feet to the front of the building is a stock bin 4 x 5 feet.

My Delta 350drill press is mounted on a plywood work surface attached to the wall two feet to the right of the stock bin.

Everything else is either junk to go or open space. I want to either redo the entire arrangement or modify what I have done to accommodate:

2 ten inch miter saws (one is a combination)

1 10" Ryobi BT3100 table saw

1 10" radial arm saw

1 scroll saw

1 8" bench grinder (the Delta kind with two wheels)

1 bench sander (with a belt and disc)

1 6 1/8 planer-jointer on a stand. Weghs about 210 pounds.

Other tools are cabinet storable portables. But, I may buy more bigger things later. Who knows?

I am considering putting everything on wheels that might be used outside (no air conditioning and it's getting hot in NC). I figure the table saw and the planer-jointer, at least. I can also just put up a temporary table and take the miter saw out.

I have one regular door at the front with a ramp (no steps) up to the entrance. I am considering a wide double door on the left wall (looking toward the back wall with the perf board) with a deck for working outside.

So, anyone have any good ideas about how to arrange or rearrange stuff?

Agkistrodon

Reply to
Agki Strodon
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Having benches and tools that you can initially move around will be helpful. Until you actually start working in the shop, you'll quickly learn there are better arrangement of benches and tools. Basically, I have my table saw in the area where there is lots of room around it, and the jointer is close by the table saw (these two machines work together). A sharpening station is best positioned where there is natural light, if you have it. Having tool holders and cabinets near the workbench will help keep the bench free of clutter (maybe). A chop saw against the longest wall makes sense. The DC in an used corner. Fire extinguisher near the door. Clamping station is near the assembly workbench. Lumber/jigs storage can be most anywhere. Air cleaner is in the middle of the shop. Take a look at several layouts to get ideas. I still don't have a good place for most of my hand power tools. I keep my biscuit jointer in its original box, as I don't use it very often.

Reply to
Phisherman

You will find that what other people have will not be as usefull as you think. The reason is that their tool inventory, size of tools, door/window openings and shop size will not duplicate your shop. The type and size of materials will not be the same in your shop as another. Basic layout is pretty simple though, the main layout should follow work flow. That is when you off load those large pieces of wood you don't want to carry them around all the equipment or worse yet over or have to carry it all the way into the back of the shop. Likewise you don't want to have to carry them all the way back across the shop again to start working with them. If you don't work with large sheet goods or long boards then your layout will reflect that in the design. The tools should be placed to reflect the milling of the wood from raw to finished. And, don't forget you don't want your finished piece (sometimes large) to be in some corner that you can't get it out of without moving a bunch of you tools.

So here is the best way I have found to layout any floor plan. Measure every one of your floor tools, benches, chairs, etc. Make sure you measure out to the farthest point of the piece so that would include handles, outfeeds, etc. On a piece of quad paper (that is paper that is lined with 1/4" x 1/4" squares) draw a rectangle, square, or circle the reduced size of your equipment. Each square will equal 1 foot square. You can get paper that has smaller squares if you don't want to paste the quad paper together if your layout is to big. Lable and cut out the paper equipment. On another piece of paper draw an outline of the inside of your shop showing where all the doors, windows, waterheaters, washer/dryer, etc. that are in your workshop are located. Now you are ready to start putting the puzzel together. It may help if you put a small piece of double sided tape on the back of the tool drawings so they will stay where you put them. It is a simple process that will give you all kinds of ideas. There may be more then one way to lay it out. But what every way you lay it out will fit your needs as long as you think of all the things you want to do in your shop.

Good luck and have fun with it. You'll see you will be happier with the layout and you will probably find that you will have to make fewer changes along the way because it will work from the beginning.

Roy

Reply to
royneu

You can check out my website for a few ideas.

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Click on the "Shop layout" button.

A few of the things I am very happy with: Several smaller workbenchs near each other rather than one giant bench that you can't reach across. Dust producing machines arrayed around the dust collector. Built-in shelves cover many of the walls. (They were already there when I bought the shop) A big door you can open on nice days. A shop rocking chair. (For when you just need to sit down and think.)

Let me know if you have any questions.

Reply to
Joe Wilding

With the exception of a good solid, stationary workbench, get everything else on wheels - you ARE going to rearrange things. With the exception of the table saw the rest of the "stationary" equiptment can stay up against the wall when not in use. Also makes cleaning up behind things easier. Keep as much space around the workbench as possible.

Ditch the peg board and skin the walls with 3/4" OSB, or better yet, plywood. You'll then be able to hang things anywhere you want. Peg board is very attractive to spiders and other critters. And no matter what types of peg board hooks you use stuff will fall off the pegboard - behind or under something heavy. Peg board isn't typically available in white - having white walls will help make the shop brighter by reflecting light - and more light is almost always better.

Go with wall hanging cabinets, preferably with doors deep enough to hold tools, mainly hand tools (you will find the need for hand tools and they'll multiply like rabbets).

Go with surface mounted electrical - easier to change/ extend. Put a 110V quad outlet over the workbench, towards on end. Tripping on, or limboing under pwere cords is a PITA.

Put the circuit breaker near the door so you can cut the power in an emergency - or if you have kids around who might try to use your stuff without your hovering super- vision, makes it a little more difficult for them to get in trouble.

If you're going to work outside put a dust collector port outside - a driveway or back yard covered in the blizzard a jointer, planer or drum sander puts out will not be attractive - especially to any woman in or around the household. Better yet, put the dust collector outside - along with the compressor you're going to get somewhere down the line.

For operations that require seeing where you're going to cut or drill, get the table up where you can see things without bending over. And put a goose neck or similar positionable task light where you can get good light where you need it.

Here's my shop layout, click on things for pictures and descriptions. Check out the wall hanging tool cabinets - particularly the right one. Then imagine how much peg board wall space would be needed for all the tools in it.

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fun laying out your shop - you will do it again somewhere down the road.

charlie b

Reply to
charlie b

"Oh to have 1000 sf of shop space with nice high ceiling! And a lot of natural light would be nice too." he said enviously.

charlie b

Reply to
charlie b

FWIW, I just happened to notice in passing that the local Borg has white pegboard in 4x8 sheets. If somebody hadn't been loading one onto a cart while I was passing by I'd probably never have noticed, but white pegboard is unusual enough to stick in my mind.

If you do that though, give them appropriate protection from weather, climate, and vandals.

Reply to
J. Clarke

The problem with that is that in the winter, you'll be pumping 600 CFM (or more) of shop air outside, which means sucking that much make-up air back in through other vents. That's a lot of cold air to try and re-heat.

Reply to
Roy Smith

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