Any Workshop Designs, plans, ideas?

[MrAudio815]

Hey everyone w/ great looking work/woodshops! I'm looking for some plans or ideas on how to turn my two car garage into a nice, workable woodshop area? And anything you'd do differnet in your woodshop?
Any ideas?
I also have to run 220v around the shop.
I figured I'd come ask the real experts, that have been there done that before I screw it all up!

Thanks for you're help everyone you guys are the best.

Matthew & Rachel
Custom Home Audio
M&R Audio

[JOAT]

I'd say drawers, lots of drawers. I've got a small shop, and was in a hurry, so just put sheves on 2 sides. Wish I'd put in drawers too, 3-6" would have been plenty deep enough. Started using .50 ammo cans, and they work, but think I'll put in some drawers. And keep stuff off of the floor, makes sweeping up a lot easier. Oh yeah, paint it, walls, ceiling, floor, everything but the window panes. My preference is the glossiest white you can find. At least two coats, preferably three. Latex, roll it on, just use a brush for trim work. It'll seem like being in an icecube until you start putting tools in, hanging stuff on the walls, and sawdust gets everywhere, it'll dim down. I used semi-gloss, but now wish I'd used gloss, and painted the floor. And put up carport for your wife's car. Oh yeah, racks for wood storage.

[JOAT]

Drat. Almost forgot. One of the most important things. A comfortable folding chair. Use it to sit and think when you're stumped, or just want to relax. You can even hang it on the wall if need bt, to get it out of the way. And, an el cheapo radio, volume not real high. I've got bad knees, so I've got my router table and scrollsaw at a height where I can sit and use them. I also often sit when feeding stock thru my planer. Hmmm, sonder if I should modify my lathe stand so I can use the lathe sitting down too. LMAO But, it is a thought to consider. As is, I've got a top that fits over the lathe bed, to make another work space; right now I've got my miter saw on it.

For what it's worth, any time I use my planer, lathe, or saw, I have to move them. They're all on shopmade stands. The only one with wheels is the lathe stand, and it's such a PITA to use the wheels I don't bother. I just walk them into place. Works for me.

[Glennbear]

Lots of great suggestions here, my shop is a newly constructed 2 car sized garage and I am just starting to place machines etc. so I do not have any pics that would be of great value. I would suggest this book as it was extremely helpful back when I was in the planning stages and I still refer to it from time to time. Taunton press has a whole line of books on woodworking subjects and I have found them to be pretty good.

http://www.amazon.com/Setting-Shop-C...5070454&sr=1-1

[Gotcha6]

I have one of the HF motorcycle/ATV jacks I plan to use moving around my tools. The legs will get a crossbar at the proper height & I'll just have to worry about 1 set of wheels. At $70 it replaces all the casters I should need. Get some old Masonite flush interior doors & make or buy folding sawbucks for added work tables. I like the folding kind that has adjustable legs but you may want to reinforce the holdout tabs. They have a tendency to get loose & start to rack around with 3-400# of lumber on them. High storage is in my plans as well. Keep it simple. Keep it flexible. Good luck.

[Glennbear]

Some shop pictures (WIP):

Like Bas mentioned, I insulated the door with styrofoam panels backed with reflective foam panels to keep winter heat in and summer heat out.




Here is the start of the framing for DC / Air Compressor closet.

[Ncdawgs1882]

So I couldn't sleep so I thought I would design my dream workshop! I used a 3-D graphics application to roughly get an idea of what my shop should look like in my two car garage! So if anyone needs help designing a workshop or wants to see it in a different layout before moving all there stuff to find out they don't like it I'm sure I can help as long as you give me all the measurements I can make it perfect to scale but this one I made is a rough idea & not to scale! So maybe it can help you get a good idea of how to fit everything in a 2 car garage! Oh by the way I would move the car before doing any work!

[NCPete]

You can still fit a car inside??? you need more tools!

[Rob]

Garage's are not made for cars, they're made for tools.

[DaveO]

I don't recognize that big blue tool. I must not have one of those in my shop. And all this time I thought I had everything. What does it do??

Dave

[Alan in Little Washington]

Suggestion, if you can, put your compressor and dust collector in a shed outside. If you can make a lean-to for your wood also. Free up as much space as you can by removing anything that is not associated with your shop. If you will have a bench or open area in your shop for assembly mount both electric cord and air hose reels in the ceiling above. Plumb 1/2" copper air lines around the shop.

[Bas]

What Alan said. If that's not an option consider putting the DC where you have the band saw, i.e. at the edge of the garage. The four tools for which DC is most important are the jointer, planer, table saw and band saw. DC on a drill press or Compound Miter Saw tends to be less than effective anyway, so proximity doesn't really pay.

Anyway, this layout gives you two advantages:
- Shorter distance to the tools means better suction
- Shorter distance to the garage door makes emptying the DC bag less of a chore. I have my DC in the very back of my shop out of necessity, but I'm not happy about it.

BTW, nice looking shop design! What program are you using?

[DaveD]

I have had basement workshops, a dedicated 20x40 workshop area and have been 'living' out of your basic 2 car garage the last 10 years.

I'll second the need to put EVERYTHING on casters. Good quality ones that can lock. I also have a couple of tables that have screw down machinery feet to stabilize them rather than the locking casters.

90% of the time I can still get one car in the garage at night. Never even considered getting 2 in though. Besides the POS garage is basically too short for my truck.

One of the best things I did was buy some commercial shelving (the kind HD and lowes uses in their stores) and 'built' vertically. The 1st shelf in the 'rack' is high enough to push my main 4'x4' work table under it. The compressor sits under there and also a small shaper. Tools and 'stuff' sit on the various upper shelves.The commercial shelving gives me almost a 8' wide clear area to put these things in/under.

For electrical. I am of the belief you can't have too many outlets. All mine are in exposed conduit. On one wall I have quad boxes every 4 feet or so and it is barely adequate some times when I have lots of portable power tools plugged in along with battery chargers, radio, etc. If at all possible get a sub panel in the garage for all your circuits. It just makes it easier to wire everything up and/or change things. For me the number of circuits isn't too important because the most that will run at one time is the 220 compressor and some other tool in the shop. I just wired the place up to be sure the compressor is on its own circuit since its starting is unpredictable. All receptacles are around 4-1/2' off the floor.

I have at least four 20A 220 outlets along one wall. That lets me set up the saw and planer in various places based on how big the project is and available space. I also have three 50A 200 outlets for the welders/plasma cutter so I don't have to keep moving or unplugging things once they are plugged in.

The main 4x4 portable work table (that I can move out of the way when done) really makes the place work well. I have two smaller 'welding' tables that are also on casters that allow them to be pushed out of the way when not in use.

In my case I don't worry about the floor. Too much going on.

Get a couple of GOOD commercial size fire extinguishers too. Better safe than sorry.

Oh yeah, I have about 11' of stacked tool boxes lining one wall since another vice I have is 'cars'.