Need ideas on laying out a garage shop.

[Volksdad]

I have finally enclosed my 10'x12' shed, so i am moving all the things in my garage out to store in the shed.

I am looking for ideas on laying out a Garage shop, and thought some of you might be able to point me to some helpful articles or websites on the internet.

If you know of any, please share them. I appreciate the help!

 

[Roy G]

If you can find a copy of Landis's book The Workshop Book, you'll find many layouts of shops.

Roy G

 

[KenOfCary]

Grizzly and some others I can't remember right now have tools on their websites to help make scaled drawings of a shop space and have templates for tools such as table saw, band saw, etc.

Here's a link to the Grizzly tool

http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner

 

[Jim M.]

Try Pinterest, they have all sort free plans and pictures.

 

[ste6168]

I used the grizzly tool several times when laying out my shop. Helps, but still isn't perfect. My shop is on 11 x 18, so I don't think there is ever going to be a really great layout.

 

[NCGrimbo]

Think about keeping tools on carts when possible. I recently redid my layout and put my planer, router table, and chop saw on 3 tables with locking casters. I've got space between the table saw, which sits in the middle of the garage, and the far wall where I can roll a cart to when I need the tool on the cart. When not in use, the carts are lined up on the right side wall. My bandsaw and jointer are also on mobile carts and get rolled out when needed. My old layout had everything on fixed tables and at times the tools got in each other's way.

As for links to help laying everything out, try sketchup. There are a lot of sketchup models of common tools and some with full workshops. Here's a link to a search I've used in the past: https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/search.html?backendClass=both&q=woodworking shop

 

[NOTW]

I agree with NCGrimbo, put as much as possible on wheels. I work out of a 1 car garage and so I can relate to a small space. Everything in my shop is on wheels and can be pulled out of the garage for its bi yearly leaf blower cleaning :gar-Bi. I have my planer on a flip top cart so i can flip it over and store it under the wing on my table saw and just bring it out when needed. Also, don't forget to use vertical space, I have 13' tall ceilings in my garage so a lot of things I don't use a lot go up high to keep floor space free.

 

[Lowlander]

As far as layout goes, I'm constantly arranging , adding and removing. So I have no permanent place for things. Yes take advantage of vertical space if you have the ceiling height. I roughly added about 100 square feet of storage doing that. I didn't know how much I needed flip carts until I built and used them in my space. Definitely a game changer. Especially when you add drawers for the items that go with the machines so they don't get lost.

 

[Tom Queen]

I use to be in a 16x16 workshop had a hard time with the tools I had. Some were large like the table saw and 17 inch band saw and then my large lathe. I put most of the small tools on a cart and rolled out when needed. You sill move your tools more than once to get the right location. Also consider staying with smaller tools when possible like contractor table saw or band saws. My grizzly was too big and so was the table saw. Best to you. Tom.

 

[dazart]

Got an email from Wood Magazine today -

http://www.woodmagazine.com/ideas/wood-shop-showcase/ideashop