Requesting your expert advice yet again. Shop layout . . .

[dupont6480]

Since last writing, Uncle Sam has kept me on the road. In between the trips, I have tried to spend time in my shop and organize the equipment for efficient workflow while finding a home for everything in my 16' x 40' workshop. Garage door centered on one end and a man door on the other (off to the side, not centered) I do not have the CAD software or the time yet to learn Sketch Up to put my ideas on paper and modify as necessary. More importantly, I do not have the experience yet to really know where everything should be located. I have read many articles on layout design and efficient workflow etc; but everytime I get back in the shop I am constrained with the 16' width of the building and my own lack of experience . . . Any help in some recommended layouts would be greatly appreciated. I have reorganized five times now and anxious to get a good layout so I can start working on wood projects and not so much time reorganizing my shop.
I have the following equipment:

• Delta L336 UNISAW w/outfeed table
• RIKON 10-325 Bandsaw
• 8" Powermatic Jointer
• Delta 18" Drill Press
• Dewalt 735 Planer on Stand
• (2) JET 1100 Dust collectors
• Dewalt 20" Scroll Saw on stand
• Jess em Router table
• (2) MFT 3 Festool tables
• 4'x5' Assembly table
• Upright compressor (2 stage 175 psi 26 gal)
• JET Belt/Disc Sander on stand
• Rigid Oscillating sander on stand
• MIDI lathe
• Rigid Shop Vac
• Festool CT33E VAC
• Large mobile tool chest - with chisels, saws, measuring tools, etc
• SCMS 12" (need to build worktable for this)
• A good collection of clamps (bar, parallel, pipe etc) need to build rack for same.
• Misc portable power tools - routers, sanders, jigsaw, multi-tool, drills, etc

NOTE - All major equipment is on mobile stands. I also need to accomodate for wood storage in the shop. I will post a separate request after this for assistance in a proper Dust Collection design. I am looking at using PVC pipe from the overhead to major tools. Will it be efficient to utilize both Dust collectors or should I sell one of them?

I do plan on building a wood storage area on the side of the workshop which in the future I could move my AC and DC outside to suppress the noise. But for now they both need to go inside.
Thanks in advance for all your assistance and recommendations.
Tim

 

[bobby g]

Hi Tim,

Glad to hear that you're back in the shop. Grizzly has a shop layout tool that's pretty east to use. http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner.aspx

My personal preference is to have my assembly table on the operator side of my table saw with about 6' between them. I do 90% of my work at the assembly table and in my case it's a 4' X 8' torsion box design with a shelf below. I like the jointer to be next to the table saw. I'd place the table saw such that the cut line is in the direction of the 40' dimension. I prefer to have my clamps on a stationary rack very near my assembly table and, in fact, I have my smaller clamps on a shelf beneath the work surface of the assembly table. My hand tools and hand held power tool storage is at one end of the assembly table. I have a small traditional workbench in this same area too. I don't usually use my SCMS for any fussy work so it's used mainly to cut boards to approximate size. For this reason, it's placement is convenient to where I store lumber and easily accessable to the table saw.. If I had a lathe, it would be off in it's own special area.

Just a few ideas.

Best to you,

bobby g

 

[dupont6480]

Bobby,
Great to hear from you sir. Thanks very much for your recommendations/advice. I have been undecided whether to place the TS with my back to the garage door, or centered more in the shop facing the garage door. One would allow me bring in lumber through garage door and the other through the man door on the other end. Really coming down to which entrance to use for bringing lumber in and which to exit with finished project??
Best regards,
Tim

 

[bobby g]

Tim,

I would plan to bring materials in through the doorway that has the highest opening. That will make hauling in sheet goods a lot easier.

bobby g

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Tim, glad to see you're getting back in the shop. As for layout and placement, here are a few thoughts.

• Start w/ the table saw. It's the heart of most workshops, and usually winds up in a fairly central location.

• Think about infeed / outfeed clearance for major machines. TS, planer, jointer, band saw, etc. Any machine through which you will run longer stock needs room for that stock.

• Try to arrange work surfaces around the TS at the same height and close enough to provide support for longer work and sheets of plywood. That includes front / back, as well as sides.

• Place wood / sheet goods storage near the entry way you will use most often.

• Arrange hand tool storage near your primary work area (assembly table or workbench), but out of the way. A lot of my hand tools are either in wall mounted cabinets / shelves, or in drawers beneath work surfaces.

• Some machines are "one sided" and can be placed back-to-back to conserve space. My jointer is next to my planer, and my router table is next to my shaper. I only work from one side of each of these tools.

• If floor space is limited, a lot of usable space is often wasted beneath work surfaces. Drawers and shelves below can accommodate a lot of stuff. For seldom used items, shelves higher up on a wall can provide great storage.

Hope this helps. If I think of any more useless tips, I'll add them later. :wink_smil

Bill

 

[Mike Wilkins]

Start with the tablesaw in a location central to the length of the shop, with the side/right side next to a long wall. My own shop is 16' wide and that is where mine is now. I formerly had it in the middle of the shop, but walking around it was inconvenient at best.
The jointer could live opposite the tablesaw on the other long wall, since jointed boards often end up at the tablesaw next.
Since these 2 are the heavy lifters in the preparation of a board for later use, it would be nice to place them close together.
As the others are on mobile bases, you could play around with location of them for the best effecient use. You could even play around with graph paper and pencil, making options for the best layout. Good luck and watch those fingers.

 

[dupont6480]

Bill,
Thanks and great to hear from you. I continue to study the photos of your shop I took during the shop crawl and I have adopted a lot of your great ideas!
Hope all is going well for you sir.
Tim

 

[dupont6480]

Mike,
Great advice. Thank you. any chance you have photos of your layout?? Are you recommending the tablesaw face the garage door or the man door? One nice thing of having the tools on mobile bases; I have tried and continue to try yours and other ideas. I hope to come to a conclusion soon so I can get back to a project and start improving my woodworking skills.
Take care
Tim

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Tim, if photos help, there are a lot more in my gallery. And if you see something but it isn't quite clear, let me know and I'll take some additional pics.

Bill

 

[dupont6480]

Bill,
Thank you sir.
Tim