shop layout

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Jonz

New User
Chris Jones
How did you folks arrive at a final shop layout? I'm in a one car garage, and even then one whole wall can't be used due to floor-ceiling cabinets.

I want to get a good idea on arrangement, then pull out everything and paint the walls/ceiling and put it all back where it will go, but I'm at wits end.

I've tried the grizzly shop planner thingy, but what looks good on paper doesn't always work in real life.

Any suggestions?
 

Steve D

Member
Steve DeWeese
Jon,


Mine has been a lot of trial and error, tweaking as I go. I have used the Grizzly layout to quickly play with ideas and have found it helpful. In reality, when I have the time I plan to post my layout and get suggestions for improvement. When space is at a premium you have to get creative and try and have things perform a double duty like a workbench/assembly table that is the right height to also be an outfeed table for the TS. Put it on locking casters so that it can move, etc.

Steve D
 

Jonz

New User
Chris Jones
I took some photos and I think I will post them. Many heads are better than one. ;-)
 
R

rickc

I think a number of magazines have probably dealt with this issue, but Wood Magazine had a series of "Idea Shops". They covered several different sized shops, including a small basement sized shop that was the approximate size of a one car garage. Might want to check out their site:

http://www.woodmagazine.com/

Enter Idea Shop in the search box. It will display links to each of the articles for the shops. Might give you some more options.
 
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Jonz

New User
Chris Jones
OK, I went through the Grizzly planner and did the current layout, although all the tools aren't exactly to scale. I put that and some photos together on a web page.

Any help to improve the layout is greatly appreciated. I'm really getting frustrated with it as is and I want to be working on projects, not organizing tools.

One of the worst problems if the jointer. It takes a large amount of space as is, and to joint long stock I still have to pull it out some. I also need to better utilize the little wall space I have.

http://www.jones-world.com/woodworking/shop/
 

Steve D

Member
Steve DeWeese
Jon,


A couple of thoughts to consider. I would move the TS to the middle of the room and put your workbench directly behind it so that it can do double duty as an outfeed table. This assumes that the heights are a close enough match to work. Spin your jointer 180 degrees and tuck the back part of it under the left wing of the TS (from operator side) so that just the bed sticks out. This way you free up wall space, don't have to move the jointer to use it and have a logical work flow: rough length on miter saw, face joint, edge joint, face plane, rip parallel and clean up saw marks if necessary on the jointer then back to the miter saw to square up the ends and cut to size. All of you key operations are freed up and you don't have to move tools to use them.

The only draw back is that you have to keep stuff off of your workbench to use the TS.

Just my .02,

Steve D.
 

DavidF

New User
David
I did TS in the middle with a fold down outfeed table -see shop photos. My bench is at the front of the TS so that I can easily move between them. I have forced myself to not put the bench against a wall so that I can work from both sides - works well.
 

woodguy1975

New User
John
I like what Steve said, but agree with DaveF on the benc location. It should be in front of the saw. Not only for work flow for smaller operations, but it will doulbe as support when cutting sheet goods. An infeed table is as important as an outfeed table when dealing with plywood in my opinion.

Good Luck,

John
 

Jonz

New User
Chris Jones
The bench could serve as outfeed, I could make that work (although I do like access to both sides, not a huge deal). The jointer won't work there though, the tablesaw and the jointer bed are roughly the same height, so that means the jointer fence/adjustment mechanism are all higher than the saw. Trying to back it up to the saw on the left or anywhere else will limit my cutting ability.
 

Steve D

Member
Steve DeWeese
Too bad, I've got mine there and the bed of my 6" jointer is well below the TS surface. I do need to pull it out to move / adjust the fence but I rarely do that anyway.
 

Jonz

New User
Chris Jones
thinking aloud...I could possibly group my TS and bench together in one area, and put the jointer by itself and back a couple rolling cabs/misc stands up to it in another.

Bottom line, if I can get the jointer off the wall, it's better for use and will open up some MUCH needed wall space.
 

Monty

New User
Monty
You might think about putting that jointer under a wall-mounted miter station, kind of like paul comi did: link.

dscf001910jc.jpg



Personally, I'd see if I could then get that lathe over on the wall where the jointer is now. It would still be beneath a window, but would free up the area in front of the garage door. You could move the cabinet saw a little close to the door, and just open the door when you need to make really long cuts. This would allow you to move your workbench forward some too, creating a little assembly floor space in the back of the shop... maybe.

If you have room (hard to tell) you might be able to make a shelf over the motor of your DC to permanently mount your bench grinder right there by the lathe. I like the grinder to be a little higher anyway - more comfortable for me.

Just a thought.
 

Jonz

New User
Chris Jones
I'm out in the shop on the laptop now moving stuff around. My wife just stuck her head out and asked what I was doing, looked at me moving stuff around for like the 100th time, and went back inside.

I think I may suck it up and move my bench to the wall. It opens up a lot of options. Hmmm...
 

Mike Wilkins

Mike
Corporate Member
I would suggest getting rid of the floor to ceiling cabinets, and have only wall cabinets only, similar to kitchen cabinets. That would free up valuable floor space for tools, preferably on wheels. If they are built stout and hung properly you can store a lot of stuff in them.

good luck and watch those fingers.
 
T

tlclaw

Good morning. I've just joined NCWW and look forward to gaining insight from all of you.

Jonz, check out the new Fine Woodworking magazine. There is a shop design in it based upon an island instead of the typical "around the room" arrangment. It arrived just in time for me. I break ground on a new shop in a couple weeks and am in the process of adapting the island concept to my space. -tlc
 

Bernhard

Bernhard
User
Jonz,

I am still working on my shop layout. I have tried all the usual things (grizzly web site, FWW magazine and books, etc). But the single most helpful item I came up with was to place every single piece of equipment and storage cabinet on leveling casters. The caster have a build-in leveling foot to raise/level machinery, etc. of the caster for firmness. I have some pretty heavy equipment (Felder 10' sliding table saw, 24" bandsaw, 10' stroke sander), all of them easily movable. I think I am on my 6th rearrangement. Integrating newly acquired tools is really easy.
The only two pieces I dare not to place on casters are a vertical mill and a metal lathe.
The casters I am using for machinery are not cheap, but rock solid.

Bernhard
 
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