Small Workshop People... How big is too big...

[nickster]

I have a pretty small workshop (one garage) and I was wondering how big is too big. I'm looking at upgrading my table saw. I'm thinking of making this table saw pretty much the center of my work space. Building a outfeed table that would double as a assembly table and storage at the bottom. So my question is how big of a table saw is too big for this small area. How much space should I reasonably have between the saw and the wall to walk. I'm trying to work in a 52" cut TS but I'm not sure it's going to work. Would I be better off with just a 36" cut? How often do you guys really cut over 36" ? I've not really done any "big" projects so I'm not sure...

I know this is a bunch of questions... More like a little bit of rambling with a question or two pushed in there...

 

[manfre]

Make a to scale sketch of your garage with the tools as separate cut outs to see where you can fit things. You'll want at least a 2' wide walking path (3' is better). My workshop is 12x20 and I used Google's Sketchup to model my workshop and tools. I can fit a TS with 52" rails, but it's hard to help without knowing your tools and dimensions. Do you have a picture of your workshop as it is right now?

View image in gallery​

 

[Skymaster]

I have been woodworking professionally for 30 + yrs and have NEVER needed 52" FENCE. i HAVE unifence 30". Roughly you should have 8' behind, 8' in front and at least 3' either side to walk around the saw. Since this will take your whole space wht I do is I have my saw on a mobile base. I roll it to the middle of my crowded 3 car space, when done roll it off to the side and still have most of my space to work in. For sheet goods, I hae a shop made saw guide and bust them down to blanks then finish em all on the TS, this works best for me. It also makes is way way easier for one man.
Jack

 

[MarkE]

To add to Manfre's post, Grizzly has a free online shop planner.


http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner.aspx

 

[nickster]

I have been woodworking professionally for 30 + yrs and have NEVER needed 52" FENCE. i HAVE unifence 30". Roughly you should have 8' behind, 8' in front and at least 3' either side to walk around the saw. Since this will take your whole space wht I do is I have my saw on a mobile base. I roll it to the middle of my crowded 3 car space, when done roll it off to the side and still have most of my space to work in. For sheet goods, I hae a shop made saw guide and bust them down to blanks then finish em all on the TS, this works best for me. It also makes is way way easier for one man.
Jack

I'm kind of thinking the same thing right now.... with the size of the space I have I'm not sure that 52" is needed...

 

[JimmyC]

Hey Nick,

I have a 52" fence and love it, but I didn't get it until I got a large shop. The 30" is more than enough for most of the time. If you want to see excellent usage of a single car garage talk to Doug Robinson and I sure that he has some pictures in his gallery of his. Doug has the biggest shop in a one car garage that I've ever seen, utilizing all of his space.

Good luck,
Jimmy

 

[Larry Rose]

I've got a 52'' table and all I use it for is to pile "good" off cuts untill it won't hold any more then I throw it all away. I quess if you kept it clean, it could be a work surface otherwise it just takes up a lot of space. The only reason I bought it was that it was a floor model already put together and the dealer would deliver it.

 

[Henry W]

Re: Small Workshop People... 52" rails and no regrets

I have both:
- a 'small' workshop. "Small' is a relative term isn't it? Mine shop is 12' x 24'
- a 52" fence rails on the TS. I have made 48" cuts, and I do not have a great way to break down sheet goods. That is in part because I have a 52" fence, and in part because I do not work with sheet goods all that often.

I also have my router table mounted in that TS extension, and typically have enough space to leave both TS and router setups in place. This is not enough space to make a 48" cut, but certainly enough to do most ripping and many crosscuts).

It is tight to get around my TS on the left (~2'), but I can and do move that way; I left more room on the right side (~3').

I bought a this TS used, with a great VEGA fence, and have not had any reason to change it to shorter rails. I do use the space as work space about half the time.

So the real answer is "It depends." It depends on what other stationary tools you have (and aspire to have), and how much room you 'need.' I love my TS fence system and have never regretted 52" rails, despite the space it takes.

Henry W

 

[merrill77]

IMO, 52" is not worth the space in a small shop. In a 1-car-garage-sized shop, even with the 52" fence, you barely have space at the front and back to feed a 4x8 sheet of plywood...which AFAICT is the only reason for a fence >48". I've got a 36" fence and rarely need that much. I much prefer to take the saw to the wood when dealing with full plywood sheets...by which I mean using a circular saw and sawhorses.

My advice for a small shop is to put everything on wheels. The only things in my shop not on wheels are my workbench and a cabinet for a sink. And don't buy any stationary tools you don't really need. I got rid of two stationary tools to save the space - and found I work well without them.

 

[Don Alexander]

how big is small? my shop is 12x12 i won't bore you with the details other than to say that you would never believe how many tools you can cram in a 12x12 and actually have them functional

having said that i've been tempted to cut my TS rails down to 30" cut capacity on many occasions; i just hate to cut them off , i'd probably decide to upgrade the saw about as soon as i did that

if the bandsaw didn't tuck in between the TS rails i would have already cut them off (wouldn't have had much choice )

in 25 years + of woodworking i have never once needed 52" rails on a TS if space is no issue they can occasionally be useful but not necessary even then

HTH

 

[MikeH]

how big is small? my shop is 12x12 i won't bore you with the details other than to say that you would never believe how many tools you can cram in a 12x12 and actually have them functional

having said that i've been tempted to cut my TS rails down to 30" cut capacity on many occasions; i just hate to cut them off , i'd probably decide to upgrade the saw about as soon as i did that

if the bandsaw didn't tuck in between the TS rails i would have already cut them off (wouldn't have had much choice )

in 25 years + of woodworking i have never once needed 52" rails on a TS if space is no issue they can occasionally be useful but not necessary even then

HTH

Don would you happen to have a layout of your shop? I'm looking for ideas for my "new" shop. Mine is going to be 12"x16".

 

[eyekode]

I have 52" rails in 1/2 of a 2 car garage. At the time it was cheaper than the 36" rails so it is what I bought. It is on wheels so I can roll it out of the way or into the center for more room.

I do however think the 52" rails are useful but not for the right reasons . I find it a great staging area for wood coming in/going out of the saw. I also will very often use the fence to repeatably measure a crosscut. I cross cut 36"+ inches quite often and this comes in handy. Yes there are other ways to do this but it is convenient for me.

I fit a 15" planer, 8" jointer, 14" bandsaw, tablesaw with 52" rails, 36" lathe, belt/disk sander, spindle sander, scroll saw, drill press, grinder, 5 bikes, 4 scooters etc etc in my 1/2 of a 2 car garage. And on a good day I can use all these tools without having to move them around. The 52" tablesaw rails are not my big space problem. Oddly enough my biggest issue is lumber and offcuts. I buy lumber when it is cheap instead of (and in addition to) when I need it for a project. And I cannot bear to throw away scrap. If I could kick that habit I think it would all fit nicely . I guess what I really need is a fire pit!

Good luck!
Salem

 

[Splint Eastwood]

Very nice thread and comments as well! :icon_thum

I also have a 2 car, which wife uses half of to park her non woodworking tool in, lol.

Started out with a Jet Contractor saw, with 52 in rails on wheels. Too cumbersome and took up more space relative to work being done.

Replaced with a Steel City Hybrid with 32 in fence and couldnt be happier. I was able to park another tool next to it and made my shop more flexible and thus more efficient.

I rip sheet goods down with a Track Saw System, thus avoiding having to wrestle large pieces on the TS.

M

 

[JimmyC]

My advice for a small shop is to put everything on wheels. .

My advise to all shops is to put everything on wheels, because even in large shops you will eventually move things :gar-Bi.

 

[Joe Scharle]

A major question is; can you still buck a full 3/4" piece of sheet goods? It's been about 20 years since I could do it with any precision. My most recent saw has 32" rails, and a R/T in the extension.

 

[Bigdog72]

My shop is 16x24 and I have a Uni with 52" rails. I also have a full compliment of tools (no lathe) and room for a stand alone router table. Would I like more room? Sure, but I am happy with what I have. One caveat, I use a good part of my 2 car garage for wood storage.

 

[Don Alexander]

Don would you happen to have a layout of your shop? I'm looking for ideas for my "new" shop. Mine is going to be 12"x16".

no layout sorry but you are more than welcome to come check it out in person if you would like
its on the south edge of Raleigh near Wake Tech

shoot me a PM if interested

 

[FlyingRon]

I have everything on wheels. My SS with the long rails and the out feed table spends most of it's time pushed with the outfeed table against the wall (fence rails parallel). When I need to do something long I step on the pedal and swing it around 90 degrees so it is now out in the middle of the room.

You can see my floor plan in the "Another DC" thread in this forum.

 

[Robb Parker]

Do a lot of panel work and cross cut most everything with table saw. Couldn't do with out min 52" raihttp://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showphoto.php?photo=54384&ppuser=2003ls. but that's just me. This is what I use.

 

[merrill77]

Do a lot of panel work and cross cut most everything with table saw. Couldn't do with out min 52" rails. but that's just me. This is what I use.

:rotflm:

I'm sorry, but that saw disqualifies you from any discussions of small shops!:wtongue: