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Setting up new shop

3K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  John in Tennessee 
#1 ·
We are setting up our first shop for the first time and could use some help with now much room we need for each of the machines.

The shop is being built along side our barn, so we will have a 40' X 100' to work with. At one end we are going to have a 10' X 15' bath/laundry room and a 25' X 25' finishing room. The rest of the space is for the shop / woodworking area 75' X 40' is what we have to work with.

Any help with how, where to set up the machines and work benches would be very appreciated.

Thanks,
Texashands
 
#4 ·
To answer this question some answers are needed :}:}:}:}
What machines are you going to put in there?
What are you planning to make with those machines?
How much panel work , IE plywood , do you plan on doing?
What types of access will you have to this area?
Dust collection?
plus lots of other questions. :}:}:}:}
 
#6 ·
A web search for workshop planner:

Here's a link: http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv8-&p=workshop planner&type=
Grizzly has one: http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner.aspx
As was posted, start with the basic machines and dust collection right off based on electrical supply to each machine. Will you use "drops" or under floor supply. Concrete floor in already? Conduit secured to the floor would work if located for no trip hazards. Separate mobile dust collector will avoid long and hanging DC runs. Maybe a central power and DC center with branches out from there? Or stay located against the walls or at the end where power comes in. A lumber storage rack/area is important and should be accessible easily. A fire proof metal cabinet in the finishing room and of course a separate air path to avoid dust entering when the fans or blowers are on. Make a mock-up of the dimensions on a plywood base with the machines cut out to size and labeled. Move them around until you are satisfied with the layout. Use 1/4" or cardboard. Then hot glue them down and save it. Make another one and compare the two. You can draw the power lines on or use colored tape for the DC runs and electrical. This will give you an idea of how it will work for you. More than a one man shop?
Avoid path crossing for operations. Just some thought, hope it's helpful. :thumbsup: bill
 
#7 ·
New shop layout

Ahhhhhh..........a new shop! This will be fun.
I have set up many shops in the past and find the best approach is visual planning.
I use a sheet of 1/16" metal for layout. You can get that from a metal shop like an air conditioner vent manufacturers and draw to scale [as large as you can] the outside perimeter available floor space with a black marker. A 2ft x 3 ft piece is a good size
Then go to a sign manufacturer and get some offcuts of magnetic sign material. They will usually give this away as it is scrap to them. You might even find it in their dumpster.
Cut out with a pair of scissors the footprint of every machine,[using the same scale as the sheet metal floor plan] taking into consideration the working area that needs to surround it and start placing these on the metal sheet. If you can figure out a flow pattern of your anticipated work, it will help with the placement.

This also works to establish your electrical drops and dust collection needs.

Once you have played around with this enough and gone through endless scenarios you will have a good idea of what you need in the way of machine placement. When you are satisfied go visit a matress supplier and ask if they have any scrap cardboard sheeting.
Use this to make full size templates of your machinery and physically place them onto your new shop floor.

Tip..........things change, make things as flexible as you can.

Woody
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the replies.

Yes I think I'll have room for a few play toys... lol

I am using the shop planner on the Grizzly's web site. It is helping, but not sure how much room to allow for each machine. (in feed and out feed).

At the present time all we have are a few hand tools, a 10" miter saw and a 14" bandsaw.

My wish list is to add a cabin table saw, 12" compound miter, lathe, planner, jointer, and radial arm saw. And later on, a comb belt/disc sander, oscillating spindle sander, and a drum sander. And a few workbenches and few moving assembly tables.

The floor will be concrete so what ever tool(s) I place in the middle of the floor I will have to add dust collection tubing and an electrical conduit for each machine running under the floor. I thing some of them can be set against the wall, and pulled out when being used, hooked up to a flex hose for the dust collection from over head.

How far about from the dust collector I can have the machines? Once I put the ducting in the concrete floor, I can't change it.

At one end of the shop I was going to build a closet big enough to house the dust collector, air compressor, and heating/cooling heat pump.

I hope I'm making sense with all this. I can rattle on at times.

When we build the barn/shop and sometime in a year or two, the house, we will have to clear some of the trees. The property sits in center Illinois just south of the Kaskaskia River. The property that we have has just under 40 acres of trees. I don't want to waste any of them.

I would like to use the downed trees for cabinets, shelving, trim, and even some furniture for the house. Shoot, even the workbenches and assembly tables for the shop could come from the trees.

The barn will have a loft, and I was hoping to use it to air dry and if possible, set up a kiln to dry the lumber, as well as be the storage area for all of the lumber.

I can't see piling up the downed trees and just burning them. If the tree is to small or not of good working wood, then I'll turn it into either mulch or firewood, or even a tree house for the kids.

Thanks,
Rick
 
#9 · (Edited)
Wow Rick,

What a nice size!! My shop is 40x60 and it sometimes is not big enough, depending on what is being worked on! Here are a few ideas:

No matter what size you shop is, don't waste an inch of it.

Place machines in groups near the dust collector. I used several small ones instead of one big system - to keep it simple. You will notice that every machine can have material fed through it without moving anythiing.

Leave an open work space in front of your benches, to use as assembly areas. You would be surprised how much room cabinet making takes.

Use shop carts and a rolling assembly table to hold parts that are waiting for assembly.

Keep the most used machines handy to your favorite work area. For instance, I have my band saw on one side of the workbench, and the table saw just on the right. both are just a couple of steps away.

I made several small areas for other favorite pastimes besides woodworking, and built custom cabinets for each.

If you look at my shop it looks like there is a lot of empty space, but that is mainly because the custom cabinets are so useful to hold tons of 'stuff'.

When working on concrete, place good rubber mats everywhere that you will spend much time standing. I even have a carpet remnant in my assembly area. It's nice to stand on, and makes it easy to roll large projects around on without scratching up the wood. It's also good for catching paint spills.

These are just a few of the things that make my shop so much fun to spend time in. You may find some other useful ideas on my web site.

Some of the most fun you will ever have is in getting your shop set up just the way you like it. Looking forward to many photos of it as you travel that road.

Tom
 

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