After years of dreaming I am moving out of the Garage and into a shop where I will be able to have room for building bows, arrows and do some leather work.......I'm looking to hear what you like about your shop. What you would do different if you had it to do over. And anything innovative you came up with as far as storage and layout options....... Thanks....... Terry
Well AZStickmam, I am going to be doing the same thing first part of next year in Sun City, Az. My area is only 9 by 15 but I should be able to have a decent bench for whatever project I am working on. I am thinking about putting everything on wheels including the work bench. Shelves are going to be no lower than waist high. I can stow the wheeled stuff under the shelves that way. I also want to be able to move stuff outside on the patio in nice weather to work. I will be making arrows, leather things, bamboo fly rods and some wood working projects.
I am looking forward to ideas from others as well.
What size? I work in the steel building industry, and may have some photos i can share.
Make sure you include a decent dust collection system in your plans.
Thanks guys.....Kook68...... It's a big step up from the Garage but only a small shop 12'x16'....... Terry
we build anything from 8X8 to 5 city blocks!! LOL If I find any photos with neat setups, I'll email them to you.
I'm in the process of planning myself. My thoughts are a high eave/peak, and putting in a small loft at one end. Store bulky stuff there, and keep the the floor space free.
Kook, you work for a Mueller type outfit ?
x2 on everything on wheels. Seems that space shrinks faster than you can imagine. If you can put your bench in a way to make it accessible from all sides is very nice.
If you use a air compresser for anything don't use P.V.C. pipe for compressed air...This is a timebomb waiting to "explode" on you and many bowyers and farmers,welders and many here have it I'm sure and used it for years...I was told by a very good friend that I bought pipe from at a plumbing supply house to "NEVER" and I repeat "NEVER" use P.V.C. plastic pipe for air compressors...I have a brother that has it in his machine shop and he's smart as heck but when I told him about the possibility's of it exploding he just didn't care...I sure would hate to see a kid or anybody get hurt by some know it all that use's it and claims it has it written on the pipe it can handle 480 p.s.i. and I say that's water pressure not Air pressure and these guys argue till there's no end...
Now I myself ain't no expert on that but just forwarning incase you decide to run P.V.C. as your main line feeding air to a machine or having a airhose handy at each station of your equipment...
My friend worked at several plumbing supply houses as a manager and has told me there is a bunch of guys coming in asking for adapters,pipe etc to run air lines and his job was to tell them this cause they had a safely class on it telling them not to use it for air and if I ain't mistaken he didn't sell them any when they told him what they intended to use it for...
Now galvanized pipe is a different story and you can use it for a main run... :dunno: :nono: Don't say I didn't warn you...
QuoteOriginally posted by Pat B.:
Kook, you work for a Mueller type outfit ?
Yes. We manufacture everything from the frames, to the panels.
When I built my shop I built a work table like the ones in my old shop class so I could work on all sides of it. I like it 10 times better than a work bench where I am facing a wall or corner all the time. Good luck with your new shop!
QuoteOriginally posted by Keefer:
If you use a air compresser for anything don't use P.V.C. pipe for compressed air...This is a timebomb waiting to "explode" on you and many bowyers and farmers,welders and many here have it I'm sure and used it for years...I was told by a very good friend that I bought pipe from at a plumbing supply house to "NEVER" and I repeat "NEVER" use P.V.C. plastic pipe for air compressors...I have a brother that has it in his machine shop and he's smart as heck but when I told him about the possibility's of it exploding he just didn't care...I sure would hate to see a kid or anybody get hurt by some know it all that use's it and claims it has it written on the pipe it can handle 480 p.s.i. and I say that's water pressure not Air pressure and these guys argue till there's no end...
Now I myself ain't no expert on that but just forwarning incase you decide to run P.V.C. as your main line feeding air to a machine or having a airhose handy at each station of your equipment...
My friend worked at several plumbing supply houses as a manager and has told me there is a bunch of guys coming in asking for adapters,pipe etc to run air lines and his job was to tell them this cause they had a safely class on it telling them not to use it for air and if I ain't mistaken he didn't sell them any when they told him what they intended to use it for...
Now galvanized pipe is a different story and you can use it for a main run... :dunno: :nono: Don't say I didn't warn you... [/QUOTE
Don't mean to get off subject but I agree with Keefer. Compressed air acts differently than water. Water is five times denser than air...when something gives, air escapes 5 times faster creating pressure surges that can weaken or exceed the piping specifications.
Our engineers at work tell us that as little as 50-60 pounds of compressed air can cause a big accident. We had a customer using a competitor's product and a coupling blew, breaking the guy's arm in a couple places....this was less than 100 psi.
Water is incompressible, so a weak pipe forms a leak. Air on the other hand is compressible, so a weak pipe forms a bomb as the air rapidly expands.
Back to the topic...12x16 is a bit small. My shop is that size and it's a constant battle to keep the work area clear.
I also plan on having a portable AC unit and dust collection also. I want lots and lots of light fixtures. I am also going to have Internet access.
QuoteOriginally posted by M60gunner:
I also plan on having a portable AC unit and dust collection also. I want lots and lots of light fixtures. I am also going to have Internet access.
Then you might want a recliner too! :D
I'll second the light fixtures. You can never have enough.
Guys,
I thought he was looking for ideas about what or what not to do and not sure if I took it off topic and please forgive me if I read the topic wrong cause I wanted to just let him know incase he wanted his shop set up for air...Just didn't want to see a possible injury ...
Now my shop is attached to the garage and I built work benchs on three walls and got a good deal on 4 metal labatory style heavy cabinets that have thick glass in the doors so I can see whats in the cabinet instead of opening to see where I put something...
I also included a nice Hunter cast iron ceiling fan and a window A/c for summer and piped up a little heater that works from my boiler for winter and has it's own thermostat for it...
It's good to have a shop to control temperature if you can do it...
Good lighting for your eyes also...
When working on small objests I cann't stand not having good light and must use a headlamp with my reading glass's when tinkering...
Someone mentioned "DUST COLLECTING" and one of my brothers has one that runs to nearly everything in his shop and he also got a floor type dust collector with a dust pan attached to the systom and you just sweep the floor dust to the pan and pull a shoot or something and your saw dust is sucked up to the holding bag/container...
I am working on a design right now to save space (still working out of my garage)...a woodworking bench that has a built in (side loading) bow oven, form storage and drawers for frequently used rasps, files scrapers and sandpaper. I also prefer this type of bench over facing a corner as I am currently doing.
You can never have too many light fixtures or electrical outlets. I goofed up and didn't put in enough electrical outlets.
QuoteOriginally posted by Jon Stewart:
You can never have too many light fixtures or electrical outlets. I goofed up and didn't put in enough electrical outlets.
This^^^^^! How ever many electrical outlets you think you need, double that number and you should be good to go!
Bisch
Some great advice already. When I saw this topic I immediately thought of three things that have already been mentioned, but I will repeat them because to me they are so important.
Lighting - there are calculators online that will help figure what your needs are based on size. Don't skimp here - you will love a well lit shop!
Electrical - figure your needs and then double it. At least! When I build my shop I put a double wall outlet every 4' along the walls. It is nowhere near enough! I wish that I had twice as many outlets. Plan your circuits carefully to spread loads out especially for things that will be used at the same time. Think about a couple of 220 outlets even if you don't need them now, you might down the road.
A bench that you can walk all the way around is a great centerpiece for a shop. It might be tough with a shop your size though. You want to have room to move around it with at least a couple of feet clear on each side. Make up a scale drawing of your layout and use little cutouts of your table, machines, etc. to help figure out where to place them.
Heating is probably not as big of a concern for you, but I sure wish I had gone with in floor heating in my shop.
Pre-planing will go a long way toward making your new shop the best work space it can be. There is a woodworking website called Sawmill Creek.com with great forums that have tons of information about planning shops. It is the Trad Gang of woodworkers - check it out.
Don't forget a de-humidifier. I bought one just to help dry the paint. Once everything was ready to go I found that the new wood used in construction was way wetter than I expected. After running it for several days the joints in the wallbaord opened up really showed how wet everything was. Alittle calk solved that problem. Now I use it to keep the shop dry and found that it really helps keep my bow wood at lower moisture contents. I bring in new wood and give it afew days to adjust to the dry air before I try to use it.
Troy
Thanks!! Good stuff guys keep it coming...... If you have any pics of your benches cabinets etc. I'd appreciate seeing them...... Terry
Terry ,
I wished I could figure out how to load pics but have had trouble since my wife has got a newer camera and me not knowing how to load them on here sinse the new photobucket ..
There used to be a post about a year or so about shop ideas and maybe someone else remembers and can lead you to them or update the posts ?
It had lots of inside pics and some great ideas..
How ever much space you think you need, double it. Then double it again.
PEG BOARD !!! I redid my shop 4 years ago cause it was a cluster. could not find anything, we have
have all been there, we know we got it, remember
seeing it, but where is it? I have three benches with peg board above them and built a 4x8 stud wall in one corner of the shop with two 4x8 sheets of peg board screwed to it. amazing the time and MONEY you save when all you have to do is scan the walls for what your looking for. I hang everything from tools to fasteners and when
I run out of room I will hang some more peg board.
My shop is a 11x24 portable shed. I insulated the walls and ceiling, screwed 7/16 OSB over insulation and frame, put up an interior wall and door to make a 8x11 glue up and spray finish room, put 2 bathroom vents in to pull air in thru filter box,,painted OSB with white Kilz paint, hung 6 floresent light fixtures from ceiling, put 6000 btu a/c unit in window, built 2 work benches. Put up white peg board over work Branch.. white reflects light better than plain wood...,got a yard sale dehumidifier, filled shop up with too many tools and exotic wood boards, bought an enclosed trailer for extra tool storage..
After 15 years of this and 3 different configurations of shops, I think I have at least a couple things figured out.
Don't buy extra of anything unless you are highly organized. Extra ain't a bargain if you can't find it when you need it. That alone has cut my storage space by 90%. There's a reason most factories are just in time stock levels.
Windows. Natural light is the best light.
Power drops. Forget low-to-the floor outlets.
Find a way to add an outdoor work space.
Wheels...
Seriously put everything (or as much as possible) on wheels...
Some tools will be used all the time, some not so much. Having the ability to move tools into good working position and then out of the way will make the shop "bigger".
Good wheels matter too...I have some cheap dollies that work great, and some "special" built for the tool wheels that are junk.
I don't have many pics of my shop. here is a pic of my glue up bench in the 8x11 room, it runs full width of the room and makes a turn to the other wall so it's 2'wide x 11'x8' and "L" shaped . my oven is under the bench and it has castor wheels under it so I just roll it out as needed. I made the bench from 2x6's and melamine on one side 3/4" plywood. I put contractors paper down before each glue up to keep (most of) the glue off of the bench, a razor blade gets any small glue spots off of the bench. I made a small 30" x 48" rolling bench, I have a spindle sander and a 6x 48" belt sander on it. I put wheels under my drill press and big band saw too. (http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/Robertfishes/emptybuildbench.jpg)[/URL]
I agree with TRAD101 on the peg board. I'm terrible when it comes to putting things away and trying to find them later. I copied an idea I saw in another shop. Put up peg board(painted white) and after I have it well organized I trace each tool with a black permanent marker. Having the blank space on the pegboard helps remind me to hang the tool back on the wall.
Dust collection is great and make sure the system is grounded properly.
As John S says natural light is the best. You can see many little things in natural light that don't show up with artificial light.
I had a small shop sized shop like the OP mentioned... I insulated, put in A/C, heat, and a fan, added a couple of operable windows and had all of my big power tools on casters. I put 24" deep workbenches on 3 of the 4 walls high enough that my belt sander, table saw and jointer would roll under the work benches when not being used. I put 4 gang 110V outlets every 4 feet and had 2 220V outlets in there for my table saw and jointer. I was always moving stuff around in order to work on larger projects, but it was all possible with the arrangement I had. I would NOT try to put in a central workbench given the small size he is working with as it will get in the way as he works on various things around the shop.
One thing that helped my small workspace tremendously was building a sheet goods hanger on the ceiling. Plywood and other stock go up in that unused six inches of space just below the ceiling and open the floor up a LOT!
Make sure you hang your lights so that the light won't be blocked.