New Shop... How Big?

[Wood_workur]

I'm setting up shop in my garage... I have two options for size: 20x8 or 12x14 which is better?

[monte]

Either way I bet it's too small. At least that's the way it seems.

[LarryG]

Although I'm sympathetic to your dilemma, I'm not going to vote because IMO there's no right or wrong answer to this. Bigger is almost always better; but in a space this small, the number and type of machines you have, and how they must be arranged to work most efficiently, will have a lot more bearing on the decision than the actual dimensions or area.

[BobSch]

I went with 12x14 but a lot is going to depend on what you're planning to build.

[Wood_workur]

The space eating stuff I have is: a workbench, a bt3100, a 2'x 2' storage "module", a cuttoff bin, a mitersaw stand, a wood rack, and a shop vac

[Tom Miller]

I guess I don't see any point in voting until we know more about your particular setup. Then we'll be all over your situation like white on rice.

I could see either space working out for you. For instance, since you're in a garage you could probably open a garage door for the occasional long rip. So ripping length may not be as important as it seems.

Are both of these spaces all in the same garage? If so, you should try out each layout and see which you like better.

So, my vote is for more info!

Regards,
Tom
p.s. Do you have any layout software? Or have you tried cutting out paper models to do a floor plan?

[Wood_workur]

how do I put the layouts in the post?

[Jim-Iowa]

Of the two I would chose the 12 X14 and can site experience as my reason. I once had my shop set up on an enclosed porch.
It was 7 1/2 X 17 with a ceiling that ran from 8 1/2 ft to 7 ft.
I had a Scrollsaw, drillpress, workbench on two sides with about 21/2 ft between. A bandsaw and an assortment of hand and powertools.
It worked but barely.
By the time You get a 2 ft bench on one side your down to 6 ft. and not enough room to turn an 8 ft board around. Which caused me to put my tablesaw out in the garage. This meant trips through the kitchen to the saw and back. My second shop was 12 X 20 and that is nearly perfect? My current shop is a 28X28 garage.

My next shop, I hope to start next spring(so I can get dedicated and out of sharing it with cars and stuff.
My intent is to go with a 16 X20 gambrel roof barn like building with partial loft, which I think is large enough yet not so big as to put too many miles on my feet.

[crokett]

Woodworker,

Go with 12x14. I had the opportunity in my basement to set my shop up to similar sets of dimensions to what you describe. I used masking tape on the floor to mock up walls and discovered the 12x14 space to be more functional.

[Tom Miller]

quote:Originally posted by Wood_workur

how do I put the layouts in the post?

It depends on the software you're using -- can you save the file as a .jpg (picture)? If so, you can upload that picture when you're composing a post by clicking the "Upload" link.

Or, if it's a block diagram in Microsoft Word or Excel, you could upload that file, and many of us would be able to view it.

Regards,
Tom

[vaking]

When doing your layout don't forget to consider growth requirements. Your list today does not include:
router table, drill press, jointer, planer, band saw.

[Wood_workur]

I already hace the router table (forgot to list it [have the ryobi router table/router combo pack, built a stand for the table so it is freestanding]). A drill press would easily fit with my mitersaw stand. I have acess to a planer, which I can build a jointing sled for untill I get a jointer to put with my tablesaw. I probably won't get a bandsaw for a long while, because I am willing to spend more time with a jigsaw and a square to get good results, and i don't think I can afford anymore than a $150 bandsaw, so a jigsaw with a square and a little time will suffice.

[mleichtle]

I ask, how often are you going to need 10' ripping capacity? Me, very rarely. I find myself cross cutting long pieces of wood more often. Of course I don't have a mitersaw If you have a door, and good set up aim, you can rip longer pieces. Longer pieces will probably never be wider than 6-8".

[crokett]

For me it wasn't the ripping capacity as much as the configuration of the floor space. I mocked up and 8' wide shop. I had 2' or so for the cabinets on one side, 2' for a bench in the middle, 2' for storage on the other leaving either 1 2' aisle or 2 1' aisles. Now I could reconfigure it to have everything stretched along the walls, but for me the 12x14 shop was just more functional.

[ironhat]

My thoughts are that planning time is cheaper than frustration time (in a bad fit). I pulled out a piece of graph paper - actually, I had to make one on Excel - and layed out the shop to scale and then made cut-outs of everything I planned or wanted in there. After I was satisfied I went out to the fllor space and layed out newspaper cutouts of the machinery footprints. It's funny how things are so different between what you think will work and actually walking around in it. I changed a lot of things and even though I've been in it for a little over a year I'm still changing. BTW, a space saver for you would be a flip table. Check the archives for more on this.
Later,
Chiz