Shop Redesign Question

[crokett]

Here is an older pic of my shop:


The recent change is about 4' of the bench down the left side is gone and the white sink you can just see the corner of has been pushed down next to the remaining bench on that side.

Question is, I originally was planning to wrap the bench all the way around the corner and have it end a foot or so away from the door but not sure I need that much space. First, any horizontal surface in my shop tends to get cluttered and second it takes away from floor space. I have a bandsaw, belt/disc sander and CMS that need homes.

Right now I am thinking I could take the 4' of counter I pulled up and fill in all the way to the corner. The bandsaw could go there. The cabinet base I also removed could be a base for the sander or a base for the CMS. However, the CMS could go on a portable miter station that I can carry outside or wherever since I usually do that now. Just running to the corner and not wrapping around then leaves that wall where the door is more or less open to the floor so I have more working space. Disadvantage is I don't gain any more under-bench storage than what I have since the well pressure tank is back in that corner. What do you think?

[cabinetman]

First I'd like to say that is one heckuva door casing around that door. That wall where the DP is in the picture may be good for an upper cabinet. It could be just above the bandsaw. When setting up machinery, the infeed/outfeed may need some room, so consider that.

You're right about bench tops becoming a gathering place, but they do provide a place for "set-ups" and parts to layout, like drawer parts, etc. Utilizing a removed cabinet to make a mobile base has a lot of merit. The question of a wraparound or open corner may be better decided if you post a floor plan, with the dimensions of the room/door locations/power, and the equipment/benches that you have/will have.
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[Parkingmeter]

Here are some ideas that work very well for me in my shop.

I built every floor cabinet in my shop to have 4" casters and are the same height as my table saw (37"). I also designed them so I can lock them together, using double hung sash window locks if I want/need a bigger working space for assembly. My work bench, which is 30" x 84", has a hinged top section running its length, to give me a 56" x 84" top. The nice thing about this, is I can roll it over to the TS and clamp it (via the sash locks) to a 12" section of MDF that is bolted to the back end of my saw for a convient outfeed table.

I built my router table to be 36 1/4", (with casters) and have a 3/4" plywood overlay on the table to match the TS height (37"). The only time the overlay comes off the RT is when I'm usuing the RT. I also built another cabinet that is 37", holds my TS blades, TS alignment items, squares, incra tools and measuring tools. This cabinet also doubles as an infeed table whien I'm cutting sheet stock, along with having "T" track running it's width to mount my Dovetail jig, grinding wheel or any other item that can be secured using a 3/4" T track.
I also have two more rolling cabinets that are 37" tall, with T track in the top that hold tools, thatcan be locked together with any other cab in the shop, and I think that is really what makes everything universal and compatable.

[ironhat]

OK, P.meter enough bragging about your incredibly level floors - LOL! That's pretty great. My converted garage bay must have been finish troweled by a gang of monkeys on pogosticks using garden shovels for trowels.

[radhak]

Chiz,
You ask him to stop, and then you start bragging - you are describing a professional team when compared to the way my garage was done .

David, what did you plan to do when you reduced your bench? As I see it, the wall opposite seems prime for an upper cabinet, leaving some space beneath/around it for the bandsaw (which I assume is floor sized). Of course, anywhere the floor is occupied permanently, as that tank-corner, a bench over it is the best use of space, also allowing an upper-cabinet over it.

Parkingmeter's setup is always tempting, but if you are gonna end up using most of the mobile cabinets to stand heavy tools, you are not gonna use those surfaces much.

But I must say, for what looks like a one-car garage, you have organized it pretty neatly.

[MikeMcCoy]

I don't know if it will work for you but you can also pair up your bandsaw with your drill press. That way they can be infeed/outfeed for each other.

[docrowan]

Comment on the cluttered horizontal surface - I suffer from this condition frequently myself. I've found pegboard above the bench is a fairly effective cure for this. If I have a good place to put the tool back in easy reach, it's much more likely to wind up there instead of staying on my bench.

[crokett]

But I must say, for what looks like a one-car garage, you have organized it pretty neatly.

That is the cleanest it has ever been. I took that pic just because it was so clean. It is actually in the basement and right now is a wreck.

Thanks for the comments.

I've thought about uppers or some sort of shelving on that back wall and will probably do so in future. For now I plan to hang other stuff there till I get the last wall framed in, then the hanging stuff will go on the new wall. A little more space and I can hang things floor to ceiling.

[ironhat]

Personally, I could live without all of that countertop area. I currently have a 24" x 30" catch all top where tools gather while I'm 'in process'. The cordless drill lives there all the time and the drawers below hold misc tools. The workbench is 2' x 4' and is where I do the actual handwork of building the project. The remainder of the floor space along the wall is, for the most part, is dedicated to tools on wheels. I am planning on dedicating the majority of one wall to a CMS/ RAS table. I have found that quite often I don't need to wheel the tools away from their position along the wall - only if the workpiece is long or bulky. You didn't give your dimensions but it looks similar in size to mine at 14 x 24. HTH!