Designing The Nearly-Perfect Shop

[LarryG]

Well folks, there's bad news, and there's good news.

The Bad: a few weeks ago, I lost the use of the rented building that housed my shop. All of my tools are now crammed -- and I do mean crammed -- into a 10'x15' mini-warehouse about a mile down the road from my house.

The Good: I'm going to build a new, dedicated shop building on my own property. This is what I'd planned to do, eventually, all along; the schedule has merely been accelerated a few years.

The first item of business is, of course, to get the new shop designed. I've been working on a floor plan and some tool layouts, and have come up with several that work reasonably well. None are perfect, but I know that every possible layout will have at least a few compromises. The trick is to minimize how many of those there are, and to make certain any mistakes that might be made are small ones.

Which brings me to the purpose of this thread. When arranging a shop, many of the Do's and Don'ts are obvious. Things like making sure there's enough infeed/outfeed clearance for the big power tools. Not putting the clamp rack on the opposite side of the building from the assembly table. Locating the slow-speed grinder convenient to the lathe. Making sure there are enough electrical outlets. And of course the most obvious of all, "Make sure it's big enough!"

But it's the not-so-obvious stuff that I'm interested in: the little things that can make being in the shop a lot more pleasant -- or a lot more aggravating. Toward that end, I'd like to ask the members of BT3Central this rather broad, two-part question:

What specific thing(s) do you really like about the way you have your shop designed or arranged? What feature or arrangement do you have, whether by design or by accident, that has worked out well and is something you'd carry over to a new or different shop?

Conversely, what limitation or arrangement do you have that annoys you to no end every time you use it? If you were asked to complete the sentence, "If I ever build I'll new shop, I'll be sure to change--" what would you say?

There's a lot of collected wisdom here and a lot of shops, so I'm looking forward to reading what everyone has to say. Thanks!

[pelligrini]

Hehe, my little shop/shed is smaller than your storage bldg.

One problem I've noticed in a bunch of shop layout threads is people trying to work around support columns. If you can, try building it with the spans going from wall to wall.

Another thing I see mentioned often is folks wanting to do some in floor ducting for dust collection if they ever build another shop.

[dbhost]

Wow, "Crammed into a 10x15"... I am guessing you have a LOT of tools, and a lot of them are large floor models then... 10x15 is not big, but it is more space than I am working with, so here goes my wish list...

My biggest wish? That my shop was entirely, a shop. Not a shared space with home improvement building supplies. (3/4 of the space is currently occupied with fencing materials, lawn tools, and BBQ stuff).

Now assuming let's say a blank, stripped to the studs garage to house my shop that nothing else would ever encroach into... No smoker, no fencing, no giant buckets of ceiling paint, no wife's car etc... Oh and also assuming sufficient electrical service into the main panel in the house...

Walls stripped down to the studs, spray foam insulation. The stuff I was looking at is rated at R-9 per inch thickness. So ~3.5" x 9 = good insulation...

For some reason the lighting in the garage is on a dedicated circuit that connects to a single 20 amp breaker. Nothing else is on it. I would run 4 ceiling drops to connect the lighting fixtures, and a potential air cleaner (been eyeing the Jet for a while now...).

110A sub panel split 60/40 between 110V and 220V single phase with plenty of outlets along both walls, and one outlet in between the door dividing post where the DP lives.

Replace the doors with well sealed, insulated overhead doors.

Re-rock the entire thing, tape, float, and paint the entire thing bright white.

Floor coating of some sort... Not sure what...

Find some way of heating / air conditioning the space that does not involve a window unit, or punching a hole through my brick walls...

Set up a miter saw station along the wall my current workbench is on.

Add a Rod Kirby inspired mobile base / cabinet of sorts to the drill press with lots of drawers for bits, and accessories.

Build a "proper" hardwood woodworking work bench 8' long x 36" wide, and 1/8 - 1/4" shy of the table saw tables. Include lots of drawers for storage.

I am picking up my lathe tonight. I would rip the legs out from under it, and have large heavy storage cabinet underneath it. With broom hanger clips for holding the turning tools...

Lots of custom built cabinets, and storage nooks and crannies... One of the projects on my to do list is the folding storage cabinet plan from Wood Magazine's Best Ever Home Shop Ideas 2009. I want to build at least two of those...

6" main trunk lines and blast gates for DC. (Convert the DC to 6" inlet).

Again, if the garage were entirely a shop, I would trade up my benchtop jointer for a Sunhill 8" spiral head long bed jointer... (My only complaint with my jointer is the short bed, and it isn't a HUGE problem yet). I am completely content with the rest of my benchtop tools and would simply set them up on custom cabinets. maybe setting them up so all the table tops are level and even, making one huge long work surface area... Maybe that's not such a hot idea... Maybe simply individual mobile base cabinets...

Lumber storage, I need to figure out lumber storage...

[JR]

The Bad: a few weeks ago, I lost the use of the rented building that housed my shop. All of my tools are now crammed -- and I do mean crammed -- into a 10'x15' mini-warehouse about a mile down the road from my house.

Yikes!

The Good: I'm going to build a new, dedicated shop building on my own property.

That's some consolation, but it sounds like you're going to be down for some time.

A few thoughts:

I like the idea of a wooden floor for a few of reasons. Dropped chisels will live longer. A raised floor would provide an excellent way to route electrical and DC circuits, with the ability to change the layout if necessary. It would be softer on the old joints, too.

Natural light would also be good. Skylights as well as some windows, particularly near the assembly area, would provide the right perspective on the details of your work.

A separate finishing area would be great! When things are in the finishing stage in my shop, all other work stops. With many hours waiting for glue or finish to set up, I lose a lot of productive time. Good ventilation would be nice here.

HVAC.

A desk/drawing table. Storage for drawings, photos, articles, manuals, etc.

A wall to store jigs, fixtures and forms.

I suppose these ideas should go without saying, but in the interest of leaving no stone unturned - refrigerator, stereo, tv, internet access, a comforftable chair.

JR

[LarryG]

Guys, while I appreciate the responses, wish-lists are easy to come up with, but that's not what I'm after.

Allow me to reiterate: I'd looking for ideas and comment based on what you have experienced in your own shops that do or not work.

In general, these will likely be the small things, good or bad, that many people might not think of. An example (not exactly unknown, but it will serve) might be: "I put all my wall outlets 50" above the floor, so that when I lean a sheet of plywood against the wall, they're still accessible."

Or, going the other way, "I put all my outlets at standard height. I wish I'd raised them up to the middle of the wall, because when I lean a sheet of plywood against the wall, I can't get to them."

See? Thanks.

[gjat]

I just installed running water and a sink in my shop (part of garage). That's a huge convenience. Plenty of power and light are a must. Though, like most, space limits having tools 'put away' and they have to be dragged out to use. If all the tools could be set up for use, that would be nirvana!

Edit to add:
I have all my outletts at 54". I also have all the lighting and AC on 2 circuits so I can shut everything down with two 20a switches. Also, I have a charging station on a switch so I don't forget and leave any batteries on charge.

[Tom Miller]

I made my shop rectangular, and now I really wish it were a geodesic dome.



Oh man, I crack myself up!

There actually is one thing I hadn't mentioned yet -- are you planning to run lines for compressed air? I love having compressed air plumbed throughout the shop, particularly over by the lathe. You might even put your compressor outdoors some day -- mine is in my garage, with a wall switch in my basement shop.

Oh, and put your wall outlets at 98" in case you stand your plywood on end.

Regards,
Tom

[dbhost]

What specific thing(s) do you really like about the way you have your shop designed or arranged? What feature or arrangement do you have, whether by design or by accident, that has worked out well and is something you'd carry over to a new or different shop?

#1. Dust collection back in the funny corner niche. Out of the way, and accessible at the same time. I have strung a sleeping bag over the opening every now and then when the shop vac screaming gets annoying.
#2. Thien Cyclone trash can separator / stacker.
#3. Clamp rack on the small bit of wall to the left of my bench, easy access, and out of the way.
#4. Plumbed 2.5" network. I would redo it with actual 2.5" PVC instead of the 2" clear tubing Shop Vac sells if I had it to do over again, but overall, I really like the setup if not the actual quality of the components...
#5. "Sunstik" light bulbs. Good light, and cheap.
#6. Bright white wall and ceiling paint. Good results, makes me want to be productive.
#7. Benchtop drilled for dog holes. / Machinists vise set on mount plate with matching holes so I can quickly wing nut & bolt it down when I need monster clamping power.
#8. Hooking the Shark Guard up to the vac after I got the DC... No dust top side now 99% of the time.
#9. One of those dust pans on a stick where you sweep without stooping over. (A miracle for those of us with back trouble!)
#10. Mounting an industrial first aid kit on the entry door where its location is painfully obvious...
#11. Location of the drill press. I like this location well enough I had seriously considered permanently anchoring the DP down with concrete bolts.
#12. Geckoes Toes cord holders. They are a pain to put the cord back on as it has to be fed into the "toes" one loop at a time, but I haven't used a cord holder / wrap EVER that paid out cord smoother...
#13. Those cheap small parts cabinets from Home Depot. I actually know where my 1/4" machine screws, stop nuts, etc... are and don't have to fish through 1/2", 3/8" and 5/16" to get to what I want now... I have some neighbors that simply use the newer tackle boxes that have the independent compartments. That works pretty well, but I guess I am old school about the multi compartment cabinets... I like them...
#14. Thinking "up" with storage. I have my step ladder stored on hooks between the garage door tracks and over my head at the DP. Not worried about it coming down. The hooks are solid, and well into the house framing.

Conversely, what limitation or arrangement do you have that annoys you to no end every time you use it? If you were asked to complete the sentence, "If I ever build I'll new shop, I'll be sure to change--" what would you say?

#1. the SEVERELY limited electrical. I started with a single outlet in the ceiling, and one on the wall (2 different circuits). Better electrical is a MUST do.
#2. the location of the big tools. They are too far away from DC system to be truly effective. Particularly the planer. I could eliminate a couple of bends, and about 20' of pipe for both the 2.5" and 4" stuff by simply moving everything to the other side of the shop. (The config I had posted up as a Sketchup a week or so ago).
#3. ... my clamp racks. They are full and overflowing. I like the location, but there just isn't room for the corner clamps, pipe clamps, strap clamps, you name it...
#4. the lumber storage. Right now lumber is being stored in the attic, leaned against a wall, or on the work bench.
#5. the peg board. I like the peg board, but a lot of wall space is being used for not a lot of tools.
#6. orientation of the table saw. It is the only way I can fit it in with the extension wing installed, and the fencing in the shop, but it is really ackward for now...
#7. The complete lack of insulation. It is miserably hot in the summer and really expensive to cool off. There are no windows, so cross breezes are impossible... The mini wall / window unit idea isn't panning out all that well. The best I have managed is to keep the overhead doors closed, open the door to the house, and simply put a box fan in the door opening to blow cooled air into the shop. That is NOT a good solution...

I am pretty sure there is more in both the good and bad columns that I could put. But this is all I can think of for now...

[pelligrini]

One thing I always regret is not designing enough expandability or extra space for certain storage solutions especially; clamp racks & router bits. Chisels & planes come next.

For me, it's mostly a function of my very limited space. I find it difficult to allocate space for holes. I try to design any new rack, or storage solution with at least a 15-20% slack space for future aquisitions (it usually ends up being less).

[Shep]

The biggest thing I like about my shop is that everything is moble ( ie. on casters.) Most things stay in the same places, but I like my shop to be flexible with my projects. It also gives me the ability to be able to expand and grow and not be confined to speific space.

[Mr__Bill]

One of the nicest shops that I have worked in had wooden floors. If I had the headroom in my garage I would lay a floating wooden floor. It's so much better on the feet, knees and back; and helps to control the humidity in the shop.

Outlets above 48" and, every light with a pull chain on it. Even with banks of lights on switches the individual control lets you control where the light source is when finishing, you can see the finish better and reduce glare.

If you can't have a raised wooded floor that allows installing the electrical and dust collection later, and if you know where the heavy machines that are out in the room are going, put at least the outlets in the floor and if possible the dust ducts. Keeping things from being strung across the floor makes things lots better and with no or less drops from the ceiling makes moving ply and boards around in the shop easier.

Outlets are cheap. Put them everywhere. Don't forget the 240v outlets for the tools you haven't yet purchased or just to move tools around. Ceiling outlets on a circuit separate from the lighting is a must. Cord reels are the handiest thing I have found. I also like air hose reels and air to several points on the ceiling will be very handy.

Speaking of ceilings, make it high enough that you can move a sheet of plywood on end and not hit things on the floor or ceiling. 10' would be nice and 8' 4" (finished) about the absolute minimum.

While it's still empty paint the shop a light color, semi-gloss with anti-mildew stuff in the paint.

I worked in a theatre shop that had two 48" gable fans, with outside vents low on the walls. The fans would pull cool air in across the floor and pull all the heat, dust and fumes out in just a few minutes. The garage I am now using as a shop has no place for a fan like that and I really miss it.

If you put in a skylight make sure the water that will eventually drip off of it will not be dripping on your table saw.

Put the dust collector and air compressor in an enclosed space. Vent it outside with the vent down wind from any doors or windows that will bring air back in to the shop. You don't want the fine dust coming back in with the fresh air. Recycling filtered air is fine in winter but in the summer it's nice to just get rid of it.

Make sure you have a window placed where you can see who is pulling up into your drive way or walking up to the house.

Communication from shop to house. If your not using cell phones some sort of intercom is necessary, even if it's only a light with a switch in the house.

If your putting water and sewer into the shop include a bathroom. If not, make sure there is a handy tree near by.

Make sure you can turn off the security lights. If your working at night they will attract bugs that will find their way into the shop and on to a fresh finish.

I have always hated working in a shop where all the work surfaces were at the same height. While it's nice to have a table set for an out feed for the table saw and band saw, make the other work benches the proper height for what you will be doing there. I like a router table higher than the table saw and an assembly table much lower.

A dedicated place to store wood and plywood. Not just one wall of the shop.

In nice weather some things likely will move outside. Make sure you have a place to do this, one in the sun for spring and fall (this should be out of sight of the house ) and another in the shade for mid summer. These don't have to be large areas. At least one should be down wind for sand blasting and other dirty stuff. Include Air and electric. These may just be a wide spot in the sidewalk to the door and a pad that at other times a car is parked on.

Make sure you have some way to heat the place that does not blow sawdust and dirt all over the place and isn't a fire hazard.

If you let the shop freeze in the winter make sure you have a heated place for glues and finishes that freeze.

A hardwired security system with every window and door connected and a motion detector. If you do it yourself it's not that expensive. Put a really loud horn in the shop so someone breaking in can't stand being in there. If the horn is loud enough you will not need one outside.

You are going to have to make compromises along the way. Make sure your don't give up too much to compromise. Make a list of things that have to be and keep to it. It is far better to leave off something that can be added later than doing something cheap that you will have to live with forever.

Bill, on the Sunny Oregon Coast

[shoottx]

What every size you plan it ain't big enough.

I have a lot of open storage (Akro Mills bins) they fill up with dust.

[cwsmith]

Some really great ideas here!

At the moment, my shop is in the basement and measures 11 x 23 ft, and is divided into two rooms connected by a double doorway. Not at all perfect, but it's workable. With renovating the house being top priority, the future shop on the side of the garage has to be way down on the list. But here is what I've learned so far:

Water... Never gave it a thought, but having the laundry room right next to my little shop has shown me that water is essential, washing out paint and glue brushes and just having the ability to quickly wipe up stuff with a damp rag has proven "wash and rinse" to be a must.

At the moment, my two fixed tools are my Ridgid 15" drill press and my Craftsman 10" RAS. They're set up at angles to allow me to feed 12 ft and pass 8 ft. with the use of a couple of roller stands. As such they're directly opposite each other and I find it nice having the two tables directly opposite each other. Especially, I like a table behind me when running the drill press as it gives me a very convenient place to layout my bits, key, and small work pieces during production.

On my RAS (applies to CMS too) I got sick of measuring every cut and having to search for the place I just left my measure. So, I designed a stop with a window, and placed a tape on the pass side of my fence. In all the years of RAS use, I finally discovered a more efficient way!

My router table and the BT3100 are mobile and set next to each other. I can pull either one out into a working position to allow feed and passing room. My future shop will be about 12 x 30 ft with one of the garage bays used for assembly. But even then, I think I'll fix the positions of the drill press and RAS and maintain the mobility of the router table at BT3... it just seems naturally "workable" for me.

My assembly and work tables are portable, something that I've had to deal with in my long-time Painted Post home. No workable basement there and every time I work, it's out on the deck in good weather. Even in my Binghamton home that I'm renovating, the basement just isn't big enough to leave set-up and in the summer I find my sanding and finishing moved to the garage. Therefore portability of some things is just essential I think. I use two folding saw horses and two six-ft lengths of maple flooring (glued up to make two 14-inch wide pieces that I can either fit together or leave seperate) makes for a fairly sturdy top. I also have four folding Stanley tables with integral clamps. Such portability has proven quite versatile for my needs and everything can be folded up and put away if I want more floor space to position the BT3 or router table in.

My basement floor is concrete, but I covered all the shop area with Dri-Core panels. These are T&G 2 X 2 ft treated ply with a PVC backing. Easy to put down and excellent to work on... for the legs and the tools.

My other "bench-top" tools consist of a disc/belt sander, 9-inch band saw, and an 18-inch scroll saw. These are tucked away on shelves and can be set up as needed. All my hand-held power tools are kept in drawers when not needed, as are the hand tools. Sort of a pain at times and I plan on setting up a hanger/runner system around the perimeter of the future shop. This will allow me to mount necessary tools on boards, which can then be positioned where I need them, when I need them.

Probably the biggest thing I've learned is that I can be a slob and I never seem to remember where I just put that tool, I'm now looking for. I don't quit know what to do about the latter, but with the former, I've made sort of tray-like covers for the drill press, RAS, and router table. That way when I need to clear off a tool in order to use it, I simply pick up the cover and "vacate" the surface in one pass.

CWS

[Slik Geek]

Part of what makes your question difficult to answer is that we often don't appreciate the little things that made our shop a pleasure to use until we move elsewhere!

Things that I'm glad I did during shop setup:

I sprinkled a liberal number of outlets in the work area. Never can have too many. I have at least five 20A circuits available. Don't believe that I have ever popped a breaker. I put my outlets at the standard height of switches. I've never wished that they were any lower.

Provided ample lighting throughout the shop, but then added two additional light enhancements: one over my work bench, the other over the miter saw to help with precise cuts (my saw has no laser).

I'm blessed with a 36" wide outside door that feeds right into the shop. Bringing a bunch of materials, sheets of plywood or 12' long boards into the shop is not a problem.

I put a line white pegboard on nearly the entire shop perimeter, with the long dimension horizontal, from the ceiling down one sheet width. Tools, jigs, and power cords are within easy reach.

I put my shop in a walkout basement by the windows, not back in a windowless area that LOML suggested. The windows and sliding glass door provide ample natural light. This is especially helpful during the winter - the sunlight reflecting off the snow improves my mood and I sometimes don't even have to turn a light on in the shop. (The white pegboard walls help).

Almost all lighting turns on at one easily accessible switch bank. (See regrets below).

It's convenient to walk just outside the shop onto a concrete patio and do dusty things outside. This is nice during good weather - I'm able to conveniently do some things outside just to be outside.

Made my table saw infeed and outfeed clearances a priority during shop planning. That has come in handy for 12' long rips.

Tried various shop layouts and equipment setups with "paper dolls" that included necessary work areas and indications of temporary clearances for material feeding. Then I took that space drawing and tool collection and asked several people (both woodworkers and nonwoodworkers) for their suggested layouts. (The paper dolls enabled flexibility for this task). Got a few good ideas that way.

Installed a Shark Guard with a ceiling drop for dust collection. I take it for granted now, but I love how it reduced the dust distribution as well as improved my shop safety.

Placed a shelving unit filled with plastic drawer cabinets with hardware, nails, screws, etc. just on the edge of the main shop area. That is convenient.

Many of my shorter clamps are stored above the workbench, hanging from the ceiling. Very convenient to grab while working.

Regrets regarding shop setup:

I didn't put EVERY light switch in a location that for certain would always be easily-accessible.

I didn't provide more than one outlet for the patio outside the shop.

Things that I wish I could have:

I'd love to have dust collection ducts in the floor.

A toilet nearby would be nice, as well as a utility sink. (I guess a utility sink could double as a urinal if necessary! )

A segregated finishing area.

[Tom Clark]

Change?

Larry,

I wouldn't change a thing. I've enjoyed my shop as it is for the last 10 years, and haven't even added any new major tools. Check out the link to see what the shop looks like.

My outlets are 48" high, a four-plex every 10 feet. But what is this thing of leaning a sheet of plywood against the wall? The only time a sheet of anything is taken out of the rack it is immediately cut up. Besides, when you grow into your shop there will never be any empty wall space large enough to lean a sheet of wood against! Wall space will be filled with tools or cabinets…