NEW Woodshop layout advice...

Plan looks well thought out.
Make SURE that ya have adequate elec., both 120 and 240v outlets at about 4’ above the floor.
HVAC? Ceiling and task lighting?
Bill

-- [email protected]

Where’s the planer at?

Bill: I just had the sub-panel installed Wednesday. As of right now I have 70 amps to work with. With my shop being a one man show I figured that would be enough and the electrician agreed. At any given time there could be a dust collector, compressor, 1 tool, overhead air cleaner, fridge, and lights at the same time. The electrician said I would be ok. As for HVAC, the shop is attached to the house, so I talked to a HVAC guy and he said I would be ok to extend a couple of branches from my house central unit duct (in attic) into the shop. It won’t have a thermostat, but it’ll be better than nothing. I’m planning to install OSB on the ceiling and walls (painted white) with evenly spaced shop lights and track lighting here and there for task lighting.

waho6o9:
I have a Craftsman 13” lunchbox style planer that will be stored under my miter bench on a rolling cart.

-- -Shawn

Height – wise, will your jointer interfere with cuts to the left of blade? I often have overhangs 3’+ to the left when using sleds etc.

And let me be first, a shop with a fridge AND a crapper—- you SUCK!

-- I've decided 1 mistake is really 2 opportunities to learn.. learn how to fix it... and learn how to not repeat it

Great looking workshop. I would put all the machinery on mobile bases. Inevitably there will come a time when you have to rearrange.

-- Julian

ChefHDAN:
LOL! Hey I figured if I’m building it, might as well do it right. Even if it is only 20×20 at least I’ll have what I need IN the shop. On the jointer height issue, I’ll be ok.

Julian:
Thanks. Not all of my machines have mobile bases, but some do. I will definitely consider implementing this to all floor standing tools. My workbench/outfeed will be made of a 3” thick 5’ long Hickory slab with Oak 4×4 legs and oversized pull out drawers, so it will be HEAVY. I guess I could put casters on it, but not sure yet.

-- -Shawn

+1 on ChefHDan’s last comment!

You’ve got enough ceiling height to store 8’ plywood on end? Very cool!

In my garage shop storage has a significant footprint. I have a tool chest/roll away for mechanics tools, hammers, etc. I have a 2’x4’x7’ cabinet full of portable power tools, hardware storage, collapsible saw horses, drills, jigs, etc. I have a separate router table because 1. the space under the right wing of my saw is occupied by a chest of drawers pretty much completely filled with table saw accessories, and 2. the router table stand is pretty much full of router table accessories. With tool-specific accessories I very much like being able to move the accessory between the tool and the accessory storage spot without taking a step. You do have quite a bit of storage under your miter station, but the planer will take up a chunk.

I would probably leave out the toilet and fridge and use the ones in the house. Who wants to clean the shop toilet? A sink would be handy.

Don’t be shy about leaving some open, undedicated floor space. Then when you have a project with unusual requirements you have space for a temporary special-purpose setup without disturbing your permanent setups.

Then there is clamp storage…

I would consider not having dedicated bench space for the combo sander, spindle sander, and grinder. For the stuff I do I find it adequate to drag out these units only when I need them.

-- Greg D.

Greg:
Yes, I have 9’ foot ceilings, so I can store 8’ pieces. You make good points. I’m keeping the toilet and fridge. As far as open space, I can move the ts, jointer and workbench if needed. Clamp storage has been on my mind, though. My thought process on this is to add a half (or even full) wall behind where the drill press is for clamps OR take out the bench where the combo sander is and place the band saw there and place the drill press on the bench by the lathe and free up some “open space”. I’m not necessarily set on keeping the sanders and grinder in a dedicated place, because space IS valuable. Thank you for bringing up some good points.

-- -Shawn

I agree with Julian about having all the machines on mobile bases and you should have your work bench on casters. This will not only help if you need to rearrange, but also for cleaning. My set-up for the router table, table saw, jointer are the same, but the workbench(out feed table) is rotated, to make it easier when working with larger pieces. The router table and table saw and workbench are all at the same height so it makes one big workstation if necessary, all I need to do is roll the jointer out of the way.

-- Fred, Myakka City, FL

My 2 cents…. worth what you paid for it :^p

1. I think you need more bench space. Though you can still use the outfeed table for assembly, you will not want to have to clear the bench every time your rip a board. I have a 22×20 basement shop and I have 3 benches and a work mate, and a 16’ long counter and even that seems limiting some times (especially when I have more than one project going on)

2. For this size shop, I question the need for a finishing room…. and then, I wonder if the room you have laid out will prove to small to spray a decent size piece. I’d suggest considering a collapsible spray booth parked in front of your French Doors. But at the very least, make your finishing room door 36” wide.

3. Consider pouring a small pad alongside your back gable end with a “shed” bumping out from the back side of the building for your DC and compressor. These machines don’t need air conditioned space, and you can avoid spilling the shops heated/cooled air by discharging the DC exhaust line back into the shop with a pleated filter. You will covet the 20 sq. feet of gained interior space.

4. Don’t forget smoke alarms and a large fire extinguisher.

5. You want a utility tub style sink for cleaning up brushes and such.

6. Consider a small dorm room fridge sitting on a wall shelf to recapture another 6 to 7 sq. ft. You’re probably really only going to need it for cold ones.

Good luck with the build out. Take lots of pics, as they will help you down the road when you try to remember where the heck you routed this or that in the wall.

-- Matt -- I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam

Looks great. Lumber storage above the miter saw will be horizontal racks, correct? I prefer to store lumber vertically because it is much easier to access. With the 20×20 footprint, that might not be possible.

-- Willie, Washington "If You Choose Not To Decide, You Still Have Made a Choice" - Rush

Shop layouts are difficult to plan. It’s only after working in the shop for a while that you will realize repositioning a machine might make the plan more efficient. My big concern is working clearance around machines. It looks like you plan to do a lot of plywood projects, so you need to account for space needed to handle 4×8 sheet goods. It looks like you got the table saw covered. Putting the drill press and band saw on mobile bases will help. On the right bottom corner of your shop, you could add a small pass through door to help when x-cutting long 2x lumber. I have my miter saw set up so I can cut 10’ on one side and any length on the other side.

Overall, it looks well thought out. I wish I had that much space.

The one thing that kind of jumped out that hasn’t been mentioned yet is the placement of the bench grinder. I don’t know how fanatical you are about cleaning up, but unless you are going to keep that area very clean, having a spark thrower that close to sanding dust and lathe chips could be worrisome.

If you are using a dorm fridge next to the sink, you could build a shelf above for the grinder and be well away from most sawdust, as well as having easy access to water for cooling. This would also help keep the grinding grime off the wood. Obviously that wouldn’t work if your fridge is/will be full sized.

If you are much better than me about keeping everything spic and span, maybe it’s not an issue.

-- https://www.jtplaneworks.com - In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.

I like it! My shop is 16×20 but I don’t have a bathroom or clean room which leaves you with about the same amount of usabe space as me.

Here are some thoughts:

1) Mobile bases for all power tools! I had originally planned on dedicated stations for my tools but I went ahead and put them all on mobile bases. I sure am glad I did!
2) Miter station. Some people really like their miter stations. I don’t have one and I don’t really seem to need it. Either because of the saw or me I can’t get accurate enough cuts. My miter saw stays in the corner unless I’m using it to cut down larger boards. I’m not saying dispense with it. I’m just relating my experience…
3) I have 60A service in my shop. No problems.
4) Lighting. I haven’t had the need for task lighting so far. I calculated the anount of light I needed and installed the corresponding number of fixtures. Worked out great.

-- Todd, Huntsville, AL

Just my thoughts, but don’t EVEN leave out the toilet room and utility sink. Both are invaluable in my shop which is attached to the home. :)
Bill

-- [email protected]