Everyone,
I will be breaking ground on a new shop this spring. I am really excited about the possibility of being able to design my shop from scratch. I am a hobbyist woodworker, and I will be working on a limited budget. I am not going to be building a massive, 2,000 square foot building. It’s will be relatively small, just big enough to fit my bench and tools, with lumber storage in the rafters. Still it will be a huge improvement from my current location in the garage.
So, what would be a good resource for me to read as I begin the planning of this construction. I can still be flexible on the exact dimensions. I am worried I will miss some important details. I am especially interested in having a built in dust collection system, with ports mounted in the floor. Any help here with books or websites to read would be greatly appreciated, just looking for some good info that will open my eyes to items that I may not have thought of to this point.
Thanks everyone.
Replies
I was hoping you would get some responses to your question. I am also breaking ground in spring. Mine will be a bit bigger though, about 2400 sq ft (not massive at all). I have been working part time in a 25x25 space for the last 9 yrs and have just absolutely out grown the space. It seemed huge when I built it, but it filled up fast. It doesn't take very long.
The best advice I can give you is to plan for growth. Put in lots of outlets, especially 220v. Table saw, shaper, dust collector,and air compressor ate up all 4 I put in when I thought I would only need 1 or 2. I wish I had thought to run the D/C under the slab, planning on doing it this time. Overhead and along the floor can get in the way. Put in several windows. There is no substitute for natural light, it just makes the time in the shop more enjoyable. I used to work in a production shop with block walls and no windows, in the winter it was kind of depressing never seeing the sun. Plan some kind of ventalation if you even think you will do any spray finishing. Air filtration is also nice. Those hanging overhead filters do a pretty good job of clearing the fine dust that isn't picked up at it's spource by the D/C.
Sorry I don't have any references for you. I have learned alot of things that I want to change now that I am building my second shop.
Good luck with your project.
Brian
Brian,Thanks for your input. Your old shop is about the size of the construction I am planning to build. If I get 10 years out of it, I'll be happy. How much clearance did you have above your head? I'll build with open rafters, just not sure how high I should have them. Is 8' enough?I've been thinking alot about natural lighting. I'm considering a skylight of some sort, trying to do some research into that. If you think of anything else, let me know. Thanks again.Jeff
8' isn't a high ceiling for a shop. 8' sticks aren't that rare, even longer sometimes. If you have the luxury of building from scratch, if you can afford it, I'd suggest shooting for higher ceilings.
Jeff,My current shop has 8' walls on the sides, but with the cathedral type ceiling it's about 15' to the peak inside. When I build the new shop I am going with 10' walls. I never really had any problems with the old layout for height because the side walls had a workbench and other cabinets. Most of my work was done in the center area. If you can go to 10' just to be sure. I also gives you more air volume, that way the dust in the air doesn't build up so fast. I'm still planning on D/C under the floor. I know that takes away some flexibility. I'm planning on running underfloor to a few strategic areas, and then I'll branch out from there. I am keeping the D/C in it's own small room off my wood storage area, so I don't have to listen to it run as much. The same goes for the air compressor, then I'll hard line it with galvanized pipe to a few areas in the shop. The wood floor that was mentioned has been a great asset in my shop. It is definately something I am going to do itn the new shop as well. Not only does it keep the floor warm, it also cuts down on sound. Most importantly it has helped my back alot. I have several degenerated discs and standing on the concrete for several hours a day used to kill me. I was amazed at how much it helped.Brian
I had not thought of doing a cathedral or vaulted ceiling. That is a good idea to think about. Probably be better to do that and build in lower wood storage, as Napie mentioned above. I've always planned on having wood floors, and I still think I'll run the DC under the floor. I can see where that may limit the flexibility of shop layout, but seems to me with the proper planning up front you can eliminate most of the headaches down the road. I had planned on building the DC unit into it's own room, but had not thought of making that area large enough to house the compressor. Another good idea to consider.I guess my next concern is heating. I'd rather not take up much floor space with a permanent heating unit, such as a heavy wood burning stove. I'll probably look into a portable solution, such as oil-filled electric heaters. Anyone have a better idea for heating this hut?Thanks for everyone's input. I'll try to pick up "The Workshop Book" this weekend.
My D/C and compressor are actually in 2 seperate small "closets". There is still some amount of dust in the D/C room, especially when emptying the bag. I didn't want the dust to plug up the filter on the intake of the compressor. I cut a hole in the door of each "closet" and put a couple of furnace filters in the holes. That way the air into the compressor room and return air from the D/C is filtered.Another thing you may want to do is paint the walls a light/white color. It really keeps the room bright and you need alot less lighting to light the room. I have two rows of 4 incandecent lights with 100 watt bulbs, one row about half way up on each side of the ceiling. Every other bulb(staggered on each side) is on a different switch. That way I can flip the switch and only use half the lights if I just need a little extra light on a cloudy day of if I am not doing intricate work. If I need a little more light for finishing or close work I just flip the second switch. For heat I used an electric 220v ceiling mounted heater. It has a blower and thermostat on it. It just kicks in whne it needs to. I haven't used it in the last couple of years though. I replaced our fireplace with a woodburner that has 2 10" air ducts out of it. One leg I ducted to the heating system for the house and the other I added an in duct fan to, to push heat out to my shop. I then added a cold air return with some filters that comes back to the house through the woodbox that I fill in the garage and have cabinet doors on the inside near the fireplace. I have to block it off when I do any finishing out in the shop to keep the smell from getting in the house.My wife will be nearly as happy as I am to have a shop that is detached from the house. Even though it is off the back of the garage, she can still hear when I am out there late at night, or smell when I quick shoot some lacquer and forget to block the duct. Brian
Edited 11/22/2005 6:19 pm ET by BrianF
In our shop (24x32) we laid pipe (1000ft) in the floor for heat and used a hot water tank to supply the hot water for the heat and the sink. This is the nicest heat as the concrete floor doesn't pull the heat out of your feet and the shop warms up really quickly after you open the 16 ft overhead door. It works really well here in Canada.
Brad
Lumpy -I, too, installed heat tubing in the slab floor of my shop. I've yet to get an efficient heat exchanger designed and built for installation in the wood stove I use to heat the space (24' x 40') but I'm sure I'll be much happier once I do.
If you plane to cut any sheet goods, 8' is too low. I had a garage built a couple of years ago and had an 8' door installed with 9' walls. I can now grab a sheet of plywood or? and move it into position, cut it and not have a problem with it wanting to fall over while I manuever it on an angle under the 7' door I had in the old garage. If you can, go with 10' of clearance and include some kind of low-profile ceiling fans for circulation when it's not too hot but the air isn't moving at all. Also, make sure you have a big enough breaker panel and tons of outlets at different heights. Moveable cabinets are good, too. That way, you can clean under them or retrieve items that fell under them. Wall cabinets hung on French cleats are another good idea because you can move them along the walls, or to a different wall. Light neutral colors with plenty of lights, as well as lots of natural light. Maybe a smallish spray booth in one corner with ventilation. Explosion proof if possible, unless you never use solvent based finishes. A clean room for finishing with a filtering system, air lines with great filtering in multiple locations (more than you think you will ever need) and a central vacuum system in the whole place. Easy to install, not terribly expensive and you don't need to worry about mixing materials and dirt going into your dust collector. This is obviously the time to think about comfort, too. Insulate the walls, ceiling and use insulated windows for the high and low temperatures and if you check around, you can heat and cool it for not a lot of $. Build a box around the compressor to quiet it down and locate the central vac in the same area. Make sure you don't forget to have a good first aid kit, all necessary safety equipment and fire extinguishers. Oh, yeah- a killer stereo!
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Figure out what you can afford, add 50%, then you will outgrow it in only a year or two. Ten foot ceilings are a minimum, it makes swinging those long boards around a lot less stressful. the in floor dust collection is no no, it makes you layout to unflexable, besides, those ducts in the overhead are no problem. A plywood floor would be a very nice addition. LOTS of power outlets. I have added hard piped compressed air, that has been great too, large compressors have come way down in price and I recommend it highly. In my last shop I stored lumber in the overhead, not great at all, hard on the back and difficult to sort it.
"The Workshop Book" by Scott Landis is a very good start.
JH -
I disagree with the admonition of not putting the DC ducting in the floor. Even a concrete floor. But I wouldn't simply put stub-ups at specific locations, either. When I laid out my shop I figured for the table saw to be a central and pivotal piece of equipment. An overhead DC duct was beyond my design conceptialization so I cast a trough across the slab floor in which I could route a duct system and connect the table saw, planer and jointer,the latter sitting along the far wall from where the exterior DC system would be situated. Thus I'm limited in only one direction with respect to changing the position of these pieces of equipment.
You can really benefit from drawing (on cardboard) each piece of equipment you own, or intend to own, on cardboard and include a reasonable work space around each one. Then cut these out, including the work space to use in planning the layout of your shop.
Consider the work flow; material coming into a storage area, re-sawing or otherwise undergoing some sort of stock preparation, final milling, assembly and finishing. Try to arrange your machines with that work flow in mind. Once you have them arranged, then draw your walls around them and that's your shop.
I agree with the other replies with respect to ceilintg ht. A 10' ceiling is minimum. I'd like it to be higher if there was a hard ceiling in my shop but as it is, the attic space, if you will is open so I don't have to worry about hitting a hard ceiling with boards or whatever.
Ventilation is crucial in my opinion. A DC system just won't get all the dust that's generated, especially in sanding. Plus if you don't intend on building a dedicated spray booth area, a good,safe exhuast system would be desirable. I think it would be frowned on to try to use the DC for overspray evacuation!
Windows are nice but they eat up precious wall space where cabinets and tools can be hung and out of the way. Figure out a nice view or exposure and consider one nice large "picture" window to add visual delight to your work space. Additional natural light can be provided with dormers or clerestory windows or skylights.
Planning a shop often ends up to be more fun than actually working in it! (grin)
you guys are killing me! my shop is only 11 x 18 feet. i still manage (thanks to my forced use of mostly hand tools)to turn out a fair bit of work. my latest commission is a oak case piece that measures 6 feet by 45 inches.it's not that bad. if i want to use my bench, i slide it on to the table saw, and if i want to use my saw, i slide it on to the bench. it is a perfect example of co-coordinating your tool heights. i am looking for a larger space, but for now, this one is free! good luck with your new shops.
If you are going to build on the smaller side (<1,000 sq ft), maybe try and plan for some exterior storage space for lumber and sheet goods. I am currently working in a 24x28 shop and am in the process of building a new 30'x64' shop. In my current shop i am amazed at how much floor space is taken up by my lumber rack and sheet goods. Maybe a small lean-to on the out side of your buidling for storing lumber?? My shop would feel much larger and more usable if i wasn't always tripping over the lumber racks.
In my new shop i am dividing the shop into a 30x40 shop dedicated to tools and a small finishing room. I have built cold storage side about 30x24 that will have the lumber, DC room and air compressor room, among other things.
just my 2 cents.
Aaron
Great minds think alike, I guess. That is almost exactly my plan in my shop, except I'm going 40x60 with a 20x20 minimally heated area for wood storage. I plan to put my big planer, radial arm saw, and panel saw in that area as well to do my "rough" dimesioning of material. My current small shop, like you describe, is chewed up with lumber and especially sheet good storage. I also figure doing the rough cutting out there will make the "finished" part of the shop a little more peacefull and tidy.
Brian,
I have attached a floor plan for how I am planning the shop layout. I'm sure once equipment is put in things will change a bit, but for planning this is where I am at. The building was finished this the end of October and is a post and frame. I installed radiant tubing throughout the entire building on one zone. I seperated the cold storage side on three loops and will just close them to keep it unheated, but could start up in the future. I also did the concrete work and am currently working on wiring and interior framing then drywall.
I also agree that you need at a minimum 10 foot ceilings. I previously had 8 foot and in the new shop went with 12 foot. I agree with the explosion proof fan. I order one from spray sheild industries and am installing it in the small finishing room.
Sorry my photo is too large, maybe someone can help resize it.
Aaron
Aaron, very nice! I have a couple of questions for you. You are obviously some where in the north like I am. I'm in Green Bay, WI. Did you put in a frost wall around the base of your slab, or just pour it on footings? Right now I am thinking of just using a 12x12 thickened edge around it as well as a 12x12 down the middle the long way to support a bearing wall that will divide the building in half. I am also planning on using in floor radiant heating. What are you planning on using for a boiler? Gas, wood, or something else? I'm looking at a pellet boiler unit. I wish it would burn scraps, but I like the ability to fill the hopper and just walk away for a few days while maintaining a reasonable temp. Did you put any kind of thermal break in the concrete between your heated and unheated area to prevent the unheated area from becoming a big heat sink and sucking heat away? A builder I know suggested that I do that but I guess some heat loss to that part of the shop would be allright anyway. I still plan on marginally heating that area somewhat any way. Did you put up the building your self or did you have some one put it up for you? It looks great. I'm going back and forth between what you did and framing mine the standard way. It's going to be in my front yard once we build the house further back on the land to over look the ponds and field, so I may just want to make it blend more with the house. I'm undecided.It looks like you have a pretty nice open layout to the shop. I know what you mean about playing it by ear with the machines. I think I have a plan of how to flow in from the wood storage area after rough dimensioning and then through machining, assembly, and finsh prep. Then it will roll out of the shop into my nearly 20x20 finishing room, and then back into the storage area to load up and deliver. I am trying to plan on all the equipment that I eventually want to add and have gotten dimensions and power requirements, but I am sure that will all go down the tubes at some point.Keep up the good work! I wish I was as far along as you are on your project.Brian
Brian,
My building was put up by Morton. It is post and frame so the posts are placed every 8' and are sunk in the ground ~5' so there is no other frost footing or thickened edge. I poured a true 4" slab throughout the building. The dividing wall is not load bearing so I didn't add and support for that.
My radiant systems has 2" of high density foam board under and along the exterior wall to create a thermal break. I did use 1" of foam between the cold storage and at the overhead doors to create a thermal break. I beveled the edge of the foam at 45 degrees so the concrete isn't affected at the surface.
I went back and forth on the heat system and ended up going with a Seisco electric mini boiler. The boiler is a modulating system that is rated at 14 KQ and will qualify for off-peak electric rates. I looked at propane, but with the electric rates much lower using off-peak I figure I will give it a try. In the future I may go with a wood boiler, as you can see we have plenty of wood available and use the electric as a backup system. The pump system was purchased from the radiant floor company http://www.radiantcompany.com/?referrer=google
I put down 2,000 linear feet of Mr. Pex 1/2 inch tube with the O2 barrier. I don't have it all set up yet, but have everything purchased.
We also struggled with design of the shop to match the house. In my case the shop was built first since I am general contracting the house, starting this spring. I wanted someplace to stage equipment and work out of for the cabinets and other projects that I am going to do my self. We also will live in apartment for a few months so this make moving out of my current shop a one time event. Our house is going to have Hardi shake and planks so we will paint to match the shop color. I tried to do what we could to dress up the post and frame building. Morton did a nice job.
I will do a post in a few months once i get everything set up. Here are a few more photos.
Good Luck.
Aaron
Thanks. Good info for me. I really like the idea of beveling the foam to create a more seamless look at the thermal breaks. It really looks huge. It almost made me second guess my size at 40x60, but then I remembered how big 25x25 looked before I started moving stuff in and working in it.Sounds like exactly my plan. I'm building the shop first for exactly the same reasons. I'm putting water and a small bath to include a shower out there. I plan to use that as a base to work out of while building the house as well, except while we are building my plan is to park a RV along side to live out of instead of renting an apartment. My wife thinks that will motivate me to finish the house faster!!Edited 11/30/2005 10:40 am ET by BrianFEdited 11/30/2005 10:41 am ET by BrianF
Edited 11/30/2005 10:41 am ET by BrianF
I would do the same but it is illegal in my county near Minneapolis to live in the shop as a temporary residence. Plus with two young children and appartment will be money well spent.
Good luck
I'm not planning to live in the shop. That's what the RV is for. We'll be "camping" until I can get far enough to get an occupancy permit. I planned for a bathroom in the shop anyway and with the addition of the shower, it will make camping there easier. Plus on those days when I am covered in dust and sweaty it will be nice to shower and then head back up to the house at the end of the day with out dragging the mess in the house.
Also make sure to put in some doors that will allow for larger projects to fit through them when you're done. Tables, beds and bookcases are examples of things that need to fit through those doors.
Hello jhounshell
What a great opportunity to build your own shop, as I did last summer! I have worked in converted garage workshops, and I can't tell you how much I hate concrete floors! First let me recommend a soft covered book to you, "Setting up Shop", by Sandor Nagyszalancze, and published by the Taunton Press, (how about that!) It is, as it says, "The Practical Guide to Designing and Building Your Dream Shop". I covers just about everything I can think of in this ONE book.
I have a wooden floor, 2 x 6 T & G yellow pine, my son and I laid it down up-side down, I wanted a smooth surface. Getting the floor joist level to 1/8 of an inch was important to me. There is a crawl space of three feet between the vapor barrier, gravel and the bottom of the pressure treated joist, on top of the joist, sub flooring of 1/2 inch of pressure treated plywood, with the yellow pine on top of the plywood. I wanted enough room to crawl around on my belly to run what ever I wanted. I think the key work is "Flexibility". I used engineered beams, so the shop has no trusses. I used steel "I" beam for support to keep the work space wide open, I can now swing a 20 foot long 2 x 4 into 360's with no problem. I am thinking of a car to attache to the "I" beam with a elect. hoist, to unload the turck, when I back it in. The shop has 4 each 2 x 6 skylights, and six windows, of which three are set real high to vent out the summer heat. The building faces southward, to take advantage of solar radiant heat at a later date "Flexibility"!
No one person that can designe a shop to fit eveyone's needs. So in my new shop, nothing will be permanent for the first year or so. As I work, the equipment will find its place of most convince. When the sawdust settles, then things become more permanent. I can't say it enough, FLEXIBILITY! I hope, that within a few years, I will have my dream shop. The walls will be sheetrocked, plastered (I will do this myself, always wanted to try my hand at plastering and can't think of a better place to practice), and painted white, I want it as bright as possibly. My wife said to me, "Its going to be the best looking room on our property". I told her, she will all ways know where to find me!
Friends come to my shop, and see my "Frist Aide" kit, its about 30" x 30" x 30", and it pluged into my wall. They asked about it, while looking around on the floor for pools of blood. I tell them to go over to it, open the door, and pull out a couple of ice cold Bud's, sit for a while and we will talk. Damn, I love my shop! I don't recommend drinking and working with power equipment, so, "You take a can of Bud, and hand me a bottle of Ginger Ale, as I have more work to do". Thank you!.............Pop
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled