Replies

1. 
   _mj_ | Oct 22, 2022 02:46pm | #1

   Lots of info in this recent thread:

   https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/no-grizzly-shop-planner-any-alternatives

2. 
   pantalones868 | Oct 22, 2022 02:47pm | #2

   The best layout tool that I've found is money!

3. 
   eddo234 | Oct 22, 2022 04:20pm | #3

   mj's link is your best bet for lots of suggestions, from graph paper to expensive CAD programs. I'm the one who started that thread, looking for a replacement for Grizzly's discontinued app. After tons of advice someone suggested sweethome3d.com, a very easy to learn free 3D app that also accepts all the Sketchup woodworking machinery models in their free 3Dwarehouse. It's perfect for my needs, and the bonus of seeing the perspectives and elevations along with the plan is great.

4. 
   Go_Bills | Oct 22, 2022 10:01pm | #4

   Go Old School -
   Use graph paper and cut out paper templates.
   You can easily make changes and evaluate the change.
   No computer or software needed - an efficient process.

5. 
   benson10 | Oct 22, 2022 11:23pm | #5

   Thanks for the advice. I was working on combining shops with a neighbor to pull some resources and save $ so the layout would be easier if we could just move stuff around using an app but sketching sounds like its the way to go since the planners are all out of order.

6. 
   wacforlife | Oct 23, 2022 05:38am | #6

   I recently moved into a new workshop and was struggling with the same thing. I found an app(iPad, iphone) called MagicPlan. While it’s intended use is for new building construction, I found its features to be exactly what I was looking for in an app that would allow me to play around with my shop layout. Your first 2 projects are free, which doesn’t sound great at first, but a project can be a ten story building. In this “building” you can plan floor by floor upon which you can design room by room. I currently have a three story “building” with four rooms on each story giving me 12 layouts for my workshop. You can use Your camera to capture the layout or enter in dimensions manually, the same goes for any and all workbenches/ tools. You can edit everything to exact size and even the distance between objects. It does take some time to enter in the numbers, helps to have someone measuring and calling out the numbers while another enters them. The few hours I spent doing that were well worth it, now I have everything measured and entered so rearranging for a new layout or making room for a new machine is a breeze. I went the old school way with cut out bits of paper, but could only do that with the fans off, and in Florida that’s no fun. I don’t know if the free version supports multiple users, but do know that it is an option on the payed version. That way you and your neighbor could both tinker around with layouts. Hopefully this wordy reply and sample picture from my design help.

   
7. 
   mschlack | Oct 23, 2022 12:20pm | #7

   You can go one stop further than graph paper and cutouts by using paper runners that contractors use for protecting floors. They come in rolls, 4ft wide. You can cutout life size pieces that match the footprint of your tools and place them around the room. That can help better visualize dust control runs, outlet placement, where you'll run into issues with larger pieces just feeding them in and out of machines, and other things that may be tough on a screen or a small piece of paper.

8. 
   3steers | Oct 25, 2022 08:46am | #8

   Back in the day I worked with an architect with a lot of kitchen design experience. His mantra on good kitchen design was to follow the potato. From the time it comes in the back door, to storage, to prep, to cooking, to the dining room and back to disposal. Minimize the distance and cross flow. Substituting wood for potato, I found the concept helpful in laying out my shop space.

1. 
   elmaduro | Oct 25, 2022 10:58am | #10

   Substitute wood for the potato .. great post!

9. 
   [email protected] | Oct 25, 2022 10:35am | #9

   I always use Excel on the computer. I size the rows and columns to be the same, then lay a border and label the dimensions of the room(s) every foot. This helps with sizing items, and later pinpointing locations. You can embed as many objects as you want. Objects have various shapes, can be color coded, resized, rotated, labelled, moved around, and can be sent to front or back for visibility. Once you have one version, you can open another tab, copy / paste the entire tab, then rearrange everything for another version without starting from scratch. I also import several rectangles and make them into "boards" of various lengths, as well as sheets of plywood. These are then easily moved around the virtual shop to make sure there are sufficient infeed - outfeed clearances in your setup.

10. 
    bergenfurniture | Nov 14, 2022 02:06am | #11

    Since you have already been looking into Dream Shop layout plans at FineWoodworking, you might already have seen some good designs. And, as eddo234 testified, the link shared by _mj_ is a good place to start your search, and maybe end it there. Alternatively, you can create a custom plan yourself using paper.