Replies

1. 
   hammer1 | Sep 30, 2006 05:01pm | #1

   Lou, at one time, there were some 1/4" scale machine drawings in a FWW magazine. Someone may know the issue #. I did something similar when laying out some different shops. Start with a floor plan to scale, measure your equipment and make drawings of their basic shapes, also to the same scale. Look at where the materials will be delivered, stored and the various steps in your milling sequence. I tried to put sheetgood storage and processing together, the same with any other process. For some machines you may need space for 16' in and out. I also tried to keep machines that I use in sequence, together, planer and jointer, for example. I then set up the machines according to plan and looked at how efficient and accessible everything was. Once I had the machinery set the way I liked it, I started on wiring and dust control. I guess it boiled down to looking at the process from in the door to out and then arranging the equipment to allow the needed space. In a small shop, you may need to look at turning or moving some machines to handle the occasional long piece. The planning steps may take some time but they are worth it.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

2. 
   forestgirl | Sep 30, 2006 09:08pm | #2

   Don't know if it'll help, but Grizzly has a shop-design program on their site.  It's really easy to use and will save various layouts.  Go here.

   There's another web site that has a similar program, but not remembering right now.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   

1. 
   dgreen | Sep 30, 2006 09:14pm | #3

   Delta has one too.

   http://www.deltamachinery.com/index.asp?e=6075
   Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves. ~Italian Proverb

3. 
   OB | Oct 01, 2006 02:39am | #4

   There is a program that you can get a free download of at

   http://www.inthewoodshop.org/software/software.shtml

   Called  Shop Designer.  I have used it for several years.

   For a few tools not in the list I use the one the represents the bench & size it to represent the tool desired. All tools can be sized to represent the size of your own tools.

    

   Good, better, best never let it rest until your good is better & your better best.
4. 
   oldfred | Oct 01, 2006 05:00pm | #5

   I designed several school shop layouts BC (before computers)  by taping the floor plans to pieces of sheet metal and then cutting out scale drawings of the machines, benches, etc. and adhering them to sticky-back magnetic tape.   Easy to move the pieces around on the metal backed floor plan, turn it upside down for a photocopy and then try another plan.   I also scaled some people (top view) to help visualize space relationships better.

   I kept the plans set up so I could just move a few pieces about anytime the spirit moved - sort of like keeping a jigsaw puzzle out on a table and stopping by it now and then to fit in one piece. 

    

   oldfred

    

    

1. 
   loucarabasi | Oct 05, 2006 02:50pm | #6

    Old fred,  Sounds like a good idea! You must really be old to remember the day before computers.

   Thanks, Lou C

1. 
   oldfred | Oct 05, 2006 04:09pm | #7

   I'm afraid so.......   at least old enough to remember the days before affordable computers.   :)

5. 
   Ricks503 | Oct 06, 2006 07:54pm | #8

   Some thoughts to consider.

   When laying out the floor plan, make scale drawing of floor and scale shapes of the tools and their needed access room 

   Example - table saw may ( for simplicity I am using easy number - not necessarily accurate ones) take up 30" x 72" of floor space, but to use it, you may want 10'-12' or more  in fron and rear of it to handle product and also maybe 8'-10' to right of the blade and 4'-8 to the left of the blade.

   Now there  can be some overlap (ie the jointer can sit to the left of the TS so long as the top of the jointer fence is not higher than the table of the TS).  You can also have some rolling cabinets that have the height of the TS and can be used for outfeed tables and if the wheels lock, can be put side by side and used as a work surface.

   Another big help would be to (if possible) have the tools arranged in workflow order

   (ie jointer and planer near each other to pre the lumber and then the TS for cutting...)

   If needed, those tools that are used infrequently can be on mobile bases and kept out of the way until needed.

   If you are adding an addition to the existing shop, you might want to have 1 or 2 exterior rooms to house the Dust Collection system and the Compressor.

   Finishing - will you have a separate finishing room? If not, will you have a section that can be enclosed in one way or another to use for finishing.

   Material storage - Will it be stored in the shop? if so, plan where and how.

    

   All of this is probably old hat, but then so am I.  I just tossed this out to help stimulate the ideas.  FYI  There is a program on the Grizzly site that can help in the design process.

   http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner.aspx

   You will likely have to click on the LAUNCH button to pull up the actual program.

   It may not be the greatest one around, but it is not too bad and is free.

    

    

   " There'll be no living with her now" - Captain Jack Sparrow

6. 
   LJM | Oct 07, 2006 02:54pm | #9

   I have tried the shop layout packages from Delta and Grizzley as well as smaller grid paper to make a small scale layout. Did not like any of them.
   I use 1" square grid chart paper for my furniture designs which I draw full scale. This is available at Office Max or Office Depot.
   Glue some of this 1" square paper to stiff cardboard and cut out each piece of equipment to the nearest foot. You then have manageable size pieces that you can move around as you please.
   Make another sheet, or sheets taped together, that represent the perimeter of your shop, again 1" equal 1'.
   You now can lay your sqares and rectangle pieces that represent each piece of equipment, workbench, assembly table, shop vac, etc on the grid. This allows you to more easily visualize your layout, isles, where to place windows, doors, etc.
   I find this larger scale layout much easier to worh with than what I have on an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet or computer screen.
   Larry