Replies

1. 
   Timberwerks | Jan 17, 2003 06:34pm | #1

   Andrei

   At the present time I am working in a 3,000 sq shop and it does work out well. I have a carving area, finishing area and lumber storage. At the start of the year I decided to eliminate general cabinet work and stick to carvings and one of a kind pieces of furniture. In turn I can lose a fair amount of space and not miss it. My wife and I are also looking to build or move so I am also looking towards the future of a new shop. Based on the work I will be doing I will be looking at the 1,500- 2,000 sq range. I think this is a good size for a one man shop. I would also plan on a overhead door, sky lights, and 10' ext wall height min. Also I would recomend a 200 amp service. The shop I am in also has wood floor's I would also recomend using wood floors if budget permits. I hope this little bit of insight help's

   Dale  

1. 
   rolleikin | Jan 17, 2003 06:47pm | #2

   Dale,

   Thank you for the suggestions. The little plan I put together so far is based on an inside height of 12' (to allow for hanging conduits for wires, air filters, dust ducts, fluorescent light fixtures, etc, and still allow me to swing a full size piece of lumber around.

   I had not thought of the skylights but it is a fantastic idea. I had thougth of using artificial illumination to saturation (one fixture every 4 feet of ceiling), but your suggestion is even better.

   In your 3000 sq ft. shop, how much is dedicated to storage of stock, work in progress, and finished goods? Do you have a booth, and if yes, how big is enough? As I said, I will not do this professionally, but more like a hobby, however, I anticipate starting several projects and slow pedaling some of them as I get interested in another one (yeah, I do this all the time), so I can easily see storage eating up square footage like no tomorrow.

   Cheers,

   Andrei

1. 
   Timberwerks | Jan 17, 2003 09:23pm | #6

   Andrei

   My finishing area is about 25'x25' it is a open area with a curtain I pull around. The reason for not having a both is because I am in a comercial area and the fire inspectors are very strict when it comes to venting, both construction etc. I stick to spraying waterbased lacquer and avoid all this. More of my projects are oil and wax finishes so the need for spraying is fading off. I forgot to mention my shop is located in a old post and beam mill so my area's are divided from post to post. Lumber storage is spread around the shop on the outside wall's standing vertical. The reason for this is I seperate wood type, rough, planed and a favorites area this is what woork,s best for me. Sheet good's are stacked in a corner standing on edge. As far as a finish area if you are not doing this full time I think you could get by without a dedicated space. As far as project area goes there is no space I really dedicated to it. Depending on the size it is either done on a bench or where there is apropiate floor space.

   Hope this helps

   Dale  

1. 
   jgaiennie | Jan 18, 2003 06:27pm | #7

   There's an abundance of stuff that's been published on this matter.  Still on the newsstands, FWW's Tools and Shops Issue.  The Workshop Book.  Others.

   jdg

2. 
   UncleDunc | Jan 17, 2003 07:11pm | #3

   This question get asked fairly often and draws a good response. Everybody who's ever worked in a less than perfect shop has strong opinions about shop design. Some of the threads have gone on for quite a long time and elicited a lot of good advice, some of it fairly subtle. I recommend using the Advanced Search button near the top of the left hand frame and searching for new shop as an exact quote.

3. 
   RickL750 | Jan 17, 2003 07:22pm | #4

   Andrei,

   Checkout these links:

   http://www.shopnotes.com/shop_tours/shop_tours_archive.html

   http://woodmagazine.com/shops/

   Keep in mind you don't have to have the biggest or have allot of machinery to have a good shop. Start with something manageable and as you learn and find your interest/developed your skills you'll know witch direction to take and what you need to be comfortable. Work with an open plan give your self the ability to divide or to add additions to your building, you’ll find as time goes by what works for you. Keep it simply, when you make thing complicated or elaborate they become more difficult to change. Your shop will develop nicely as you evolve with your woodworking.   

   Good luck,

   RickL  

   P.S. There's nothing like natural light, put-in lots of windows and skylights. 

   
   

   ---

   Edited 1/17/2003 11:25:30 AM ET by R!CKL

4. 
   TKanzler | Jan 17, 2003 07:52pm | #5

   The last shop I worked in (as far as a paying job) was a 2-man, 1000 sf rectangle.  It was a bit tight for cabinet work, being long and narrow, but tolerable for custom furniture (no finishing there).  If I was going to build a shop from scratch, just for me (hobby, not paycheck), I'd probably make it around 1000 sf or so also, nearly square, with an eye toward expansion in a gable end direction if needed down the road.  Either skylights or casement type windows high in the wall for natural light without losing wall space, and a few lower windows for the view.  Insulated overhead or barn doors at one end would be a must for me.  A small utility room for air compressor, and shed outside for the dust collector would also be high on the list. 

   Be seeing you...

5. 
   bobpowers | Jan 18, 2003 11:49pm | #8

   I built a new shop a few years back, attached to my house, and my primary sources of information were the following books:

   Setting Up Shop by Sandor Nagyszalanczy, published by Taunton

   and

   Setting Up Your Own Woodworking Shop by Bill Stankus, published by Sterling Publishing Co.