Hello to all,
I recently bought an old fixer upper house made in 1829 which I’m presently gutting and rebuilding. Lots of woodwork to do so I need a workshop that can handle fine woodworking. There’s a place that would fit my immediate situation but it’s on the second floor. It’s a reasonable size, 24X30 clear span, 10′ high ceiling and plenty of natural light.
What I’m wondering is if a should invest in making it a permanent workshop or will I end up craving for a grade level 3 car garage because of sheet goods, big machines, ect…( space and zoning are not a problem)?
Thank you in advance for the advice,
Rehab.
Knowledge: So hard to acquire but often given away freely… Beautiful.
Edited 1/16/2009 9:08 am ET by Rehabhog
Replies
At 63 with a "tweaky" back and "so-so" knees, stairs to/from my shop would be a real deal breaker - particularly if they had landings and turns.
Even if I WERE willing to try something like that, I can't imagine SWMBO allowing me to use a space like that for a mere shop. She would have visions of the ultimate sewing room dancing in her head. - lol
Have to agree with you, 63 also. Stairs are a deal breaker for all the same painful reasons.I'd say go for the 3 car or a stand alone shop with a wood floor if there is space and budget.Boiler
Getting supplies up the steps and getting finished products down could be a problem!
you called it.. machinery would be a major problem hauling heavy material up those stairs would also be a problem.. the floor might not like the weight load put there and tracking dust and dirt would quickly turn any project into a cealning session.
Not to mention noise and vibration.. Heaven help you should you ever drop something heavy too!
Other than that, why not?
To the OP: please forgive the hijack.
Frenchy, is that you? Where ya been man? How are things going. Haven't seen you here in quite a while (or maybe I wasn't looking in the right spots ;-)
Lee
Rehab,
I have mine on the 2nd floor and love it.
My wood stash is also on the second floor over the attached garage. Thsi spring I plan on extending the woodshop out over part of the garage. There are prolly as many pros as there are cons to having your woodshop on the 2nd floor.
About the only major drawback I've experienced so far is sheet goods. To relieve that somewhat, I rough cut sheets into parts downstairs in the garage and haul 'em upstairs when needed. For the bulk of the work I do there isn't much call for whole sheets anyway, but your mileage may vary.
Major pluses are routing ductwork (DC and other), electric, etc. especially if you have ready access to the room underneath. Near future will see my dust collector relocated downstairs with a main duct coming up through the floor in center of the woodshop. Major headache and space savings.
Another plus is it keeps cranky old pharts with tweaky backs and so-so knees outa yer shop. Hiya Dave! :-)
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Thanks to all for the response. I've got to run back tonight.
Rehab.Knowledge: So hard to acquire but often given away freely... Beautiful.
Bob -After reading your post, I'm adding PITA to my list of infirmaries - 'cause you is one!! - lolSunny and low 70's here in CA today. How are things in NH?? (giggle, giggle, snark)
Edited 1/17/2009 4:53 pm by Dave45
Dave,
Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah.
Don't have a tweaky back but my feet are basically shot. Over the years in either my infinite wisdom (yeah right) or my determination not to get old, I managed to bust both of 'em and now I'm paying for it. Especially in this weather. They're, uh, well a PITA!
We might get lucky and see +20°F tomorrow!
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
now, now dave. lets not tease our bros and sisters for residing in those cold, cold climes.
eef
Awww, it's so much fun, though!! - lol
My shop is in the basement and it is a real pain to get materials and equipment up or down the stairs. As another Knothead has said, my body does not seem to operate as well as it once did, so my goal is to have a ground level--free standing shop.
Over time, you may also have concerns with sawdust (unless you install a fairly sophisticated DC).
If and when your family expands, that upstairs space may just come in handy for other uses. Enjoy your upstairs shop while you have it and assess your needs (and wants) as you go.
Thanks to all,
The pro's win over the con's for now. It may be because it was -30°C today but being able to go to the workshop without going outside as a definite appeal. This is a consideration because most of my free time is in January, February and March.
I'm afraid I'll end up where I didn't want to be with something semi-permanent. Built to be eventually moved to a garage. One day probably I too will consider stairs a pain or want to fit one to many vintage cast iron monster in the shop... But for now I'll make this space efficient, rail and hoist for starters, because the grade level might still be a long time coming.
Rehab.
Knowledge: So hard to acquire but often given away freely... Beautiful.
Your -30c is colder than our freezer I would not want to be outside in that.We have just had a day of 38c but otherwise so far a cool summer regards from Melbourne AustraliaYou can make it fool proof but not idiot proof
What's a freezer... It's not that bad just wrap on some more layers until you look and move like the Goodyear blimp.
Best regards from Sutton, Québec.
rehab.Knowledge: So hard to acquire but often given away freely... Beautiful.
Everybody mentions getting thing up and down the stairs. Don't listen to them. You do need stairs for the occasional ingress and egress but you must have a dumb waiter to bring things up and down. As simple as stepping in the doorway and flipping the switch.
The dumb waiter is just the ticket but until yesterday I couldn't place it in the layout; dinning and family room are below the shop in the layout. The solution will probably be a rail and hoist protruding under the adjoining carport. It's a valid investment since it can continue it's usefulness even if the shop is moved.
Thanks for the advice,
Rehab.Knowledge: So hard to acquire but often given away freely... Beautiful.
Rehab,
When I bring material home destined for the woodshop I back the pickup right up to an overhead door on the second floor, stand them on end in the bed of the pickup and lean the boards up against the wall. Then it's time for a short break.
Next step is to go upstairs, open the door and pull the boards up and through then door onto the stacks. Time for another break.
Breaks are like clamps, ye never have too many,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Good point. It ain't going to be a production shop, I'm just renovating an old house on my own time.
Thanks Rehab. Knowledge: So hard to acquire but often given away freely... Beautiful.
If one thinks about it, all sorts of merchants and builders in Renaissance Holland got by with second-story workshops for ages, using the hoist approach. They had to, since they were taxed on the lineal street footage of their buildings.Notwithstanding all of the inconveniences, a second story workshop has to be way better than no workshop at all.
Historic European shop over boutique layouts, Now there's an un taped source of inspirations. Good idea!
Thanks
RehabKnowledge: So hard to acquire but often given away freely... Beautiful.
In consideration of making it permanent, have you thought about flipping it over and putting your living area upstairs and workshop down. There could be some noise issues living under a workshop. Pounding on stuff and running machines will have a drumming effect on the upstairs floor. In the not too distant past, there was an interesting article about creating an upstairs shop. It was either FWW, Wood, or, maybe, a book on shops. There were some interesting features like a large trapdoor and a traveling hoist system for heavy equipment and lumber. Maybe an internet search would find it.
Bill
I just built a garage with a shop on the second floor. The disadvantages are obvious, so I thought I would point out some of the advantages that I've noticed.
I built an exterior stairway which is 40" wide and it is no problem to carry sheet goods up the stairs.
I hired a mover to carry the big machines from the basement to the new shop. Only $250.
Randy.
I love the idea of it being harder for anyone to transform the shop into a storage area. This definitely adds appeal to the second story workshop.
Thanks,
Rehab.Knowledge: So hard to acquire but often given away freely... Beautiful.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled