I’m breaking ground on a new shop in March and have started down the path of shop layouts and what not. It’s probably going to end up at 468 sq (18×26). with a storage shed off the back that’s 5′ deep by 16′ long. I have a small lot in the city so size is an issue.
If you were building a new shop, what’s one thing in your current shop that you would incorporate into a new shop. And one thing that you would change in your current shop?
For example I like having the right of my table saw against a wall (it has 52″ rip capacity). I would change my dust collection on the ceiling and put it in the floor.
Replies
I would bring my AC and heating into the new shop. I would want more windows and light. Also, I would want to NOT have a concrete floor.
Definitely bringing in HVAC. I had a shop without it for a while and will never go back.
Regarding concrete floors, I agree, it's tough to stand all day on concrete. When I bought my house, it had a large unfinished basement (where I set up my shop). The previous owners had covered the entire concrete floor with those interlocking rubber(ish) 2'x2' tiles that are colored on one side and black on the other (fortunately it was installed black side up). Often used in kid's playrooms. I kept that floor and it's been a great work surface. If a tile gets ruined, I can just easily pop a new one in. If I drop a tool, no harm done. Downsides are that its more difficult to move machines around with their little integral wheels. There is also more static electricity as you would imaging, and sweeping up leaves a thin layer of dust. The only way to really clean it is using a shop vac. I would have never done this myself, but am really pleased with it and would do it again on my next floor if it was concrete. Just an option to consider.
Definitely full HVAC setup. Far less issues with wood movement while building at least. I’d be leary of in floor dust collection unless you can easily clean it, revamp it and no possibility of flooding. I’ve revamped my shop 3 times in 22 years as my mobility has changed and new tools were added. Oh and lots of power more than you think it need. Lighting is also a huge issue. LED over head and lots of task lighting which goes to more electrical. Good luck.
I was thinking maybe one line to the table saw. Then maybe a trench with grates along the other side for flexibility.
Definitely tons of light and windows. And someone suggested 200 amp service
Things I would have but don't: Radiant floor heat.
Under floor dust collection.
Higher ceilings/rafters. 10ft
Dust collector in a small room outside the shop.
Things I would do again:
Island that includes my TS with router/table in each wing. Outfeed table that has dust collection tubing and cyclone separator hidden underneath. I would place my.work bench 3ft in front of my TS again. It doubles as an infeed helper. I would still park my jointer near my TS And my planner crossing the same outfeed table.
I’ve looked into radiant but it might be out of my price range. It’s still a possibility. Definitely already putting the dust collector, wood storage and air compressor in a separate room off the back.
The TS island sounds nice. I like to have all sides of a bench open and frequently use both sides. I do something similar but in an L shape. With the table saw to wall and the bench running parallel to the wall with a couple feet of clearance.
How do you like having the router tables in the TS. I have room in mine but I a smaller dedicated router table that needs a revamp.
I did it when I hD a lot less space. I actually made the wings and just routed a template to drop the routers into the wing. Both have rubber garbage cans with a 4" drain fitting for dust collection. Downdraft on a budget. I've never found a reason to change the set up. I have on occasion had both routers working at once spinning Stile and rail bits. On rare occasion I need the TS while the router is going.
I have a small shop with the table saw, router, and dust collector in the middle. I ran 110v and 220v power across the ceiling so there are no power cords on the floor. I also installed several pull down Balco power reels in the ceiling for power hand tools.
I wish that I had run the air compressor supply line to a reel attached to the ceiling as well.
do again: wood floor, dc under floor, power in floor, tons of warm led light, soundproofed bumpout for dc and compressor, mini split, center island that is outfeed/bench/hadware drawers, high ceilings, good natural light.
change: bigger, more wall space, built-in overhead gantry.
good luck on your build, it was the most fun bld project ever for me.
+1 on the soundproofed DC bumpout. I'm sure the neighbors would love to hear the DC running at midnight while they are in the hot tub.
Curious about your experience with DC in the floor. Is the concern for clogs and rearrangement real?
no clogs, and i took onieda at their word that the super cell could be run on flex hose for 100ft. my run is probably just about that, all flex so minimal connectors/y's etc. tool at end of run is 24in bandsaw (2 ports), and suction still great. so rearrangement could not be easier if/when i need to do that. ivac pro waste gates on all tools, 8 ports total.
Make it bigger! 16x20 ain't enough.
Not cool.
"I have a small lot in the city so size is an issue."
????
The OP's question was "If you were building a new shop, what’s one thing in your current shop that you would incorporate into a new shop. And one thing that you would change in your current shop?" So. That is what I would do. Cool?
Read again
I am sometimes very slow. Please explain it to me.
Don't overlook the need for wall space! I have one side of my shop that is a bench and window, so no place to hang stuff. Then I have one wall that is half hangable and the other half is a 10ft door that has to be able to open, so only hangable with light things. The third wall is my work-from-home office. The fourth wall is kind of a knee wall.
I always wish I had more room to hang things. Jigs and patterns and push blocks and... just stuff. Windows are amazing, but don't forget about hanging stuff.
I agree on the wall space. Hoards of clamps start to take up space. I find myself making more and more jigs or templates and they line the floor.
I think I might only have the bay door (Possibly some glass) and one large window (4x8). I'm leaning towards a couple of skylights on the south west side to make up some natural light.
What would I do better :
1 - have a dedicated breaker box in the shop with additional outlets.
2- level the concrete floor and cover with vinyl tiles.
3- have solid wood or plywood walls instead of Sheetrock.
4- install a bigger dust collector with a main conduit along the ceiling and drops at each machine.
5- even out the workbench/tablesaw/crosscut tables height
6- jigs and fixtures storage
7- a dedicated hazardous material /finishing products cabinet
What I have and like:
1- two windows for natural light and view on the backyard.
2-lots of lighting provided by 3000K white LEDs
3-easily accessible open access hand tool storage (8 X 4 plywood sheet with tool holders) by the workbench where each tool has a place and each place has a tool.
4- convenient power tools storage.
5- set-up tools at each machine even if that involves duplication of tools in the shop it makes for faster set-up / blade changes.
6- electrical distribution through pvc conduits external to the walls, makes it possible to change configuration/add outlets without opening the walls.
I've been trying to get the floors level but I think by code they have to have a pitch since it's technically permitted as a garage.
Great idea on the set up tools at each machine. I'm always searching for that Allen wrench.
My shop is built into an old dairy barn, so the floors are really sloped! Take advantage of that requirement and build a wood floor above it. That way you can run DC underneath (in 20 years I have had no problem with clogs/access/etc.). Having wood floors will really help your feet and back. And use LED lighting - I recently converted most of my T4 fixtures to LED and absolutely love it. And put outlets everywhere and then some. A subpanel for the shop is useful, but unless every tool is running at the same time 100 amp should be sufficient. Good luck!
Water, At least a hose bib, better yet, a stainless steel sink, even if it drains to a bucket.
If I were doing a new shop, I might find used furniture/wardrobes/china cabinets to store a lot my items in rather than traditional cabinets. I like the look it gives.
I would go to a Habitat for Humanity ReStore and find old kitchen cabinets. "Pantry" cabinets are the best for access and storage
Love what I have: Running water / slop sink, plywood walls all the way around, Outlets everywhere, flat-panel LED lighting in a practically shadowless pattern, mini-split AC. One of my faves is a switched outlet for the DC. The switch is up high in the middle of the shop, 2 steps from anyplace I might be when I need it. The lights are split between 2 circuits... the first is normal room lighting and the second is a night game at the Rose Bowl.
What I'd like: Higher ceilings, more space, a window.
I am fortunate to have a bigger shop (30'x40') which was too small for the 30 years I had a partner. Still a bit cramped, because my concrete floor allowed me to buy (cheap) multiple heavy industrial machines. With a smaller shop and smaller machines, wood would be nice, tho I am lucky not to be bothered by the concrete floors.
I have my TS against a right hand wall, with my radial arm saw table at the same height and perpendicular to the TS.
I like my 10' ceilings a lot!
My south wall is mostly windows (27' of the 40') which provides winter warmth and year-round daylight. You might not have the wall space to have that much window, but high or clerestory windows can provide light without much loss of hanging wall space. I have 3 clerestory windows in a light well above my west wall, and a couple of skylights in the north facing roof, as my north and west walls are buried in the ground 9'. Think of my shop as a walk-in basement without a house above it. Stays decent temperature all year round. Anyway, some natural light is great, both for the balanced light and for your spirits.
I have 3 of my windows and the door lined up with either the infeed or outfeed of various machines (both jointers, planer, table saw) so that I can process longer boards for carpentry work.
Jointer, planer, and table saw are close to each other for efficiency in processing from rough lumber to finished pieces.
4'and 8' LED tube lights replaced the florescent bulbs and are way better light.
Some machines naturally go best along a wall: lathe, mortiser, drill press, chop saw, etc. Others that are less frequently used are on casters (in my case, some very large (1500-2000 pound) machines on big casters.) They are often left in an orientation that works for most of the jobs they do, but they can be moved or re-oriented when an unusual job requires it. Casters are definitely cheaper than building a bigger shop.
I live with an indoor DC and compressor; not ideal. The DC for my big planer is outside, and blows the chips into a big pile outside. Everything else is connected to my indoor DC with a cyclone and bag house that recirculates my conditioned air. I have 5 different switches to turn on the DC, spread around the machine room. The DC has a magnetic switch, and the 5 switches all are just start/stop buttons.
Keep your sharpening/grinding/metal working area as separate from the wood as possible.
Plan in for flexibility/changes. My planer, lathe, radial arm saw, and mortiser are where I planned for them; pretty much everything else has moved. I used 4" Sewer & Drain pipe for my DC, and screwed the pieces together rather than gluing them.
I don't have good outside lighting outside the door; that should be different.
My water is an outside spigot, could be better.
Enjoy you project!!
Sounds like you have a ton of natural light. I think that definitely gives a better feeling when in the space. The clerestory windows are a nice touch and if they are up high they don't consume that much wall space.
As I indicated, mine are actually above ceiling height in a light well.
Features I love about my shop:
Running water.
Level floor (rough concrete but you can't have everything)
Big doors to get tools in and out. I have the band saw lined up with the doors so if I need to cut anything over 1m long, the door can be opened to permit it.
Very high ceiling in part - allows me to manipulate 6m (19') boards reasonably easily.
Upstairs storage.
Features I hate:
Limited headroom in some parts due to upstairs storage (old office conversion)
Not enough space.
No heating/cooling - to be fair it's perfectly fine 10 months of the year, but Jan and July are a bit warm and a bit cold. I'd appreciate air conditioning but prefer to spend the cash on tools.
Stairs in the way taking up space
Tips:
Put in LOADS of power, including high current circuits. My table saw and 16" planer/thicknesser each draw 16A at 240V full load. My sucker draws 19A 240V at startup - no-one ever regretted extra sockets.
Don't stint on the lighting. Lots of LED strips are best. Part of my shop has a 200W fitting in a high ceiling (old pole barn) - it's plenty bright enough but the shadows are very awkward. More fittings mean better shadows.
Don't cheap out on insulation. If you live anywhere cold or hot, that decision is critical. Insulation will also reduce noise penetration a little, reducing neighbour issues.
Consider quieter tools. Cheap dust collectors are LOUD. Spiral cutters are quieter. Expensive sanders are much quieter than cheap ones.
Think about dust collection early - can you run some of it under the floor if you plan it? If not, make sure there is head room enough to run ducting. 4" will suffice for that size shop.
Don't neglect security. Make it easy to secure the shop. Consider installing cameras to deter thieves. Double-glazed windows may seem extravagant in a shop, but they are very difficult to break and make heating and cooling a lot cheaper.
On size, your shop floor area will be a little bigger than mine, and mine is really big enough - I'm just incredibly untidy. Mine is 9m x 6m but 1.5m of the width is taken by stairs and storage for farm tools. I get to share some of that space.
Perhaps the best thing you could do at the planning stage is consider a place to put the sucker - I plan to build an outside spot for mine, but in a cold climate, I would want to keep the filtered warm air indoors so would build a space onto the main shop with a door. You will need a vent, but having the sucker behind a wall will seriously reduce shop noise. Even with ear defenders on, it's more pleasant if the background noise is quiet - turning for instance does not need hearing protection, but the dust collection does...
Yea insulation is def a big key to it. I'm planning on 2x6 walls with plenty of insulation. The make up air for the DC is def an issue to contend with when putting the DC is a bump out off the back. I did see on fella put the canister filter in the conditioned shop so he didn't have to make up the heat/cooling loss.
My shop is 20x24: Wood floors or use underlayment, easy on feet and dropped tools, double door entry, has electrical sub panel making circuits easy to add and control, circuits run under the floor and up to machines, lots of natural light with 9 windows, HVAC system keeps me comfortable and tools in good condition lots of insulation, good locks and security for entry, lots of storage, tall ceilings 105 inch wall studs and scissor roof trusses and storage above one section of shop, good lighting throughout, internet access, dust collection system, lots of wall sockets at 3 feet off the floor with alternating circuits, speakers and amp for music, machines clustered by use, work bench at north windows for natural indirect light.
Negatives: a bit too small, too many windows takes up wall space, probably would delete one window on each wall to increase wall space, wood storage is an issue in small shop have to use another out building.
Other than a few minor things I love the shop and spend days and days in it.
Congratulations Beechlandfurniture on the new shop.
Some of the things I would have during initial construction: 10' wall studs, ductless heat pump, numerous electrical outlets in the ceiling, even more outlets on each wall, and plumbed for a sink with hot and cold running water.
Natural light and view of the outside world are really nice, but wall space is premium too, so I would consider a window in the top half of my man door and certainly have a row of lites in the top panel of an overhead door. Probably just one 6'X4' operable window. Enjoy
Wire trough along all walls to customize power at any point in the run
Ohhhh... I like that.
Yea that's smart for sure. I was exploring a floor trough design running along one wall much like in chemical plants for power and dc hoses ect with a grate over top of it.
Something else I’d consider. I would look into getting garage doors on the two walls that most often get a breeze. That way, open both and easy to get fresh air and would give a nice open feel on nice days. Also, there are options for garage doors that basically have windows in each panel; as such lots of natural light. Other wall likely door and windows and then one wall with no windows or doors so lots of storage could be placed along it. If I could afford it, I’d want something timberframed or to look from the inside as if it were timber framed. All good problems you have. Congrats.
Not much to add here except the mandatory security system since you’re in the city. Look into something that will work even when the power is out. Good quality exterior cameras a plus.
For good lighting use recessed LED cans on dimmable controls. I put the 4watt cans on 5’ centers to minimize shadows. These are a lot of work to put in but are worth it.
A mini-split for HVAC is 3 times as efficient as infloor radiant heat with the benefit of AC.
Put all equipment of mobile bases, except the drill press, to make best use of your space.
Install a lot of outlets both 110v and 220v with the outlets on staggered circuits.
Have at least two overhead outlets for dust filter and retractable cords.
Space for a comfy bed for the pup.
I was thinking of going recessed LED's instead of the traditional light strip lights. I have a ton in the basement from a left over project. The mini split is a must. I looked at in floor heat and it's 4k+.
Some really great tips here everyone!! Thanks for the feedback. I'll report back when I break ground when the temps warm up a bit.
I didn't mention it but if you need security advice that's my day job.
Thanks!
An older thread and I'm late, but don't forget about your neighbors. I put no windows facing the neighbor behind and the side neighbor nearest to the shop to reduce the noise radiated in those directions. When I walk around the shop when tools are running it's clear that most of the escaping noise goes toward my yard.
I added two solatubes a while back. I can work without lights on many days.
One comment said to skip the sheetrock and go for plywood. I used pegboard. It can't hold a lot of weight, but it's easy to change the locations of things.
Also - very important - take photos of the location of all electrical and any plumbing, etc. prior to coverup. Have a tape measure in every photo so you know exactly where things are when you anchor into studs to hang a clamp rack, or whatever.
Run a 220 circuit down each side of the shop and overhead (or in the floor if you're going that route), even if you don't have 220v tools now.
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Oh, you've got to go with a full HVAC setup. It really helps keep wood from warping while you're working on it. As for in-floor dust collection, it sounds neat, but make sure it's easy to clean and update, and you've got to be sure there's no chance of flooding. I've changed up my shop three times in the last 22 years because my needs and tools have evolved. And trust me on this – you'll want more power outlets than you think. Lighting's another big one. Go for overhead LEDs and don't skimp on task lighting; it means you'll need even more electrical points. Wishing you all the best with your setup!
If you can't afford the full HVAC a dehumidifier can keep your lumber at an acceptable moisture content.
You've touched on many of the big winners for me. I have been in my new shop for about 3 years. Proven winners include:
- water
- HVAC
- DC outside
- Ambient cleaners
- Router table / tablesaw combined
- Sheet goods rack
- No windows; wall space is too precious and lights work just fine ;-)
With all of these considerations in mind, which companies are preferred or should you stay away from. Pioneer, Morton, Wick, etc.
@sjeff70 If you are talking about HVAC. Mr. Cool offers the easiest DIY install. Pioneer was close in simplicity of install and better met my needs. Mitsubishi would be at the top of the heap in small mini-splits. We used hundreds of them throughout the state university system with good results and reliability. They are priced at the upper levels so just be prepared for sticker shock if you go there.
I was talking about buildings. Thanks for the additional info, it is not wasted.
Beechland has probably has the shop by now................
I have two garages heated/cooled with mini splits. They are fabulous. Hard to beat radiant flooring but easy to beat its cost 😂
The mini split is a good idea also. I visited a custom home shop with radiant heat it was fantastic. Noiseless. No air blowing around dust. No open flame. Oh and he used a wood boiler. Heated his shop with briquettes made from recycled wood dust/chip. Got 100% use out of every inch of lumber. I just fell in love with the idea.
No, I don't think this will cool my shop... 🤔
AC this far north is only needed about 2-3 months a year and a $600 window unit does the trick. Or at least it's done the trick for the last 18 years.
Caution! Old post revived with imbedded SPAM!
Zapped it!