What the size of your workshop? [Archive] - Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community

Jim Ketron

06-23-2004, 12:00 AM

Hello everyone I have about got the wife talked into letting me build a dedicated woodshop what are the deminsions of your shop ? I know I need to build it as big as I can but what would be a good size for a shop with these tools medium size table saw, jointer, bench top planer 22-580, bench top mortiser, router table, compound miter saw, bench top band saw, Jet mini lathe, DC, grinder, (How does it all fit?)
I have some other tools but these are the bigest.
Notice I have a lot of bench top stuff I work in my one car garage and have to move things in the center to use! I have purchased a few tools in the past few years and the moving of the tools to use one is geting old and taking the fun out of woodworking. :(
would also like to add a workbench insted of using my table saw for one also.

I was thinking of a building about 20' x 20' it seems a little small but its better than the 12' x 22' garage! Not to mention the other things in there that are not wood working related.
Help me Im cramped!!!:o
Jim Ketron

Scott Coffelt

06-23-2004, 12:09 AM

I would at least build it 24x36, 20x20 isn't very big... I have a basement shop and its tight at 13x26 and square footage isn't that much smaller then what you are talking about. Obviously if you can bigger do.

Tim Sproul

06-23-2004, 1:04 AM

I have a 20x20 garage. And I don't have to share with cars or such. It isn't even close to big enough. If you want your stationary machines to truly be stationary - go for 40x20 or bigger.

I can essentially only use one machine at a time....the TS is stationary but the jointer, thicknesser and bandsaw get moved to a wall when not in use and pulled to the middle when used.

I can barely prep a 9 foot long board without opening the vehicle door..... :(

Rob Littleton

06-23-2004, 1:14 AM

Im in the process of adding a 24x24 room on the side of the 3 car garage. The wife gets one and a half and I get the rest. The half is gonna be a dedicated 10x10 room for the lathe.

Bob Reda

06-23-2004, 5:40 AM

My shop is 20x40 have two table saws, a shopsmith, planer, joiner, edge sander, drum sander,cyclone dust collector, miter saw, two work benches, desk, and two storage areas for wood. I think I need a bigger shop:) Bob

Ken Salisbury

06-23-2004, 6:13 AM

24' x 24'

The Old Rebel Workshop (http://www.oldrebelworkshop.com/Shop%20Tour.htm)

Rob Russell

06-23-2004, 6:14 AM

My new workshop is the 24'x32' basement of our house's addition. Given what I have for machinery, it's small. A major part of my problem is a set of lolly columns that run across just off center.

Were I to build a free-standing shop now, I'd probably start with a size around 32' x 48' and work on a shop layout with my machines, storage and space that I don't have right now.

The difference between your 12'x20' garage and a 20'x20' shop may sound huge, but you'll find the space goes quickly.

If you can't afford a 32'x40' shop or something that size, I will say that the size of mine (24'x32') would be much more useable with tall ceilings and no obstructions. Everyone runs into a point where you simply can't go bigger because of available space and budget. The 24'x32' is big enough so you can have workbench area, machinery/milling space and lumber storage. If you're going to the time, effort and expense of building a shop, I'd start with that as a dimension.

Rob

Andy London

06-23-2004, 6:22 AM

I started out 24 X 20 which worked for the first year, I then put an addition on for wood storage that measured 16 X 14. Last year I really needed to expand so I opened the wall between the shop and storage and put another addition on 10 X 16.

Here is a link to my floor plan, I do this for pleasure and a hobby business so having things in semi production is important to me. My 13 year old son works in there a lot also although most of his work is on the lath and bandsaw.

I'm in the process of building a carport onto one side which will be 24 X 12 for wood storage. We have lucked into a massive amount of burls and figured wood from last years hurricane and I am out of room :D

http://www.picframer.ca/shop_in_2003.htm

Here is a link for pictures of the shop, it's located about 150 feet from the house.

http://www.picframer.ca/workshop.htm

Andy

Terry Quiram

06-23-2004, 6:53 AM

32x44 with 12 ft ceiling. I was swinging some 10 footers in the shop last night and was again thankful for the tall ceiling. Radiant heat and AC. Heat with a 50 gal water heater. Super insulated. Extremely full of tools, wood and crap. Sigh, I need to clean!

Terry

Stewart Crick

06-23-2004, 7:02 AM

Jim,

If your building a dedicated workshop, chances are you’re pretty serious about this hobby, and you'll keep evolving as a woodworker. My suggestion is not to build for what you have now, but for what you’re going to have in 5 or 10 years. What will you be building in the future, and what tools are you going to be acquiring? In others words grow into the building. 2 years ago I went from a 1 car garage to a 2.5 car garage. It was huge at first, now I'm cramped. HTH,

Stu

Jim Guy

06-23-2004, 7:12 AM

Jim, I have a 24 x 24 shop. I've only been in it for 1 year. There are times when I wish it was larger. Depends on the size of my current project.
Stretch your budget as much as you can and allow for future expansion. Then just enjoy what you have.

Chris DeHut

06-23-2004, 7:58 AM

The shop where we film Woodworking at Home Magazine is only 11 x 22. In that space we have all the power tools one could imagine for a home shop including a unisaw with a 52" fence.

The outfeed table for the table saw does break that 11' dimension, but other than that, everthing else is in that space - including all of the work that is being performed. The camera setup actually gets about 1 1/2 times the amount of floor space as the work shop.

I would recomend you pay very close attention to maximizing your use of space. This will create an efficient use of the space in both realms- work efficiency and financial efficiency.

If I were to build a shop I think I would consider about a 25 x 25 space and use it very efficiently. I would not waste the space by storing 100s of board feet of lumber. I would also look at a wood floor rather than concrete - standing on that concrete all day long gets old real quick.

Chris

George Summers

06-23-2004, 8:10 AM

Size of my detatched shop was dictated by the yard size. Mine is 16 x 24. If I had gone any larger it would have been out of scale with the house and yard and would most likely have hurt sale value down the road. Something to think about if you don't have a couple of acres to work with.

George

Earl Reid

06-23-2004, 8:45 AM

My shop is 14X24. I had concerns like George had. We bought our house 11 yrs ago. The lots are small and I didn't want to overwhelm the neigborhood. As it is its the largest out building in the area. My wife wanted to make it bigger, but I didn't listen. I have gas heat and a small window AC. I have a raised wood floor and it is well insulated. The city would have let me make it bigger. It is very crowded, but I have made many large projects. One of these days I'll have to weed out some tools and other seldom used items. I spend a lot of time out there and realy enjoy woodworking, and now turning pens.
Earl Reid

Mark Bachler

06-23-2004, 8:50 AM

28 x 40 Mini Max Test Shop

http://community.webshots.com/user/bachler_1/1

Ray Johnson

06-23-2004, 8:54 AM

I currently have a 24x50 shop that is loaded with tools including a dust collection system. Actually only 24x24 is used for the shop - the rest is storage.

We are thinking of getting ready for retirement. The plan is to sell our house and shop (add some tears here :( ) in mid August and move into our RV and Boat. Until we get our new house and shop built, my shop will be in a 10x12 shed. I will have my lathe, bandsaw, drill press, scrollsaw, and some hand tools in the shed. I feel that I can be mostly satisfied in what I can create with these tools. Unused shop tools will be stored, sold, or loaned out (so I can use them occasionaly).

Jim Becker

06-23-2004, 9:28 AM

My shop is currently 21' x 30', but is broken up by a stairway to the upper level of the building as well as my DC closet. It started out at 21" x 17' when we first moved here, but two years ago I put up a wall and took another garage bay as actual "shop space". (It was being used for shop storage, anyway) I'm planning on a modification this summer that will allow elimination of a short wall that supports the stairs currently which will make the space more usable and flexible.

I agree strongly with Stewart that you build for the future rather than for what you need to accomodate now. Keep things flexible and open, use mobile bases on tools--at least for those not used regularly so you can "coral" them. Make your building as large as practical and keep the ceiling high if you can. Plan for a separate room for your DC and compressor and possibly for finishing if you can afford to do so. Keep the "big three" (TS, J, P) to one end of the shop as they are the most likely to be "permanently" located as that will make for a larger flex space at the other end for assembly, finishing, etc.

Plan for windows...natural light is wonderful...buy consider units mounted high on the wall or in the roof to keep wall space maximized. Where you locate the building can make a difference with this, too.

You will use every bit of space you provide for, so maximize your efficiency from the start.

Frank Pellow

06-23-2004, 9:53 AM

The dedicated shop that I am currently building will have 442 sq ft of internal space. It is a strange shape with the main part being 33' x 11.5' and a bulge in the middle which widdens the shop to 17.5' for a length of 17'. I would like to have provided more space, but this was all that I could squeeze into my lot.

Steve Clardy

06-23-2004, 11:45 AM

40x64, with a 16x64 addition in progress now. [ spray booth, etc.]
I have found, whatever you build, build the biggest you can afford, as in time, you will outgrow whatever you build. In the future, I plan another 16x64 addition on the other side of the present building also. This will be just an open sided shed, for parking the tractor, boat, and vehicles in out of the weather.
Steve

Travis Lanman

06-23-2004, 12:01 PM

My current shop is half of 24x32 so my half is 24x16. At only 384 sq. ft. it is cramped but not bad yet. I started out a year ago in a 12x12 shop which I managed to fit a tablesaw, scrollsaw, belt disc sander, lathe, and a 3x12 workbench. After working in that my current shop is huge. I think somewhere around 25x35 would be good. If you get much bigger than that it creates a lot more walking from tool to tool. Just make it as large as you can. Make sure it has high ceilings too, mine are 14' and I love not having to worry about hitting it when swinging boards around.
Travis

Aaron Montgomery

06-23-2004, 1:27 PM

Basement Shop (http://home.insightbb.com/~apmonte/WoodworkingShop.html) , main area is 16x26 with adjacent storage/utility areas. 16' is really quite narrow for tools next to my 52" Unisaw - 20' would be better. I think that 20x40 would be a nice space to have someday.

Ken Garlock

06-23-2004, 2:45 PM

Jim, if I were sizing up my shop again, currently 24x24, I would make it at least 30x30, or maybe 30x35. I spent a lot of time making drawings and figuring what I wanted. The drawings may look pretty, but they just don't translate into the final product when you walk in the door. So, the short of it is to carefully figure what you think your need , and then add at least 50% to that ;)

Garry Smith

06-23-2004, 3:14 PM

As you already know, it can never be big enough. When I built my new shop 2 1/2 years ago I struggled with the same challenges. As a result I built a 28x40 with 9 foot ceiling and a gamble roof which allowed me a second floor which measures 20x40 for storage. I am verry glad that I decided to go with this design because the second floor is almost full and most of the stuff would be stored in the shop otherwise. I also have a 8 x 36 lean to the side for storing and drying lumber outside.
Feel free to visit http://superwoodworks.com to see som exterior and interior photos and projects

http://www.superwoodworks.com/images/SidelArborBarn2.JPG
http://www.superwoodworks.com/images/FrontArborBarn2.JPG

Donnie Raines

06-23-2004, 3:25 PM

Bigger in this case is always better. But I am surprised at how so many are unhappy with thier 20X20 and the like. I was in a 20X30 and found it to be very comfortable(sure..bigger would have been nice). Now I am in a 26X26 shop...and I am in the process of putting her together.

It comes down to proper utlilation of floor space. In my prior shop I had all stationary equipment...nothing ever moved from its space. I even had a assembly table and some lumber in there. I have built many large projects through this without any real issues. A dedicated finishing room would be great, plus seperate storage for lumber and the "others".

Go as big as you can, but floor layout can/will yeild plenty of useable space if your budget is tight.

Jim Ketron

06-23-2004, 6:12 PM

Thanks guys for your replys! Very helpfull! and informative!

Jim

Roger Bell

06-27-2004, 12:48 PM

I have a 24 x 36 building. That is separated into one 24 x24 main room for machines, parts, hardwood storage, etc. with a concrete floor. No ceiling....mostly open to the ridge line. Insulated throughout and it is heated only when I am in there. A 12 x 24 bench room stands aside the main room and is separated from the machine room by a studwall and an insulated door. That room is for finishing, hand tool use (no machines, no dust) and is heated at all times. Really nice for winter glue ups. The ceiling is low (8'). Above this room is an attic loft for out of the way storage, which is accessible by ladder from the main room. The bench room also has a wood floor placed on sleepers atop the concrete. The room is sheetrocked out and heavily insulated. I do a lot of hand tool work and this room is nice and comfortable all year round. I have duplicates of most commonly used tools (hammers, cordless drill, tapes, screwdrivers, etc) in both rooms to minimize trips back and forth.

Along the entire back of the building, a covered 10 x 36' lean to area serves as storage for stuff I dont want cluttering up the shop space, such as construction grade wood, "valuable" scrap, ladders, etc. that has to be kept dry but not necessarily indoors. It has an extra bench for messy work (such as paint stripping) that must be done outdoors. I have a sort of patio just beyond that for "out in the sun" work. I really recommend this kind of cheap, covered outdoor space.

Along the short side of the building, another covered 24' x 5' lean to area is for firewood, garbage cans, etc. Along the other short side will be an attached greenhouse for my wife, with power on the shop-side wall for her fans, heaters, etc. which is connected to the shop electrical system.

I believe shop size is a very relative thing. This is my fifth (and hopefully final) shop. I dont believe that you absolutely have to have a huge space... there are plenty of guys doing more with less. It is axiomatic to say "build the biggest shop you can", but I think that misses the mark, in my mind. Bigger is not, in my view, necessarily better, just as having "more" money does not necessarily enrich your life all that much. There is, of course, a certain amount of space critical to achieving the kind of woodwork you do, just as there is a certain level of prosperity needed to realize your dreams....and how much that is varies with each of us. But beyond that is mere luxury and diminishing returns. I recommend some careful thought concerning the kind of work you presently do and the dimensions into which your work might evolve.....before you make hard decisions about size and configurations. I put several years of thought into deciding what I wanted vs. what I *really* needed, vs. what I could afford. I chose to focus on how "small" could I get away with rather than how "big" I could possibly build on my budget...and am more than satisfied with the results of my decision.

Building something modest than mega enabled me to have better tools, etc. sooner rather than later. Building something smaller but more nicely appointed turned out for me to be a more satisfying place to work than a huge, cold barn with lots of space and no cash left over.

Jim Baker

06-27-2004, 1:07 PM

My shop is a completely remodeled old hog barn with a hay loft on top. It's 32x48 plus a separate room for dust collection and extra wood storage. The downside is low ceilings and a few posts in the way. The Hay loft adds lots of extra insulation so it rarely gets over 75 degrees even on the hottest summer days.

Jim Ketron

06-27-2004, 1:17 PM

Thanks Roger

My property is on a slope, a few years back I made a playground for the kids. I made a retaining wall about 20x30 with big rocks behind it and drains at the bottom of the block to let the water drain out. dug out the dirt in the back and placed it in the front to get it level (blocks 3 high) and the kids no longer use it so I was going to use that spot for the shop. Im going to go with a shop 20x20 or 20x24 and I can always add on later. I don't care to move a few tools around but where Im at now I have to move all of them to do any work at all.

I would like to have my table saw stationary and have one wall for my miter saw station and share it with my mortiser and storage for my compressor and my planer under it. my jointer has a mobile base and my router table. a spot for my band saw and my lathe and the DC in the corner next to the door. Im going to work on a drawing today I will post some pics
Jim

Chris Padilla

06-27-2004, 2:28 PM

Jim, Thank God for mobility but I have to tell you that it is such a PITA moving all your major pieces around. I hardly ever put the BMW in the garage anymore (all my BMW buddies keel over at this thought!) and I still need to move stuff around...sigh...Life in a 2-car garage of 18 x 20-24. I swear one of these days that I will put a basement under my house...I swear!!! :D

Bruce Shiverdecker

06-27-2004, 7:38 PM

Boy do you guys make me feel inadaquate!!!!!!!

Production area with 34" radial Drill Press, 9" bandsaw, 7" chopsaw, 10" tablesaw, and Jet mini lathe w/ extention. 9' X 10'.

Finish/ storage area with 12" storage shelves down one long side, a sharpening station at one end, work bench in the middle and a small scroll saw on stand 12' X10' = 210Sq ft total!

Bedeep Bedeep That's all folks!

Bruce

keith zimmerman

06-27-2004, 8:36 PM

Until last November, I had a 500 ft' two room shop that I did my work in. :( I no longer have that space and live in a 3 room apartment. :) Since I am almost exclusively a turner, I moved my Jet mini lathe into a 54" x 37" walk-in closet. I ran electricity in there and have plenty of space to do my turning.

I decided it was important to me to continue to turn even though I gave up a lot of space.

Carole Valentine

06-27-2004, 9:03 PM

24x24 and wish it was larger. Just got a Unisaw with a 52" fence and...that rascal takes up a lot of room and will take even more when I put an outfeed table on it. Go as big as you can.

Frank Pellow

06-27-2004, 9:25 PM

Until last November, I had a 500 ft' two room shop that I did my work in. :( I no longer have that space and live in a 3 room apartment. :) Since I am almost exclusively a turner, I moved my Jet mini lathe into a walk-in closet. I ran electricity in there and have plenty of space tp do my turning.

I decided it was important to me to continue to turn even though I gave up a lot of space.

Bummer!

Keith, I think that you might win the "prize" for the smallest shop owned by Saw Mill Creek members.

Does anyone have a smaller shop?

Jerry Todd

06-27-2004, 9:56 PM

Jim,
I built a 1200 sq ft detached building, 25' X 50'. 1000 sq ft is dedicated to the workshop. Nine ft ceiling.
Here is the tour:
http://jerry-todd.com/sys-tmpl/newhomeworkshop/
Good luck, Jerry

Fred LeBail

06-27-2004, 10:14 PM

My shop is on the second floor of my 2 car Barn style detatched garage. It is 32 x 26 on the ground floor. I loose about 1 1/2 ft on each side because of the roof design upstairs.
On one side of the ground floor I have a furnace /dust collector room and also the rest of that side is lumber racks .
Attached to the rear of the building is a 14x 8 Dry Kiln. That's why I need the lumber racks.
I have all the stationary tools, TS ,MS ,Jointer, 2 thickness planners, wood lathe, shaper , work bench and 1 very large Mortiser, in the upstairs portion.
I have no problem with the space except getting things down the stairs when they are completed. Have to design things so they can be taken down easily.
I guess you can work with whatever size space you have available ,but we all need bigger shops!
Fred

P S , So, Andy, thats where all the wood went in Halifax last fall. Was down for a Dr. visit and all I could find was softwood.

Dennis Peacock

06-27-2004, 11:02 PM

Jim,

A 30' by 60' is what I have. Two floor drains, Phone, bathroom, Natural Gas heat and two window AC units. A portioin of my shop is divided off by a small storage room (12' by 22') and a dedicated "tool room" (8' by 22'). My actual shop space is only 1,200 sq ft after the other two rooms divided off. Two garage doors for easy acces to either of the two bays. Ceiling height is 12' at the peak and 10' on the sides. I try and keep at least one bay clear enough so I can move one car in there during severe storms when "hail" is forcasted. :D

Even though I have "all this room"? There are a lot of times I wish I had about another 600 sq ft.!!!! :eek: :D

John Weber

06-27-2004, 11:02 PM

You guys all suck! :) I have almost 14'x21' and all this stuff:

Delta 24’ Scroll Saw
Powermatic 66 Table Saw
Powermatic 15” Planer
Delta DJ-20 Jointer
Delta Single Stage Dust Collector
Milwaukee CMS
Delta HD 12” Lathe
Delta 3hp HD Shaper
Delta BOSS
Powermatic Edge Sander
Powermatic VS Drill Press
Delta Mortiser
Performax 16/32 Drum Sander
Campbell Hausfeld 26 gal Air Compressor
2 Work Benches
and lots of other stuff…

Thank goodness for mobile bases, everything can moves but the workbenches, lathe, CMS, mortiser, and BOSS.

The kids will be out of college in 20+ years, maybe I can add on then…

John

Mike Mortenson

06-27-2004, 11:27 PM

I just built a 32' x 40' shop it has 2 garage doors and 1 walk door. I have the boat on one end and it has interior walls around it to keep the dust off. This left me with an area 32' x 28' and a storage room about 10' x 12'. Now that I have most of the equipment and tools in it, I am glad its that big. You can nver have too much room. If I had to go smaller i would do no less than a 24' x 24'.

Ken Fitzgerald

06-27-2004, 11:41 PM

Jim,
Obviously go as big as your budget will allow. My new shop is 30'x 24'. All of my equipment is mounted on rollers. My old "shop" (read that as very small stogage room) was so small that I had to move my equipment onto my 24'x24' carport to use it. Since I knew what I was able to do on my carport, I allowed my budget to provide me with the 30'x24' shop. Also, shop around for materials, contractor (if used) and consider renting tools over buying if you build your new shop yourself. Out of consideration for my wife whose paying for my new shop, it had to be built this summer and the sooner the better. While I could have built the shop myself, it would have taken too long. Even with a contractor building it, I will be late into the fall getting it painted, wired, insulated and the interior finished so that it's useable this coming winter. I also had to be somewhat flexible on the form of heating, siding etc. But, I was able to keep within my tight budget and I only went over the original bid by $118.00. Do a lot of research on materials, pricing etc. before you build.Good luck!

Matt Meiser

06-28-2004, 8:28 AM

I have a 30x40 building with 12' ceilings. Actually bigger than what I would have built, but just one of the bonuses with the house. The previous owner had only poured concrete in the front 32', so I built a wall at the edge of the concrete and have a 30x32 insulated area and a 16x32 uninsulated area for storing wood, the tractor, and other "stuff". We may end up pouring concrete in the back due to moisture from the ground.

Richard Blaine

09-13-2004, 2:13 AM

My shop is attached to the back of my two car garage. It's 18 x 24 with 10-9 ceilings, but has a notch-out for the house's water heater/hvac.

I'm not going to say it's way undersized, but I do wish it were longer. The three things I didn't completely think through was the length needed to rip long boards without shooting the board through a window, how nice it would have been to have had a horizontal plywood rack, and how much space is necessary for large project assembly.

If I had it to do over again, I would have made the garage a three car garage. That would have given me an extra 12 feet to the length and I'd have probably figured out some other place to put that darn water heater and hvac.

Now if I could just get all the nonshop crud out of it, I'd feel like I got a new, bigger shop.

Jack Diemer

09-13-2004, 8:00 AM

I have 364 sq feet, and its about 2000 square feet too small. :D

Joseph N. Myers

09-13-2004, 8:51 AM

Look familar ????

Regards, Joe

Carole Valentine

09-13-2004, 9:11 AM

22x22, stud walls, no insulation, concrete floor. One of these days....

Steve Clardy

09-13-2004, 10:28 AM

Main shop. 40x64=2560 feet
Addition. 16x64=1024 feet
3584 total space

Steve:D

And it still isn't big enough at times.

Roger Fitzsimonds

09-13-2004, 1:15 PM

My shop is 16x24 which when I moved in was big. now I am lobbing with LOML to expand out the side. That involve taking down a tree and she is against it. so I guess I will wait till we move and go bigger. I highly recommend a separate shop though so the sawdust can stay in the shop.

Roger

Dave Right

09-13-2004, 3:14 PM

I moved from 1/2 garage ( my half) to a 30 x 40. It took me 2 years to build by myself. I also have a 4 ft knee wall for 2nd floor and with 6 - 12 roof pitch that
gives me plenty of storage ( about 13 ft down the center) . Someone once told me to build as big as you can afford since you will have plenty of room to grow. I always figure 30% larger than you think you will need. 14 years ago I put up a storage building and added my 30%. 4 years ago I ran out of room.
Dont forget, like me, you will be exchanging your table model tools for some
floor model that will take more room too.
If I could change one thing I would have 10 foot ceilings.
Good luck and have fun planning it!

Keith Christopher

09-13-2004, 3:22 PM

I believe this is all depending on how you layout, honestly a shop is like a hard disk, the more space you have the more you'll fill it up. be it storage, cutoffs, tools , projects in progress. . . You get the idea. My 30x30 shop it doing good for me, I have laid it out quite nicely, would I like more room ? sure, that's why I put on a 1/2 floor for lumber. oh and 10-12' ceiling IS a must !

Ralph Morris

09-13-2004, 11:50 PM

I think your wife would like me! Mine is 10'x10' little shop! It's way too small but I can make do with the works....(Not what I like:( ) Don't show her this! I'm building cabinets for my kitchen and it is piling up the basement and she is looking at it taking up the room!:p

Roger Fitzsimonds

09-21-2004, 1:04 PM

16x24 detached barn structure. it is 2 stories, computers up stairs

Roger

Michael Stafford

09-21-2004, 1:56 PM

My shop is 20x24 with 81/2 foot ceiliings. I have all of my openings on the long sides with three windows facing south and French doors and an overhead door facing north. This is a detached building. It also has an 8x10 deck in front of the French doors about 6" above ground level.

Larry Browning

09-21-2004, 2:07 PM

I have a separate building 30X42X9 with an 8X16X8 additional room for compressor/radiant heating system/dust collector(future)/office/storage
Total sq = 1388

The main shop room is 30X30. I have a 12X12 finishing room, a 10X8 bathroom and a nook off the main shop for misc storage.

PS This is a hobbiest shop

Dan Mages

09-21-2004, 2:57 PM

This is a tough question to answer. Right now I am using my basement as a workshop for the work being done around my house. It is 18x30. I have found myself working on the back patio a bit this summer which is an additional 12x13. My permanent shop will be in my one car garage The back work area is a measly 6x12ish. With the car out, it grows to 24x12. I am also building a 10x14 shed in the back yard which may serve as a workshop of some sort.

Dan

Denny Lawson

09-21-2004, 3:58 PM

22 x 22 attached garage. share with cars "most" of the time. all big tools are on mobile bases.

Denny

Garry Smith

09-21-2004, 4:07 PM

I have a 28 x 40 with 9 foot cielings and a 8 foot wide by 36 foot lean to the side for drying lumber and buiilt it with a gambrell roof which gave me enough room for a 20 x 40 2nd floor. The second floor is the key for me. I store the dried lumber, jigs, cutoffs, scraps of plywood, seldom used tools and whtever else my wife and boys happen to think I should store for them. Having the second floor keeps the shop in a somewhat uncluttered condition. This size building allows me to construct large pieces and still get around. I have a beam in the middle wth 2 post to support the second floor, as a result I am secure that the cieling is not going to come down on me with all the wieght from the storage above. Point is unless you throw away all your scraps and do not plan on getting any more tools or stocking any lumber, make sure you build it right the first time, your wife will not be so easy to talk into another shop.

Garry
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Ed Breen

09-21-2004, 5:41 PM

I started at this home with a 24x24, but two years agop built a 30x50 pole barn type with concrete slab and 10' floor to rafters. Over a year LOML usurped some space til she finally decided she wanted a twin to my shop. We built it this summer, and have moved a lot of non-shop stuff into it. The two of them sort of balance out the backyard. Our place is on five acres. Only tools I don't have are performax sander and lathe. (Over 75 years you collect a lot of tools!)

I still believe bigger is better if you plan your shop and do keep certain tools on wheels.
Ed

Brian Hale

09-21-2004, 5:56 PM

My shop is in the basement and shares some room with the washer/dryer and geothermal HVAC unit(~2'x4'). It's cut in 2 sections, one 29'x39', with steps 9' from one wall, where the work is done and the other is 7'x14' for lumber storage. Ceiling is 7' at the duct work and beams and 8' to the floor joist above.

Funny, it feels a lot smaller when i'm trying muscle a sheet of ply thru the shop to the table saw.

Brian

Alan Turner

09-21-2004, 6:21 PM

My basement shop consists of two rooms, about 14 by 19, plus a bit here and there also in the basement, and holds a Unisaw with 52" fence and slider, DP, HSM, 20" BS, 14" BS, 2 x 6 bench, 36" drum sander, PM 26 shaper, 20" planer, 12" jointer, grinders, back bench, storage for hand tools and wood, and a beer cooler with personal disposal unit. I think I could use a bit more room, but my property does not permit it. I suggested blowing out the side wall of the bsement, and extending the foundation to the other side of the driveway, with a metal ceiling, but that was pretty quickly vetoed by SWMBO. A 2 car garage is chock full of wood at the moment, but I am working on its reloaction to industrial space.

Wade Samuelson

09-21-2004, 6:41 PM

I'm definately in the running for smallest shop: 8x16 with 8ft ceilings. It was originally a storage area attached to the one-car garage. My only truly stationary tool is the 22 cu ft freezer!! Everything else gets pushed around a lot!

Jim Ketron

09-21-2004, 7:34 PM

Paul B. Cresti

09-21-2004, 9:05 PM

My shop is 25 x 25 (former two car garage) with 9'-0" ceilings. I have a set up steps in the back that lead up to my office. It is attached to my house. By the way like Mark B. I like to call my shop Minmax-East :) My shop is way too small now I need something at least double.

Fred Voorhees

09-21-2004, 9:51 PM

My shop is approximately 18 1/2' X 36 1/2' and you know what - - - it will never be big enough! Seriously though, it fully serves my purposes at this time and I don't see in the immediate future that it will NEED to be bigger as I am just a simple hobbyist woodworker who enjoys my time up there when I get the chance.

Dennis McDonaugh

09-21-2004, 10:16 PM

My shop is in a detached garage, 24X24X10' tall, with an apartment on the second story. We don't park cars in the garage.

Joe Mioux

09-21-2004, 11:25 PM

My garage/shop is 24x32x9, with upstairs attic storage. Needs better light.

mike lucas

09-21-2004, 11:27 PM

I built a 32'x60'x9' 4" building (With 2- 10' wide by 8' tall overhead garage doors.) as a work shop, but before I even broke ground the LOML confinscated 28'x32' for a 2 car garage. Which I am slowly taking it back. I now use it for a welding shop, and this is where the huge air compressor is as well as most of the wood, screws, nails, hardware of all types, all finishing supplies, and this is also my dedacated finishing room. And I am getting ready to add a 6'x10 room atatched to the outside south wall for the dust collector.

And I also have a 12'x16' solar kiln just 8' outside the 4' wide door

And with a dedicated 32'x32' wood working shop I think it is not big enough for what I do. But after reading about the closet work shop, I will never complain again. Heck; I have a bigger router table then his entire shop size.

Bruce Page

09-22-2004, 9:22 AM

Mine’s a dedicated garage shop, 20’X 24’

Update info: Ceiling hight ~ 8½'

Brad Risley

09-22-2004, 9:52 AM

My shop is 24 X 36. But I share one 12 X 24 bay with the tractors. One word of advice is to make sure that you provide a dedicated enclosed finishing space. Otherwise all other work stops while you are finishing a project. I am looking at taking half of the tractors bay to make an closed space.

Bob Hovde

09-22-2004, 9:54 AM

Presently, I move the cars, set up sawhorse benches and move the tools out (Shopsmith and DC are on wheels). I'm building a dedicated "lathe room" for my new PM 3520A and Jet 18in BS - It's a 10x10ft addition with a wall taking some of the existing garage. In total, it'll be 10x14 at the floor (10x16 at the ceiling - I'm getting a counter out of the bumpout over the car hood.) This will be my heated/AC, all-year long shop. :)

Bob

Norman Hitt

09-29-2004, 5:35 AM

I wanted a 30' x 40', but was restricted by "Permits", so I ended up with a metal building with inside dimensions of 25+' x 32+' with 11' tall sidewalls. I also have a 5' x 20' side shed under a continuation of the main building roof which will have double 48" doors or one sliding door, opening to the back yard and eventually will house an air compressor, cyclone DC(when I get the kit built), a gardening sink and tools. 6' of one end of the shed is walled off as a restroom opening only into the shop. In the main shop, there is one 36" wide entry door and a 10' x 10' Insulated overhead door opening to the alley. The roof has 4 white fiberglass panels in the south half of the roof for excellent daytime lighting without crime inviting side windows and the overhead door can only be opened from inside the shop. (The insulation is white which helps the lighting also, until it eventually gets drywall & white paint).

There is a 14" x 14" channel running across the width of the building near the middle (lengthwise) to house the DC duct and electrical to the machines so the floor and overhead is clear. Electrical to the bldg via underground conduit, (conduit in, but not wired yet due to broke contractor and medical expenses from my back surgery), but it will be nice and useful when it's finally finished, (a far sight better than the single and two car garages, porches and driveways I'd used for the previous 58 years) before I started this shop. (Started working wood with my dad at age 6 and I would really like to get my first dedicated "Real Shop" finished so I can use ALL of my large tools instead of dragging an extension cord to use only the hand power tools, drill press and my smallest contractor's saw).

I love the tall ceiling and not having to worry about hitting anything with a full sheet of plywood or long material. My lot is 100' wide and I placed the building against the property lines at the southeast corner of the yard and 6' away from the house (required by permit) and still have nearly 70' of backyard width across to the north fence, so It fits onto the lot nicely.

Good luck with your shop project, and I hope maybe this will give you a useful idea or two for yours.

Oh, I almost forgot, I set a 4" id pipe 2' deep into the concrete (one by each edge of the door) about 1' from each end and 1' inside of the overhead door opening so I can put in a heavy pipe with a swing arm on it when needed to facilitate unloading anything heavy from a vehicle in the alley and swing it into the shop.

Norman B. Hitt

Frank Pellow

09-29-2004, 7:28 AM

Norman, it sounds like you have a great setup there. Sorry about your problems with the wiring. When do you expect that problem to be resolved and your wiring to be completed?

Norman Hitt

09-30-2004, 4:24 AM

Frank, it turned out that no resolution was possible with the contractor, so I'll have to do it myself, but it is all on hold right now. I'm concurrently recovering from major back surgery, AND all the medical bills that came with it, so the budget is kinda stretched right now, especially since I had already paid the contractor, (which is another long story that I won't get into). I just hope I can get it finished before I get too darned old to enjoy it, along with several new "Toys" that are still Virgins waiting on electricity (a couple of MiniMax machines and some other small stuff).

Norm

Frank Pellow

09-30-2004, 6:14 AM