I'm Building a New Shop -- Help!

[Guy Morgan]

Hi Folks --

I've been a lurker here for some time and have always found this forum to be a very valuable resource. After many years in Chicago, I recently bought a farm in Northern Virginia and am finally moving out of my 450 sq.ft. garage shop.

Having secured the wife's permission, I will be building a freestanding shop in the very near future. I've picked out the builder, but I'm looking to members here to help me point out those things I'm sure I'm missing (I'm sure there are many).

Attached are some draft SketchUp pics of my initial layout. The plan is for a 38x60x12 single floor building. The style of the building is consistent with other buildings on the property, which is an important design consideration. 8/12 exposed scissor truss, 9' interior walls with a vaulted ceiling -- I can put in a ceiling as an option. The shop will have AC and heat.

I build mostly period furniture with some additional projects that require sheet goods mixed in. The layout I'm thinking about is pretty straightforward:



A machine room for milling and other machine work. There's also a spray booth in this room.
One room for hand tool work at the bench and assembly.


Machine Room
You can see in the attached pics that I've tried to set up a work flow area in the machine room -- at least I hope that's apparent. In the center is a Felder CF 741 combo machine (jointer, planer, saw, shaper). This is what I've been using in my garage shop to save space, but I've come to love it and the changeovers are a breeze, so I'm going to stick with it. Even with the slider, I still use a chop saw, so that's in there too. Two router tables because I'm lazy and don't like to change bits all the time. Other than that, all typical tools. I did add a downdraft sanding table in there (I haven't built it yet) because I took a class with someone who had one and I liked it a lot. The Dust collector will be enclosed in a closet and I'll do what I can to soundproof it. I'm putting in a 3' crawl space underneath the floor to run the DC ducting (hoping that's enough room). Also in this room is a 12' x 12' spray booth for finishing -- I'm considering some commercial models. Limited lumber storage is also in this room, which I'll mostly use to hold material for upcoming projects. I have ample barn and other storage space for more if I need it. Finally, I'm putting in carriage doors vs. the typical garage door.

Hand Work Room
Pretty simple. Just a bench, sharpening station, bench grinder, assembly table, clamp rack and storage for hand tools. I have a couple friends that will occasionally use the power tools while I'm there, so having some separation is nice. My young son is also becoming interested in woodworking, so as he grows up I'm hoping we will use the shop together.

Please let me know if I'm forgetting anything or have something out of place. If any of you who have built a shop have any tips, hints, prayers for me, please share them as I'd be especially grateful.

Thanks.

[Kevin Nathanson]

Pretty good layout, and quite a bit of extra space! I have pretty much everything you do, including a 10.5' K700, plus a widebelt sander, separate jointer and planer and I fit in under 1600 sq. ft., so you should be cavernous in comparison. I'm not sure that you'll really want a separate room for hand work. Area, yes; room, not so much. Getting things through that doorway may prove challenging.

Here is my layout:

I'm in a commercial space, so I had to do dust collection above ground, and I was restricted to fitting into the footprint, but the space is adequate for all the stuff I have.

K

[David Nelson1]

Only thing I'm seeing is the location of your wood rack. I'd move it to the wall of the spray both for quick unloading. After the shop gets afew things going on walking the lumber all the way to the far wall could be a problem.

[Carl Beckett]

I have a split shop (meaning two different areas), and would prefer it were all one. To be fair, mine is two separate buildings (a small shop/shed detached, and then a one car garage space converted).

Im always hauling tools back and forth, or wood back and forth to do a particular operation that is setup in the 'other' space.

Separating hand tools and machine tools isnt something I would do. Tools used specifically for 'dimensioning' could be separate (I tend to do these in batches), but other tools used in joinery/construction I like to keep integrated with the work piece. So a category of 'power vs hand tools' wouldnt be my first choice. I might think instead in terms of 'work stations'.

Dimensioning area.
Breakdown of sheet goods.
Layout, joinery
Assembly, glueup, clamping
Sanding
Finishing (separate)
Sharpening (separate)

Maybe consider grouping the appropriate tools by these categories - would be a combination of power and hand tools for each station.

BUT - congratulations!!!! An exciting project and we will all be envious of that much floor space!

(oh, and as for tips.... LIGHT! Light colored walls, lots of lights. And some more lights. Dust collection you have considered. Then flooring - something soft to stand on? Mats? Epoxy painted concrete? (sweeps much easier) Tile? I think the flooring is often overlooked. A dorm fridge. Phone. Internet. Drafting/layout table (can find these cheap on CL). TV? Radio? Maybe a big cozy couch and some surround sound....... oh.. many people recommend a toilet/sink as a high value feature)

[Don Jarvie]

While no specifics which could take a while I suggest to buy the books on Workshops, look at the FWW site, search this and other forums for shop setups. Highland and FWW have show us your shop photos. Those sources will give you some ideas on what others have done.
Keep in mind what you start out with isn't going to be the final setup so don't be afraid to change things around.

[Jason Roehl]

My personal preference on a shop like that would be to have all the "rooms" along one wall somewhere--the spray booth, DC closet and rest room (couldn't tell for sure, but that's what it looked like to me). I'd probably want the spray booth in the SW corner of the building so that it could have a couple of windows. There's no replacement for natural light when it comes to finishing (though lots of artificial light does help). I'd probably also want the doors for the spray booth away from machines like the miter saw you have pictured--one of the toughest to get DC to be effective. Also, if the DC were more or less in the center of one of the walls, the overall run length of the pipes could be shorter.

I also agree with the above poster who suggested a process-oriented approach for work flow, rather than tool-based. I'm not a big fan of walling off good space...

[Ray Newman]

I would suggest that you install the maximum amount of insulation possible as well as quality windows.

My detached shop was built 10 years ago and the difference between code-required insulation and the maximum was something like US $800.00. The labor time to install was the same, additional cost was the cost of the material. I realize that costs have gone up, but it will pay for itself over the years as energy costs will not get any cheaper.

Same with windows: quality double pain windows reduce heat loss. Again, the price difference between the best and sufficient is cancelled out over the years.

With a vaulted ceiling, a ceiling fan or two might be appropriate to circulate warm air in the winter?

As the windows are low to the ground, consider some type of alarm system. Shops and tools attract miscreants. Hopefully, you will never need it.

As for the double doors, extend the roof over so if you need to unload/load goods, there is no weather exposure. Depending building orientation, it also might provide an area to work outside in the shade.

As for work/shop flow, maybe move the DC collection closer to the double doors. It will be easier to move a full can of debris that way. Speaking of DC, floor sweeps are a ‘gawd-send’ and well worth the extra cost.

Spraying: a “modern” HVLP or the “traditional” air compressor type? Need to think ‘bout where the air compressor and tank will go and maybe sound proofing it??

Electrical: as usual -- and when applicable -- switches and outlets 52” above the floor so as not to become blocked by “stuff”. Do not skimp on the number of 110/220 outlets. Wire lighting so the whole shop is not lighted when working in the “back 40”. I am finding out more and more, good light is essential as we “approach that age”.

Ceiling mounted power and air lines are handy.

Outside construction: to save future time and costs, use low maintenace materials.

[Jim Andrew]

I had a career building homes, and the first thing I noticed was the width of your building. 38'. Are you using lumber for the floor or I joists? If you are using lumber, that is 2-19' floor joists lapped in the center. They don't sell 19' floor joists, only even dimensions, like 16', 18', 20'. When I was building, I always looked at the width of the building and thought about the length of lumber I would be using, and tried not to waste lumber. Of course, you could use 20' on one side, and 18' on the other, either way, it is too much span for a shop. You should probably run stem walls down the center of those joists, or at least piers with beams midway.

[Ray Newman]

Addendum to my above post: depending again upon building orientation, I would place the stationary machines so you can see anyone coming in the door. Luckily for me, my wife and son, know not to distract me when I am using the table or band saw, router table, etc.

[Michael W. Clark]

Guy,
Very envious of having a blank sheet to work with on shop design. This has to be very exciting a probably a little daunting at the same time, at least it would be for me.

The first thing I noticed about the layout was the location of the spray booth, sink, and bathroom. I would put the spray booth in one corner to get natural lighting and for venting outside. I would also put a sink and some cabinets in the booth for finish materials and clean-up. I guess I think of it more like a finish room than a booth? If you locate the sink and bathroom along a shared wall of the spray booth, you can take advantage of the plumbing and sewer lines.

To each his own on how you think the equipment arrangement will work best for you. I would group them by work flow. Stock prep, joinery and shaping, bench work and assembly, then finishing. This would get your DC all on one end and your duct runs shorter. I would locate the A/C near the finish room and assembly area because that is where it will be used most. Less loss through the lines and less chance for moisture. But that's just my way of thinking and purely an opinion. Great looking plans so far, awesome model, I know that took some time.

Mike

[Joe A Faulkner]

What a great looking building. Lots of decisions to be made here. I'm a big fan of natural light, so I'd give serious thoughts to sky lights. I added three to my home shop a few years back, and my only regret is that I didn't put in a few more.

[Jim Neeley]

Two things I'm not seeing that I'd want are sheet goods storage (plywood, MDF, etc.) and an air compressor. I find mine very handy for blowing things off as well as for spraying and te occasional tire. I'm going through a 4 car garage to shop conversion and I plan on looping air throughout te shop, for convenience.

One (very overkill) thing I'm doing as well is to run 10/3 romex wire everywhere in the shop (except the overhead lights) and installing boxes large enough for two duplex GFCI receptacles, with each outlet home run back to my new 60-circuit, 42 slot 100-Amp sub-panel. It's not that I'm going to be using an incredible amount of power but, since I'm tearing down drywall and installing the wire behind it, this will give me the ability to later convert any outlet to 240V up to 30A by simply changing the breaker and receptacle. Maximum re-organizational flexibility and no going back into the walls or running surface conduit. This also provides me with two breakers of capacity at any location in the shop without using long cords. An example of it's use would be a 14A router with a 11A shop-vac and a 1A task light; too much for a single 20A breaker.

Just my opinion; YMMV...

[george newbury]

One thing I would add (and am adding to my workshops) is some floor to ceiling industrial pallet rack storage. Pallet rack comes in several basic widths but right now prices are all over the spectrum.

A typical section, (8' to 12' tall, 8' wide and 32" to 48" deep) with 2 uprights, 6 beams, and 6 pieces of wire mesh generally runs about $250 on Craigs List and if you are just getting 1 or 2 sections is well worth it. You can support a diesel engine on it or use one level for a work table.

I've gotten about 200 lineal feet of it in 23 sections, a mix of widths and heights. Several sections are set up with 1 shelf level as a waist high "work area" and then 1 or two storage levels above. It's REAL easy to work with, sets up quickly and tears down quickly. I've even got 1 section set up outside forming a shed for my Kubota tractor.

I had been going to get racking like the Gorilla Rack sold at home depot but have found used pallet racking to be much more useful.

About the only drawback is that now I'm looking to find some exterior pallet rack to build a kiln with and it will probably be more expensive.

[Tom Clark FL]

Hi Guy,

I recently moved from Fl to NM. The Fl shop was an open room 40x60. It cost a bundle for heat and air.

The new shop is 36x60, and divided into three rooms. Cost of air and heat is nothing compared to before. My best advice - insulate it far more than you think you need. It will pay you back many times over. Photos here. (http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?27901-New-shop-in-New-Mexico)

I also have a mill and lathe which shows in one of the photos.

[Rick Fisher]

I am planning a new home with an attached shop .. Basically it will be a room accessible from the garage. I am planning on about 800 sf ..

I love the idea of a plywood floor and crawl space .. At 32 feet wide, I plan 2x10 joist, 8' spans, 12" OC .. With 3/4" Plywood flooring, it will be pleasant to walk on and strong enough for anything.. I plan on making the crawl space at least 6 feet deep .. with a normal staircase running down to it for storage .. Its another 800 sf or cheap space.

The plywood floor and crawl space allows us to run compressed air, dust collection and electricity through the floor .. A simple circle jig can be used to cut a 6" hole for dust collection with a plunge router .. Another jig makes a 6" Plywood circle to fix a hole no longer used..

I want a small room for the Dust collector, and the Compressor.. but I plan to vent it out the ceiling like a bathroom fan .. A big dust collector in a sealed room will actually lose performance as the room fills up with air .. Sounds weird but its true ..

[Guy Morgan]

Guys --

Thanks so much for all very thoughtful feedback. As I suspected, it looks like there are more than a few things I am going to have to (re)think through. So, back to the drawing board in a good way.

Thanks again for all your thoughts and comments -- they are very much appreciated!