what are the basics of shop layout?

[dale rex]

Moved to a new house and have to set up shop in a nice large basement. Starting from scratch here. Size is 25' x 32' with a stairway in the middle. I just have everything kinda setup in a convenient area to maximize the use of the two electrical outlets I have.:rolleyes: I have the usual array of machinery......Unisaw, 8" jointer,14" bandsaw,radial arm saw, drill press 12" planer, router table, two miter saws,.......etc. I know the TS is the center of attention, but beyond that ,what is a common sense approach to good efficient layout? I know alot of people recommend doing shop layout on paper first, but I just cant envision myself doing this on paper. I am more of a hands on type that relies more on trial and error......:) Any good advice for me ? Pics of your shops might help me see the varied layouts and figure mine out;) .

[Jim Becker]

Work flow is what you need to look at first and foremost...for most folks that means TS, J and P convenient to each other. Miter saw(s) and RAS convenient to the wood rack so you can easily break down boards and perform other functions common to these tools...sharing a bench isn't a horrible thing for these, too. In most cases, the other stuff are "supporting characters" and can be located where convenient or in a "tool coral". Router table may be convenient to use for outfeed support, too.

Don't forget you need room for assembly and bench work...there will be times when you do work on more than one project at a time!

[Steve Clardy]

Yes. Work flow.

Material storage. Saws, table, miter, jointer. THen the others. Router tables, shaper, bandsaw, then assembly area.

[Jules Dominguez]

Use the corners of the room to minimize dead space in the shop. By this I mean put two stationary tools that need space in front of and/or behind them to feed boards into or out of the machines on two adjacent walls. The corner can be the infeed/outfeed "dead space" for both machines.

Another way to minimize dead space is to locate wall racks, pegboards, or shelves adjacent to such items as band saws and radial arm saws which are themselves backed up to a wall. The cutting action on these tools takes place some distance out from the wall and wall-mounted stuff won't interfere with using the tool.

Locate your cutoff saw convenient to your lumber storage area. Generally the first thing I do with a rough board is cut it to rough length before ripping and planing.
I have poor eyesight, and having sufficient light is ultracritical to me, particularly for measuring and marking and lining up saw cuts, and testing boards with a straightedge.

There's a lot of other considerations, but these are among the most important. You can add electrical outlets and light fixtures anywhere.

[Ted Shrader]

Dale -

Congratulations on the new digs. Good suggestions from the previous posts. Two more to add:
Mobile bases on the equipment. Granted, they will probably not move much, but there WILL be a need.
More outlets! - Where is you service panel? Add a sub-panel if need be to get more outlets.

Regards,
Ted

[Roy Wall]

For DC / cyclone considerations...

Put the Planers, Jointers, sanders closeset to the cyclone. RUn about 5-7' of 7" pipe STRAIGHT out initially....then drop down to 6" and run 6" drops to as many machines as possible - only reducing to 5" at the machines if need be.

Kinda think - straight line - down a wall with only a few branches here and there....

So, keep this aspect of shop layout foremost in conjunction with work flow.

[Bart Leetch]

Go here & download Easy Shop Designer its free & you can take the measurements of your tools & resize the tools & move them around all you want & even make several layouts etc. Have fun. :D

I've been using it for about 5 years to rearrange my small shop as I purchased more tools.

This will help you organize your shop. It will be your best friend. Man save that back you only have one. :eek: learn to use this program. :D

A tip for any tool that is not in the tool list use the bench tool & size it to represent the tool.

You can go to my web site & see how I've used this program just use the green bullet by my name at the top of this page.

My site is free & does have a pop up just cancel it out.

http://www.inthewoodshop.org/software/software.shtml

[Jamie Buxton]

I am more of a hands on type that relies more on trial and error......:)


Okay, do what works for you: trial and error. (That's what's worked for me over the years.) Put all your major stuff on wheels -- mobility kits, furniture dollies, casters, whatever. As you're working, you'll move stuff around. Things may well settle into a layout that is pretty good for you.
Or you may find that easy mobility brings advantages. I've found I have three layouts for the shop, depending on what I'm doing. When I'm doing finishing, all the big machines are shoved against the walls, so I get as much room in the middle as possible. When I'm doing a primarily-plywood project, the middle of the room gets a guided-saw panel saw, and a table saw. When I'm doing a primarily-lumber project, the middle of the room gets the bandsaw and the jointer-panel. With three layouts, I get lots more use of the space then if everything were nailed down.

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Dale,

Grizzly has a free shop layout program as well and it is very easy to use. I'm trying to cram my shop into a smaller space so I can heat it this winter.