Woodshop layout shuffle number 1-million......

[Greg Parrish]

Or at least it seems like the millionth time I’ve had to shuffle things around based on my growing shop and tool collection. Just thought I would share as it’s been a while since I’ve posted my shop. It’s a 22’x20’ garage and attached to our house via a small laundry room hallway. It has a built in storage loft for things like Christmas decorations and whatnot as we don’t have a usable attic space. Any tips or constructive critiques regarding layout and my shop are always welcome. Thanks and enjoy. Greg

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[Greg Parrish]

Pics Part 2

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[Ben Rivel]

Is that a 2 or 3 car garage?

[Greg Parrish]

It’s a 2 car with a single double wide roll up door. All insulated with AC/heat. Wish it were 3 though. About 440 sq ft

[Van Huskey]

First, you have done an impressive job getting 10 gallons of tools into a 5 gallon shop!

I tried to look at it critically but every move started a snowball of moves. The one thing I saw that would be easy is switching the sharpening station (tool box bottom) and lumber storage BUT then the lumber storage would be against the door. I would consider building a more narrow sharpening station on wheels to 1. protect your box from water and 2. be able to roll it up and have it next to the lathe in use. It could reside between the silver cabinet and the drum sander if you slide the cabinet down.

[Greg Parrish]

First, you have done an impressive job getting 10 gallons of tools into a 5 gallon shop!

I tried to look at it critically but every move started a snowball of moves. The one thing I saw that would be easy is switching the sharpening station (tool box bottom) and lumber storage BUT then the lumber storage would be against the door. I would consider building a more narrow sharpening station on wheels to 1. protect your box from water and 2. be able to roll it up and have it next to the lathe in use. It could reside between the silver cabinet and the drum sander if you slide the cabinet down.

Thank you. Funny you mention that. This is what prompted the move in first place. That tool box was sitting where clamp rack is and the tall silver cabinet was sitting where router table is. I just got the tormek and the cbn grinder setup in last few weeks so getting them setup prompted the shuffle. My first thought was to sell the large tool box and combine those tools into the other two red boxes and then create a smaller sharpen cart. Only item to note is that I plan to use tormek jigs with the grinder and it will take roughly 30” width to mount the tormek adapter bars on either side. I could probably get it down to a 30”x22” cart with the tormek on it also where the current cabinet is 56”x22” but it’s super heavy and hard to move. Regarding the wood rack I can’t really move it as it would impede the door from being able to open when needed. Thanks for the input. Will give it consideration.

[Bryan Lisowski]

Thin the herd. You probably have a lot of stuff not being used all the time which you may be able to build some storage against the ceiling. Also, I would get rid of the miter saw. I have always thought it was a must have tool in my shop, but now not so much, 1 trick pony. This is coming from a guy with 180 sq ft shop.

[Greg Parrish]

Thanks Bryan. I use my miter saw all the time. Would have a hard time without it I fear, even though many cuts could be done via other means. Did think about replacing my 6” jointer with a combo 12” jointer/planer machine but it wouldn’t free much space given the way I have my dewalt hinged to my outfeed table. Always a slow progression and evolution with a small chop though.

[Bryan Lisowski]

Greg. Do a project without the miter saw, you may be surprised how you can do without. I still have mine, but keep in the basement.

[Bernie May]

Geez. I think you have done a great job. Our shops are the same size and we have about the same amount of equipment. however, you have more bench space and more open floor space than I do, and I have to open my sliding doors to use my table saw or jointer/planer. I guess it is time to again rethink my use of space.

[andy bessette]

If you hang the clamps on the wall you can regain some floor space.

[Greg Parrish]

Geez. I think you have done a great job. Our shops are the same size and we have about the same amount of equipment. however, you have more bench space and more open floor space than I do, and I have to open my sliding doors to use my table saw or jointer/planer. I guess it is time to again rethink my use of space.

Thanks Bernie. It has taken me a lot of time designing and redesigning layout to get to this point. The best change was when I moved the table saw group to the middle. I can get a full 8’ sheet of ply through it lengthwise without opening the door if I roll the carts to the side, and can get nearly a full sheet sideways too but the lathe cuts into that space a little. Honestly though I rarely do an initial rip on the table saw and usually do a quick cut with my cordless M12 circular saw and the clean it on the table saw. My planer can handle about 10’ if needed, my jointer has about 12’ clearance and my miter saw can handle the most by running across the workbench and into the laundry room. I rarely cut items that long but occasionally do have boards or trim up to 12’. It has been a pretty functional space. And with recently moving my lathe to its current space to make room for lumber storage a few weeks ago I’m really still in the middle of that redesign started by piles of wood that I kept having to rotate around the room to work. I’m sure this won’t be the last redesign as some day I have to figure out a place to create some hand tool workspace for planes and the like. Will save that challenge for another day though.




If you hang the clamps on the wall you can regain some floor space.

Thanks Andy, I have toyed with that idea a bunch of times but haven’t been able to come up with enough wall space to mount them all. The loft eats up a bunch of my wall height but we can’t do without it. I’ve already cut into its storage space with my lumber rack and dust collector to allow pass through for those items. I haven’t ruled out putting clamps on the walls but will have to really think it through. Also will need to find a place for all of my turning blanks which reside on that cart too. What I have also been considering is mounting the shop vac in a central stationary spot with a 25 to 30 hose so it can reach around my space but not to take a chunk of floor space as it does now. Also trying to find a way to minimize the footprint of my welding cart but the large gas tank makes that one difficult as it won’t fit under anything. Regardless all something to think about.

[Greg Parrish]

Almost forgot that in addition to having around 300lbs of sand in the ballast box on my Laguna 18/36, I also had a bunch of scrap metal stashed in there. Makes that lathe sit at around 1,000 rock solid pounds but also gives me a place to keep scraps out of site. Anyway, I remembered I had some router stand parts in there from where I combined Jessem and Incra stands into a Franken stand. Looks like a perfect start to a sharpening cart for the CBN grinder and Tormek. May even be able to fit the 6” Baldor on there too. Will see what I can come up with.
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Its not not a perfect fit to the bolt holes but close enough to make something work I think.
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[Thomas Crawford]

Too much bench space I think. Maybe just one do-it-all Roubo or similar in the middle. First pass could be ditching the bench that the miter saw is on and build one of the rolling carts with flip up wings.

[Greg Parrish]

Too much bench space I think. Maybe just one do-it-all Roubo or similar in the middle. First pass could be ditching the bench that the miter saw is on and build one of the rolling carts with flip up wings.

You're the second person to say ditch the miter saw. If I removed that bench I would either loose that toolbox, or I’d have to put it on the base cabinet and keep that base cabinet. That said, I’m not sure how I would use that space given my layout. The bench by the table saw serves as an outfeed table. The table was my grandfathers and serves as an assembly table. Etc, etc.

In a a perfect world I’d have room for my PM66 but with an incra fence, my Oneida v3000 cyclone, a hammer 41 jointer/planer, an American beauty or oneway lathe, my large tool box with bench top, my wood storage rack, a mobile grinder cart, mobile router table, mobile drum sander and a real workbench.

Realistically im not too far off of that dream setup with a few more redesigns as time goes on. Will probably keep my current laguna 18/36 until my skill and needs warrant the “last lathe” purchase, but the combo jointer/planer is higher on my list.

Anyway, major redesign is a pain even though I’ve done it a few times now. However the feeling of not being finished is why I’ve not sealed the joints on my dust piping. Too many changes still being made.

Thanks for the input. Will give the miter saw and cabinet a rethink.

[Jim Becker]

You're the second person to say ditch the miter saw.



I believe Thomas was just saying to put the miter saw on something more portable to make space more flexible. Personally, I think that the general reaction to consolidate work surfaces to free up space is well intentioned. A big part of some of the shop reorganization that I've done over time was precisely along those lines so I would have more flexible space availability for both assembly and finishing. I leverage some temporary work surfaces that I can store away when not in use to help support that goal so if I need a "big" space, I can make it happen and when I need to hold up a whole bunch of things, I can make that happen, too. Flexibility really is the key to making modest shop dimensions be as big as they can be!

[Greg Parrish]

I believe Thomas was just saying to put the miter saw on something more portable to make space more flexible. Personally, I think that the general reaction to consolidate work surfaces to free up space is well intentioned. A big part of some of the shop reorganization that I've done over time was precisely along those lines so I would have more flexible space availability for both assembly and finishing. I leverage some temporary work surfaces that I can store away when not in use to help support that goal so if I need a "big" space, I can make it happen and when I need to hold up a whole bunch of things, I can make that happen, too. Flexibility really is the key to making modest shop dimensions be as big as they can be!

I get that and did take it constructively even if it didn’t seem that way. It’s good to hear other points on it to get me thinking. May not change anything but it opens my mind to other alternatives which is a good thing. Thanks.

[Jim Becker]

I've often stood there in the shop just "contemplating things" over the years around what could change to make space, workflow or storage better. In recent years, it started to evolve to what I described above...simplification for more flexibility. It can be very difficult to make some of these changes or to "give up" what we might perceive as being essential. Storage is an example...we "need" all those nooks and crannies and cabinets and drawers, but sometimes if we look at things objectively, we find that our issue isn't so much space as it is organization and being willing to get rid of stuff we will never use. That was really hard for me because I'm very inclined to hold onto things and not only does the mean clutter, it also becomes difficult to actually know what I have. Most recently, I installed some "new" cabinets in my shop after replacing the kitchen uppers in the house and I actually have had trouble filling them. :) I'm sure that "problem" will resolve, however, and the target will always remain freeing up floor space and my remaining work surfaces for most efficient use.

Slow steps are best, however, but you'll get there.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Great choices on your first couple of planes.

I'll give you 3 months tops before you decide that your next project needs to be a workbench designed to support hand tool work. :)

From the pictures of your shop, it looks like your assembly table with a little extra bracing here and there might withstand racking forces when you need to do hand planing, but for hand tool work in the long term, you are going to want a stouter top.

You can make do with workholding by using clamps, blocks, battens, but a workbench designed to support hand tool work is a) fun to build; b) a joy to own and use and c) a great excuse for buying a few chisels for mortises and tenons, and a no 7 or no 8 jointer for flattening the top. You might even squeeze in a shoulder plane for tenons, and tenon saw. This then becomes the gateway drug, I mean natural progression, to a dovetail saw and even more chisels, planes, rasps, fret saws, handsaws, back saws. Welcome to the hand tool side of the creek!

[Greg Parrish]

I’m looking at my shop and considering all the comments and am thinking about the direction I’m wanting to move. Ultimately I want to simplify the shop a little but want to include a real and proper workbench and a combo jointer/planer. This means needing to do a little change up but nothing that can’t be accomplished once I can afford these additions.

In the mean time I’ve put that 56” tool chest up for sale, and am considering trying to sell the miter station bench also. This would free up a bunch of wall frontage floor space. With these changes I’m thinking I would eventually need to move away from my center island table saw to allow room for a large workbench and to hopefully keep my grandfathers table that I’m using for assemble/glue-up. I’d like to keep my wood rack in place but also add some sheet good storage maybe on the opposite wall beside the garage door.

Long term, I’m wanting to start working more with hand tools so that is part of this. Also, I’m thinking the track saw approach to large pieces may mean being able to move to shorter table saw rails but I’m not entirely sold on that. In the short run I gave a brief thought to drilling dog holes and mounting a Milwaukee wood vise to my saw outfeed table. It’s heavy enough and has a 1.5” butcher block top that it could support some light hand tool work until I can add a proper bench.


Am I crazy? Leave well enough alone and use what I have with the additions to my current outfeed table? Good plan? Bad plan? Thoughts based on my revised comments/thoughts? It’s easy to build a comfort with the current setup even if moving from my comfort zone could be the best outcome.

Thanks for the continued input.

[Jim Becker]

I personally think you are on the right track with your thinking in this most recent post and you are not crazy! Change for the sake of change would be crazy, but change for the sake of providing a better environment that is more suited to the work you want to do as well as being more flexible is a good thing. Using myself as an example, my shop has been in place since 2000. It's gradually evolved to where it is and still likely has some more changes in store...smaller ones at this point, but whatever they are, they will be predicated by the desire to make things work better for what I'm doing now. Part of that is that my shop is now more than just a hobby, but even if that were not the case, I'd still be taking the same journey.

[Greg Parrish]

I personally think you are on the right track with your thinking in this most recent post and you are not crazy! Change for the sake of change would be crazy, but change for the sake of providing a better environment that is more suited to the work you want to do as well as being more flexible is a good thing. Using myself as an example, my shop has been in place since 2000. It's gradually evolved to where it is and still likely has some more changes in store...smaller ones at this point, but whatever they are, they will be predicated by the desire to make things work better for what I'm doing now. Part of that is that my shop is now more than just a hobby, but even if that were not the case, I'd still be taking the same journey.


Thanks. I found another persons shop that pretty well captures what I want mine to evolve to layout wise (not sure if he is a member here). It is almost identical space except for a small alcove. Thinking I can incorporate something similar with my layout once I get a workbench and a hammer combo jointer/planer eventually. The catch for me may mean not being able to keep my grandfathers table in the mix. Plus I would have a lathe instead of the miter station. Not sure how else to cram it all in functionally but I want core machines fixed in place with only a few that must be mobile (router table and drum sander). I’m also wondering if I should keep the 56” chest and through the top box on it and sell the 72” box instead. Means giving up that bench top if I did it but would pick up more tool storage in less floor space.

https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodworking-tips-1505may/shop/showusyourshop.html

Still thinking it through.

[Greg Parrish]

Well, I listed my 56” chest for sale and in turn the guy who contacted me rather have my 72” chest with butcher block top, so I agreed to sell it to him tomorrow evening. It’s killing me and I’m almost having a mild panic attack but I know it’s a step I need to take to free up space. I’m convincing myself that while I’m loosing that bench top, I’m gaining more tool storage in less floor footage as the 56” with top cabinet holds about 5,000 cu in more.

Once the 72” chest and the miter station are gone though I think I’m on my way to a major remake that allows me some breathing room and a cleaner slate to work from. It’s a good time to go through all my cabinets and thin down all the excess too which creates a better work environment. Lots of general junk I’ve crammed in cabinets thinking one day I’ll use them. Ugh..........

just keep telling myself how nice it will be having more open floor space and a large workbench. :)

[Jim Becker]

You do have the option of building your router table into another surface which takes the space it requires away from the "tool coral", as it were.

[Greg Parrish]

:D:p:D:eek:

OMG! I’m about to cry, literally, LOL.

Cleaned out out all my tools and sold the 72” tool chest.

Then cleaned out all my tools and wrangled the 250lb top cab onto the 56” tool chest.

But, OMG what a cluster of a situation I’ve created now that will require some tough choices. Have to compact some of this down, relocate some to tool specific storage (ie: late, tablesaw, etc), and move some to craigslist or future endowment (for my son).

no new projects for a few days for sure. I’m going to just laugh my way through this to keep from crying. :)

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[Jim Becker]

So...just how many times did you say, "geepers...I didn't know I had one of those" or "geepers...THAT's where that thing was hiding!". :D :D :D

[Greg Parrish]

So...just how many times did you say, "geepers...I didn't know I had one of those" or "geepers...THAT's where that thing was hiding!". :D :D :D

Not surprisingly I had that happen a few times. Found an older New Britain block plane my Dad gave me. Didn’t even know I had it. Not a Lie- Nielsen but doesn’t look too bad either. Will have to get it cleaned up and see what it is.

[Bryan Lisowski]

Progress can hurt but no need to cry, just go buy a case of beer or a bottle of your favorite adult beverage. In a week you will be saying all the extra room is great.

[Greg Parrish]

One step ahead of you. Tito’s on the rocks. :D

[Jim Becker]

Not surprisingly I had that happen a few times. Found an older New Britain block plane my Dad gave me. Didn’t even know I had it. Not a Lie- Nielsen but doesn’t look too bad either. Will have to get it cleaned up and see what it is.
Almost any plane can be made into a very useful tool...so that's a nice find.

[Greg Parrish]

So, I managed to get most of my tools worked into the remaining box, and a few things shuffled around. I can start to see some floor opening up already which leads me to a question or two.

> Assembly table and workbench - I’m thinking my large 8’ x 2.5’ assembly table (grandfathers table I want to keep in the mix) should be assessable on all sides but will I be limiting myself too much if I put a workbench against the wall? This would limit usage to one or two sides I guess but it has me thinking it really needs to be open on all sides for maximum usage also. Or should I put the assembly table against the wall and put workbench in open space.

> Been thinking about trying to work my router table into either my saw right side table or possibly my outfeed table. If into my saws right side table, I’d have to rearrange everything to get access to that end of the table since now it has the jointer and bandsaw there along it’s the drop down dust collector piping. i found a bench that has a router built in that has me thinking about trying to put it in the outfeed table but not sure what to do. But maybe combining these items makes some sense. https://lakeerietoolworks.wordpress.com/tag/roubo-workbench/


still have have a long ways to go to get the floor placement and flow where I want it but selling that 6’ toolbox was the first big step. Next up will be the miter station.
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[andy bessette]

...I’m thinking my large 8’ x 2.5’ assembly table (grandfathers table I want to keep in the mix) should be assessable on all sides...

Actually having access to 3 sides is quite enough. My main bench/assembly table serves as an outfeed table to 2 tablesaws and works fine.

https://s26.postimg.cc/c6vswm56x/shop-6.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Jim Becker]

The types and sizes of the projects you do will enter into the conversation relative to whether or not having one side of your assembly table on the wall will matter or not...it wouldn't work for me in some cases, but would in others.

[Bernie May]

I feel your pain.

[Greg Parrish]

In prep for moving my miter station out I exchanged my newly acquired but unopened incra miter express for a miter 5000 sled. Didn’t realize the express was smaller and Thought this would help with making many of the cuts I regularly used the miter station for. I’ll of course keep a miter saw handy but not setup in a permanent location most likely. This will cut down on floor space requirements. Gonna get that full sized workbench and aircraft carrier sized planer/jointer combo or separates in here come heck or high water.

Also so picked up a 6” woodpeckers try square, a pfeil marking knife, an incra protractor and a veritas dual marking gauge. Slowly getting a few things knocked out. :)

[Bryan Lisowski]

Greg, sounds like things are moving along and coming together! Good work, no miter saw will feel awkward at first, but you will get used to it.

[Terry Hatfield]

Love your train of thought Greg. Envious of how you are maximizing every inch of your space. I am an organization guy but I have 3 times the space so it's a lot easier for me to do so. Looking forward to seeing more pics!

[Greg Parrish]

At it again. Round two of the above. Making another big mess and culling lots more stuff to thin down items. Took down wall cabinets and front wall items to make room for the tool chest, and the other tall silver cabinet. Unfortunately the drywall is a mess but I’ll worry about it later. Probably won’t have room to rehang these 4 metal wall cabinets but will wait to see. This is opening up lots of floor space though. Hopefully the jointer departs tomorrow and I’ll start dismantling the miter station next. Anyway, enjoy the mess and Feel free to have a laugh as I compact 9 years worth of accumulation into 1/2 the storage cabinets and space. :)

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Compacted most of the 4 hanging cabinets into this standing cabinet. Culled our about 1/2 of everything so far getting it to fit. Made 3 or 4 passes through doing trash, recycle, goodwill and hazmat disposal trips.

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Got the front wall wall set except for putting the dehumidifier back in place. This fills this whole wall but frees up the floor space otherwise taken by these pieces in other areas. Just have to finish going through everything that needs to be compacted into these cabinets.

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More to come!

[Jim Becker]

You're definitely going to "have a clue" about all the stuff you have by the time you're done!

[Greg Parrish]

You're definitely going to "have a clue" about all the stuff you have by the time you're done!

I will for sure. Still a lot of things to sift through and further organize. Trying to take the “haven’t touched it in years, it can go” approach. It’s hard to go through a shop and effectively force yourself to pare down to 1/2 of everything.

I keep imagining the A3-31 and one day a K3 (or similar minimax) sitting in there to keep me motivated. Think I’ve convinced myself to replace my PM66 with a Slider machine in the next year or two.

[Greg Parrish]

PROGRESS

The Powermatic 6” Jointer and the Dewalt DW735 planer are sold and gone. The small workbench that had the dehumidifier on it by the inside garage door is gone. Two of the four metal wall cabinets are gone. And about 1/2 of the contents of all of the wall and floor cabinets have been culled. Whew............

Next up, the guy who purchased my jointer owns a cabinet shop and has multiple warehouses stuffed full of materials, cabinet pieces, etc. He is looking to clean them out and is interested in my remaining 2 wall cabinets, my miter station with dewalt saw, and my Grizzly G7944 floor drill press (which I planned to replace one day with a different one). So we are bartering a deal to trade these items for kiln dried hard wood boards. He is putting together a load of items to offer in trade and so far I’ve seen pictures of some really nice looking cherry and some mahogany. Might be a great deal in that I free up space, get some material I can use, and he cleans out warehouse space and gets tools he can fold into his shop. Plus, he is buying like 2,000 board foot at a time, so his material costs are a fraction of mine.

Found out Hammer A3-31 is crated up and ready to ship from Felder in Delaware any moment so I’m thinking it will be here next week some time. Think I have a game plan to rotate my table saw island 180 degrees once the miter bench is gone. This would put the lathe and jointer/planer across the aisle from each other which seems like a workable position

[Bryan Lisowski]

Wow Greg, you are making great progress. It sounds like trading the other stuff for hardwoods could work great for both parties. Make sure you post those before and after pics.

[Greg Parrish]

Wow Greg, you are making great progress. It sounds like trading the other stuff for hardwoods could work great for both parties. Make sure you post those before and after pics.

Will do. We are planning the swap/trade for Tuesday. No clue what all he has rounded up or how much yet, but he has an idea of what my interests and storage limits are.

Email confirmed my Hammer is on the way with arrival estimated for Wednesday at the local terminal. Hopefully get it Thursday or Friday.

[Julie Moriarty]

Greg, after looking at all the pics of your workshop and all the tools in it, I think you might be missing a tool, but for the life of me, I don't know what. :rolleyes:

But seriously, in my old shop, I had everything working pretty well. Tools on either side and an aisle in the middle where tools can be rolled out.
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/Workshop/workshop_13.jpg

http://julimorcreations.com/Images/Workshop/workshop_01.jpg

http://julimorcreations.com/Images/Workshop/workshop_06.jpg

http://julimorcreations.com/Images/Workshop/workshop_05.jpg

Sure do miss that shop...

[Greg Parrish]

Julie, that shop looked great. I’ve been trying to avoid the mobile tool route. Much nicer to have everything in a permanent place when moving between stations on a project. So far my only transition piece was the planner being hinged on a shelf on side of outfeed table. Worked great but interfered with table saw clearance on some wider cuts.

Anyway, I think I have this worked out, in my head anyway, so that most everything will be in a fixed position. Will see how it unfolds but the jointer planer will of course be a transitional tool in the shop.

[Patrick McCarthy]

Well, there is (or was?) the wall space above the lathe where you might put a series of shallow (6-8 inches deep) shelves to load up with all the misc stuff that gets put on every available surface. Vary the spacing on the shelves, and on mine I have the lowest (chest height) 6 inches deep, 6 inches above that an 8 inch shelf, 8-12 inches above that another 8 inch deep shelf, etc depending upon space available and items to store.

[Greg Parrish]

Well, there is (or was?) the wall space above the lathe where you might put a series of shallow (6-8 inches deep) shelves to load up with all the misc stuff that gets put on every available surface. Vary the spacing on the shelves, and on mine I have the lowest (chest height) 6 inches deep, 6 inches above that an 8 inch shelf, 8-12 inches above that another 8 inch deep shelf, etc depending upon space available and items to store.


That stuff is not normally sitting all over the place. It’s because I’ve been removing cabinets and pulling stuff out of cabinets to purge and cull items. Have to make it all fit into less cabinet space. I’m planning to move my clamps to the wall and get rid of my clamp rack, to move my lathe implements to the wall behind behind the lathe, and then hand tools to the wall behind the current miter bench as that space will be the future location of my workbench.

The whole room room is a disaster but there is a plan in place moving forward slowly. The hard part was making the initial decision to jump in head first, part with a bunch of tools and stuff, and rearrange the entire room basically. once Monday rolls around and the guy gets the miter station out, the room should start to open up some more. ��

[Greg Parrish]

Next phase underway. The battleship is mobile and getting ready to depart tomorrow. This miter station is roughly 8’ x 3’. Took up a lot of real estate.

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And, all this stuff is going away in the morning. Never did like this drill press. Will be replacing it but lots of floor space getting cleared up. My new JP is inbound Tuesday so I’ll be doing another floor shuffle tomorrow afternoon to get ready. Moving the table saw layout.

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[Greg Parrish]

So that pile of items went away in exchange for a bunch of their scrap wood pieces of cherry, maple, ash, mahogany, walnut, birch, and even a few nice pieces of redwood. I’m thrilled even though others might not see the value in my trade. Got a battleship out of my floor space and gave me some materials I can utilize.

Had to convert an old picnic table in our backyard into a new planter box for my wife so I’m just getting back to the workshop shuffle. I have a space set for them to deliver the Hammer A3-31 tomorrow but plan to do a little more shuffle tonight before they get here. It’s a major project to move things around to new positions once you start thinking about dust collection and electrical. Plan to get everything in a workable position before I move the pipes and wires though.

You can see the bench and tools that went away in prior post. Best part of this trade was an agreement reached to source wood for free and reduced price going forward. Free scraps, which is what they considered all these pieces, and reduced price other pieces. Here is what I traded for:

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For kicks kicks and giggles, here is the table to planter conversion today very rough but made with about 95% recycled material. It’s really level but the picture makes it look skewed. Just need to get a few cubic yards of dirt and mushroom compost ordered.

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[andy bessette]

Now get that wood off the floor.

[Greg Parrish]

I will. It’s laying on a few stickers to get his trailer unloaded. Once I rest a bit from the planter box I am going to cut that cherry down and get it all stored vertically............ this afternoon. :)

[Greg Parrish]

All trimmed to a manageable size. Some was 13+ feet long. Will figure out a more permanent spot later but for moment it’s all standing against the wall anyway. Regardless it’s no longer laying horizontally on the floor.

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And and I spent a few hours culling a bunch of scrap items that were hanging out in all the nooks and crannies. It’s going to a new home. I’m adopting the can’t keep everything motorhome with this shop remodel/rearrange/upgrade. LOL

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[Bryan Lisowski]

Nice work Greg! I think you did well with the trade. I would rather trade for something I value, then have stuff I won't use or have to sell extremely cheap to get out of the way.

[Greg Parrish]

Thanks Bryan


started emptying the clamp rack cart and getting clamps moved to the wall. Still have a few more to figure out like the F-clamps and spring clamps but getting closer to being able to get this cart out and off the floor. Just one more step in freeing up floor space.

Didnt get the table saw turned around yet, or the bandsaw moved but feel like I got a whole,bunch done getting the clamps started and digging out all of that scrap wood that went away. May not look like much but these pictures really do show huge progress. Can’t believe just how many things I’ve gotten rid of but still lots to still go. Bask in the glory of all that new open floor space. LOL

Again, it doesn’t look like progress but if you look at my earlier pictures you can start to see the picture taking shape. More to go but I’m pooped and done for the night.

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[Julie Moriarty]

And and I spent a few hours culling a bunch of scrap items that were hanging out in all the nooks and crannies. It’s going to a new home. I’m adopting the can’t keep everything motorhome with this shop remodel/rearrange/upgrade. LOL

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That scrap pile reminds me of when I cleaned out the last shop before we moved. Scrap wood is like dust, you know it's everywhere but you never realize you much has accumulated until it's swept into a pile.

Nice job on fixing up the nursery for the new arrival. ;)

[Greg Parrish]

Redid the clamp racks a little bit. They are still near the assembly table area now with some on either side. Also got a ton of space cleaned out and the hammer A3-31 delivered just now.

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More to come. :)

[Greg Parrish]

Tablesaw shuffle underway today. Look at all that open space.

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[Terry Hatfield]

Great work Greg!

[Greg Parrish]

Now the fun of making everything that’s left fit. The flip up jointer table is going to leave a bunch of dead space though. Maybe I can find something to store in between.

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That feeling of open space going away fast
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Had planned to mount the rigid sander on the fold out leaf on side of outfeed table but it will stick out too far when folded down. The only way to fix that is to slide the outfeed table towards the jointer, but that would mean having to open the jointer with the fence pulled forward rather than backwards, which isn’t the recommended procedure. Ugh.


looks like it fits with my 6” dust drop and still gives me 52” capacity with the fence.
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And, found a reducer that I think may work for the 5” port. Have some 5” flex hose coming tomorrow. Thanks amazon. Anyway, if the hose fits the Hammers port and the smaller side of this reducer, I’m golden. We will see tomorrow. :)
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[Greg Parrish]

Hate this part. Running and re-running dust pipe for a changed layout just plain sucks. Anyway, pulled it all down back to near the dust collector and started putting it back together for the new layout. Made a little progress but have more to go.

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Dont be too critical. It’s a mess and I’m using materials I have on hand but once in place it works and works well........ or at least is has been. :)

[Terry Hatfield]

Looking good Greg! I’ve moved my ducts around a few times. Definitely no fun.

[Jim Becker]

I've also had to make duct work modifications over the years...nature of the beast. It's a pain while you're doing it, but the end result will help you forget the work happened. :) My next modification may be "more fun" since it will likely entail sending a drop to the upstairs of my shop building as I'm considering relocation of my lathe up there for space reclamation purposes and don't want to give up the DC for sanding and don't want to put a separate small DC up there, although I may ultimately just do that anyway.

[Greg Parrish]

At a stopping point for dinner. Have the table saw, air compressor and the jointer/planer almost ready to go. Need to get a fernco adapter for JP and need to run a hose to the table saw bottom port, but otherwise these are all functional. Next up is the dust tubing over to the band saw and drill press location. From there I’m pretty much back up and running. Will have some house keeping items to come back to of course.


Added storage underneath the saw. To explain the really long 4” hose running to the shark guard on the saw, it is pulled up via a rope on a pulley and the reason for this is that when I route or drum sand, this rope is given slack and this hose reaches around the shop to service those mobile tools. Goofy, I know, but works well.
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Hard to see but tucked compressor underneath behind the cabinet. No more than I run my compressor it will be fine in there. Still plenty of air flow around the compressor and it’s fan.
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[Julie Moriarty]

You do really nice work, Greg. I enjoy watching this remodel unfold. I noticed the metallic strip in the DC duct. Nice touch!

[Greg Parrish]

You do really nice work, Greg. I enjoy watching this remodel unfold. I noticed the metallic strip in the DC duct. Nice touch!

Thanks and funny. When I first put that pipe up I went to the trouble to run bare copper though the interior. Cut any static but tangled saw cut offs that fell in and planer shavings. Had straight blades then. During a redo I removed the wire and ran the aluminum hvac tape through everything making sure it overlapped and touched at each junction. Don’t think it worked very well not enough metal and the connections didn’t connect as planned. Anyway during this redo I find that all the tape does is collect fine sawdust powder. Would love to pull it out but not worth the time. Once the dust covers it, it stops collecting. Just on the surface.

when I’m done this t8me I’ll wrap bare copper wire around the outside connecting to the dust collector, each tool and each metal gate. This will drain any static charges, especially on the planer.

[Jim Becker]

Are you sure that the adhesive on the foil tape isn't isolating things at the overlaps? On my CNC drop which necessarily has a 20" or so piece of PCV at the hood (my duct work is all metal), I did put tape on there, but it's only to secure the wrap of copper wire that completes the grounding and drain all the way to the pickup point. I use foil tape for sealing and joining sections of duct, however...it's great stuff.

[Julie Moriarty]

when I’m done this t8me I’ll wrap bare copper wire around the outside connecting to the dust collector, each tool and each metal gate. This will drain any static charges, especially on the planer.
I did that in my last shop where I had DWV pipe for the DC ductwork. Didn't work very well though. Static on the pipe exterior attracted a lot of dust. That's why I switched to metal in the new shop.

[Greg Parrish]

Jim, No, not sure but the way I had it was to roll the tape over and out of each end so that the foil parts overlapped rather than the adhesive backing. Regardless it didn’t work well. Once I have a for sure permanent setup I would consider replacing my pvc with nordfab but I’ve made so many layout changes as my shop has grown it would have been a mistake to start that way since I don’t have a large open space to work with.

[Greg Parrish]

Didn’t do much this evening but got some more pipe suspended and have it ready to add the drop for the bandsaw and drill press stations.
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My workshop buddy came to see what the noise was after I sliced my finger on the plumbers tape and yelled.
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Got the hose connected to the JP. Also realized that I didn’t tighten the bolts on the rail that the fence mounts too. Need to circle back to that before use. Doh!
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And the Nova Voyager showed up today. Will tackle getting it cleaned up and assembled on the Portamate 3500 tomorrow night.
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[Peter Christensen]

“My workshop buddy came to see what the noise was after I sliced my finger on the plumbers tape and yelled.“

The pup isn’t used to hearing girly sounds in the shop eh. ;)

[Greg Parrish]

“My workshop buddy came to see what the noise was after I sliced my finger on the plumbers tape and yelled.“

The pup isn’t used to hearing girly sounds in the shop eh. ;)

ha! Pretty much. That stinking metal tape got me good in 3 spots so I did squeal pretty loud. LOL

[Bryan Lisowski]

You know the shop buddy didn't care if you were hurt, he was just checking to make sure his dinner would be on time.

[Greg Parrish]

So tonight I mostly finished the dust duct work. Need one 4” 45 degree piece and I ordered a section of hose to reach over to the drill press. That said, I also got the drill press assembled on the portamate 3500 base. Not sure I’ll leave it on a mobile base as I think I preferred it fixed on the ground but will give it a try first on the base. Had to stand on my outfeed table to lift it onto the post while my wife helped steady everything. That puppy was heavy.

Few pictures of my progress through tonight. Still have items to finish and sort out but was able to use the table saw tonight with dust extraction so that is a step forward.

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Unfortunately, the ridged sander can’t stay here. The spindle bolt sticks out too far and catches your leg when you walk by sometimes.
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So so at this point, I need to add power connections for the drill and band saw, pick up a 45 degree adapter for the band saw dust collection connection, take the 90 degree pipe out of the lathe dust collection and slightly rework the way this interacts with the lathe, and lastly build a second vertical lumber rack opposite the one I built a few months back for additional wood storage.

[Jim Becker]

Your transformation already speaks to better space available for actual woodworking! Nice job!

[Julie Moriarty]

That said, I also got the drill press assembled on the portamate 3500 base.
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That base looks pretty nice (haven't opened the box yet). The one I have on my drill press.... well, I can't write what I'm thinking, but it's bad. Maybe I'll replace it with the 2500. Problem is, like you say, that puppy is HEAVY!

Looks like your shop is coming along quite nicely. :)

[Greg Parrish]

Thanks Julie.


Tonight I built another raised, vertical wood rack opposite the earlier one I made. Using materials on hand I actually framed that other one with a steel mattress frame and skinned it accordingly with wood. Worked great and got the wood off the concrete, protecting it from moisture and isolating it from any termite problems by keeping it off the wall. Didn’t have another mattress frame for this one so it’s made from 3/4” plywood with plastic marine wood feet and secured to the wall with steel L brackets. Again, no wood touching floor or the concrete riser under the drywall. Hard to believe but I managed to get 95% of that wood I took in trade in there. It’s a lot of board feet and it’s all nice hardwoods.

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Here is the rack on the opposite side
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Didn’t buy a new slider saw (yet) but did pick up a few other goodies in addition to the Hammer A3-31 and Nova Voyager.
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Lastly, I’m just so happy with how things are coming together with the space and my new tools. Still have power lines to run to my drill and bandsaw, and some items to get out to bulk trash pickup and/or storage but I’m darn close to having it basically finished and ready to go back to work. Once back in use I’ll have some projects to build that include a hand tool cabinet and other shop storage items but those will take time to get to. Lots of other projects waiting in the wings too.

This process has been painful but is paying off and I can see light at the end of the tunnel finally.

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[Jim Becker]

That new lumber rack is "retail worthy"! LOL Very nice job. I wish I had the headroom to do vertical racks...

[Greg Parrish]

That new lumber rack is "retail worthy"! LOL Very nice job. I wish I had the headroom to do vertical racks...

Thanks. I was looking at the wasted space on the other one due to the dividers. Think I’ll remove all but the end one and squeeze the lumber closer together. Will probably open up room for one more row.

[Julie Moriarty]

It's a good thing I don't know where you live or I'd come over there and start using that nice, clean, orderly shop of yours!

[Greg Parrish]

It's a good thing I don't know where you live or I'd come over there and start using that nice, clean, orderly shop of yours!

He, he, he. Come on over. :)


working on some stairs airs for my kids loft bed today and realized the band saw has to move. It blocks access to some longer cuts. Think if I swap it and the drill press that may do it though as I can raise and lower the drill press table as needed.

Working with large 20” wide pieces has rekindled my list for a slider saw. I can see the benefit to a slider with support on these types of panels and larger. Would sure help making them square more easily too. Anyway, for now I. Making it happen with what I have. Can’t wait for next Friday thou as it’s bulk trash pick up and I can get all the excess pipe, hose, pallets and crates out of here and actually have access to my assembly table. :)

[Greg Parrish]

I miss my miter saw already. Breaking down lumber with a cordless circular saw before cutting again on the table saw sucks. Only have to do this when making initial cuts on the long stuff (8’ to 10’) but it still sucks. A small 10” sliding miter would be handy for surebut don’t yet know if I have anywhere to make it fit. Ugh.


And, looking at the slider table saws more I can’t help but think they might take less space than my 52” cabinet saw with outfeed table setup. Right now I can run 8’ through it long ways and can split 8’ material sideways. Seems like something like the Hammer K3 79x48 would take less space to do the same thing, no?

[Jim Becker]

You can go much smaller to the right of the blade with the slider, so the saw body would be re-positioned a little from current...most of the work you do will have the material on the left side of the blade and yes, you can still do longer rips the traditional way, although your physical position will likely be different for those cuts. You can reduce the number of times you need/want to do that by breaking down stuff to shorter components and then using the slider wagon with a parallel jig or Friz 'N Franz jig to rip them without using the fence...glue-line ready, too, assuming you've flattened and thicknessed the material first.

[Greg Parrish]

You can go much smaller to the right of the blade with the slider, so the saw body would be re-positioned a little from current...most of the work you do will have the material on the left side of the blade and yes, you can still do longer rips the traditional way, although your physical position will likely be different for those cuts. You can reduce the number of times you need/want to do that by breaking down stuff to shorter components and then using the slider wagon with a parallel jig or Friz 'N Franz jig to rip them without using the fence...glue-line ready, too, assuming you've flattened and thicknessed the material first.

Thats what I’m thinking. I’ve made huge progress in here with the purge but still have a ways to go. Would be next year before I could swing the slide saw but I’m still moving that direction I think. Haven’t pinned down brand but for sure minimax or hammer in the largest capacity I can fit comfortably.

My current storage stair project is basically construction grade pine/spruce material. Not running it through the jointer/planer. Just building it quick, down and dirty but covering any issues during finishing since it’s painted. Only non-painted material will be cypress accent pieces that were already dimensioned and prepped. It’s a behemoth at 60”x24”x50” not counting the stair rail. The bulk is what’s causing me issues moving around right now.



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[Julie Moriarty]

To your mention of a slider and a miter saw, I see both as part of a well thought out work shop. On my Delta table saw I have the Delta sliding table attachment I use a lot. It can act as sort of a mini slider for pieces up to around 30". To be able to do that on longer pieces would be a dream. As for my miter saw, it's a go to tool. But I don't see a slider in the future unless we move. There is just no room for one.

[Greg Parrish]

Bulk trash pick up is Friday so I can get the nova voyager crate out of here and out from under my assembly table then. Once its gone I can do a little more shuffling and at that point I’m going to find a spot to fit in a sliding miter setup. Not as big as my prior miter station and something mobile. May even use one of the contractor location type stands/carts for simplicity. My immediate thoughts on location are to put it in front of one of the vertical wood racks. Seems to make sense as a good spot to initially break down material.

I need to shuffle around the bandsaw and drill press locations as well after realizing the new band saw location interfered with the table saw capacity. Hoping to have it all ironed out by end of year. Yes, year, because it takes forever to work through this stuff when you only have a few hours here and there in the shop. :)

Will have better idea by weekend on what I can fit.

[Julie Moriarty]

Yes, year, because it takes forever to work through this stuff when you only have a few hours here and there in the shop.
Coulda fooled me! With all you've accomplished in such a short time, I thought you were in the shop full time. :cool:

[Rod Sheridan]

I miss my miter saw already. Breaking down lumber with a cordless circular saw before cutting again on the table saw sucks. Only have to do this when making initial cuts on the long stuff (8’ to 10’) but it still sucks. A small 10” sliding miter would be handy for surebut don’t yet know if I have anywhere to make it fit. Ugh.


And, looking at the slider table saws more I can’t help but think they might take less space than my 52” cabinet saw with outfeed table setup. Right now I can run 8’ through it long ways and can split 8’ material sideways. Seems like something like the Hammer K3 79x48 would take less space to do the same thing, no?

I have the 31" rip capacity slider. I don't need anything larger. It takes up less space than the cabinet saw, and the slider supports long stuff so you have abuilt in outfeed table that doesn't waste shop space. I do have a 32" long outfeed extension that's only on the machine when working with really long solid timber or when I'm using the shaper for long items.

I break down rough timbers on it because a slider is great at cross cutting longer objects. I also straight line it and rip to a bit oversize while it's rough. No point jointing and planning the firewood.

No need for a miter saw.................Regards, Rod.

[Greg Parrish]

I’m still struggling with my layout. Ugh.

Getting ready to make some more shifts and moves to improve upon my initial shuffle started with this thread. Lathe has to move. Bandsaw and drill press have to move. Router table and drum sander have to move. And assembly table has to move. LOL.

Pretty much everything except the table saw island and jointer/planer needs to be moved to improve fit and flow. :(

[Jim Becker]

And this surprises you? LOL (you'll change it again in the future, too...nature of the beast :) )

[Greg Parrish]

And this surprises you? LOL (you'll change it again in the future, too...nature of the beast :) )

No, not really, but I want to have it at least 80% worked out and stationary. I hate having to move large tools around to use them so finding a layout that lets me cover most of my operations helps. Before getting the new J/P I had a pretty workable layout that didn’t require to many moves but it did limit table saw capacity. Flipping the table saw helps but still more to figure out. LOL

[Jim Becker]

Yea, I understand. I'm seriously contemplating a small change in my own shop that while taking up a little more space, it will allow me to better use the CNC for a particular type of project that I'm going to be working on...hopefully with some frequency.

[Greg Parrish]

Little update to this post. The shuffle is still going on. I move slow. As many have seen over the past few months I somewhat fell into a heck of a deal on a Felder KF500 Pro, and then a trade deal on a very nice Minimax MM16. Well, that’s almost where the story ends except I’ve been working to once again change dust collection and power to fit. So, today was a big win as after being on the road all week for work I came home to get a new 20 amp 240v circuit installed to dedicate and isolate my Oneida dust collector, and then added a 30 amp 240v circuit to my sub-panel for the minimax. This gives me capacity for everything I have now, including the new bandsaw, and frees a circuit to run a 240v power feeder for my shaper once I get one.

Has as been a heck of an upgrade year and I hope to have everything situated by the end of this week so I can get back to work. Will require some new learning curve but I think my shop is moving to a new level.

Almost every facet of my shop has been upgraded this past year. Just wanted to share my excitement. :)

[Bill Dempsey]

Great Shop Greg, and exciting year of upgrades
...But, I'm not sure you have any room for that large shoulder plane I sent you today.....
enjoy..

[Greg Parrish]

Thanks Bill. Forgot to reply to your post above. :)


Dont laugh but but this is still going on thanks to my snail like pace, and some major equipment changes over last few months. The bandsaw prompted some electrical due to 30amp needs, and the slider saw needed space. So, once again I shuffled the layout to what I think will be a workable plan allowing space for everything I have and leaving room for a proper workbench soon too.

Center saw setup underway with room for full slider movement (81” slide) and full sheet plywood width wise.
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Have a bunch of items on order to move this forward including 4 more Lee valley 6” blast gates, a power feeder bracket and power feeder, etc. I’m going to have to compact my two wood racks into one and that will allow me to space out the lathe and jointer/planer as well.

Anyway, still moving forward and hope to have a finished setup to share in more detail soon. Then it will be time to focus on a workbench.

[Carl Beckett]

Close to the same size as my shop. I have more windows so wall space is a premium.

I vote to get rid of the miter and use a cordless circ instead to rough cut longer pieces.

I would get a shorter tablesaw fence. Previous had a 26" fence and it did everything. The slider... it might depend on whether you leave the outrigger on or not.

My shop orients in 'lanes' all facing the door. When planning something longer, or making longer cuts on the TS or bandsaw, it means lifting the door. This is by design and anything under 6ft clears. Otherwise... every little space counts. I have seen clamp racks overhead mounted (laying horizontally on pipes hung from the ceiling).

Oops, just saw your latest post with the upgrades. Fantastic!

[Greg Parrish]

Oops, just saw your latest post with the upgrades. Fantastic!

thanks Carl. I’m probably only humoring myself by posting the progress updates, and equipment changes certainly derailed the progress I had made through end of last year. However, once I get this all worked out again, the new shop and equipment should be a nice improvement.

Regarding the direction, I used to have everything oriented towards the big door and honestly with the AC running I never opened it and rarely cut anything over 8’. Trying to recognize that with the new layout. Given only 440 sq ft I’m sure this won’t be the final adjustment required as my shop, projects and future interests evolve.

[Greg Parrish]

Finally figured out how to adapt my over blade dust collection 3” hose in a way that I can quickly disconnect to swing it all out of the way. It’s not ideal but will work just fine in my hobby setting and any stuck items can be easily cleared. Moving slow as molasses but every step forward is a good one.

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Next up is to finish the drop that serves the table saw cabinet and drill press collection, then I’m ready to get dust collection back operating until I can get the lathe and J/P positions finalized. Today’s task though other than the saw dust collection is to grab some brackets to store all the slider components when they are not in use.

Still planning to try to compact the two wood racks down to one, and planning to build a workbench now that I think I’ve decided on a modified Nicholson style bench (I think). :)

[Greg Parrish]

FINALLY

I’m almost embarrassed to tell that I went through one more shuffle to make room for our golf cart to fit in the garage also. So, after roughly one year of changes and shuffles I finally have the shop back together. I have one more item in-bound which is an Armour Tool bench to use for my clamping table, sanding table, tracksaw table, sharpening table and general rolling table as needed. I’m still working on my on-wall tool storage racks but have made a lot of progress and am finally back to making some things.

It took a year year due to other demands on my time but I’m very glad I went through this process as I shed a bunch of items that were not needed and upgraded some equipment along the way. Looking forward to the coming years working with my new layout. Of course I can back the golf cart out to utilize more space and to use my full sliding saw capability. Mind you the right side of my slider is cut down to 32” but the left side gets full reach with the golf cart out.

Please go easy on me with the critiques but of course I do welcome input.

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[Jim Becker]

It's a nice thing when the plan finally comes together!

[Greg Parrish]

Figured I would share a few more pictures that better show the increased work space when the golf cart is out of the garage. So much more open and functional than when I started this thread last year. Took these while working in there this weekend.

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[Jim Becker]

Looks good, Greg!

[Greg Parrish]

Looks good, Greg!

Thanks Jim. It’s amazing to me when I look at my pictures from last August. I had so much stuff packed in that while it was functional it was hard to move. I gave up a lot of tool storage and bench space with the shuffle, but it forced me to better organize the remaining tool storage and to better manage bench space. Before the bench tops became catch all’s and I was less likely to prioritize and manage items stored in all those cabinets. Now, while I have less bench space, I have much more function and the ability to spread out and work with larger materials when needed.

In the pictures my work bench is covered with wood but that is not normal as I moved it there temporarily as I managed to work my pallet jack into a position that slides under my wood rack and sits in dead space. I don’t use it often so it needed a good home out of the way. All of that wood will go back in front of the wood rack until used. :)