Whats some of the things you wish you would of done sooner in your shop?

[Nicholas Dirks]

Just like the title says what should you of done sooner in your shop?

I personally have 2

Out feed table for my table saw. Makes it so much easier and safer to work with. All and all a couple 2x4's and a sheet of plywood a box of screws. If you have the space it is defiantly worth it.

and 2

Running receptacles around the shop where they were needed. For the longest time I was using an extension cord. So much easier then having to drag a cord over every time you want to use something new. Also a safety plus.

[Jak Kelly]

Additional outlets and a panel-board that will handle additional breakers is a huge plus!
An out-feed table would be nice, but my garage serves a garage first and my shop second. So I have to recognize the first purpose as I do not want to leave the wife's car outside or my motorcycle (not that both have not been on rare occasions).
Saw-horses come in handy, I keep around a couple 2x6's and 4x4 sheets of plywood so I can add a 4' or an 8' out-feed table if necessary, then take it all down and put it away. This set up also serves well for when someone needs a big project table for whatever reason, because I hate being on the floor.
Organization is always key in a shop. Matters not if you own decking screws or not, or even 10K of them, if you cannot find them then they are not doing anyone any good. So I have a wall with some decent shelving, 3/4 MDF ripped to about 12" wide, used some 2x4's to make it rigid, then got some heavy duty shelving brackets. Keep rarely used items, tools, hardware........on the high shelves which require a ladder, and keep the common and often used items within reach on lower shelves.
I also have the wife save the empty trail mix containers, they are plastic, cleat, big 5" hole in the top, work very well for those different length of multi-purpose screws. I also keep a 2 high step ladder in my garage, it is lightweight and stores easily.
When I made my bench for the miter saw I left the bottom area open enough so I could slide items underneath it, like my floor jack, jack stands, motorcycle jack..............
When I added extra receptacles I ran the wiring in metal conduit and attached the metal boxes or put them on top of the sheet-rock, instead of recessed into the wall like normal outlets. This way if we ever sale the house, for whatever reason, and the new owners do not like the additional receptacles, well then all of that stuff can come right back out and all I will have to do is some drywall repairs. I also used my label maker and made labels identifying each receptacle and what breaker those receptacles are on, placed it on the conduit just right above the 4x4 box of receptacles, marked them as 110V or 220V as well.

[Jacob Mac]

Adding a ton of lighting and a cyclone for dust control

[Nicholas Dirks]

Yes shelving is definently on the list of things to do.
How bad does dust get?

[Rod Sheridan]

Spent money on good dust collection

Buy combination machines sooner

Regards, Rod.

[Mike Cutler]

Insulated the walls, raised the ceiling, and leveled the floor. I still haven't done any of those things. It would have been really easy 25 years ago. Now, not so easy. :eek:

[Bill Dufour]

Install 120 outlet on the front or side of every big machine, Roof vent with door to close it off from the ceiling in winter.

[Jamie Buxton]

Really good protection for my hearing.

[Nicholas Dirks]

What combination machines do you like?
I always heard alot of combos were lacking? But never owning one probably just my misconception.

[Nicholas Dirks]

This is a great one too. If you haven't tried them yet the 3M bluetooth muffs are great. I bought those for mowing never thought about bringing them to the shop.

[Bruce Page]

Adding natural gas heating. I spent too many years using kerosene to heat my shop.

[Ray Newman]

My shop is in a 30x36' dedicated, free standing building. The shop is actually 24x30'. I should have made the overall size of the building larger -- say 30X46' or 30X50'-- as at the time I had the money and the land. Now it would be too costly in terms of increased assessed property tax evaluation and construction costs, both of which have increased dramatically the last few years.

[Jak Kelly]

Yes shelving is definently on the list of things to do.
How bad does dust get?
I assume that you mean dust collecting on the shelving? It all depends, my table saw is on the opposite side of the garage, but I have also had that bay emptied out, vacant of a car, in order to do other work. So when operating a sander in that area yes the shelves accumulate dust. A dust collector would be a good addition, used to have one, ran out of room, got rid of it. I keep an electric leaf blower that I use for some light lawn stuff and primarily purchased it to blow out the garage on occasion. Actually I keep our old area rugs in the garage, near the door to the house, vacuum them out once a week and blow the garage out when I do.
I went with making my own shelves over buying premade or predisgned stuff because I had a better idea of what or how I wanted them to be arranged, what was going on them, and wanted to make sure I could maximize all my efforts. I think the bench, shelves, lumber and shelf brackets all came to $400 or so. The self brackets had a 500# capacity rating to.

[John Goodin]

Cabinets to replace shelves for storage. Bought the Sauder HD Classics from Sams. So much cleaner, better looking and various plans notes etc can be stuck to the doors with magnets

[Dick Mahany]

Mini split AC with full insulation and a LOT of LED lighting. Finally got both done and now I can work comfortably in the shop, even on 120 F days. I just put on sunglasses if the lights are too bright :)

[Brian Tymchak]

Just like the title says what should you of done sooner in your shop?

...Use it...

Seriously. I set my shop up and then did largely nothing for several years. Job, life, etc...

[Jim Becker]

I wish I would have bought a larger CNC machine and wish I would figure out what I want to change relative to the current miter saw station to better leverage space in my shop for handling my client projects as well as my personal endeavors simultaneously. The third thing on the lest got taken care of today...the security system is now covering my shop.

[Mick Simon]

Agree on the mini-split addition and LED lighting. I would have invested in a big (12"+) jointer or J/P combo and a good drum sander.

[Mike Wilkins]

installing insulation in the walls before closing them up with paneling (1/4" OSB). Having to remove wall mounted cabinets, racks, shelves, etc. was a real pain in the tush but the reward was worth the effort.

[Mike Kees]

I wish I had concentrated on making more furniture for my family sooner instead of putting all my effort into building my shop up first. I also wish that I could have bought more of the machines that I wanted to use for the rest of my life first instead of upgrading so many things and times. I am very blessed to have the shop I do now and still have plenty of time to build stuff for family and friends, so now it is project time . Working for a living just screws up so much that is important in life.

[Kevin Jenness]

Should have put in a rotary phase converter straight off.

[John K Jordan]

I would have built it 5 years sooner.

I would have built it bigger. It's 24x62 but 36x62 would be far better. Currently thinking of adding another 30-40' on the end, two story.

I would have added a bathroom and tiny kitchen at the time instead of planning an addition now.

And I would have poured an outside work slab at the time instead of adding one now. (20x40')

I might have hired someone to help install the 1/2" ply paneling and ceiling. As it is, I tell people I built the entire shop with my bare hands and it took a long time. (I lied about the bare hands, I actually used tools. And I hired a crane and friends to help put up the trusses/roof panels.)

Besides that, I'm happy with the result. I built it the first time with:
incredible lighting,
heat and air,
powerful cyclone in a sound-insulated closet,
piped compressed air,
separate office,
wide band internet with WiFi,
personal cell tower (femtocell) for good reception,
outside covered porch,
separate welding and metalworking rooms,
extra wood storage space,
plywood walls so I can hang shelves and anything anywhere,
2x6 studs for extra insulation in the walls,
underground power,
power outlets everywhere including the ceiling (for drop reels), 50 amp circuits in four places to the far end,
emergency exit lights/sign inside,
electrical and compressed air outlets outside,
security lights outside,
video surveillance,
electronic door locks so I never need to carry a key.

JKJ

[Jacob Mac]

I would have built it 5 years sooner.

I would have built it bigger. It's 24x62 but 36x62 would be far better. Currently thinking of adding another 30-40' on the end, two story.

I would have added a bathroom and tiny kitchen at the time instead of planning an addition now.

And I would have poured an outside work slab at the time instead of adding one now. (20x40')

I might have hired someone to help install the 1/2" ply paneling and ceiling. As it is, I tell people I built the entire shop with my bare hands and it took a long time. (I lied about the bare hands, I actually used tools. And I hired a crane and friends to help put up the trusses/roof panels.)

Besides that, I'm happy with the result. I built it the first time with:
incredible lighting,
heat and air,
powerful cyclone in a sound-insulated closet,
piped compressed air,
separate office,
wide band internet with WiFi,
personal cell tower (femtocell) for good reception,
outside covered porch,
separate welding and metalworking rooms,
extra wood storage space,
plywood walls so I can hang shelves and anything anywhere,
2x6 studs for extra insulation in the walls,
underground power,
power outlets everywhere including the ceiling (for drop reels), 50 amp circuits in four places to the far end,
emergency exit lights/sign inside,
electrical and compressed air outlets outside,
security lights outside,
video surveillance,
electronic door locks so I never need to carry a key.

JKJ


Wow, that sounds like an amazing shop!

[John McKissick]

Envious...
Nice shop

[Steve Eure]

I wish I had not listened to all the hype on some of the tools I bought and thought it out before I purchased. Some of the things I had bought have never been used. Unwise purchases. Could have used the money on better quality tools.

[John K Jordan]

Wow, that sounds like an amazing shop!

Thanks, it is, to me! After 40+ years in tiny shops this is a dream come true. I'm thankful every day for the blessing.

I built it down by the barn so I can easily keep an eye on the llamas and alpacas and mini donkeys and peacocks and... :) I bought a used skid steer mostly to prep the site. Doing everything myself was a HUGE saving but did take several years.

Before I put in the first stick of rebar I read everything I could to avoid making big mistakes, then I while putting in the concrete, roof, and walls I spent a year filling up a notebook with plans and drawings organizing to best use the space - doors, tools, wiring, lights.

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Good clean fun!

JKJ

[Jack Frederick]

I wish I had done a raised wooden floor rather than the slab. I am not uncomfortable on the slab, but the ability to have dust collection and electrical in various and moveable locations would have greatly improved flexibility.

[Robert Chapman]

I wish that I had built a separate, dust proof, heated room [maybe 6X10 feet] for applying surface material like varnish , shellac etc. Now I cannot do anything else in my shop when finishes are drying.

[Erich Elfeldt]

I agree with the LED lighting. We recently retrofitted LED bulbs into the seven 48" four bulb fluorescent fixtures in our 24 x 24 shop. It literally is like night and day. Before, bulbs were always out, ballasts would go bad. Now, we walk in , flip the switch and have all of the light that we need.

[lowell holmes]

I converted my table saw to 240 volt. It make a huge difference.

I would post in the off topic forum as well. You may find some help. That being said a good band saw and thickness planer will do the job. I have both and they are joy to use. This is the one I have, and it is good.

Google "thickness planer.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-1...W734/100634640

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHj1PUWoZZI

[Rob Luter]

Bought a band saw.

[Mike Kees]

Dust collection was one of the single biggest improvements in my shop.

[ray grundhoefer]

SEVERAL THINGS
Should have thought and planned more before building it. Mistakenly thought when I was younger if I put enough gravel over the top of the black dirt and clay it would be alright. The unheated half of it heaves every winter and typically does not go back down so my roof line is a little unlevel. Also should have positioned building differently, In the winter I get ice buildup in front of overhead doors from melting snow on roof.
Should have dust collection system up and running soon after many years of thinking and planning and learning from what others here have done

Also as others said wish I would have used it more. I have a shop with many nice tools but between life and work I dont get much time to be out there.That will change in a couple years when I retire.

After years of pondering what to do with my shop I recently came up with a plan to raise building, cut poles off ,jack hammer out floor , dig out crappy dirt and put in a floating slab over good class 5 fill. MY WIFE said if you are going to do all of that why dont you just tear it down start over and build what you really want. SMART WOMAN I think I will keep her

[Nicholas Dirks]

I have seen several people mention dust collection now what do you guys recommend?
Right now have a smaller roll around double bag one.

Have been debating if a bigger system is worth cost?

[Jim Becker]

Nicholas, there are extensive dust collection discussions in the Workshop forum area that you might want to browse. I kept this thread here even though it's workshop oriented because it has a broad, general appeal in many areas, but your specific question about dust collection is best put in the Workshops area.

Jim
Forum Moderator

[Richard Coers]

I wish I had never collected wood that I did not have a purpose for. After 47 years of collecting, I'm drowning in lumber and turning blanks. And turning 67 next week, I won't touch a fraction of it anymore.

[John K Jordan]

I wish I had never collected wood that I did not have a purpose for. After 47 years of collecting, I'm drowning in lumber and turning blanks. And turning 67 next week, I won't touch a fraction of it anymore.

Unless you've fallen in love with every piece it's no problem to re-home. I take turning blanks to the turning club every year for our annual auction, five tubs full this year. Brings in a lot of money to the club for programs and outreach, and it puts good wood on the lathes of some people who have trouble finding wood, especially new turners.

JKJ

[Zachary Hoyt]

For me it was putting wooden legs on my Shopsmith which I use for turning banjo rims, horizontal drilling and disc sanding. I am 7 feet tall and bending over it was tiring to my back after a while. I used 8/4 ash for the legs and put it more than a foot higher, now it's much more comfortable and I get less vibration. I sold the metal legs and casters on eBay so it didn't even cost anything.
Zach

[Randall J Cox]

central dust collection..........

[glenn bradley]

Dust Collection. I am now on daily medication for the rest of my life. This should be Number One on EVERYONE's list of answers to these sorts of questions ;-)

[johnny means]

Made some money:D

[Ben Rivel]

Ha! It was threads like these that helped me decided what I wanted/needed the first time around! And throughout the entire shop build out the worst of regrets was usually nothing more than: "Welp, guess I have to resell this tool as I should have just gone with the higher end/more expensive one I wanted from the start!" Once I learned that lesson a couple of times, I just waited on any other purchase until I had the money for the one I wanted. That and using a to-scale CAD drawing app, even one as simple at Microsoft Visio, to accurately layout out the shop floor plan was the most important and useful tool of them in planning out the entire shop before I ever bought a single tool or ducting.

[Patrick Kane]

Thankfully, i had the foresight to invest in DC very early on. I am in a basement, so it was top of my mind from day one. I cringe when i think about cutting MDF trim in the basement under a single incandescent bulb for 2-3 months before educating myself. that said, i had a JDS air cleaner and 3hp cyclone before i had a cabinet saw or stationary planer.

Heres my input split between my specific situation, and broader remarks to the general population.

Me: I should have bit the bullet and cut in a double door into my garage instead of the current single door. Oh the struggles ive had moving in a 20" jointer, 20" bandsaw, Felder KF700, and on and on through that god forsaken door. My basement is technically on grade, but that door really sucks. not to mention ive passed on better/less expensive tools because i cant fit them through the door. I would have put the cyclone and associated bin closer to the door instead of about as far away from the door as it can possibly be. I have no idea why i did that. Really kinda wish i upgraded my service at some point. I still havent done it because its a few grand and now im about a grand into VFDs, but being limited to a 60amp subpanel really sucks. If I could go back a few years, i would have spent the money on upgrading the primary service from 100 amps, cut the wider door, and probably setup a rotary converter. Im currently split 50:50 on single phase tools to three phase, and like i said, ive passed on some fantastic deals because of their power requirements or size. I really hope the next house has room for a 30x40 with high ceilings, a tall roll up door, a forklift, and plenty of power.

General: Taking the time to come up with a thought out and reasoned layout. I didnt do this for years, and then last year i blew everything up and spent two weekends changing duct work, electrical, and moving big tools. I am so so happy i bit the bullet. Next, for years i worked in a semi-dark, awful looking space. Brown and yellow tile floors, dingey block walls--i didnt realize how depressing it was. During the big shop reorganization, I spent the money and laid down commercial rubber flooring, and put up slatwall along with shelves and accessories. Once again, it makes it much more enjoyable to be in the space. For many years i was so focused on better and better tools, that i overlooked the aesthetic condition of the space i was working in. Spend some money on paint, flooring, and lights. It makes a big difference. I dont know if i like or hate hoarding wood. I definitely hate moving it and tripping over it, but it is very comforting to know I have more than enough material to last me for years of building. Same for when I start a project. I never make a list and go to the lumber yard an hour away. I just go to my shop and look at the lumber racks.

[Richard Coers]

That was the point for picking up that wood, I fell in love with all of it! Real tough yet to give away burls and highly figured wood. There's not a dog in the bunch!

[John K Jordan]

That was the point for picking up that wood, I fell in love with all of it! Real tough yet to give away burls and highly figured wood. There's not a dog in the bunch!

Then if you know you'll never turn it in your lifetime better make some plans now! Would be sad for some estate executor or offspring to throw it all in the burn pile.

At the moment, mine is in a memorandum attached to the will (lawyer's idea) that any the offspring don't want to goes to the turning club for sale or auction. I also have a huge stock, shelf unit after shelf unit full of exotics, figured, burls, and dry domestics.

You could always have a sale and take a nice vacation. Or a lot easier, sell off some to a wood dealer.

JKJ

[Bruce Wrenn]

After dust collection with automatic control, my next best improvement was when I figured to put a thermostat with remote bulb above wall mounted gas heater. When heater comes on, air cleaner circulates heat around the shop.

[Steve H Graham]

This. See photos. These irritating shelves killed maybe 15% of the shop.

Also, I'm getting 100-amp wiring put in today. That will be fantastic.

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[John K Jordan]

I have seen several people mention dust collection now what do you guys recommend?
Right now have a smaller roll around double bag one.

Have been debating if a bigger system is worth cost?

Jim is right, discussing this in Workshops is probably better. I'll simply state that I put a 5-hp ClearVue cyclone in a sound-reducing closet and I would hate to work in the shop without it. Your lungs will thank you, if not now, then later. Be glad to provide more details elsewhere if you want.

JKJ

[Jak Kelly]

If I were doing new construction or doing a major renovation to a shop/garage then I would not use any sheet-rock on the walls and would opt for 7/16" OSB. You can trim it out in 1x2 and 1x4 and just shoot it all white, ceiling to.
Now this could create a little bit more of a problem for running outlets, switches and such, for some. Or you could just use EMT conduit and mount all the boxes on top of the 7/16" OSB, that way in the future if you had to add an additional outlet for whatever reason then just add it to the outside of the wall, run conduit up into the attic and you are done!!
If you think about it this would also be a better solution for the panel-board(s) as well, keeping them on the top/or inside wall, instead or recessed into the wall, which would also eliminate cheese-holing a top plate for wiring. It would be the same principal as all of the outlet boxes, conduit into the ceiling/attic area and done.

[John K Jordan]

If I were doing new construction or doing a major renovation to a shop/garage then I would not use any sheet-rock on the walls and would opt for 7/16" OSB. You can trim it out in 1x2 and 1x4 and just shoot it all white, ceiling to.
Now this could create a little bit more of a problem for running outlets, switches and such, for some.

I paneled and ceilinged (is that a word) my shop in 1/2" Radiatia pine plywood. Very smooth surfaces and the price is negotiable by the bundle.

I can hang anything anywhere. Wiring, compressed air, ethernet, security camera lines, and DC ducts are behind and above the plywood.

I mounted all panels with deck screws. This way, I can take any panel down to repair or modify wiring or air lines. I did this twice in one spot when swapping a 115v lathe with a 220v lathe.

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I think the ply adds to the rigidity of the structure too. 2x6 studs, 1/2" ply inside, SmartSide panels over OSB on the outside.

JKJ

[Andrew More]

You need to be careful when putting OSB into the walls of an attached garage. A lot of places code requires that the walls be fire-resistent, which OSB is not, but drywall is. If it's a detached building, knock yourself out.

[Jim Dwight]

I have always bought tools when I needed them for a project for the family. I've loosened up some but still pretty much do that. But I really like my SawStop and wish I'd purchased a nicer table saw sooner - not necessarily a SawStop. But it didn't stop me. I am still determining what is enough of a dust collector. A 1hp Delta was not enough. So far the 2hp HF looks promising but I haven't gotten it fully installed yet nor have I done enough measurements to be sure - for me. But for me I don't exactly think of it as things I should have done earlier. Sometimes I have to try things to know what works for me and what I want to improve on. For instance, a hollow chisel mortiser was not a bad buy, it works, but now that I have a Domino XL, I will probably sell the hollow chisel. I need to be careful how I use space to make 14x24 work. But with me spilling out into the car garage when necessary it isn't holding me back.

[Roger Feeley]

I moved three years ago and built a new basement shop. Things I did in the new shop:
— led lights. 4’ fluorescent tubes were installed ad hot and dingy
— covered all walls with OSB. Now I can drive a screw anywhere.
— all wiring exposed. Aforementioned screws won’t hit anything.
— no HVAC return in shop. I have a 20x24 opening to a stairwell with a hepa filter. I have two vents in the basement. Almost no dust in the HVAC system or upstairs. Wife hasn’t complained about the noise so I guess it’s ok.
—no closed cupboards or drawers except for a cabinet of nuts/bolts and such. All tools are out and visible.