Sketchup/Workshop/Layout of Shop

[Erich Weidner]

So, just thought I'd share. I know that I had purchased an ebook on using sketchup for woodworking years ago.
While looking for it (as I don't really remember how to use it), I found this on my file server. :) Apparently I had the rudiments of it down 7 years ago.
The specific tools don't exactly match my "shop" as I just downloaded models wherever I could and resized them.

And significantly, I now need to be able to park a car in there. So the tablesaw never got to live out in the middle, which is why I never use it and am going to sell it.
Anyway, I had completely forgotten that I made this model for my garage/workshop. Guess I can update it and start planning how to fit an 8' workbench and bandsaw in there, as well as the lathe I just bought. Also I have to draw a Dutch tool chest approximation.

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Amazing how much space it looks like I have. The reality is thus... I need to sell that darn Tablesaw and CMS to make some room.

440964 (edit: Interesting, must be a wide angle setting on my phone. This picture looks way more spacious than it actually is :) )

[Michael J Evans]

Most of these pics I see of peoples garage shops must be single or retired. About 50% of my space is dedicated to my kids bikes, camping, toys etc.

[Jim Matthews]

Most of these pics I see of peoples garage shops must be single or retired. About 50% of my space is dedicated to my kids bikes, camping, toys etc.

I get the basement.
The damp, poorly ventilated, dark basement.

I sprinkle sawdust at the top of the stairs to keep evil spirits from crossing my threshold.

[Erich Weidner]

I get the basement.
The damp, poorly ventilated, dark basement.


Is there an old boiler hidden in the corner making spooky noises? :)

[Erich Weidner]

Most of these pics I see of peoples garage shops must be single or retired. About 50% of my space is dedicated to my kids bikes, camping, toys etc.

I am often a tad envious of folks with ample shop and/or garage space. :)
Since moving and buying a place with a bigger garage or a proper workshop isn't currently in the cards... This past year I've made major headway in getting rid of things I don't use. (Amazing how much stuff I found that I only vaguely remember buying... some of the shelves I couldn't easy reach for over a decade were full of stuff like this!)

I've been trying to treat every square foot of floor space and wall space as precious. With this new mindset, I've been able to part with a bunch of stuff I was likely never to use but just holding on to because I spent money on it. I've never had much luck selling things 2nd hand for enough money to feel like it is worth the time, so it usually goes to friends or goodwill. SWMBO exhibited severe frowny face when I prepared to dump this pile of stuff at goodwill, so my office floor space is filling up with boxes of crap I need to sell. (Never seem to have the time or the energy to do it...)

I gave my hybrid bike away to an employee who had his stolen from out back of our business. My mountain bike got relocated to the 5'x10' shed (I just stacked it on top of the pressure washer and garden cart... that shed is probably haunted by now). SWMBO's bike is up high enough that so far it isn't in the way.

I now have a lumber rack where the two lower bikes used to be, and can put boxes of sorted and finally organized stuff underneath. This is awesome, because previously I had to manipulate anything longer than 5' into the attic. So almost never had any decent lengths of project wood at hand. Now I can keep stuff up to 12' in length stored flat on a 16" lumber rack.

[Michael J Evans]

I complain about 50% of my garage being taken, but I have a extra deep 3 car garage. (mainly the reason I agreed to the home purchase) I've dedicated the 1 car portion to my area. The wife and kids get the other space (I get to maintain it) 😑

[John K Jordan]

Most of these pics I see of peoples garage shops must be single or retired. About 50% of my space is dedicated to my kids bikes, camping, toys etc.

Ha!

I'm long retired and 50% of my garage was taken up with my own stuff leaving me a one-car bay for a shop. i must have a lot of stuff. So I cleared and leveled a spot by the barn and built a 24x62' building dedicated as my shop, plenty of space, heat and air. But now it's half full of welding/machine shop, plastic and metal stock, electronics, library, maintenance tools, farm supplies, and now incubators and brooders for guineas and peacocks. I'm thinking of adding on...

JKJ

[Erich Weidner]

Ha!

...So I cleared and leveled a spot by the barn and built a 24x62' building dedicated as my shop, plenty of space, heat and air. But now it's half full of welding/machine shop, plastic and metal stock, electronics, library, maintenance tools, farm supplies, and now incubators and brooders for guineas and peacocks. I'm thinking of adding on...

Nice, John. Sounds like you may have me bested in number of and depth in hobbies! Perhaps the key is more space. (Though probably retirement helps too). :)

We're in suburbia and have a tiny lot. Nowhere to build (and wouldn't be allowed by the HOA anyway). I keep thinking about possibly selling and buying something with more land. But I own a small business in the city so can't go to far. (And housing prices have become insane in the Austin area).

[David Publicover]

I’m recently retired and get the single car garage as my workshop. I do have a 10x16’ shed that catches most of the bikes, mower and yard tools. Also a small boat and a dozen winter tires that fit various family members cars. Kids grow up an move out but their junk stays on forever lol!
Like Erich, I have been on a reorganization drive combined with a serious purge “of stuff I may use someday”. I decided it would be much more economical to recover existing space than move to a new space. I’ve sold some bigger things but most has gone to Habitat for Humanity. The stuff that I never used will now get used for a good cause at least.
I get envious of the large, well laid out shops I see here but am also aware that if I had a shop like that I might have to deal with some higher expectations of the quantity and quality of my output!

[Erich Weidner]

I get envious of the large, well laid out shops I see here but am also aware that if I had a shop like that I might have to deal with some higher expectations of the quantity and quality of my output!

Also, the shops that get (usually) featured in the magazines are glorious and large. There is a youtube (I think) video tour of Chis Schwarz's basement shot (I think I saw a blog post that he's moved in above his LAP studio now).
He said it is only 10x15 or something like that, and shared with the heater. Interesting to see, and honestly it helped me with shop envy. :) But it also explains why he went minimalist with tools.

These days I'm much more motivated to have a a shop that is uncluttered and as comfortable as possible than to have the perfect tool for every situation (Though, with hand tools, I can go more crazy and still not loose floor space). :)

Yesterday I needed to rip a pair of 2x4's down into 3/4" widths for a honey-do project. I did actually fish out the table saw for the first time in 7 months. But this involved dragging the lathe out of the way, rolling the CMS stand and router table out of the way. The Festool MFT table is too tall to use as an outfeed, so it had to be moved as well. It is 15 minutes of shop tetris before I can use the TS. I'm going to hopefully have time to put it up on craigslist this week.

I'll admit I had no desire to make eight 8' rip cuts by hand (plus I can't saw that long perfectly straight yet). If I had a bandsaw, I could have done that and cleaned up with the planes after cross cutting to length. As fast as a TS? No way.
But I'd have gotten the first 15 minutes of that hand tool work "free" vs. first playing shop tetris.

[David Publicover]

I’ve been playing “shop Tetris “ for a while which is what was the driving force for my latest attempt at creating a more efficient and useful layout. I’m pretty much limited to a few bigger machines ( Table saw, Bandsaw, jointer/planer and dust collector) for the grunt work with a bench top drill press and router table. The rest gets done with hand tools or small portable power tools.
I only had a bandsaw for about 25 years before getting a table saw. I like having a table saw in the shop now too and would not want to give it up but you can certainly get by without one.
Cheers!

[Jim Matthews]

Is there an old boiler hidden in the corner making spooky noises? :)
The only thing making noise in our basement is me, on Taco Tuesday.

[Daniel Culotta]

I'm in the same boat (and same area, coincidentally), fighting for organization in an even smaller space. I've decided the table saw is going to go after this last round of home projects (I know, famous last words...). Probably the SCMS, too. I'll try to wait to post my table saw on CL until after yours to avoid competition :). I'm going to replace it with a medium-sized bandsaw, which will have a much smaller footprint.

I have enough friends with big machines that I can borrow time on theirs if it's really needed. Fingers crossed that having fewer tools also keeps me out of so many home projects (yeah, right...)

[Erich Weidner]

...I'll try to wait to post my table saw on CL until after yours to avoid competition :). I'm going to replace it with a medium-sized bandsaw, which will have a much smaller footprint.

I have enough friends with big machines that I can borrow time on theirs if it's really needed. Fingers crossed that having fewer tools also keeps me out of so many home projects (yeah, right...)

Lol. I'm sure there is plenty of room in the Austin area for two table saws.

I used to have a bandsaw, but it was small, and when it broke I didn't replace it. When I was no longer making bokken I never used it (back then). I got the sawstop shortly after that. And built a crosscut sled and did lots of sheet good work with it for years (it saw its share of solid wood also). But I never used rough lumber. After a 5+ year woodworking hiatus I'm now finding I just don't miss the tablesaw for projects I want to build.

For some utility projects that I just want done like yesterday, it is nice to have the TS. But I think I'd be fine ripping on the BS and cleaning up with handplanes (after I get my 8' bench... which I have to get rid of the TS to have room for... stop the insanity!) :)

[David Eisenhauer]

IMO, a SCMS is fairly easy to replace with a handsaw Daniel, especially if you don't do lots of miter cutting and stick to mainly crosscutting. A decent crosscutting handsaw works quickly and accurately after very little use. If I was cramped for space, that is one thing that would go.

Erich, sounds like you need to stop the insanity by making a road trip to Tucson and relieving Ken of one of his workbenches. Besides, Tucson has the best Sonora dogs around.

[Erich Weidner]

David, I don't know what a Sonora dog is, but I already have a cat. :)

I'd consider relieving Ken of one of his Moravian benches, but I already spent so much time watching and rewatching Will Myers teach me how to make a slab top Roubo. (video I purchased) ...wouldn't want to let Will down. ;)

[mike stenson]

A Sonoran dog is basically a hotdog that's wrapped in bacon and grilled, topped with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes. From there it kind of depends on where you go to get one. In Tucson, I'd say El Guero Canelo, or BKs... but.. I prefer the carne asada at El Guero Canelo, so I rarely have their dogs. You know, local kind grinds.

[Anuj Prateek]

I am often a tad envious of folks with ample shop and/or garage space. :)


Same here!

Back in US, I had a 10'-12'x12'-14' shop, and a 10'x8' shed. It was so crowded that I started to avoid any boards larger than 6'.

Well then we moved to Canada. Before our move, I sold off jointer, router tables and few other machines that hardly saw any use.
After a month at company provided house, we started rental house search. Well we did not find anything in our budget and rented a smaller house that appeared very spacious. Well floor area is fact, perception is a feeling.
Sold, some machines and we finally were able to fit everything in the house.

Since last 4 months, this is my shop.

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Yup! It sits right in the family room, occupying the dining area (probably 8'x10'). You got to do what you got to do.
Well built a box, learnt how to create coopered lid, restored few tools and practiced dovetails here.
As a added benefit, kid got a little interested. He tries to do something on the bench once in a while now.

One thing that has helped greatly, is buying the Tool Chest. It's I think the 42" model, top and bottom. This thing fits and organizes tonnes of stuff.
Smaller power tools got moved to Dewalt boxes. My job site table saw stays outside in back patio under a tarp.

Few weeks back, we bought a house. We have kept some money aside now to construct a separate small shop.
A month more before we move though, and then construction!

[Erich Weidner]

A Sonoran dog is basically a hotdog that's wrapped in bacon and grilled, topped with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes.

You had me at "bacon". :)

[Erich Weidner]

Same here!


Few weeks back, we bought a house. We have kept some money aside now to construct a separate small shop.
A month more before we move though, and then construction!

Glad to hear you can build a shop. So exciting! (And I'm green with envy). :) No, but seriously, awesome news. I grew up in the country where land was cheap. (Not so much here in Austin, TX). I took ample land for granted back then.

We might move one day, but COVID is killing our business and if it tanks... long road to recovery. So I'm just going to double down on my garage workshop and make it as space efficient as possible!

[John K Jordan]

Glad to hear you can build a shop. So exciting! (And I'm green with envy). :) No, but seriously, awesome news. I grew up in the country where land was cheap. (Not so much here in Austin, TX). I took ample land for granted back then.

We might move one day, but COVID is killing our business...

When you get the space and time and your business recovers (it will!), think about building the shop yourself whether a stand-alone building or an add-on. You can save a fortune that way. Fortunately, land is still cheap in lots of places, including TN.

I tell people I built my shop with my bare hands, but I lie, I used tools. :) Besides hand tools and some cordless tools (circular saw, impact driver), I made good use of a portable table saw and a SCMS.

Fortunately I have some dirt equipment so I was able to clear and level a spot near the barn and put up posts and beams. I did get my son to help put up the the 6x6 beams. Since I'm elderly and feeble I don't climb well any more so I hired a builder friend to bring a crew and crane to set the trusses and put the roof on. I did all the forming and rebar for the concrete floor and paid some concrete guys to pour and surface the slab, then did all the inside and outside myself including the wiring. Most was just woodworking, something most of us here can do and enjoy! It took a while - I spent a couple of years and still have some finishing up to do, but I'm certain I saved a huge amount of money. I have built a few smaller buildings and a number of decks, but this was my first larger building (24x62).

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I'm planning now for another but much simpler and cheaper - a big shed to store equipment and hay. This one will be about 30x72, gravel floor, no walls at first. If you end up moving to this area maybe I can help prep the site or dig a trench for the power. I love playing in the dirt!

JKJ

[Anuj Prateek]

Glad to hear you can build a shop. So exciting! (And I'm green with envy). :) No, but seriously, awesome news. I grew up in the country where land was cheap. (Not so much here in Austin, TX). I took ample land for granted back then.

We might move one day, but COVID is killing our business and if it tanks... long road to recovery. So I'm just going to double down on my garage workshop and make it as space efficient as possible!

Thanks! I have heard similar things about Texas Country side. Big houses and land. Never been there though.

Business will recover and bloom better than ever!

[Anuj Prateek]

When you get the space and time and your business recovers (it will!), think about building the shop yourself whether a stand-alone building or an add-on. You can save a fortune that way. Fortunately, land is still cheap in lots of places, including TN.

I tell people I built my shop with my bare hands, but I lie, I used tools. :) Besides hand tools and some cordless tools (circular saw, impact driver), I made good use of a portable table saw and a SCMS.



Wow! And, that's a big shop.

Request: When you do your next shed, if possible, post some pictures/steps. I would love to try building a shed.

[Erich Weidner]

John, that looks like a project that would be a lot of fun. I've only built a shed myself.
But I bought a 2" chisel and a timberframing book years back... this has always been in the back of my mind... :)

[John K Jordan]

Wow! And, that's a big shop.

Request: When you do your next shed, if possible, post some pictures/steps. I would love to try building a shed.

I have hundreds of pictures of various sheds and such. It would be difficult to make a universal list of steps. This is the third (and probably last!) shop I've built, each was a different type of construction due to the available site, size, and how much money I had saved up!

Years ago before I built anything I started buying and reading books on building construction. There is a huge amount of good information out there. I like to read all the different ways to do things then decide which is best for me.

I do like basic post and beam construction with concrete slab floor rather than conventional stud wall construction. For my shop I used 6x6 posts with double and triple 2x beams supporting wooden trusses then built walls with 2x6 studs between the posts - since the walls are not load-bearing I could put doors and windows anywhere without being concerned about support, lots of bracing, 1/2" plywood inside and OSB plus smart siding outside made a sturdy structure. A simpler shed can be built quickly depending on the needs. A month ago we put up a 10x20 shed with dirt floor for a llama shelter (took 1 day for the frame and another for siding) and this fall I hope to finally finish a 12x24 peacock house with concrete floor - it's 90% done. These sheds are also post and beam construction but with rafters rather than trusses since they are small structures. I have a sawmill so I cut 4/4 lumber for siding for farm buildings. I've been looking for more cedar logs to finish this one!

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The first thing I decide is the size. Then what kind of structure. Then I plan everything before I start - my notebook for the shop probably has 50 pages full of drawings, some sketches, some very detailed, many are pages of revisions as I refine my thoughts. The building was intended as a wood shop plus farm support, maintenance and such so it has a small weld shop with an outdoor work area, machining, office area, and animal care supplies. Early in 2019 I turned part into a poultry incubating and brooder area and raise peacock and guineas and such. Good fun!

In case you are interested, this is my basic shop layout - includes a sound-insulated closet for DC and air compressor, heat and air, plenty of power. But no bathroom! I have an addition planned...

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JKJ

[John K Jordan]

John, that looks like a project that would be a lot of fun. I've only built a shed myself.
But I bought a 2" chisel and a timberframing book years back... this has always been in the back of my mind... :)

A friend of mine was interested in building a timberframe house so he bought some traditional timberframing hand tools and made a number of sample joints, mostly to understand how it all worked. Then when he finally built he hired a company from up north to do the structure. They made all the pieces in their shop then shipped to the site and put it all together. Very impressive to watch it go up!

When we bought our farm in '03 it had a timberframe house built in '88, good and solid but not well taken care of.

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Before we move in we stripped the kitchen to the floor and redid all that, then a couple of years ago we moved a few internal walls, new bathroom, replaced the wood siding, new roof, big deck, sunroom, screened porch.

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But a little sympathy, please - from the kitchen windows and deck we are forced to look out over the horse pasture, woods, and such. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. :)

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JKJ

[Erich Weidner]

John, I don't know... rainbows and alpacas? Such a terrible view. I thought it was to be rainbows and puppy dogs? (Kidding). :)

[David Eisenhauer]

I added on a full-width, long carport to the front of my garage and turned the garage into a full time shop many years ago. I built the original 24' w x 26' l garage myself before that and shared the garage with shop activities and a single auto for several years. I have never have suffered any hail damage to the autos parked under the carport, plus they are out of the baking sun we have here for most of the year. It makes a lot of difference.

[John K Jordan]

John, I don't know... rainbows and alpacas? Such a terrible view. I thought it was to be rainbows and puppy dogs? (Kidding). :)

A poll of the 6-year-old girls in my kindergarten SS class a few years ago indicated that rainbows go with ponies and horses and especially unicorns.
If my eyes are watering with allergies the horses might look like unicorns.

JKJ

[ken hatch]

David, I don't know what a Sonora dog is, but I already have a cat. :)

I'd consider relieving Ken of one of his Moravian benches, but I already spent so much time watching and rewatching Will Myers teach me how to make a slab top Roubo. (video I purchased) ...wouldn't want to let Will down. ;)


Erich,

I'll expand on Mikes reply. While a Sonoran dog can have many toppings the real key is the Bolillos roll. A Bolillos is a French baguette that speaks Mexican. As an old river rat I grew up on 'em as I ran up and down the Rio Grande from El Paso to Brownsville and they beat a U.S. hot dog bun or almost any bread available in the States. BTW, those were the days my friend, I'm lucky to have lived and experienced them.

I know advice is cheap but lose the Myers Roubo video and geek out on his Moravian video. you will end up with a better bench.

ken

[Anuj Prateek]

I have hundreds of pictures of various sheds and such.
JKJ

Thanks John. I am inspired. Ordered a book. Need to learn the basics and then for sure going to try building a small shed.

[Erich Weidner]

Erich,
I know advice is cheap but lose the Myers Roubo video and geek out on his Moravian video. you will end up with a better bench.

ken

OK, I'll bite. What are the pros and cons of the Moravian vs. Roubo bench?

[ken hatch]

OK, I'll bite. What are the pros and cons of the Moravian vs. Roubo bench?


Erich,

Depending on the build, there is not a dimes worth of difference in stability yet the Moravian for the same stability will likely weight slightly over half as much depending on how red your neck is and how much you are into "mine is bigger than yours". That extra weight costs board feet of wood which these days ain't cheap. If you live the rest of your life in the place where you build the bench and you never plan on moving it around in the shop or you have a couple of strapping teenage boys living with you for the next twenty years then the Moravian has no advantage over the Roubo.

Modern life doesn't work that way. The Moravian is a much easier build vs. the Roubo, I know because I've built both. If you build the Moravian exactly the way Will Myers builds his then each joint is the easiest to make that will do the required job. There is nothing wrong with a Roubo bench, I worked on one for years, in fact there is still one in my shop, on which I store lumber, and another in my back garden that MsBubba uses for whatever MsBubba does.

I've found no down side with Moravian vs. Roubo other than my often stated lack of "hoot" factor, for some being able to brag about their 6" thick, 300 lb slab with 8"X8" legs and a vise on every corner is important. Whatever blows your skirt. I just want an easy, quick to build bench that is simple with nothing to get in the way of working wood. Being cheaper to build helps as well.

In spite of my posting to get the Moravian video, if you really want a Roubo then that is the bench to build. If you are like most folks once you get an itch nothing helps till it is scratched.

Whatever you do, build one. All the books and woodworking articles in the world will not teach you as much as just building a bench and then working on it. Don't take years to build it, it's a work bench and should be completed within a month or two even if you work full time at a day job and have honey do's on the weekend. Then after working on it for awhile it is guaranteed there will be things that drive you to barking at the moon. When you can no longer stand it, build another that fixes the problem or problems and then work on it until you start barking at the moon again. After a few goes you should end up with a perfect bench for you. I wish there were a short cut but in reality the only way to learn is to pee on the electric fence.

Good luck,

ken

[Don Peters]

When I was growing up in California's Central Valley, "Taco Tuesday" was known as "Red's Tamale Day". Regional differences I guess.

dp