Woodshop Plans and Thoughts Needed

[Gary Stallings]

Need some thoughts/plans from the experts out there. I am starting down the path to a life goal of building a woodshop. This will be a separate new construction building on my farm where I plan to eventually spend most of my time building cabinets, chests, gun cases etc. I want to plan for "the works" and do it right including plenty of space, storage, finishing room, bathroom, and DC. I have about half of the main tools I would like including a delta table saw, 15 in. planer, jointer, shaper, chop saw etc. What I'm looking for is knowledge from those that know on layout, size, and do's and don'ts. I guessing some out there have an idea of their dream shop. I thinking possibly a barn look on the outside to fit in with the farm. Any help would be appreciated.

[Don Baer]

Were I designing a new building as a shop I would have two 10 FCt high double wide doors on oppisite ends of the building. I would put the wood storage just inside one door. Next I would place all of my milling equiptment followed by and assembly area with all of the hands tools. Last and adjacent to the second door I would have my finish area. This would make it easier to design a DC system and promote a flow to the process.

I hope this helps.

[Mike Williams]

Gary - I found this thread interesting. It's Larry Browning's 32' x 42' shop.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=20180

[Gary Stallings]

Thanks for the comments. Mike I have read that entire thread before and found some really helpful hints. His really is a nice shop but it seems as though he was working with an existing building and fitting his tools into the space he had. I am wanting to build the building to fit the tools. I was hoping someone had done the thinking already and had size and layout for a nice smooth flowing user friendly shop.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Obviously most of us will be jealous!

1. Oversize the electrical! I installed a separate meter and 200 amp service in my new shop.

2. Depending on where you live........if you need heat I'd seriously look at in the floor radiant heat, budget allowing, of course!

3. If you don't need to back a vehicle in the shop, use insulated double doors for access and avoid using overhead garage doors for energy conservation reasons.

4. Install insulated thermal plane windows for natural lighting.

[Dev Emch]

Need some thoughts/plans from the experts out there. I am starting down the path to a life goal of building a woodshop. This will be a separate new construction building on my farm where I plan to eventually spend most of my time building cabinets, chests, gun cases etc. I want to plan for "the works" and do it right including plenty of space, storage, finishing room, bathroom, and DC. I have about half of the main tools I would like including a delta table saw, 15 in. planer, jointer, shaper, chop saw etc. What I'm looking for is knowledge from those that know on layout, size, and do's and don'ts. I guessing some out there have an idea of their dream shop. I thinking possibly a barn look on the outside to fit in with the farm. Any help would be appreciated.

The devil is in the details but I can give you a few pointers. First try to build a timber frame barn structure finished off using wrap and strap construction. Next, make sure you have plenty of insulation including the floors! Make sure you have lots of ceiling height for 36 inch bandsaws. Also make sure you have a concrete landing outside with a SMOOTH transition into the shop so you can roll machines into and out of the shop as need be. Avoid dry wall interior walls as these are very susceptable to dings, holes and other damage. Lastly make sure you have enough three phase power to meet your current and expanding needs.

[Andy Hoyt]

Given that you've stated general woodworking as the function of the shop, you don't have to worry about specialized functions and tasks. As such, here's what I'd do if asked to design a structure such as this.
Identify the tools that that you do have.
Identify the tools that you hope to one day have.
Add these tools together making a best case shop.
Don't forget workbenches and assembly tables.
Determine the minimum and maximum free and clear working space for each tool. So many feet wide by so many feet long.
Identify the operator's position for each tool.
Lay them out on graph paper, cad program, whatever.
Shuffle them around while handling materials and objects in sequence while building various virtual projects in your head. This establishes the ideal spot for each tool.
Then, design the building to fit the resultant workspace.
Add 20% more space for open "special project" space
Then fit the desired style to the form.And if you're really smart, add step 12 -- Double the size of the building.

[lou sansone]

take your time with the design and make it bigger than you think you need by 30%

here is my shop tour and I think it will provide some helpfull info

shop tour 1 basic building
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=17821

shop tour 2 wood storage building
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=17916

shop tour 3 monster lathe
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=18192

shop tour 4 benches
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=18204

shop tour 5 post and beam building details
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=18423

shop tour 6a 16" Newman 60 jointer - 24" wide tables
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=18645

shop tour 6 b 16" Rockewell RT-40 table saw
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=18836

shop tour 6c 16 speed Walker Turner Radial Arm Drill press
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=18970

shop tour 7a 37" wide belt timesavers
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=19201

shop tour 7b 24" italian planer
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=19463

shop tour 7c - 36" band saw
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=19846

enjoy and make sure you insulate the building

lou

[Chris Damm]

When you think you have figured out the right size for your workshop, sit back, take a break, and then MAKE IT BIGGER! If you ask most people (me included) they wish they had made their shop a little bigger.

[Mike Sheppard]

Gary
Grizzly has a site that may be some help.

http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplanner.aspx

Mike

[Michael Gibbons]

Gary, What I have done for my future shop is I've built a 1/12 scale model of what I want my shop to be and made scale machines to fit inside. You can build the structure rather cheaply by running to the borg and getting some 2'x4' sheets of mdf in 1/4 and 1/2 or 3/4 sizes. Using a jig saw you can cutout window and door openings where you want them, make a roof of the pitch ,put in a small flourescent light. Get measurements of the machine you have and hope to get and build them using scraps of wood. I have a tablesaw,router table, bandsaw,drill press, workbench,Lathe, dust collector, tormek grinder on stand, refridgerator. I also left a certain area which will be the finishing room. You can move them around to see what works best for you in the square footage you plan to have. Delta has a shop designer program on it's website which might serve you also. I have a dream layout on that site. Oh, by the way ,welcome to the forums.


Mike

[Les Spencer]

It looks like you may have some Delta machines. They have a new shop planner you might like.

http://www.deltamachinery.com/shopdesigner/index.asp;)

[John Kain]

Make sure you have a separate finishing room.......my $.02

[Gary Stallings]

Hey guys......Thanks for the input. I've been out of the net for a few days and just getting back. I do appreciate all the thoughts. I'll check out the Delta and Grizzly sites. Lou, what a great set of pics and a nice shop. Of course money is always an object but I've always been prone to "If you are gonna do it, do it right and don't cut corners".......of course that always costs more. I'll draw out some of my thoughts and plans and post it to let you guys slice and dice on it. Thanks for the welcome....I've never been on a site like this but I'm glad I found it. I'm a Georgia boy, south of Atlanta, retired Army since '96 but still doing contract work for them in Ft. Benning. I built my dream log home when I retired and now it's time for the shop. I'll post a pic soon as I figure out how.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

And thanks for your service to this country Gary!

[Bill Hartman]

Don't forget to plan for new tools that you plan to add in the future!

[tod evans]

gary, just a few thoughts, 12-14ft ceilings, as much natural light as possible, seperate building for compressor and possibly d/c, 3-phase power if at all possible, no support poles or walls down the middle, if your location permits, one overhead door set at loading dock height and another to drive in. with more information advice won`t be so vague :) .02 tod

[Gary Stallings]

Thanks Ken.......My son is in the National Guard and going to North Georgia College and State University in the miliatery program there. He will graduate in a couple more years and be commissioned in the regular army........I'm proud of him also!

Tod that's a great thought on the loading dock and one I had already considered factoring in. My desire is to design the shop for building things that I will eventually sell. Start out slow andeventually work into doing it full time. My heart is in things like "Tresure Chests", Cabinets, Gun Cabinets, Hope Chests, tables, chairs, swings and projects like that. Once again...soon as I figure out how to post a pic I'll put some on. I have the land and space already picked out on the farm for the shop and about half the tools.

[Garry Smith]

Well Gary you said that you were possibly looking for a barn look.
This is mine. It has a gambrell roof. The size is 28 x 40 with an 8' x 36 foot lead on the side, which is not a bad size because of the 2nd floor storage. I would advise you to include in your plans, a separate room for the dust collector and air compressor then another separate finishing room. I am going to end up turning my lean into these rooms in the future.
Following is a link to some outdated photos of the inside of my shop an a photo of the outside. Hope this sparks some ideas and I am sure you will get great advice from everyone here.
Garry
http://www.superwoodworks.com/Projects/ShopShots.htm

http://www.superwoodworks.com/images/SideArbor0Framed.JPG
http://www.superwoodworks.com/images/ShopFront1Framed.JPG

[Larry Browning]

One thing to consider with overhead doors is that when they are open they will block any lighting that is above them and anything else like air hose drops, elec drops, and DC ducting. I think a better option would be double doors that swing out, or a sliding barn door type. Then you don't need to worry about accomodating the door in the inside of the shop. It is really nice to be able to leave the door open on a pretty spring day.

[tod evans]

One thing to consider with overhead doors is that when they are open they will block any lighting that is above them and anything else like air hose drops, elec drops, and DC ducting. I think a better option would be double doors that swing out, or a sliding barn door type. Then you don't need to worry about accomodating the door in the inside of the shop. It is really nice to be able to leave the door open on a pretty spring day.

roll up doors are an option too.......02 tod

[Gary Stallings]

Nice shop Garry! I agree with Larry on the swing out doors. That's what I've been thinking up to this point anyway. I'm going to try my hand at putting a pic in here of some chests I built for my three kids (getting mre like adults now) last Christmas. We'll see how well I do.

[tod evans]

Nice shop Garry! I agree with Larry on the swing out doors. That's what I've been thinking up to this point anyway. I'm going to try my hand at putting a pic in here of some chests I built for my three kids (getting mre like adults now) last Christmas. We'll see how well I do.


saved from tylers thong, good job gary! .02 tod

[Bart Leetch]

Shop Designer
There is a program that you can get a free download of at

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

Called Shop Designer. I have used it for several years.
For a few tools not in the list I use the one the represents the bench & size it to represent the tool desired. All tools can be sized to represent the size of your own tools.
I have a floor plan of my little shop on my web page you can see it here.

http://bartswoodshop.freeservers.com/

There is one little pop up on the right side going down just close it out.

This program makes is possible to do away with the paper & cut outs of tools & taping things out on the floor.
I won't tell you how big to make your shop or to make it bigger by 30 percent or what ever. I'll say learn to organize & keep you shop fairly clean & make a place for everything & everything in it place. I work out of a small shop every day. Do I wish it was bigger. YES. Would I make it gigantic? NO. How big would I make it? 1000 - 1200 sq.ft. why? because I've learned how to organize & arrange a shop & know that just having a great big shop isn't the answer because if your not in the habit of good organization & keeping your shop clean you'll just have a bigger mess.

Besides that how far do you want to walk back & forth while working in your shop to accomplish the task at hand? You need the proper room around each tool to do the work & Assembly room to assemble the project at hand & a place to finish the project.

[Frank Pellow]

Gary, I built a separate shop building two years ago and documented the project in the Saw Mill Creek thread: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7769

I was fortunate to get lots and lots of great advice from folks here on Saw Mill Creek.

Subsequently, I put everything together in a journal and put the journal on a CD. You can see information about the journal in the thread: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=23882. If you would like me to send you a free CD, just send me your mailing address.

[Frank Pellow]

Nice shop Garry! I agree with Larry on the swing out doors. That's what I've been thinking up to this point anyway. I'm going to try my hand at putting a pic in here of some chests I built for my three kids (getting mre like adults now) last Christmas. We'll see how well I do.
Very nice chests Gary! Building some almost exactly like them is on my project list but there are about 10 items ahead of them right now.

[Gary Stallings]

Hey Frank.........plan on spending some time on the chests.........round tops can be a bear but I like the look. If you need plans let me know and I'll lnk you up with where they came from. I would like a copy of your CD. I'd be very interested in reading it. I'll get my address to you.

Bart, that's what I'm trying to get down to. I do want a big shop but not so big that I'm walking my legs off from tool to tool. I'm sure that "ideal" depends on what you are going to do with it. Namely, from experience, I know I want a separate finish room, storage room, and another room for my compressor and probably the DC. My compressor is loud and annoying. I'm not up on DC units yet but I'm reading threads to get smart. Currently my DC consists of a B & DP...:) Other than that I love large assembly tables. I plan on expanding the table around my Unisaw also.

Now that I've figured out how to post a pic.....here's the house I built when I retired from the Army.

[Frank Pellow]

Hey Frank.........plan on spending some time on the chests.........round tops can be a bear but I like the look. If you need plans let me know and I'll lnk you up with where they came from.

Yes, I would like to know where to get the plans. If I actually had some plans, the chests would likely move up nearer to the top of my project list.



I would like a copy of your CD. I'd be very interested in reading it. I'll get my address to you.

Great, I hope that it proves to be useful to you. Others, have found it to be.



Now that I've figured out how to post a pic.....here's the house I built when I retired from the Army.
That is a very nice looking house Gary! I like doing the full range of woodworking from house building through cabinet building and it looks like you have the same interests (and skills :) ).

[Gary Stallings]

Frank.....I'll get the location where the plans came from this evening and post it.

[Gary Stallings]

Yes, I would like to know where to get the plans. If I actually had some plans, the chests would likely move up nearer to the top of my project list.


Frank........I got the plans from ROCKLER at www.rockler.com (http://www.rockler.com) ....it's called a Steamer Trunk.........hopefully this is the correct link

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=431&SearchHandle=DADBDBDFDADADDDGDCDFDHDJDBGBGCDGCNGBG FGGDHCNDEDFGFDECNDIDCDADACNDHDGDGDDDDDCDCGFDHGGDJD EDADADADBDADADADBDDHDHEGFGBGNGFHCCAHEHCHFGOGLDADAD ADEDADADADADADADADBDFDADADADBDADADADADADADADADADAD ADADBDADADADBDDHDHEGFGBGNGFHCCAHEHCHFGOGLDADADADBD B&filter=steamer%20trunk

Have fun.

[Frank Pellow]

Frank........I got the plans from ROCKLER at www.rockler.com (http://www.rockler.com) ....it's called a Steamer Trunk...

Have fun.
Thanks Gary, I found them. Did you get thier hardware too, or did you buy that somewhere else?

[Gary Stallings]

I ordered the hardware from them also.