Shop Design Expertise

[John McCall]

Every experienced wookworker has strong opinions about shop design to meet his/her woodworking needs. I understand there are unlimited variables that depend on space, equipment, work processes, etc. But, I am a novice woodworker and am faced with designing a shop from scratch (in the basement of a new home for which plans are now being drawn) and I do not have enough experience to ask all of the right questions, let along come up with the right answers in the design process. Thanks to SMC and other sources, I know the tools I intend to buy and the types of projects I intend to pursue. However, I do not know the ideal equipment layout and therefore optimal electrical design, have not figured out the best material for walls, do not know all of the issues to address with ventilation, etc., etc., etc. Are there experts out there who, for a fee, will review and comment on plans, offer advice on design features, help avoid mistakes with dust leakage into the HVAC system, etc? Ideally, I would like to find someone in the midwest/southeast with whom I could meet and go over all of the details. If you've had any experience with someone good or you know a name, I would be grateful for your advice.

[David DeCristoforo]

Like you said, the options present a labyrinth of possibilities. Far to many to resolve on a forum like this. However, there are three things I would like to suggest. You mention that your shop will be in your basement and that your house is still in the planning stages. So, the first thing I would suggest is that you incorporate a ramp from the outside into the basement to facilitate moving machinery, materials and finished projects in and out of the shop. Packing this stuff up and down stairs is difficult and dangerous. The second thing would be to increase the height of the basement ceiling to the absolute maximum even if it means having an extra couple of steps up to the front door. And finally have an "oversized" electrical panel installed. The typical home service is 100 or 125 amps. By increasing this to a 200 amp main, you would be covered for just about anything

[Matt Meiser]

Between having our offer accepted on this house and actually moving in, I did a lot of planning on the computer. I used Microsoft Visio because I was familiar with it and it worked well, but you could use any drawing program. In my plan, I had a floorplan of the shop and a box representing the floor space of every tool, cabinet, bench, etc. On each box for a tool, I also had a representation of the working area required for material on that tool--i.e. 8+ feet on either side of the TS blade, etc. I played around with the layout a lot and regularly posted it in a thread I started here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=4828&highlight=shop+layout). Unfortunately I hosted my image other than here, so it isn't available in the original thread. I got a lot of great suggestions which helped to refine my plan. I've also made a lot of changes since, including a major one to rework my shop to let me do more than just woodworking, something I didn't envision at the time.

[Merle Clor]

If you go to Grizzly.com they have a facility to layout your current and potential future tools. You can arrange them according to your intended work flow, e.g. have the TS close to the planer and jointer, maybe have specialty tools, lathe, band saw, drill press, etc arranged a little further from the center of activity. Pay attention to the space around the various tools, perhaps allowing 8-10 feet in front of and behind the TS. Others would argue convincingly that the BS might be the center of your shop, but it depends on the type of work you will be doing. You might want to put your heaviest tools on wheels so you can adjust them easily as you gain experience. If possible, leave room for an assembly table.

Add twice as many electrical out lets as you think you will need, then add some more. Wall out lets should be 48-54" off the floor. It is probably easiest to have sheet rock on studs for running electricity. When you want to hang things on the walls, use French cleats. Also, your lighting is crucial, especially as you age. I think something like 100 to 125 foot candles on your work surfaces is good, but more knowledgeable people can give you more accurate suggestions. You might want to have a few outlets in the ceiling or the floor where your main power tools will be located.

I agree that a higher ceiling is better; I would like to have 10 feet. This gives enough clearance to maneuver a sheet of plywood and to hang dust collection tubing. You should also consider some method for reducing the noise from your machines, especially the dust collector and the air compressor, perhaps locating them in a closet.

The floor may be wood or concrete. I think wood is generally preferred for comfort and saving any dropped tools, but I like concrete for radiant heating. In my mind, there is nothing better than radiant heat.

If you have the space, consider a separate room for finishing and the lighting here should be the same as "daylight". IIRC, those lamps will be in the 5000 degree range. Again, an expert can help you with this.

There are books you can get that will give you greater insight into shop design. See this one as an example:
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-9888137-4941555?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=setting+up+shop&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

I hope I have given you some of the basics.
Good luck,
Merle

[Rob Will]

John,

Do you really have to have your shop in the basement? I would look into building a separate building if there's any possibility.....

Regardless of where you put it, the members here at SMC always have good ideas to offer.

You might want to start with a list of the tools / space requirements that are likely to be in your shop (depending on what you want to build). Here's my picks but as you said, everybody has different needs.

Table Saw
Bandsaw
Jointer
Planer
Compound Miter Saw
Drill Press
Belt Sander
Spindle Sander
Dust Collector
Materials storage
Assembly area
Finishing area
etc.
etc.

Good luck,
Rob

[John D. Thompson]

Congratulations!

I have set up many a shop in my day but, never have I had the good fortune to design and build one from scratch.

There are lots of good suggestions in this thread and I would like to add that, whenever I have had the luck to have walls covered in plywood or OSB, it has been a real bonus as one can then shoot a screw in to something solid anywhere one wants to.

As to wiring, I believe that having all shop-related wiring in surface-mounted conduit could save you a LOT of headaches on down the road. Having access to your circuits for repairs, upgrades, etc. would seem to me to be invaluable.

As has already been mentioned in this thread more ceiling height is better. My basement shop in Georgia had 80" ceilings and brother, let me tell you...

Best of luck!

JT

[Curtis Buck]

John, Wood Magazine has some examples of different shops. They call it Idea Shops. Here is the link: http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/category.jsp?catref=wd122

This might at least get you started as to how to lay out equipment for good work flow. Also they have started a new section where subscribers can post photos of their shops.
If your shop is going to be in the basement I would think you will need to consider sound proofing for the living area above, and also keeping dust out of the living area as well. Hope this helps a little. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon7.gif

Curtis

[Perry Holbrook]

Where do you live?

Perry

[John McCall]

All of these are great ideas for which I am very grateful. I have countless more questions for which ideally I would like to sit down and go over with an expert. I will take a look at all of the sources mentioned in this thread and will do some further posting on SMC as plans are developed. I am located in Louisville, Ky. Thanks for the help.

[Tommy Emmons]

Where ever you put your shop, pay special attention to how you intend to get your equipment into the shop. Make sure the doorways are wide enough. If there is a change in elevation, see if there is a way to rig a hoist or an I beam to raise and lower items. It is a lot easier than going up and down stairs.

[Jim O'Dell]

Do you know if the basement will be a walk out basement? If so, make sure you have easy access to that area for moving equipment in and out, and design in french doors at this entry point..
If your HVAC equipment will also be in the basement, make special provisions for any fuel fired equipment to be a sealed combustion unit where it gets it's combustion air through the flue pipe from outside, not from the air inside the shop. I'd also want to have 2 walls and doors between the combustion chamber and your shop space.
My guess is that you will have to have sheetrock for code in a living space, unless you are building in the country. You can do the french cleats for wall hung stuff, or add OSB or plywood over the sheetrock, but I'd save the money and do the french cleats. I guess if you plan ahead well enough, you could add 2X blocking between the studs to hang heavy stuff from, but then you have to be able to remember where it is. :eek: :eek:
Put in plenty of lights, especially for a basement shop. Do your best for 10' ceilings as others have said. Better would be 11', and build a false ceiling for the shop at 10'...this would help with transmitted noise to the living area, but it comes with a fairly large expense in building materials and labor to do so.
On the electrical, depending on the needs in the house, have a 100 amp sub panel in the shop just for shop needs. Lots of 220 outlets ( I have 8 in a 620 sq ft shop.-6 in the shop, 2 in the finishing room.)
Good luck with the build. You are smart to do your research going into the design. To answer your main question though, I've never heard of a paid professional that could advise you on how to do a shop. That doesn't mean they aren't out there, though. Maybe question your architect, or make inquiries at the bigger design firms, even the ones that specialize in commercial buildings. Jim.

[John McCall]

All of these are great ideas for which I am very grateful. I have countless more questions for which ideally I would like to sit down and go over with an expert. I will take a look at all of the sources mentioned in this thread and will do some further posting on SMC as plans are developed. I am located in Louisville, Ky. Thanks for the help.

[Mike Wilkins]

Congrats John on being able to start from scratch. One thing to keep in mind is that a shop is always a work in progress. I built mine in 1999 and there are still things I want to change. And I do.
Hopefully you can have the home built to accomodate a walk-out basement. This will make moving machines/materials in and out a lot easier. One responder suggested more head room. The time to do this is during the planning stages, and is a move you will not regret.
And there are a ton of books on the market that can assist in the planning of your play/work space. Wood magazine just put out a issue on shops that is a real treat with some sweet eye candy for us tool junkies.
Good luck and watch those fingers.

[Gary Hoemann]

John, I am doing the same thing only may be a little further along. Our basement is going in as I write this. I used 10 ft. Superior Walls. You might look into these and see if it is to your liking. I really didn't have a lot that was good for a walkout anywhere but the front of the house, and would be expensive at that location. The garge had some extra room due to the floor plan, so I decided to use that space as a "well" that will house an old scissor lift I purchased on ebay. I don't need one that is self propelled, it just has to act as a freight elevator. I found that being parient got me what I needed at a price of only $650 shipped to my town. Its old, its ugly, it works fine and its just what I need. probably cheaper than a good set of French doors. it has a lift of about 14feet. I will be able to back a truck into the garage, load or unload onto the lift, at truck bed height, and move it up or down.
Natural light will be at a premium. I am also installing an egress window in what will be the finishing room. This is a lrage window area that meets code for this to be a living area, and will provide some natural light and some good ventilation. The floor trusses are 22 inches and should provide a great place to run the ducting for dust collection without lowering that 10 ft. height. I am still looking at ways to dampen any noise to the first floor.
I'm going to have some support columns in the basement, but I think I can position machinery so that they are not a problem and it will also provide some good places to locate electrical in the middle of the shop. I am not planning any dust collection or electrical in the floor--all overhead and on the supports.

[David Sterchi]

After moving my shop out of the house, I built a new one 28'x40' w/ 10' sidewalls, 8/12 pitch open ceiling (barjoists). Still used as warehouse while adding on to and renovating the home. I am about ready to start laying out the design and would truly love to have some help in placement since I've never had a shop this size. I love the space but don't wanrt to waste it. Any one have a layout recommendation?

[Mark Hulette]

All of these are great ideas for which I am very grateful. I have countless more questions for which ideally I would like to sit down and go over with an expert. I will take a look at all of the sources mentioned in this thread and will do some further posting on SMC as plans are developed. I am located in Louisville, Ky. Thanks for the help.

Hey John-

I just saw this thread today. Just wondering how your progress is going...

Like someone said, a shop is always a work in progress so don't get too stressed if you're not sure what you want just yet, especially if you're just starting out. Good plan to plan as much as you can, though.

You might try the nice guys at the Woodcraft over off of Hurstbourne they might know someone in the Louieville :D area that can provide the service you are looking for (if it's not too late).

Send pics when you can!