Small Texas Hobby Shop Build

[Ted Reischl]

There is one huge trick to working in a smaller shop. Mine is 14 X 28.

What is the trick? DON'T BE A SLOB

I do not own a jointer or planer anymore. Have no need of them. And no, I am not a hand tool guy. I have a TS, router table, 16 inch drum sander, radial arm saw, mini mill and a cnc router that will cut 3 X 4 feet.

The jointer bit the dust when I discovered that I could do the same thing on a table saw only much easier and without fiddling with setting knives. I use an 8 foot aluminum extrusion for a fence. With a wixey gage the edge comes out dead perpendicular. The planer left when I figured out that I had no need to plane 8 foot long boards. Most projects I do are broken down into smaller pieces before they flattened and squared up. The cnc router does a great job of flattening one side and it will also thickness precisely. Would I run a production shop that way? Oh heck no.

Oh yea, in my little itty bitty space I also have room for a small desk.

[Eliot Mays]

There is one huge trick to working in a smaller shop. Mine is 14 X 28.

What is the trick? DON'T BE A SLOB

I do not own a jointer or planer anymore. Have no need of them. And no, I am not a hand tool guy. I have a TS, router table, 16 inch drum sander, radial arm saw, mini mill and a cnc router that will cut 3 X 4 feet.

The jointer bit the dust when I discovered that I could do the same thing on a table saw only much easier and without fiddling with setting knives. I use an 8 foot aluminum extrusion for a fence. With a wixey gage the edge comes out dead perpendicular. The planer left when I figured out that I had no need to plane 8 foot long boards. Most projects I do are broken down into smaller pieces before they flattened and squared up. The cnc router does a great job of flattening one side and it will also thickness precisely. Would I run a production shop that way? Oh heck no.

Oh yea, in my little itty bitty space I also have room for a small desk.

I won't have any trouble keeping things tidy, I'm pretty anal about keeping things organized, cleaned, oiled, etc. I definitely will have to utilize wall space well and optimize workflow.

I think I could get by without a jointer, but I don't think I could get by without a planer. Even though a CNC would work, I would think that would take far too long. Obviously the benefit is you can move on to something else while it works, but I'd rather have both if I can make it work. What CNC do you have? That is something that I was either going to get, or I also have the opportunity to join a coop that has some fairly large beds.

[Jim Becker]

I could not live without my jointer function...for flattening stock before thicknessing. That said, I use my CNC for flattening and thicknessing material that's larger than my J/P can handle as long as the individual slabs, etc., are not longer than 49" which is my cutting limit. For a small space, a J/P combo can bring big capacities with space efficiency...many threads about this in GW&PT.

[Rick Potter]

One minor suggestion. If you place your electrical outlets at about the 4' level they will not be blocked by tools, benches or cabinets.

[Roger Feeley]

I'm a big fan of subpanels with disconnects.
I'm also a big fan of OSB on the walls. It's cheaper than plywood but plenty strong.
All of my outlets are ceiling mounted (I'm tall) so almost nothing on the walls. All wall wiring is exposed for easy identification and changing if needed. I have a big jar of screw on cleats to hold the romex down.