Smaller shop, how do you roll?

[David Publicover]

I keep some rarely used tools in my shed rather than clog up my small space. I also have stored some lumber in there for a bit. I’d have to clean it out and rearrange things quite dramatically to achieve my long term goal of storing a larger amount of wood on racks in there.

[Michael W. Clark]

My last shop was very small, less than a 1 car garage. While things were on casters, there was no room to move things around in there. I even had the DC piped and it was stationary, there just wasn't room to move it.

My current shop is larger and I still have a lot of items on casters but they don't move unless a very unique situation.

For a small shop, make all your benches, router tables, and any cabinets the same height as your tablesaw top. Avoid tall storage cabinets, I had two and they were a pain in a small space. Instead do a base cabinet and separate wall cabinet, you need the space at the ~36" height for handling sheet goods and lumber.

[Charlie Jones]

You can put the dust collector and a air compressor in a separate shed. I do that plus things like saw horses. I have and upstairs lumber storage.

[Julie Moriarty]

I'm new. I am trying to plan a shop in my garage space. It is a 2 car garage, fairly typical, not a lot of room if I parked in it for anything else. I have no need to park in the garage.

A 2 car garage all for a workshop? I'm jealous. Mine is in a 1 car garage. Everything is mobile and every empty space, floors, walls and ceilings, are considered for storage and/or work space.

It takes some time, so don't be disappointed if your initial plan becomes obsolete quickly. Just think mobile and flexible.

[Jim Dwight]

My shop is 14x24. I have a two car garage adjacent for cars. The shop garage once had a small SUV parked in it to prove I could but doesn't see cars. Two houses ago I worked in the front of a 28 foot garage that held two cars sometimes. My wife really did not like the mess that got tracked in so when I wanted a dedicated space in the next house she readily agreed. I put my PCS on a home made mobile base but that was partially to raise it up where it doesn't kill my back (I have most tools at 38 inches). It doesn't move partially because the DC connection to it is 5 inch snap lock until the last 18 inches or so which inhibits moving it. I could change that but I don't need to move it. Behind it is a 3x7 outfeed/assembly/track saw cutting station table just slightly lower than the saw. It is on totally locking casters but it doesn't move very far very often. My drill press has no provisions for moving and sits along the back short wall. I have one 24 foot wall with no windows and I have a radial arm saw I don't use much and a 12 inch CMS on a bench with tool storage below and wood storage above these tools. I have movable flip stops for these tools and can crosscut over 8 feet on this setup. These tools do not move and also have metal DC plumbing. The tools I move to use are my router table, jointer, and planner. For something small, I may not actually use them, the jointer and router table are along the long wall with my crosscutting tools and the router table is the same height. But for anything large they have to move. They share one long 4 inch flex DC connection that my floor sweep also uses. I used my planner for an hour or more yesterday but moved it into the car garage to free up some space. I do not expect to use it again for about a month. For me, a jointer is similar. I use it at the start of a project but I am not going back to it repeatedly like I do the crosscut and ripping tools.

You didn't mention a track saw. I cut up a lot of sheet goods with a circular saw to break them down and a big table saw to cut to final size. I really enjoy using a track saw to cut large pieces to final size and a 36 inch table saw now. I know others prefer their sliding saws and I kind of get that but for my little shop I think I have the cutting tools I need. Another newer tool I have is a Domino XL. It is pricey but for me it works better than a hollow chisel mortiser and it takes up a LOT less space. It improves the quality of my projects because I use mortise and tenon joints more now that they are so easy and quick to do.

[Marc Fenneuff]

I have half of a two-car garage. I am fortunate to have a storage area at the back, where I have a big cyclone DC. Table saw with 52” rip capacity is 2/3 of the way along the side wall and stationary (but on a mobile base). Extension table is stationary. Workbench is in the back corner, against the wall, just past the saw. My SCMS is stationary in the other corner. Everything else is on shop-made mobile bases: router table, planer, and sander (sander is a flip-top). Jointer is on a Rockler mobile base. I just added a 14” bandsaw which will go along the wall between the saw and SCMS. I hope to add a floor-standing drill press and a 20” bandsaw at some point. Oh, and I have an 8’ rolling lumber cart against the wall in front of where the car is parked. It’s tight but manageable. I break down sheet goods on sawhorses with a track saw (wth the car parked outside).

[Alan Gage]

Just to join the choir I have nearly everything mobile as well. They all have their 'home' position but I like mobile so that I can move them when needed. The jointer can do do 4-5' stock where it always sits but if I need to do longer I just pull out out a little bit where it would ordinarily be in the way of other operations. Tablesaw can to 12', which is normally fine, but I can move it for longer. Planer can do 8' stock where it's at but I can pull it back for longer. I can also spin it around so as I'm running stock through I can stack it all on the outfeed side and then spin the planer around 180* so that the outfeed is now the infeed, which means I don't have to carry all those pieces around before I can make the 2nd pass. Not a big deal with a few boards but very nice with 400bf.

Alan

[Jack Llewyllson]

One quadrant of the garage has workout equipment in it, a wall mounted Rogue rack and plates, dumbbells, etc - this is on the front left quadrant. On the back right, there are fridge/freezer and a bit of room where a drill press and/or bandsaw on a rolling base could probably live. The other two quadrants are completely clear. I'd like to get a drill press, bandsaw, table saw with extension tables, combo planner/jointer, combo sander in the space, along with dust collection. I am not certain if there is anything else I should consider adding at this time.

How about a bench?

You can stow a half-height drill press under it. Every once in a while, when the spirit moves you, perform one repetition of dead lifting it onto your bench, and bore a few holes. Return it to ground level. Repeat until strong, tired, or both. You just saved some floor space.

If you can get your dust collector off the floor, that will also relieve some space pressure.

The table saw is your biggest space eater, especially when rigged with extension tables. You might consider dropping a router lift plate into your extension table to make compound use of that space. You can rig an outfeed table that doubles as a work surface... even as a Festool-style MFT.

Table saws need both infeed and outfeed runs. They will limit your stock length. Same is true of the jointer/planer. If you point them at your garage door, you might catch some rain drops but you'll never run out of outfeed.

Remember that you need to be able to walk around, work, lift weights, and access your fridge (refrigerators are full of protein!). It's not just about how many tools you can pack in the space (this is a trap I continue to fall into), but about what you can do in there.

With that in mind, I'll offer this sacrilege: you really don't need a table saw as much as you think, especially in the age of track saws. A bandsaw is statistically less likely to kill or injure you and you can rip taller stock with it, although you'll always need to clean up your cuts.

And cleaning up your cuts is what your workbench is for. You'll also want to consider an assembly area, and some place to store stock. Finishing can be done on your bench, ideally next to a window that bathes you in natural light and happiness.

As for other lights, add MANY. More lumens = good lumens.

Those are my random thoughts. Yours are more important, because it's your space. Like lifting, shop construction empowers you to self-edit to YOUR standards. Rock on!

[Jack Llewyllson]

Does anyone keep some equipment in a nearby shed? I have an option of putting a 200 sq foot shed about 12 feet from my garage, I could certainly carry pieces that far on any nice day.

Thanks again.

Is your shed going to be powered and lit? Could be good for various power tool operations if so; you could reserve it for hand tool ops if not. You might also want to "store noise" in there -- a compressor, for instance, is a dang loud tool that can be remoted from your main shop without much fuss. Just run an air line back to your main shop. Not sure I'd stick your dust collector there, though. Their efficiency drops quickly with distance.

Coincidentally, I have a 200 s.f. shed about 30 feet from my shop. It's timber-framed and nearly 15 feet tall. We primarily use it for storing rough/outdoor tools like shovels and mauls, chainsaws, Alaska mill, garden tools, etc. It also has stacks of Jeep parts in bins, a Thule roof box hanging from the rafters, couple of motorcycles, etc. The best part for me is that its rafter area is a fine place to dry and store long lumber, up out of the way.

Outbuildings RULE!