need help shop size

[TYLER WOOD]

I am having to do some refurbishment of the house. The bank say get $20,000 to make it worth the costs, well really only need 8-9. So it looks like I could add a couple more g to it ans build a shop. What size shop do you reccommend. I do mostly only turning with small f-work projects.

[Chris Padilla]

30' x 50' minimum.

[Ron Journeau]

Hey Tyler..nice project to keep you busy for a while. I have, as most of us, been wishing/planning for that bigger shop oneday down the road. As I am really only into turning (one type of wood torture is enough for me) I have been doing some doodling with scratch pads, and seem to dwell on a little shop of about 12 by 20, or maybe even 12 by 16. Of course, am now in a cabano beside the pool, using half of a 10 by 12 shed with 1 115v plug and no heat/insulation, so anything would be a great improvement for me. Hope to see some progress pics of the new and improved digs.

[Jim Underwood]

I spent about $6k and had someone else build me a 16 x 20 on piers that I poured myself. I did a lot of stuff myself (like wiring and flooring). I suppose I could have built it all myself for less, but I don't see how (not even sure I could have bought the materials for that much). It's not enough room now that I have wood stacked all over.

[Greg Heppeard]

As big as your budget will take. I have 2200 sq ft and some days I wish it was bigger.

[TYLER WOOD]

Greg, your shop is bigger than my HOUSE!!! Maybe you should think of scaling back?!? Oh wait the vortex dosn't allow that!!!

[Kevin McPeek]

As big as your budget will take.

Really thats good advice, I would do no smaller than a car will fit in for resale purposes. You can get a pretty decent deal on steel buildings these days. I use most of a 2 car garage and feel like I am totally cramped.
I would shoot for 24x24 as a base.

[robert hainstock]

Rule 1, the accumulation will expand to fill the available space. I sold my 12" jet table saw two years ago and have no extra space today and it was a BIG sucker. Go as big as you can afford to heat.
Bob

[Greg Heppeard]

I had all my stuff in a 2 car garage and had to go outside to change my mind...I had no room do do anything in there. I do this for a living now, so bigger is always better.

[Ron Dunn]

Tyler, with the deteriorating state of the US economy, I recommend borrowing the absolute minimum that you need. In fact, unless I was totally sure of my income over the next few years, I wouldn't even be borrowing for refurbishment.

The bank with which you are dealing is trying to push more credit on you. Don't fall for it.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Tyler my shop is 12 X 24 now and will be adding another 12 X 24 this summer. Since I mostly turn and do some small f...work projects that are on the honey-do list I sold all my big machines for small units that I could put under the bench. I would not go smaller than 24 X 24 because at least here in town a extra garage gives the buyer if I decided to sell a lot of different things they can do.

[Reed Gray]

I started with 400 sq feet. I had to open the doors if I needed to pass gas it was so tight in there. I do both flat work and turning. I moved into 860 sq. feet, and one of the guys in my club said "you'll be surprised at how fast that shop will fill up". I said, it will take about 4 hours. My flat work machines are on wheels except for the table saw. I could easily use 2,000, and 3,000 would be better, especially if I had a car port thing on the side for logs. 400 sq feet would be fine if I only turned. The one thing that I most underestimated was how much room I would need for storing wood, both logs and lumber. You can go small, but bigger is always better.
robo hippy

[Bill Embrey]

Tyler... I too have a big shop, 2000sq ft. I started in a 12x16, built a 20x30 (but 10x20 was dedicated storage so only had a 20x20) and then moved into the place we have now. BUILD AS BIG AS YOU CAN AFFORD!!!!!.... you can do plenty of wood work in a 12x16 or a 20x20... what you CAN'T do is store all the wood you collect! Think about all the space you need for the tools you have (and the ones you plan on getting) and then give serious consideration to storing dimensional lumber, sheet goods and for turning... hunks of logs and the blanks you cut from them to dry...

[Donald Barfield]

Build your shop as big as you can afford to because it will never be big enough. When I built mine a 36x48 I thought it was huge, now it seems so cramped that I wish it was larger!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Tyler - I agree with everyone else in that you should build as big as you can afford. One other thought along the lines of a perfect shop would be to take a clue from 'NORM' and have a dedicated finishing area away from all the sawdust! I wish you luck with the project!