ready for "final" layout advice

[Bob Riefer]

Ok, by end of week, insulation in the barn will be finished, allowing me to finally layout the shop.

Building on advice from the group here, I've come up with the following layout.

Left side:
- The left side of the shop is divided by a wall from the right side.
- This is the "clean" side (apart from the drill press).
- Heater is located (hanging dayton unit) on this side.
- Cutoff lengths of lumber, and components are stored under the stairs.
- Assembly, homeowner level things, figuring out/drawing.. these sorts of things happen here.

Right side:
- The right side of the shop is the dusty side where all the major tools are.
- There's a 4 foot door between the spaces that can be opened to allow heat to flow over there on cold days (or to allow a fully assembled piece to pass through the door).
- Long lengths of lumber will be racked above and below the miter saw counter at the right (easy delivery from truck, through garage door, to the location where it will ultimately be rough cut).
- Dust collector will be in the back right corner. 2 hp HF model, 6" main and drops, thien baffle. Short runs, blast gates.
- All tools are on mobile bases for instances where you need to maneuver.


Workflow:
Again, I'm a newbie and am building the workflow based on a one-week course that I took. So please be gentle if I'm being a total idiot here.

- pull truck up to overhead garage door
- lumber directly to racks under and above miter station (I have 10 foot racks both above and below)
- select lumber and stage to rolling cart, mark up / rough measure etc.
- rough cut at miter station and return to rolling cart
- Use the rolling cart as needed to stage near jointer/table saw/planer/band saw as needed (or even to the other side of the shop to the drill press).
- Sanding will also occur on the rolling cart.
- assembly-ready components staged to left side of shop under the stairs
- assembly and finishing occurs on assembly cart
- finished pieces back out to the truck for delivery, or to 2nd story of the barn for storage

Questions:
Can you imagine the workflow, and do you think it is a reasonable starting point? I know it may change as I go, but if I can avoid building lots of unnecessary fixtures...

The planer on the cart is the one sort of annoying part of the flow. It will move every time I work (whereas most other tools will only move on an exception basis). Any ideas for changes there?

The drill press won't be on dust collection system due to location - I plan to just use a shop vac for this one tool. Do you think that's a major issue?

Any other suggestions you can think of?

[Thom Sturgill]

Rockler sells a heavy duty mixer lift (60# limit). If your planer weighs less than that, I would mount it under the chopsaw. Springs help lift the item up to tabletop level and you could make a support that would set under the lift to help stabilize it and maybe be part of an infeed/outfeed extension.

I plan on using two of these in my retirement shop when I build.

[Joe Leigh]

Looks like the jointer's proximity to the band saw might be an issue with long boards. Ooopps, just re-read where you intend to have everything on mobile bases. If that's the case then layout is not critical...

[Bob Riefer]

Joe - for the jointer, if I have a longer board, I can either angle the machine through the door space, or just pull it forward a little bit so that the board material would pass in front of the band saw. I'm trying to minimize flex hose in my dust collection, so I won't really be moving machines a ton, but a little movement will be needed due to size of the shop.

Thom - Your idea got me thinking... (note: I want the planer at the start of the dust control run) I could park this behind my table saw, under the outfeed table, in the lowered position with the planer on top. When time to plane, un-park it, raise it. With minimal effort, I could have the table saw outfeed, and the planer on top of this stand in raised position, be the same height... What do you think?

http://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-...ble-94822.html

[Don Jarvie]

How will the heat get from the left room to the right? The door may not be big enough to move the heat from one side to another.

[Bob Riefer]

Good point. The heater is directed at the door between the spaces, so when the door is shut, I get circular heat in the left side of my shop. When I open the door it blows through. I usually have several fans running throughout the shop too to keep air moving nicely. Last winter, without insulation on a 20 degree F day, heater on medium, I was able to get both sides to 50 degrees in about 1.5 hours. With the door shut, I can get the left side to 60 in that same amount of time. With insulation, I would expect easier heat up time - and am also planning on keeping the space at 40 degrees constantly to avoid having to warm up all the items in the shop as well as the air each time.

[Greg Roberts]

Looks good. I think planning these things out is half the fun!

I would also be a little concerned about heat and being comfortable.

Also, it never fails, whenever I show up at my shop, my body decides I need to use the bathroom! How far is it to a bathroom from your shop?

Greg

[Bob Riefer]

Hey Greg! Thanks for commenting :-)

Although part of me thinks the planning is fun.... after rebuilding the whole damn barn and spending the better part of two years in construction mode... I'm just sooooooo ready to actually be woodworking instead of doing construction work.

Luckily, my barn is only about 50 feet from the house, so breaks are easily accomplished.

As for the heating.. I really am not too concerned. It was comfortable on both sides of the shop last year without insulation, so I can only improve from there. I also tend to like 60 degrees as my top temperature for working. I just think back to replacing the main post in the barn in January with only a small propane heater to take the edge off.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Flow looks pretty good - you've spent some time thinking it through.

Not sure what type of work you will be focusing on. I'd guess that I use my DP about as much as I use my BS. Kinda goes in cycles, depending on the task at hand, but I think it probably evens out. As far as dust collection, I use a broom for my DP. Occasionally roll the shop vac over after-the-fact if I've done a bunch of forstner holes.

Your DP is the one machine that is on the left side. Not sure what the "hutch" is for that is in the bottom left corner of the right side. Maybe trade it's turf with the DP?

One other thing that is important to understand, IMO. I had a long and successful career in manufacturing operations, expecially work flow and layout, for a lumber-based company with 80 factories. You get things the best you can get them by thinking it through - which will be about 85% correct - and then tee it up. You will not figure out the other 15% until you've been running it for a while. You have a moving DC, and wheels under your tools, so you have the "luxury" of reorganizing as you see the need.

[Bob Riefer]

Hi Kent, Thanks for looking it over for me, I really appreciate it.

The hutch is just something we had laying around that I use for storage. It can definitely be moved.

However, here's my reasoning for its current position, and maybe that'll help us decide..

I figure a floor model like I have (an old Walker Turner) is pretty wobbly, and not an ideal candidate to be on wheels like my other tools. Therefore, I consider it stationary. So, I picked the one spot where I'd never have to move it because I have 8 feet to the left, and 8 feet to the right of the bit.

If I locate where the hutch is, I'll have about 4 feet to the left of the bit, and (with the door closed) as much room as I need to the right.

With those points, do you think I should move it?

If I do move it, might as well hook it up to the DC system right?

[Jerome Hanby]

http://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-...ble-94822.html

I've seen this thing a thousand times in HF emails and fliers and never thought about using it as a mobile stand. Have you used one? Is it sturdy enough to use as a planer stand? Can it stay extended for long periods or doe it need the pressure released after each use? Sorry for the flood of questions

[Bob Riefer]

Hey Jerome,
I have the same concern about any bottle jack type of mechanism - when I was lifting the barn up, I used hyrdraulic to lift, and then braces to maintain. Similarly, I figured that this type of table would be plenty strong to lift the planer into position, and then I would use a brace stick for extra safety measure.

[Kent A Bathurst]

........ picked the one spot where I'd never have to move it because I have 8 feet to the left, and 8 feet to the right of the bit...........I'll have about 4 feet to the left of the bit, and (with the door closed) as much room as I need to the right.

Can't tell you what you need for what you'll be doing. But - if 4' one side and miles to the other side is limiting - whatcha gonna be drilling into, trees?

I tend to go to the DP often for nothing more than holes in stuff - not necessarily projects/furniture - just stuff. Fixtures, jigs, tool holders to mount to the wall, etc. - just stuff. I see maybe a lot of transport to/from the DP, that's all. Inconvenient, nothing more. My floor stand DP is not really as close as I would like it - have been toying with the idea of a second one - benchtop - to get it right by my main workstations. We'll see if that happens.

Just a thought. Simple to move later, as I noted earlier.

[Bob Riefer]

Ok, you've won me over :-) I'll build a mobile base (I found an old post by Glenn where he added weight to the base to reduce tippy-ness of the DP) and move the drill press to where the hutch currently is located.

I think I'll also flip the door between the spaces to open into the left side of my shop (whereas now it opens towards the right side). This way, the drill press isn't kind of hidden behind the door which is often propped open for days on end.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Good luck. Setting up a shop is as much fun as actually doing something with it, IMO. SWMBO is convinced my motto is "If something is worth doing, it's worth overdoing."

Tell me how it turned out - each "day of Christmas Eve" you can find me in the Beer Hall at Reading Terminal Market, eating a cheesesteak for lunch, and downing the odd Yeungling. MIL lives in Chery Hill.