Ideal Knife Shop..??

Alan Folts

Alan Folts

Joined
Oct 4, 1998
Messages
427
Well I am quickly outgrowing my little 12x14 workshop..

My question is this, what if anyhting would you put in an ideal shop? I'm not talking equipment unless its built into the shop itslef, so would you put in built in air filtration, or air outlets every 4 feet for air tools?

I am planning on building the shop myself little by little, and then burning the old one to the ground while I do a little dance around its burning carcas..
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So far I figure on about a 16x16 footprint on the building, with a concrete foundation and floor, also with an extra slab poured on the back that will have a roof but no walls to store the forge and all the hot equipment...

So what would be your Ideal shop addition??

Thanks in Advance.. Alan..
 
Dunno if it's the sort of thing you're thinking of - but if I could add one thing to my workshop it would be windows, and lots of 'em.
Nothing beats natural light.
 
Well thats weird, it wouldnt take my reply the first time....

I am thinking of a little smaller than the 24x48 that Darrel suggested, thats bigger than my house..
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I am thinking of a 16x16 2 story with a barn roof...

Hopefully keeping the cleaner work upstairs and the grinders and dirty stuff downstairs, plus a covered 16x12 area on the back for the forge and air hammer and everything else...

Natural light is going to be a problem, the lot in which this will be built is covered in 100 foot trees, so I dont get much or any natural light at all, although the scenery is nice..

Alan..
 
Alan, you'll be surprised how much light can filter through big leafy trees. Put it some windows - you won't regret it.

And I agree with the other guys about size - if you think you'll need 16x16, build it 24x24. It will still end up too small, but it'll take longer
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The other things you'll need are lots of power points (obviously) and a water supply. Even a small rain tank will do, but drinking water is better if it can be arranged.

Finally, there is one *vital* piece of equipment that every workshop should have - I have one myself and wouldn't consider doing without. A coffee percolator
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Trevor,
Any 'Smith worthy of the name has no need for a percolator. You just need an oldfashioned cowboy coffeepot and a hotplate. Boiled coffee makes the best knives.
Throw some fresh egg shells in to settle the grounds. Mmmmmm That's good, but leave a little in the bottom of the cup. That's where the grounds are!
I like my coffee like my woman. Strong, hot, and evil smellin'!
Dear God don't let my wife read this!

Alan,
Trevor's on the mark with the idea of drinking water. A sink and a toilet will save you untold amounts of time as compared to running back and forth to the house.

I'd have to add, NO PHONE! If you're in the shop, your busy. If it's important, they'll call back.
The idea of the air outlets every four feet sounds great. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one hooked on air tools.
Have you considered the cunductive heating for the flooring? It's piping that runs hot water through the concrete floor. (Installed when the floor's poured.) Cut your electric bill way down and make it a lot nicer to be in the shop in the middle of winter.

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I cut it, and I cut it, and it's STILL too short!

 
Ken is on the money with heat. My shop is in Buffalo, NY - land of the snow. It is also unheated. My hands get numb and I have to stop working until the circulation returns. I suppose my wife wouldn't see me otherwise. I hope you don't have coffee in the shop because you are tired. Being half asleep with power tools is bad. I have a fridge in my shop where I store drinking water and pop. I found it easier than running plumbing. I am often asked why there is no beer in it. I like my fingers that's why - duh!

Regards,
Glenn
 
How about some soundproofing? That would keep the neighbors from coming over, interrupting you, and complaining.
I guess a large dog would do the trick too.

Terry
 
One thing that you may want to consider is to have a grinding/metal working bench and a clean bench, per se. I have made some really nice wood pretty dirty by leaving around my grinder or buffer.
Another consideration, the dust. Grinding is bad enough but buffing really puts out some dust. I am considering a buffing enclosure of some sort, closed on three sides and a top with a vacuum or dust collection in the back of it. This is my primary concern. It is a health issue as well.

CLWilkins
 
I think that a vacume system would be good. I am currently gathering the equipment to install one in my shop. It not only is a health concern for me, but my dog likes to keep me company while I am in the shop. You know, it just anit the easiest thing to try to get a 125 pound Rottweiler to wear a resperator! hehehe Seriously though, it will not only increase the length of your life, but also the life of your other equipment.
The big dog does keep the neighbors away, along with the undiserables. Mine is my chief of security and I haven't lost one thing from my shop since putting him in charge.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Mike C

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mconner@luminatorusa.com
Killing the dog wont cure the bite.

 
Okay, I got figure in lights, a ventalation filtering and vac system, air lines for compressed air...

The shop is being designed 2 story, with a clean room upstairs, for engraving leather sheaths, scrimshaw ect ect....

The forge area has me a bit stumped, I want air circulation to clear that deadly carbon monoxide from the gas forge and the fumes from coal smoke and oil fumes from heat treating, but I also dont want my mirror polished finishing anvil to rust from moisture, any ideas???

so the ideas I have gotten so far have been similar to my own, anybody got anything really off the wall that you thought would just be nice, I already have the stereo and cable figured into the design, and phone line unfortunately, because I will have a computer out there to run CNC programing sometime in the distant future..

If I can find the space I was figuring a room big enough for a sink a toilet and shower, plus a room off to one side big enough for a cot or bed, so that I could have students stay over if they wanted for classes ect, what do you think, too convenient ??

Thanks for all the help guys!

Keep um comin!!

Alan..
 
There is no such thing as a shop thats the right size. Always remember, he who has the most toys when he dies, wins. Make your shop about twice what you think you need and by the time you run out of room you'll be able to have some money ratholed to make it bigger. See it's really simple. I just haven't figured out why women can't see these things.
Tom
 
ALAN, I have a 12 BY 16 shop. One way I made it bigger in useable space was to build a rotating work bench, a lazy susan I guess you could call it .Its very simple to build. I used 4x4's for the frame and a 4 by 4 foot sheet of 3/4" plywood for the top. I used the wheels off some old inline skates(I wish I had used some stouter ones) and bolted them to the sides of the base with as much showing over the top edge as possible. To keep the top on and still let it turn freely, I simply drilled a 3/8" hole in the center and a matching hole in the crossmember of the base and put a 3/8" carriage bolt in it. Then I just set the top on the base and bolted my main tools on it. I have my wilton,a large table top drill press, a buffer, a large vise, a knife vise, and a 6 by 48 belt sander bolted to it. It sticks in a couple spots, but thats cause of a knot hole in the top and the small wheels. Hope this is helpful!! Take care! Michael

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
 
I am planning on something the size of a double car garage, you cant have too much space.

The one thing that I would definitely install are skylights, frosted tor transluscent. I have worked in places with skylights and they are great.

The no phone idea is definitely a plus.

Lots of insulation to keep the heat in in the winter and the heat out in the summer.



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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com

 
i'd say 24'x 24' a bridgeport vertical mill in the center of one wall above a cabinet. all the tools for it in there. next to it a small metal lathe on a table, next to it on the same table is a small wood lathe. now in the center of another wall put a belt sander, and next to it another with a different setup. now next to that, but a couple feet away put a samell cabinet with a steel slab on top, that'll be your finishing cabinet put your supllies in there, and have a lip for clamping blades. if needed make a small room for forging, so the rest of the shop stays clean, put a vise on the finishing table, with a air vent under it, now put air vents on the belt sanders, and mist coolant systems on the metal lathe and mill. put a sheild on the wood lathe to block chips. now you have free space for other equipment, buffers ect. and plenty of free space in the middle, polished concrete flooring and plenty of big plexy glass windows or lucite. concrete and steel for exery thing else. a 10' cieling.
 
i forgot to add, put a big sign that says enter quietly, becuase i've come close to loosing lingers from people entering my shop, then they scare you by yelling, you slip and lose something important. make sure they know to stand in a place visible to you, but keep quiet when they want your attention.
 
YOU AINT KIDDIN MAGNUM!!! I NEVER WORK WITHOUT FACING THE DOOR IN MY SHOP. THIS ISN'T VERY DIFFICULT THOUGH, THE SHOP IS 16 FEET LONG AND HAS 8 FEET OF DOORS.
 
Alan, if you have a Bed, Shower, Bathroom, Cable, internet, Phone and Stereo, you might as well throw in a fridge and microwave. Keep in Mind that your shop might become a Marital Fallout shelter. Keep some jewlery stashed in there as well to help diffuse the wife.

At a rock shop that I frequent, the guy has his phones hooked up to lights around the shop so the lights flash when the phone rings. Maybe hook up a doorbell on a similar system. Make a separate housing for things like the aircompressor. I hate them darn things kicking on suddenly.

Certain things just don't work. If you have a tube & stereo, put them up high on a shelf, away from the benches. They get in the way.

YeK

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It is not a matter of whether or not you are paranoid, it is a matter of whether or not you are paranoid enough.

AKTI # A000348
 
If you're worried about ventilation for the forge, I'd think about a hood and stovepipe going outside, but with a fan installed in it, to blow outside. Do you use gas or coal? Particulates aren't such a problem with gas, but coal can put out a lot of smoke fast.
You guys are all making me jealous with your shop sizes. I'm in a 9 1/2'x10' shed, with the forge out in the elements. I have to move the anvil and stand, as well as all rustables inside after every session, and you wouldn't believe how crowded that shed is with my meager tool collection. Power is piped out with an extension cord, so I have to be careful of how many tools I run at the same time. My current plan is a 10x16 deck with a corregated roof for hot work. The forge and its periphreals, the foundry and furnace, and a stout workbench for the 200# vice. Can't wait to install that beast. Walls will be tarp to start with, then plywood later, with carpet for soundproofing. Weatherproofing is a concern because north Florida is so humid that it tends to rust anything non-stainless in less than an hour if it's left out. It doesn't help that I have a swamp in my backyard.
Are you set for 110 and 220 current in this new shop? Be a shame to overlook that with all the other bells and whistles you've got going in it.

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Oz

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."
- Henry J. Kaiser
 
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