Need some shop design suggestions PLEASE!

Joined
Jun 10, 2001
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My shop area consists of half of a two car garage.
I decided to CLEAN it out and before I knew it, everything (I Mean Everything) was moved to the other side of the garage.

So before I put it all back I wonder what special things other makers have done with there shop.
Or maybe wished you had done after you finished!
IE: built in's, special vent systems, electrical stuff and so on...

I will be walling off MY space to keep the mess down and installing a Swamp cooler on the back wall.
So far I've only got the back wall up so there is plenty of room to add stuff.

Suggestions???
 
Move the car outside and make a shed for the other stuff and just turn the whole garage into your shop;) You will never have enough room.
Suggestions other than that.Heck I keep changing mine all the time,feel like i am out growing the shop now.
Good Luck.
Bruce
 
I am a part time maker. I liked the way the electrical work shop wher i worked was set up grinder up on peditals drill press pedistal type.

It was greast for access from all angles. However in my shed I have

a belt sander, buff whheel and wire brush , and a pedital drill. all sticking out of the ground great to keep clean. great for access.

Absolutly no storage space for the other supplies. If I were to start over I would have a long bench with all bench mounted drill press buff wheel etc. as long as the bench is in place draws and cupboards can be added as cash permits. I have put in a set of outlets one for each machine so that I am not continualy plugging and unplugging cords.

I have not been able to afford the materials to construct the super bench yet. So it will be my dream for a while.

Reg ELLERY
 
You will never have enough plug in's also.You might consider adding double the amount of pluggins you are originally thinking about and then you might have enough to last for awhile:D
Bruce
 
Thanks Bruce and Reg,
I do have a long bench now that I combined the two I had.
I plan on running real electrical outlets this time instead of 5-6 electrical cords everywhere.

Suggestions for venting, dust control...

Bret, I will be painting it with Epoxy floor paint.
 
Robert: Lay out all your equipment and floor space on graph paper, to scale. Cut them out and make a paper layout, moving things around until it makes sense- from an electrical, dust collection and ergonomic perspective.
I laid out my current (new) shop using a CAD program. It took me some time, but, everything fit as it should.

RJ Martin
 
Send all of your equipment my way.
That way you`ll have all the room you need:rolleyes: :D
No matter how much room you have you`ll alwas need more.
Like Bruce said you never have enought outlets.
 
Robert,
Penn State Industries and several other wood workers supply places sell an airbox that has worked well for me. It is a box with 2 squirrel cages rated at 950CFM and a bag filter and a replaceable filter on the end. It constantly moves dusty air in and clean air out.
 
LOTS of electrical outlets, below bench level. Drill the bench right behind each tool for the cords- then a quick shot with the air gets the benchtop clean.
Half of the electrical boxes on switches. The switched boxes can take a tool and a light that BOTH come on when you flip the switch.
Several 220 outlets, at least one on each wall.
Compressed air outside with a couple stub outlest on each wall for quick disconnects.
Propane outside with a hose running in for the forge.
Stuff outside cuts down on noise and also preserves floor space.
Everything possible should have [some shallow and some deep] drawers under for clean storage.
Paint the walls white and put in twice as many switched electrical outlets as you think you need on the ceiling for lights.
Benchtops made from something tough and smooth. I used 1/16th steel and painted them with HammerRight paint. Cleanup is much easier if you build wqith that though in mind.

Please post some pics and show off the shop when you get it back to working.




Dave
 
Sir,

Put in plenty of light fixtures, if they are not already there. Not just flourescents though, it should be a mixture of different light types to minimize shadow and let you see Everything.

Taunton Press produces the Fine Woodworking and Homebuilding magazines, among others. They have also published several books. One of them is about setting up shops. It is geared towards woodworkers, but there are a lot of things that would apply to most any kind of shop. They talk about how the owners accomodated there problems and work styles. It might give you a couple of ideas. Your local library should (hopefully) have it.

Take care.

Andy
 
I was about to recommend you put your grinding bench by a window so you could get a squirrel cage blower to vent the bulk of the bad stuff out. This winter I'm literally going to tear my shop out and put it back reversed just so I can get my dust by a window...

So in that vein, could one of you point me at the twin squrirerl cage blower? That's exactly what I've been trying to find with no luck.

Robert thanks for starting a good thread, seems I often get to piggyback on other's ideas!

Thank you,
Dave
 
Wow, You have a two car garage! I'm halfway set up in my one car garage. I need to build a wall to separate the laundry area from my messy area so my wife can work in peace. I definitely need to wire up a sub panel for just the shop with at least two 220 outlets and at least half a dozen regular outlets. Ohh, and flourescent lighting! Sometimes I wonder if I wouldn't be better off building a small shop from scratch in the back yard. As it is I need to build a storage shed to house all of the stuff like bicycles and the lawn mower I am gradually displacing from the garage.

Better dust collection and add an air conditioner (this is Florida, "it's not the heat, it's the humidity!") Somewhere in all this I'm supposed to work my job, work overtime to make ends meet, repair the house and do yard work, spend time with the kids and my wife AND make knives? Boy I'll be glad when the kids are old enough to mow the lawn!:D Is it like this for all you guys too?
 
Bob: This is what I would do for a low maintence shop. On the opposite wall from the doors you cut a bigass hole in it and mount a reversible fan (15 to 20 hp) when grinding have it blowing out and when you want to clean the shop have it blowing in with the doors opened.
P.S. hope you don't have any small kids or dogs.:D :D :D
 
George,
That is pretty much how I have it set up so far.
I have a Swamp cooler that blows from the back wall straight toward the front of the shop.
Understand this thing is only 7'6" wide by 14'long inside dimensions. But it's mine all mine hahaha.

I plan to cut a big hole in the opposite wall and either install a movable flap of some sort or a pressure sensative loovered vent. It may also get a powered vent fan if that doesn't do the trick!

I will definetly rig up some sort of dust particle filter system to pick up the microscopic stuff:barf:

You know the stuff that shows up on Xrays after a few years of grinding...
I am doing strictly stock removal for now untill I get my forge set up, that goes in the back yard for sure!
 
Bob,Ror the venting of the fine air born particles.I have found that the over Range hoods work really slick,and so do the fans that go in the wall with a lever to open them and turn on a exaust fan when they are opened...These are not real expensive and you can even pick them up second hand.You would be suprised at how much air they move.
Bruce
 
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