Thread: the shed

Matt, Shed layout and design is a fairly personal thing and theres as many opinions as there are sheds



I have assumed its not as big as you would like

So try and imagine all the gear your realistically are going to own and plan the layout from there. It will set a few priorities and start to give an idea of how its going to pan out.

At some stage your going to clean out the shed, so allow for that in the layout. By that I mean allow space to get around the worst offenders such as a lathe.

If your shed is going to be turners shed primarily you might want to have a few things on wheels such the grinder and your bench. This allow better use of the limited space.

Lighting this can be a trap so try and keep this flexible. So consider hooking up your lights via standard plug outlets and make all the outlets doubles. This then gives you a whole bunch of power outlets on the ceiling. Useful for powering the mobile grinder and any other power tools you might use on the lathe.
Fixed lighting has its points, but in a shed at some time it wont be in the right place, so allow for some flexibility Cos this whole deal is a bit of 'yeah' then 'nah' and 'Damn it'

Look at dust collection as this effects your health. The basic idea here is to avoid as many bends as possible and really long runs. The DC probably wont be a 100% due to cost especially around the lathe. So look at some variations on the theme such as a exhaust fan for the whole shop. This is to clean the general air quality up in the shop, with woodworking we generate very small particles that hang in the air that are virtually invisible to the naked eye. These you want to get rid of any way you can.

Then do a shed crawl of as many sheds as possible to pick up ideas and good luck

Hey Matt,
The first thing I made sure I had in my Shed was a beer fridge, so if it was me that is where I would start
Cheers Ben

A poor man's dust control is a box fan in the wall or window 1 meter behind the lathe blowing out. A window or door open somewhere behind your right shoulder as you are standing at the lathe gives you a stream of reasonably clean air to breathe.

Box Fan: http://images.lowes.com/product/conv...6013311900.jpg

They are quite inexpensive here. I get mine free off the curb in the fall when they have been discarded, and clean them out and oil.

A beer frig is nice as long as you wait to open it until you have shut down the machinery for the day.

Sometimes the least bit of inattention can have serious consequences. A lathe can kill you.

Some Sheds:

Woodturning Workshop | Converted Barn

Robert Rosand - Setting up Your New Woodturning Shop

Advice on new woodturning shop - AAW Forums

Workshop Layout Planning | Stu's Shed

Probably the best way to arrange a shed is to stick the lathe somewhere, hang a light over it, put a bench or packing crate behind it for the grinder and tools, and start turning.

Very quickly you will discover that you want things arranged in a certain way. Then you can set them up permanently and put power points and lights where needed.

If you look at plans and photos of the "perfect" shed, and build it, shortly you may decide you want things arranged differently.

And about a year later you may decide to change a few things again.

And then you buy the BIG lathe.

Have a look at some of the sheds in the shed threads - can give you ideas for storage, chisel racks etc

well i got my big lathe and plonked it in the middle of the shed and going to work around that

Nah

needs to be in front of a window or somesuch so you can gaze at the scenery whilst sanding

The best tip I have read on this matter was to do a scale plan drawing of your shed and on a separate piece of paper or card draw scaled plan outlines of all the machines, workbenches etc that need to go in the shed. Cut these out and start shuffling them around on the plan of your shed until you have something you like.

A couple of other points: Remember workflow and/or positioning things in places that are logical or convenient to get to. Machines that get used a lot (example bandsaw) should be close to where your workbench is.

Putting some machines on wheels, especially when space is an issue, is a VERY good idea. When I was working out of a single car garage I had my table saw and Buzzer/Thicknesses combo machine on wheels and could move them out of the way when I didn't need them.

And one last thing, Lathes are one of the messiest machines in a workshop because it is hard to collect/contain all the chips that fly off. Some sort of screen would be advantageous to keeping the rest of your shed clean/ish. Flat surfaces and lathes don't mix. The flat surfaces will just end up with woodchips all over them.

Originally Posted by brendan stemp

The best tip I have read on this matter was to do a scale plan drawing of your shed and on a separate piece of paper or card draw scaled plan outlines of all the machines, workbenches etc that need to go in the shed. Cut these out and start shuffling them around on the plan of your shed until you have something you like.

Something like this you mean?

Grizzly.com® -- Workshop Planner

some very good points! I need to take everything out of my shed and start over! due to surprise purchases! e.g. 2nd lathe and a bargin of a dust extractor on eBay that is bigger than expected!

Originally Posted by chuck1

some very good points! I need to take everything out of my shed and start over! due to surprise purchases! e.g. 2nd lathe and a bargin of a dust extractor on eBay that is bigger than expected!

You are past the slippery slope, you are now hurtling down the cliff.

Orderly shed layout will be passe, the only concern will be "where can I cram in the latest acquisition".

Lost, lost, lost.

One of the things to think about with lathe positioning is where you are going to locate your chisels etc. They can take up a large amount of wall space and still not be conveniently located. Think about making a mobile unit with an external chisel rack that you can wheel into place while working and then wheel out of the way when you need more floor space. Mine has 2 racks and a set of drawers for calipers, micro chisels, face plates etc. Very handy !