Thread: New Woodworker seeks advice

Plenty of power points - 15amp or 3 phase, some overhead is good.
Plumbing for the dust collector - good if you can have the dusty outside.
Noise insulation - don't want the neighbours complaining.
Light & ventillation - plenty of both.
Timber storage - boards, sheet material and offcuts.
Cupboards - closed, if possible, to keep dust off everything.

How's that for a start?

Oh, and welcome.

Alex covered most items though I'd like to add a couple more. Type flooring - raw concrete is hard on the feet, consider antifatigue mats if necessary. Access - make sure it's easy to bring materials to and from your shop. Security - you don't want someone being able to easily take something that belongs to you.

Good luck on your new shop

Paul

All of the above...plus a really good shed heater......makes it a nice place even in the depths of winter.
And welcome aboard Peter.

Great advice guys. That's the sorts of things that I'm interested in. Thanks.

The abundance of power points should be no problem as I'm an Electrical Engineer with an A-Class electrical license as well.

The flooring idea raises another question in my mind. Has anyone put down a timber floor over the concrete base? I reckon this would not only look great in a wood shop but also be much easier on your feet.

Originally Posted by petermcb

The flooring idea raises another question in my mind. Has anyone put down a timber floor over the concrete base? I reckon this would not only look great in a wood shop but also be much easier on your feet.

If I had sufficient head height I would do so, instead I have good foam rubber matting on the floor, which makes a world of difference to the old concrete floor.

Wide access is essential if you are going to build furniture, so that you can get the finished pieces out easily. In addition to power points also plan on ducting air hoses to all main work areas.

Divide your shed into two areas, a dirty area for machining and a clean area for assembly and finishing.

Peter.

If you're going to spend a fair bit of time in the shed, make sure you plan on having at least a couple of windows. Natural light is great and being able to look out is even better

Also, have it at least 2.7m wall height, 3.0m is better.

If you are going to have skylight panels in the roof, get opal rather than clear, they can get very glary in summer.

I have most of my power points at chest height, saves a lot of bending down, as AlexS said plan for some overhead ones as well, saves having cords snaking across the floor.

Run an airline overhead as well for the same reason.

make sure you allow room for the fridge close to the door so its easy to stack the beers in.
but seriously, if yo uare lucky enough to be considering serious machinery, some of it needs trolleys or hoists to get it in so keep that in mind.

"The flooring idea raises another question in my mind. Has anyone put down a timber floor over the concrete base? I reckon this would not only look great in a wood shop but also be much easier on your feet."

Not in my shed but in my house. The floor can either float on a foam membrane or you put shallow bearers down on the concrete and fasten the timber to them. Either way make sure you have a water proof membrane under the wood. There are plenty of timber flooring companies that can advise.

Pitty it is not practical in my garage!

Pusser<!-- / message -->

The machinery.... try to stay away from universial type motors [ with brushes ] for the noise factor.
les

leave your skylights on the south side of the roof.
(at the top of this page you will see a number of headings.Do search for workshops, sheds etc you'll be reading for weeks and then when you finally get it built it'll still be wrong.
We are worse than women with shoes

Starting from scratch with a new home get a 3 phase supply. This means your machines will be quiter and you can buy used industrial grade machinary at very cheap prices,you won't regret it at all. It is possible to lay all dust collection in the floor if you can arrange for clearout if it blocks, this may not be a good idea if it gets blocked and you can't clear the line. Also while on dust collection get the dust extractor/cyclone into a seperate area so it is quiter for you and exhausts externally. I have a timber floor but not over concrete, we used standard flooring sheets and it is far better than concrete and is actually flat.

Welcome to the forum and I think the advice above is pretty good advice.

You may want to store your timber in a separate shed to make more room plus I think some insurance companies don't like lots of timber in your workshop.

I am about to build my new shed but I will be keeping some of my timber in a 20 foot shipping container (currently being used to store my machines) and I might need another shed for what won't fit in the container.

Good luck.

Insulate the roof! Sisalation at a minimum but there is a new type that is two sheets of aluminium foil with bubble wrap inbetween that is excellent. Well worth the extra cost.

Bino

Another thought - depending on how cold it gets in your part of the world, get a shed with a decent pitch on the roof.

My new shed will have a 22 degree pitch to overcome condensation and snow problems. You probably rarely get snow but condensation after a frosty night can be a problem dripping over your machines and projects.