Thread: Workshop Layout

Jim,

The only pitfall is to have machinery that you can't move, and get it wrong!

How big is your shed, and what equipment do you have?

Cheers,

P

The only advice that I can give is make sure that you have plenty of length in front and behind your surfacer and planer. I helped a friend move his new combo planer into position and call back the next weekend when he found out that he could only plane up to 3m long. Problem when he had some boards to plane that were 3.3m for mouldings.

Jim, draw a floor plan of your workshop, to scale, ie:1:100, then also to scale draw an outline of your machinery on a piece of cardboard. Cut out the machinery outlines then move them around on the plan. Pay attention to the areas around machinery that need a of bit extra room, doors and windows (sunlight) and power points.
Cheers
Barry

Even better, go to grizzly.com , they have a program and machine icons you can place on the floor plan and you can alter sizes to equal your gear and workshop. Works a treat.


http://www.grizzly.com/workshopplann...C&site=grizzly

Ther have been all sorts of articles & books written on the subject in great detail.
However most of them fail to point out.
That it will all change with your next big purchase.

I've had three different saw benches in at least 5 different places in my work shop.

Don't forget to allow for change.

cheers

What everyone has said above.
My 2cents worth Place your machines where you think best and use them for a day or two, then bolt them down if you need to.

Many thanks for the very good advice from you all. I particularly like the idea of drawing a scale plan of the workshop and the equipment. One I get it set up I'll post a couple of pics.

If you get it right let me know. I have been trying for 30 years to get mine right but the only thing that doesn't move is the lathe.

I am glad I have a forklift as the layout changes with each job.

Hi, The latest issue of fine woodworking - tools and shops which is in the newsagents now has an article about laying out your shop and some little patterns that you can photocopy- pity its all in inches though.

Hi Jim
I have probably the smallest workshop in Australia, 12' x 8'. in it I have the following
Porta Cable Table Saw
Small Scheppach Band Saw
Scheppach Radial Drill Press
GMC Disk Belt/Disc Sander
Makita Drop Saw
Bench Grinder
1hp Dust Collector
Timber storage

I spent weeks and weeks with a scale drawing working the layout and am updating all the time. The shed has a double door on the 8' end and a window on the other end.All machinery is located on the right hand side with the table saw located closest to the door.it is mounted on a stand which has a lazy susan style turntable so I can Swivel the saw 90 degrees depending on if I am Doing fine work or ripping.If I am ripping a long length of timber then i Use my in feed and out feed tables aqlong with the table of the drill press [ which is located directly in front of the table saw]. If the timber is exta long then I use my Moveable Support System- my wife outside the window which lines up wth my saw and drill press!
All my power cords are suspended from a track system on the roof.
My bench and prep area runs down the left side and was made from the old pantry from our renovated kitchen, turned on its side .All the pigeon holes in this unit are currently being converted for storage of my power tools , jigs ect
I have made. Dedicated draws on metal slides have been made for such things as srews ,glues, nails ect. I have also made a timber floor with rubber matting to give me the correct work height. Pics will be up in the next week. m
Murray

Originally Posted by murray

Pics will be up in the next week. m
Murray

Murray look forward to you posting the pics - sounds like a well thought out workshop.

Cheers

Originally Posted by numbat

Murray look forward to you posting the pics - sounds like a well thought out workshop.

Cheers

Actually, it sounds more like Dr Who's tardis to me!

Mick

I dont have a dust extracter or what ever yet (I must make amends with that coz my lungs are buggered) and my lathe and thicknesser/planer are on the wall opposite the 5m rollerdoor. The workshop is divided into two, with a 7 x 6.5 metre carpark (that doubles as a place to use the lathe) and a 3 x 6.5 metre workshop with washroom for everything else.

I used to face the wall when working (on the lathe especially) but found that the cleanup time was longer than time I spent enjoying myself (whats the point of that???) I turned the lathe around and moved it about a metre away from the wall. Now I have my back to the wall, the chips fly over my shoulder and straight down the wall (no window) and collect on the floor behind me. Less dust (in my lungs) too with the breeze in my face, and no massive chore afterward.

J!

28 and your lungs are already buggered :eek:

What HAVE you been doing :confused:

PS

How can you run a thicknesser without a DC ?

You must spend a lot of time cleaning up.