Thread: Finally getting a shed

Originally Posted by dcarbonetti

So now the the question at hand is what is an ideal setup/arrangement for tools and equipment so i done need to constantly re-arrange things? Does anyone have examples?

Congrats - even though it's 10 years ago I still remember that new shed feeling.

Your question is a bit of a how long is a piece of string question but here are some general comments.

Efficient workshop layout depends on things like;

1. Number and size of machines
2. Hand tool versus machine use
3. What work is being done
4. Proposed Dust Collection setup
5. Can things like vehicles be moved out (even if temporary) so you can use that space?

If you were to list/describe these in your case that would help us help you.

I've seen a lot of workshops in the last decade and my view is that not many workshop owners have taken these things into consideration.

Dust collection is last on my list but it can play a significant role in a workshops lay out.
Typically people buy a bunch of machines and the stuff them in any old how and only then worry about dust collection.

One of the most important aspects of dust collection is the DC location. Ideally it should locate it outside the workshop opposite the largest opening into the workshop. The alternative is to set up an sir tight enclosure inside and vent it outside.

If you plan to make lots of dust then you really should consider using fixed ducting and minimal flex which usually means fixed machine positions. OTOH if you machine use is light then something like a central dust collection point and use of more flex can be considered as a layout. Machines can then be placed on wheels and moved into that central point. For really efficient dust collection use of flex should be minimised. Personally I found this a right PITA and found its much better to have machines in a fixed location to minimised time wasted in moving machines and swapping around ducting. Machines can of course still have wheels for when they have to be moved. Given you have leave a car space that might be accessible from tie to time maybe some combination of fixed and mobile gear could be used.

The size of the DC can also influence machine layout. If the DC is small then you really need to minimise the ducting and get the dustier machines close to the DC. If your DC is powerful, enough or machines are going to be small, and your use will be light (ie make less dust) then the machines can be placed wherever you wish as use longer ducting runs won't be significant.

Something I advocate for all workshop is ventilation - this takes care of fine dust build up from all sorts of things especially fine dust from machinery and power tools that escapes DC of shop vac collection. In you size workshop you would need at least 2 (preferably 4) bathroom type exhaust fans. There are better fans available - look at hydroponic type fans and pick the quietest.

Another thing to think about is power requirements. It depends on what size machinery you have or intend to purchase. I recommend a minimus of two 15A GPOs on separate circuits and breakers, at lest one 10A circuit and a lighting circuit - you will need to improved lighting as most garages are woeful in that regard. I recommend LED lighting.
Maybe your breaker box is in you garage otherwise I would get your sparky to run something like a 32A cable from the house breaker box to your workshop and install a small breaker box there - then if you need to install another 15A circuit it becomes much easier.

I agree with the before. It really depends on what you are doing.

I am in a similar situation. We have a three car garage and I was allowed to separate one car spot off for a dedicated workshop area. So I am absolutely envious that you are allowed to use 3 car spaces ;-)

Anyway, one thought I also had was to protect the cars in the garage from my work. E.g. excessive dust as well as the occasional flying thing not to hit them. Things can always go wrong. What I did was to use heavy duty shelves as a separator and same time storage.

Then all my stuff benches, etc. is on wheels and I arranged as I think I would like to work. Due to tight space I discovered the joy of working with hand tools. I understand that does not apply to you.

However, when I set it up I was already conscious that although I do as best as I think it fits for me I would after a while rearrange everything. In 2 years time I am heading for a big birthday and then I will give the space a make over and by then I will know much more what I want and need to change or what I like and want to keep as is.

So in amy case expect you are going to change it once in a while anyway.

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Thanks for the replies

dust collection is something that i was thinking of, and know i need, but not sure exactly what i need; was looking at the dust collectors but i dont know if they are the right size or if i should look at some form of fixed unit instead of a relocatable one

(Power)tools wise im hoping to have a proper table saw & router table to replace my currently have a triton 2000 workcentre and a triton router table (but they will do for now)
Desktop CNC router
Drill press

I would like to add:
Thicknesser & jointer (or a combination unit)
Fixed disk/belt sander

and maybe one day a wood lathe or a metal lathe

I assume I shouldnt be running metalwork equipment with a wood dust collection system

Ideally the vehicle will stay where it is, i plan to build some partitions to seperate it from the rest of the workshop. right now it will be a runaround car, or i'll trade it for a ute. but in the future there may be a 50s corvette that will need to be restored, so it wont be easily movable

Power to the building looked pretty good. there was a sub swichboard that i could see with 3-4 seperate circuits so I'm guessing lights, and 2-3 seperate power circuits. I'll be able to take a closer look once i move in, and i have a sparky that owes me a few favors

As for the DC and the location my uneducated mind was thinking in the back corner of the place, so it sounds like that could work, i can then build a removable frame around it to block out the noise if needed and vent it outside.

Originally Posted by BobL

Congrats - even though it's 10 years ago I still remember that new shed feeling.

Your question is a bit of a how long is a piece of string question but here are some general comments.

Efficient workshop layout depends on things like;

1. Number and size of machines
2. Hand tool versus machine use
3. What work is being done
4. Proposed Dust Collection setup
5. Can things like vehicles be moved out (even if temporary) so you can use that space?

If you were to list/describe these in your case that would help us help you.

I've seen a lot of workshops in the last decade and my view is that not many workshop owners have taken these things into consideration.

Dust collection is last on my list but it can play a significant role in a workshops lay out.
Typically people buy a bunch of machines and the stuff them in any old how and only then worry about dust collection.

One of the most important aspects of dust collection is the DC location. Ideally it should locate it outside the workshop opposite the largest opening into the workshop. The alternative is to set up an sir tight enclosure inside and vent it outside.

If you plan to make lots of dust then you really should consider using fixed ducting and minimal flex which usually means fixed machine positions. OTOH if you machine use is light then something like a central dust collection point and use of more flex can be considered as a layout. Machines can then be placed on wheels and moved into that central point. For really efficient dust collection use of flex should be minimised. Personally I found this a right PITA and found its much better to have machines in a fixed location to minimised time wasted in moving machines and swapping around ducting. Machines can of course still have wheels for when they have to be moved. Given you have leave a car space that might be accessible from tie to time maybe some combination of fixed and mobile gear could be used.

The size of the DC can also influence machine layout. If the DC is small then you really need to minimise the ducting and get the dustier machines close to the DC. If your DC is powerful, enough or machines are going to be small, and your use will be light (ie make less dust) then the machines can be placed wherever you wish as use longer ducting runs won't be significant.

Something I advocate for all workshop is ventilation - this takes care of fine dust build up from all sorts of things especially fine dust from machinery and power tools that escapes DC of shop vac collection. In you size workshop you would need at least 2 (preferably 4) bathroom type exhaust fans. There are better fans available - look at hydroponic type fans and pick the quietest.

Another thing to think about is power requirements. It depends on what size machinery you have or intend to purchase. I recommend a minimus of two 15A GPOs on separate circuits and breakers, at lest one 10A circuit and a lighting circuit - you will need to improved lighting as most garages are woeful in that regard. I recommend LED lighting.
Maybe your breaker box is in you garage otherwise I would get your sparky to run something like a 32A cable from the house breaker box to your workshop and install a small breaker box there - then if you need to install another 15A circuit it becomes much easier.

Originally Posted by dcarbonetti

Thanks for the replies
dust collection is something that i was thinking of, and know i need, but not sure exactly what i need; was looking at the dust collectors but i dont know if they are the right size or if i should look at some form of fixed unit instead of a relocatable one

In my visits of about 20 sheds in 2012-13 I found mobile dust collectors emitted more dust than fixed position dust collectors. I believe this is because as they are wheeled around a workshop they get bashed/twisted and bags get punctured more easily that those in fixed locations - best of all is to have the DC outside your shed or in an airtight enclosure tag is vented outside a shed.

(Power)tools wise im hoping to have a proper table saw & router table to replace my currently have a triton 2000 workcentre and a triton router table (but they will do for now)
Desktop CNC router
Drill press
Thicknesser & jointer (or a combination unit)
Fixed disk/belt sander
and maybe one day a wood lathe or a metal lathe

Ok that sounds like you will need decent dust extraction.

I assume I shouldnt be running metalwork equipment with a wood dust collection system

You can as long as you have a metal dust catcher in between the dust source and the DC.
see Metal dust catcher

There is no ideal setup. There's your ideal setup of the moment, which may change as your projects change or you learn more about what works for you. Wheels help, although some tools, like drill presses, are kind of top-heavy and tricky on wheels (my drill press came on a plywood base about twice the size of the factory base both ways, and it's fairly stable; but not ideal).

Taunton Press, here in the U.S., published a book some years back, "The Workshop Book," by Scott Landis, which offers good discussions of how to plan a shop layout, and then offers some shop examples ranging from simple and practical to outrageous. I don't know how expensive it would be there in Oz, but, if it's affordable ($5 and up here in the U.S.), you might find it worthwhile.

The old standby is still a useful approach: buy some graph paper, lay out your shop on the graph paper to whatever scale fits the page, and then make little paper dolls of your machines (and the car, of course), and move them around. Infeed, outfeed, side clearance all matter, more so in a machine-based shop, but even somewhat in a hand tool shop.

I haven't actually done what I will describe here, because it's not doable in my matchbox size shed, but if I have a 2-3 car space in the future I have decided that I will actually split it in two with a wall and door.

This does two things: first it creates a lot more of the 2nd most valuable commodity in a shop, which is wall space. Wall space with shelves, cabinets and hanging hooks actually frees up a lot of floor space, which is the 1st most valuable commodity, and it keeps bench space free. Also, stuff on walls makes them a lot more accessible and even actually reminds me that they exist, you'd be surprised how many tools and jigs we've all forgotten that we own.

The other thing it does is that you can split your space into a "dirtier" and a "cleaner" one and plan your DC accordingly. All the dimensioning machinery that creates most of the dust can go into the "dirty" space, and that makes your DC set up in there easier and more contained, shorter pipes etc. The goal is still of course to collect all the dust at the source in that room, but if your set up is not 100% efficient for 100% of the time, at least the flying dust stays in there rather than contaminating your whole shop, or you can even wear a mask in there if needs be. Because if you actually count the time we spend dimensioning and making big piles of dust, for most of us it's really just a small fraction compared to design, measuring/marking, hand tool work, assembly, glue up, finishing etc which are "clean" activities in terms of dust. So the work flow is to go to the "dirty" room for a few minutes (with or without a mask depending how much you trust your DC), come out with your dimensioned/jointed/planed timber and then spend the vast majority of your time in the "clean" room that only really has small power tools that can be managed differently in terms of dust. Or no power tools at all if you're the hand tool type.

Like I said I haven't done it personally, but I've seen it in practice and it works really well. Just an idea.
Keep in mind this really just suits my workflow, maybe it's not for you (depends really how much time you spend on bigger machinery, some people need to be on top of their table saw all the time).

"the question at hand is what is an ideal setup/arrangement" - I think the ideal plan is to collect all the dust and eject it all over the 4th car space. When the car is not there, use this to innocently spray paint all over the place. Maybe spill a bit of oil by mistake and looked concerned about the car. Pretty sure in time, this will become a 4 bay workshop for you and all your layout problems will solve themselves.

To be honest cars in garages is a bad idea. 9 times out of 10 the areas around the car turn into "storage" for things like inflatable stuff for the beach from 3 summers ago with a total replacement value of $5.
Best thing I ever did was move into a house without storage other than the attic, makes everybody think twice before buying junk.

Originally Posted by Spyro

To be honest cars in garages is a bad idea.

Oddly enough, though, people who don't do stuff with their hands think that garages are put on houses to have somewhere to put the car(s).

There's a housing development beyond the next town over that's for the over-50 folks, and the Homeowner's Associations (there are several) mostly have rules that you can't leave your car(s) on the street/in the driveway longer than it takes to open the garage door and put the cars in.

Where people get these strange ideas is just beyond me.

Originally Posted by Spyro

Best thing I ever did was move into a house without storage other than the attic, makes everybody think twice before buying junk.

That hasn't seemed to deter SWMBO one iota. When I finally installed an attic SWMNO managed to fill that well before the other crap was sorted. Now she has the two spare bedrooms full os stuff. Plus she's taken over the lounge room - which we weren't using anyway for her craft stuff. We still have the 14 boxes of old books from her mother's deceased estate slowly going mouldy on the back veranda. She can't seem to clear things fast enough and takes up new hobbies we before she discards old ones. Her bench in the shed has been covered with lapidary and glass jewellery stuff since 2012 and has not really been touched since then. We had a "rule" about anything large coming into the house had to involve the removal of a similar sized object but when her mothers deceased estate had to be dealt with in a hurry in late 2019 I agree that many boxes of "stuff" and some furniture could come to our place and be sorted out there. I've been regretting it ever since.

Years ago I backed a trailer into my shed 3 times and filled it every time and took it all to the tip and haven't missed a thing.

Remember that the junk expands to fit the space available. DAMHIK

Originally Posted by Bill Houghton

Oddly enough, though, people who don't do stuff with their hands think that garages are put on houses to have somewhere to put the car(s).

[snip]
Where people get these strange ideas is just beyond me.

Yeah! Where do they get that idea from? Absolutely mystifying.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

Years ago I backed a trailer into my shed 3 times and filled it every time and took it all to the tip and haven't missed a thing.

That is the ironic thing. And even after a few life experiences like this I still end up collecting every scrap of wood bigger than a pencil.