The Shop > Our Shop
24' x 35' Workshop Project
rockknocker:
Hello everybody! This is my first thread on this forum, so please be patient with me if there are posting problems.
My wife and I bought a house several months ago that needed a lot of work, we've fixed up the inside and are working on the landscaping now. In one corner of the property is a nice little building that I've reserved as a shop (with the wife's blessing, of course ). The building measures 24' x 35' inside and is split into two rooms. One of the rooms is about half the size of the other and has some serviceable wall paneling and industrial carpet installed already. I really couldn't do any better for a shop with an attached office!
I would like to use the larger side of the building as a combination wood/machine/fabrication shop if that is practical, at least until I can figure out which of my hobbies I'd like to focus on. The problem is, I have no idea how to lay the building out to make it the most useable. Does anybody have suggestions on the best way to lay out a shop?
I took some measurements and made a simple floor plan in DraftSight.
The existing floor plan is in white, possible locations for future countertops are green. There are two overhead doors (one 5' wide, one 6') and three windows, all are serviceable and don't appear to leak. The walls appear to be insulated but I haven't taken off the chipboard nailed to them to make sure. The floor is cement and fairly flat, with only minor cracking here and there.
There are several things that need to happen to make this a nice shop:
Countertops: I'd like to have a lot of work area, so I'll probably put countertops along most of the inside wall. Most of my machinery is benchtop sized, so that eats up a lot too. I have a MicroMark 7x10" lathe, a bench bandsaw, a borrowed Craftsman benchtop wood lathe, a small welder, and am looking for more.
Electrical: The shop currently only has one 15A 110V circuit and a 15A 220V circuit, which is dedicated to a wall heater. The wiring is iffy, at best. I've lined up an electrician buddy to help me run a 60A 220V circuit to the shop to its own panel, from there I'll branch out to the lighting, outlets, and heater. There is a lot of left over 14awg wire and hardware left over from the house, I plan to use that in the shop.
Lighting: Two bare bulbs supply lighting for one side, one dim fixture lights up the other. I've been grabbing old fluorescent fixtures for a year now in anticipation of this build, so I should end up with some pretty good illumination in the end.
Misc: A dust and fume extraction system would be great to have, and I have several parts for it already. That project would probably warrant its own thread. I'd also like to build a paint booth for small parts, something like the fume hoods that I saw at a local college.
As this project progresses I'll post updates and pictures. Next to come are some real pictures of the shed, I haven't taken any since we bought the place but the shed was full of the previous owner's "valuables" so you can't see much of it. With winter starting up I won't be able to work outside as much and will therefore be working on this more!
Any input is greatly appreciated, some of the other workshop projects on this site are very impressive! I can only hope that mine is useable by the time it's finished.
ieezitin:
Hello and welcome.
Concrete floors suck!!! They hold cold and damp and are a bugger for small dust particles, at the very least cover with industrial padded rubber matting everywhere, this makes it easier to sweep up trash and are a pleasure to walk on don’t go cheap with it. Concrete floors in a shop need to be vacuumed, it’s a bastard to turn on the shop vac only to have all the grit and dust fly around the shop landing on the oiled soaked machine it bugs the hell out of me, a central vac will eliminate this.
Insulate the walls it’s an expense which will pay dividends, sounds better too plus it helps keeping the bugs down. Obviously it retains heat and cold, pay attention to your heat source as some introduce vapor.
Brilliant white paint floor to ceiling ( Kilnz premium) its expensive but the white it gives you is worth it, plus the lighting will be distributed better giving you better value, don’t know your age but if your over 40 it will help the eyes tenfold.
Fluorescent lighting, get the one that work in the winter, there a little more money its worth it…
Counter tops, who cares what’s underneath but make them thick and cover with sheet stainless or carbon plate.
Make your storage compact and removable, small in height draws but more of them, install as many as you can afford you’re gonna use them, removable because you’re going to move shop one day and you’re going to want to take them.
When planning your machine space make it logical, pay attention to height where your machines will rest, having a too-high machine will drive you mad. Make your machinist chest central to the shop because whenever you need to access it it must be the shortest possible rout to it.
Electrical supply the machines should come from above, make sure there are extra outlets to plug in silly stuff without laying out extension cords.
A blackboard, have a place to scribble stuff and pin up paperwork, make sure it can be seen from the whole shop, god knows how many times I have had ideas while waiting for the machine to complete its cycle and never wrote it down.
A marking out spot should be allocated, have all the tools and equipment in the same spot.
The grinding station should be tucked away in a corner and provisions made to eject the dust.
A small fridge for the beer and a great sound system plus Wi-Fi for the I-Pad.
Enjoy spending your money my friend…… enjoy your hobby..
God bless Anthony…
Brass_Machine:
Hi!
Welcome to the collective :borg:
That looks like it will be a decent place to play. Off the top of my head, I would suggest using the smaller side as an office/clean room/assembly area and lounge. That's the place for the PC and printer (so you don't have to keep running into the house). Make sure you have internet as well. A nice comfy chair. Mini fridge (if you have room). A workbench or 3. 1 for assembly, 1 for drawing (same place as the PC/printer) and 1 for electronics work (if you are into that)
The big room... Since you don't have a mill, I would plan on getting one now. If you go benchtop size, it isn't that big of a deal. But if you plan on getting one of the full size or close to it mills, then plan your shop space accordingly. IE know where your mill is going to go.
Since I don't know what your hobbies are or what you want to do... I am at a loss on some things. So here are some ideas. Take the ones you like:
1. You said roll up doors. Make sure you have room if you are into power sports to pull whatever it is, into your shop IE, motorcycles
2. Overhead lifting. IE a hoist or gantry crane
3. Storage is almost important in any hobby. Allow for it. Cabinets, rafters, shelfs etc.
4. Electrical. Make sure you have plenty of outlets with appropriate power. If you get that big mill, you might need 220 socket. Plan you space accordingly.
5. There is something to be said for stools and anti fatigue mats.
That said... tell us more about yourself. What are you interested in?
Eric
awemawson:
I've taken to lining concrete floors with 8x4 sheets of 20mm 'Sterling Board' or OSB (oriented strand board) I use OSB 3 which is the damp proof version, and plug and screw it down on an 18" or 24" matrix. I paint it with two coats of normal floor paint and find it stands up very well to shifting heavy machines about. If a bit does get damaged it's very easy to replace, but I've never had to yet.
It makes a dust free, slightly easier on the foot cover that is not so bad if you drop a tool and is far more pleasant if you have to roll around on it to get at things.
rockknocker:
Thanks Anthony! Those are some good suggestions! I do have some follow-up questions though:
* I would love to get metal countertops but in the short term I'll probably have to go cheaper, what with a new house and new kid and all. :) I was thinking of using some plain white laminate countertop material, do you think that would hold up for a year or so?
http://www.lowes.com/pd_446590-76323-949-58-48X96-900_4294735712__?productId=4321914&Ntt=white+laminate&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Dwhite%2Blaminate&facetInfo=
* Forgive my ignorance, but could you define "marking out spot"?
Eric, I was thinking the same thing for the smaller side. Also, I'm an electrical engineer by trade and sometimes need to do circuit work at home, so I might strip back a few feet of carpet next to the countertop and lay down some ESD paint to make an electrical work area.
I'm not sure why the previous owner made both doors the roll-up type, probably because of the size of the opening. The doors are *barely* wide enough to fit my car through with the mirrors out, but I only plan on doing that when maintenance needs to be done.
I've got some ideas for a gantry crane and a possible source for the raw materials, but that project would be a ways off...
I'll copy this to the intro post topic. About me: I'm a mid-twenties electrical engineer with a wife and one kid living in the beautiful Oregon countryside. My interests include RC flying, engines, electronics, woodworking, and taking things apart. I've read many forum posts and articles from home machinists and fabricators but have never been able to "join the club" until recently when we moved to our new house with its aforementioned shed. I grew up on a farm so I have working (but rusty) skills in welding, fabricating, and mechanics. My job allows me to dabble in the mechanical side of things when I'm done with the electronics, so I have been able to do a small amount of mechanical design and machining there as well. I have several projects that need to be tackled, aside from the ones mentioned in the original post:
* Restoration of a 1919 model 'T' Ford willed to me by my grandfather.
* Refurbishing of a half-dozen 22+ inch LCD monitors that were given to me. Most of them should come back to life after capacitor replacement.
* Various wood projects for my wife including drawer dividers, a removeable formica tabletop, and a fireplace mantle.
* Something to make all of the plastic baby food containers my daughter goes through more useful. Got a few ideas...
Thanks for all the encouragement and advice!
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