NHSchreiner Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 I need to down size from a rented shop of 1,000sf to a one car garage. I have a Powermatic66, Bosch 4100, a vintage Shopsmith and a track saw. My gut says loose the Powermatic66. What say you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 I'd ditch the shop smith even if I wasn't losing space. Same with the Bosch tablesaw. Keep the rest. You will be fine in a smaller space if organized well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 Depends on how you use the items I guess...do you have the bosch saw for "field work"? Otherwise I'd ditch that first. What do you use the shopsmith for? If I had one, I'm guessing I would only use it for a couple things, which wouldn't justify the large footprint. But that's just me. Also I"m in a small 1 car garage that still has a washer/dryer, water heater, and a slop sink in it...and I've managed to fit quite a few big tools in there with careful organization. So...you should probably move in first and try a few different layouts before you sell any of your tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 Keep the 66! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 I went from a huge shop to a single car garage. It took me a long time to get it well organized. It's key to remember that, literally, every inch matters in a small space. Saving a few inches in one spot opens up opportunities in another. I has to get rid of everything that was not woodworking related, and this was difficult. My automotive stuff had to be relegated to basement, and I go down and get it when needed. Good luck and send pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 My shop isn't large (8' x 14'). I have a PM1000 in my shop and honestly after using a job site saw for 3 years i could never go back to one after using a cabinet saw. Mobile bases are key on everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 I'm still amazed at the folks on here that are working in small spaces and making incredible things in them. I'm like Pug, went from a huge shop to a one car garage, agree to all of the above. every inch counts in a small shop, check out the pictures of the shops on this forum to get ideas and always look for small shop tips in magazines or on-line to get more ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 My shop is a 2 car garage, but I have to share the space with 2 cars. I have a 36" table saw, 14" band saw, 17" drill press, 6" jointer & lunchbox planer crammed in there. It's tight, but it works. I'd definitely lose the Bosch & Shopsmith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottacat Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 This topic is quite applicable to me as I'm also downsizing from a 2-car garage to a single car garage. My biggest regret was that I bought my table saw with 52" rails and now it just takes up too much room. I've ordered the 36" rail package (ouch, ouch, the shipping is HOW much?). I planned out the workshop using the Grizzly workshop planner. That took care of the major tools which I keep on mobile bases. For me, the tablesaw, workbench and jointer tend to always be stationary while I move my DeWalt planer, router table, bandsaw and drill press for use. I still have yet to apply this planning to practice as I'm a fall to spring woodworker. I'll be interested to see the other replies to this topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prov163 Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 I think I'd lose the Shopsmith and Bosch 4100 but that's me. Use the money you get from selling them to buy a good mobile base for the Powermatic. Track saw is easy to store away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 Cripes, ditch one of the finest cabinet saws ever produced for a shopsmith and jobsite saw? If given the choice, i would trade my unisaw for a pm66. Granted, I dont know much about shopsmiths--never worked on one--but they strike me as a complete and total piece of crap. They look ridiculous. They give you ten tools, but each one is pitiful in capacity. Finally, it's pretty big. I would ditch that in a second. In my opinion, a small shop suffers most in terms of lumber storage. You simply cant store much, so you need to buy what you need when you need it. Is it possible to store lumber in another location? Im in a roughly 1400 sf basement that is more like 1200sf of shop space once you subtract the walled off washer/drier. There may come a time in the next 3ish years where the birth of a child would force me to strategically retreat to the single car attached garage for dust/sound mitigation. In a 10/12' by 20-25' space, I would seriously consider a combo euro machine if i could find one used. At the very least, there would have to be a euro combo milling machine. A 12"+ jointer and equal or larger floor planer are big tools. To condense their footprint into one is a big win. Ive seen a few CU300's within 3 hours of me the last 12 months and they were $4-8000 used. We are talking difference between the Smart, Elite and whatever else; I dont know the product line that well. That sounds like a lot, but you could get over a grand for the pm66, and then i dont know what your milling and router table situations, so you could have another $1-2,000 there. Not to mention cost savings of no longer renting, which could lead to the euro machine making financial sense. Your situation is one that has been in the back of my mind since getting married, please post an update after you move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonPacific Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 That Bosch is begging to live out in the garden shed, or in the back of a truck if you use it for a living. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 4 hours ago, ottacat said: My biggest regret was that I bought my table saw with 52" rails and now it just takes up too much room. I've ordered the 36" rail package (ouch, ouch, the shipping is HOW much?). I had a saw with a 52" fence for about 15 years & just hardly ever needed the capacity. My new saw has a 36" fence & I'm very happy with it. Why not just cut down those rails? It'll take about 10 minutes with a jig saw, you won't even have to remove them from the saw, & it'll cost you nothing but the price of a metal cutting blade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottacat Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 4 minutes ago, drzaius said: I had a saw with a 52" fence for about 15 years & just hardly ever needed the capacity. My new saw has a 36" fence & I'm very happy with it. Why not just cut down those rails? It'll take about 10 minutes with a jig saw, you won't even have to remove them from the saw, & it'll cost you nothing but the price of a metal cutting blade. I certainly debated that. However I do plan on eventually getting back into a larger shop and when I had the 52" fence I did use the extra capacity a fair amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted September 1, 2016 Report Share Posted September 1, 2016 In my opinion and i know a lot of people might not share this, When i spend tat much money on a saw i find it awfully hard to cut the rails. I have a 30" saw and there are a few times i wish i had more capacity. I can usually work around it by working backwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted September 2, 2016 Report Share Posted September 2, 2016 Just a thought, but have you looked into tube steel for your saw rails? The t-square head is the expensive portion of the fence. Check for a local steel source for angle iron and tube steel. Very super cool tools suggests doing this with their fence head. I cut my rails down to 32" or so and didn't think twice about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted September 2, 2016 Report Share Posted September 2, 2016 17 hours ago, Chestnut said: In my opinion and i know a lot of people might not share this, When i spend tat much money on a saw i find it awfully hard to cut the rails. I have a 30" saw and there are a few times i wish i had more capacity. I can usually work around it by working backwards. I know exactly what you mean. I hated having that 52" fence for years, but I just couldn't bring myself to cutting down the rails. I find 36" to be the sweet spot for me. 30" would just be a little too narrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxdabroxx Posted September 2, 2016 Report Share Posted September 2, 2016 I plan to put a router lift on the right side of my table saw eventually. That way I can have a flat table extension over there and use my existing fence for a router fence as well. I figure it would save room over having a router table and a table saw. Plus it is tough to use the far right edge of the saw as it is now without a table between the rails. Really only works for sheet goods, nothing with an open hole like a frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottacat Posted September 2, 2016 Report Share Posted September 2, 2016 1 hour ago, xxdabroxx said: I plan to put a router lift on the right side of my table saw eventually. That way I can have a flat table extension over there and use my existing fence for a router fence as well. I figure it would save room over having a router table and a table saw. Plus it is tough to use the far right edge of the saw as it is now without a table between the rails. Really only works for sheet goods, nothing with an open hole like a frame. I should clarify that my saw is a SawStop and I have the table between the rails. I also ordered the table for the 36" rails. I personally the table very useful. I already have a nice router table setup but agree that a router table built into a table saw side table makes a lot of sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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