Roger T Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Morning all, I have come to the conclusion that having all my tools on wheels and having to move them in and out each time I use them is a real pain in the rear. So, I am wanting to redesign my shop to have as many of my tools stationary as possible. I work in kind of cramped quarters, and also have 2 steel support posts that inhibit my open floor space to work around. Also have a furnace and water softener that share my space. Is there a program, and or guidelines that would help me in getting a working layout for my shop? My most used tools are my bench of course, 2436 lathe, MM20 bandsaw, jointer and planer. Are there templates to use for tool placements? Guidelines for needed space around each machine to be able to work efficiently? I likely will have to rewire the entire shop, I already know that I have to redo the lighting in there. Any guidance y'all can give me would be most appreciated. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Roger, I used this years ago. http://grizzly.com/workshopplanner.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMarshall Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 I'm sure it will surprise no one that I used SketchUp for my shop layout, though the grizzly online tool is nice also. I just found that I could "see" it better in 3D. I found a pre-made set of the typical woodworking tools in the Google 3D warehouse, shown below. This link has a different version of the set. What I like about these tool sets is that there is a SketchUp layer you can turn on to show the typical infeed & outfeed requirements for each tool. This lets you plan your layout to allow moving material through the shop without bumping everything around it. For example, here's a picture of the typical tablesaw infeed & outfeed. Sorry, but I can't help you get rid of those columns but be thankful you only have two. I've got four in my shop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Aaron, That has to be the most inefficient shop set up I've EVER seen. What are you thinking man!?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMarshall Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Aaron, That has to be the most inefficient shop set up I've EVER seen. What are you thinking man!?!? Well, if I just lose a LOT of weight it should be fine, Vic. I will be able to squeeze between the machines, though of course I will be so malnourished that I won't be able to lift balsa wood. But hey, you gotta get all the tools in there, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Well, if I just lose a LOT of weight it should be fine, Vic. I will be able to squeeze between the machines, though of course I will be so malnourished that I won't be able to lift balsa wood. But hey, you gotta get all the tools in there, right? It IS a nice assortment of tools! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger T Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Thanks Vic and Aaron for your input. I had a chance to play a bit with the Griz site. I have no choice but to rewire the entire shop for this project. sigh. Plus I want to put up some walls around the concrete of the foundation so I have a place to hang stuff. Rework the DC.... fun stuff.... I will have to look into the SU. Having a large bench, tablesaw, bandsaw and lathe makes for some interesting scenarios. Lots of pondering to do on this. Thanks again, Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DALSAW Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Aaron, That has to be the most inefficient shop set up I've EVER seen. What are you thinking man!?!? Hey, how did you get the sketchup model of my shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyami Plotke Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Roger, Vic & Aaron seem to have you covered in terms of design tools. I'll just wish you good luck with the shop overhaul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger T Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Roger, Vic & Aaron seem to have you covered in terms of design tools. I'll just wish you good luck with the shop overhaul. Dyami, I had the wife downstairs earlier and was starting to explain what I was wanting to do. She just said "Whatever". lol I am not really looking forward to it on one hand, but on the other hand, it sure will be nice to just walk up to a tool and hit a button and go, instead of wheeling things out, hooking up the dc and on and on. The wiring wont take but a couple of days, the framing only a day, but the infilling the stud spaces with plywood will take some work. I could probably be done in a week or so if I put my mind to it. But there are also projects calling out my name. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nateswoodworks Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 It may be an inconvenience now but it will be sooo worth it. Lots of thinking, laying things out, and many sleepless nights will help with the planning but you will still change it around many more times after this so don't stress too much over getting it perfect right off the bat. Keep us posted and have fun. Nate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMarshall Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Like Nate says, you will always want to make changes. I gave up long ago on trying to get the shop perfect - you can go nuts if you aren't careful. Instead, I have this sort of rolling-renovation going at all times, and I change things as I have the time, energy, budget, and new ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyami Plotke Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I'll second Nate & Aaron in that a shop is always a work in progress. Aiming for set up perfection is always a recipe for disappointment. That's why I've adopted the philosophy & blog title of the Penultimate Woodshop. Hope your move goes well and don't fret too much about your set up. You can always move things around again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireball Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 Trying to get it perfect the first time probably isn't possible, but with a little thought you should be able to find something that works well and not have to be continuously changing and moving things around. In my old shop I put the big tools in place and didn't move them. The little stuff got moved around a bit to coincide with projects, amount of junk laying around, etc. The big stuff that required 220V hookups, DC connections, etc makes moving them around much harder. Not to mention they are heavy and a pain to move! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.