# Planning a new shop space



## 44-henry (May 12, 2014)

Last summer after remodeling our basement, my wife granted me access to the back portion of our basement giving me a workshop that roughly measures 27 x 12 feet. Though not huge, this is much better than the previous spare bedroom that I was working out of and finally gives me the room that I need to take some of my equipment out of storage. 

Though the process of building the area will take several months, I thought I would share the pre-stage where I have started the preliminary planning of the area using SketchUp software. Though I have used many different CAD programs in my career, I find the free SketchUp really useful for doing this sort of thing and the 3D warehouse that you can find free models to add to your drawings really cuts down on the time necessary to model in equipment and furnishings. With this I basically found equipment that was close and than scaled if up to the actual size. 

I find this approach really helps to plan wiring and check for clearance around equipment.


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## MachineTom (May 12, 2014)

Nice layout, with the 3d look even better. A suggestion would be to place the mill 45°in a corner, as it more of a  T shape when in use. Get some space from the wood working tools, when placing the lathe.

Think of wheels for items like the jointer, and vertical bandsaw, and machines that are used infrequently. Most every metal job starts with the horizontal band saw so it for sure gets wheels just to be versatile,long stock, short stock. 

Looks like my favorite roll cab toolboxs for work benches.


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## 44-henry (May 12, 2014)

I have played around with different locations for the mill, but the 45 degree would probably work fine. I actually have bases on the band saw and jointer so those can be moved wherever. The 4x6 bandsaw is in the process of getting a new base made for it so that will also be different than in the drawing. 

That is the nice thing about this stage, tool placement is easy and no sore backs and upset friends.


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## DJP (May 12, 2014)

Consider dedicating space for a large dust collection system. I am not enthusiastic about in-home workshops unless they are for electronics or sewing. Wood dust is manageable but metal cuttings, from a mill especially, can get tracked into the living quarters of the house. If that happens a few times your wife will change the deal on a basement metal workshop for sure.

One solution might be to treat your shop as an Hazardous Material Area and build a clothing change room at the entry/exit point. That might work.

Just some thoughts for your consideration.


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## 44-henry (May 13, 2014)

You are right about the metal chips, but I really don't have any other place to fit the machine tools at the moment. My solution is to religiously sweep/vacuum up the chips and than change into different shoes before leaving the area.


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## DJP (May 13, 2014)

Good plan. I also have boots and coveralls dedicated to my workshop. Decades ago I started with a welder as the first major machine. The location of the welder determined where the rest of the shop was created. 

It was a good result for me as there have been may spills of oil, many tons of metal chips created and lots of loud banging. The down side is that my shop with cement floor is cold in winter and not a pleasant place for a few months each year. That's when I envy the guys with shops in their basements.

If you have young children put a lock on the door.

Enjoy creating your shop as it's much better than the trendy ' man cave' with big screen TV.


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## Wizard69 (May 13, 2014)

Just a few suggestions if you don't mind!   

1.   I would want at least one work bench with 360 degree access so that would mean moving one from what I think is a wall in your drawing.  The lathe can easily go up against a wall as you hardly ever need 360 access to a lathe.   

2. Dust collection is always an issue where wood is machined.   You may not have a dust vacuum system now but you will want one at some point.  So organize the worst offenders so that they are closest to where the collector would go.  Also organize for minimal branching.  

3. It still appears as if you are pressed for space because it looks like a Mini mill is sitting on top of a tall cabinet.   You might want to consider flip top benches for some of those tools.   

4. If you don't like flip tops you can some times save space with a Carousel arrangement.   An example would be a bench grinder and a belt sander mounted to an indexable plate.

5.  Make sure you have plenty of room around your band saw.  You never know what you might be cutting on it in the future.  

6. When you do finalize your plans make a point to bolt down top heavy equipment like drill presses, maybe that band saw 


Sent from my iPad using Model Engines


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## 44-henry (May 15, 2014)

Based on some suggestions I did some revisions to the space. I think the new arrangement should give more use to the area. I don't have a dust collection system in the basement because the type of work I do there is mainly gun related. I have the bandsaw and jointer to prepare stock blanks, but they are used relatively infrequently compared to the other tools and it is easy to keep up with the dust they create. My center workbench should be good for general stock work since I can freely move about the bench. 

It might seem strange having a big metal desk in the shop, but the thing is massive and I basically framed the basement walls around it. The thought of moving it up a flight of stairs now is not so appealing and aside from that I have found it makes an excellent workbench. When it is not being used for machining tasks it does double duty as a bench for my engraving tools, or reloading press. Thanks for all the suggestions, hopefully you can see that SketchUp can be a useful tool for this type of project.


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## DJP (May 15, 2014)

Looks good to me and I am becoming envious. A fresh start to build a new workshop layout would be fun. I recently lined the interior of my shop with metal siding for fire protection and the collection of tools, machines and storage shelving have evolved over time. They are like your big steel desk and too much trouble to move or change.

Infrastructure to support the shop hasn't been discussed so I suggest that you consider running a sub panel box with breakers for the workshop outlets, lighting and special 240VAC circuits. A sink with water source might also be useful to wash up or to provide emergency water flow for eye rinsing.

If your basement walls are unfinished this should be easy enough. Even if totally finished neat runs of BX cable look OK to me in a workshop.

Sound proofing the ceiling might also be a good investment if access to the  floor joists is still open. Keeping family awake while you work late into the night is not a good thing.

When your project is finished please provide a few pictures as there is interest in seeing workshop layouts. Our workshops are the 'man caves' into which it's great to be invited for a visit even if only with a picture on a forum.


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## Omnimill (May 15, 2014)

It's a personal thing maybe but I'd put the mill as far away from the door as possible to help stop chips being trodden into the main house. I find flycutting work on the milling machine very useful but it sure does make a mess! Also putting the desk nearest to the door would suit me better but again maybe not for you? Looking good though, and yes, lets see some photos when it's all done!


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