Thread: building a workshop and need help

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The first thing you will find is that you will have outgrown it the minute you move in. This is true if it is 1000 sq ft or 10,000.

You are going to get a lot of personal opinions on this one, so here are mine. You have to first determine what you are going to be doing in that shop. Light mechanical work, metal fabrication, painting, etc. Once you decide that you will have a better handle on what to put where.

When I had my own seperate hobby shop (Hurricane Charlie took it down, so my Sons and I now moved into a larger shop, 2700 sq ft, and we share it, so I can't lay it out the way I would if I were the only one in there) I laid out my shop so that I did my dirty fabricating/grinding work in one section and my cleaner work in another. So my grinders, welder, drill press, etc were in one portion, and my engine stands, hand tools, etc were in another.

If you have a large air compressor, consider moving it outside in it's own little shed. It will free up space and be much quieter when you are using air tools.
Plumb the shop with lots and lots of 120 and 240 volt outlets, and put a lot of flouresant lights overhead, especially at the work stations. Put air outlets all around the shop too.

I don't like workbenches. I tend to put stuff on top of them, then I put more stuff on top of them, then I put even more stuff on top of them. Eventually the bench is full of stuff and you can't work on it. Plus they take up 6 or 8 feet of valuable real estate that could be used for something else. My Son built a small welding table out of steel, about the size of a large bbq grille, and it has wheels on it. I find this to be ideal for working on something. He is a little ticked that I am always using it when he wants to use it, so he told me last week he is building me one of my own. I hope so, it really is nice to work off of. I clamp stuff to it to grind and weld, and clean up is really easy.

I like pedestals for stuff like grinders, vices, chopsaws, etc. They are free standing when you bolt them to the floor with lag bolts, and are easy to clean up under.

I also like lots of pegboard and racks on the wall. Hoses, extension cords, and everything else is real handy when hanging in plain sight. I have a couple of rollaway tool chests, but don't like them for tools I use a lot. I prefer them hanging on peg board hooks or on a rollaway tray cart.

Sit down with a piece of paper and draw out your shop and what needs to go into it, and obviously try to get everything to go around the perimeter in a systematic fashion.

Now with all that being said, our own shop is a disaster. Ever heard the expression 10 pounds of something in a 5 pound bag? That is our shop. Too many projects that are 1/2 way done, and we keep bringing more home.

Those are just some of my personal opinions. It will be interesting and informative to see what others like in their own shops. The picture below of our shop shows what I mean about hanging hoses, clamps, etc on the walls.




Don