Building new shop

Dave Black

Member
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638
Location
Central PA
I have a 20'x40' wood and metal working shop.
http://www.familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15137

I got the ok to build a bigger dedicated wood shop on the other end of the old chicken house. The building is 40' x 200'ish. I am thinking of walling off a 40'x50' room on the other end of the building. Here is the layout I was thinking about. Any thoughts about the layout, size, things I should include? I want to have a spray/finishing room, is 10x12 big enough, I will have a fan that exhausts outside. What is the best way to air back into the room, should I just have a vent in between the spray room and the shop?
 

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Wow to have that much space available:eek::thumb: Since you have that much building I would think you would make the finishing room larger, start spreading out a few projects or some cabs in a 10 x 12 area you will find it small real quick. I am sure some with finishing rooms will speak up on sizes but make it as large as you can:)
 
10 x12 finishing room is ok if yu have none, but if you got more room then use it.. i have a 12 x16 and wish it were bigger, on the air movemnet thing i have a fan blowing into the room and a exhaust fan sucking out the fumes clean air in at the top and dirty air out the bottom.. the clean air is filtered.
 
I would like to keep the wall that the door between the shop and spray room to 15' or less because of the way the floor is. There are 8' wide by 8" deep pits running the length of the building with walkways in between them. They were manure pits when it was a chicken house. So if I keep that wall to 15' then I don't have to cover another pit up. How big should I go with the spray room? How are spray rooms typically heated? The shop will be heated so the air that comes from there will be warm but if I have something in the spray room drying overnight it would be nice to turn the heat down in the shop to save on gas.
 
Any thoughts on lighting the spray room, I know you're supposed to use explosion proof fixtures, but I don't have any and it looks like they are really expensive, Would outdoor halogen lights work, they have a gasket seal around them?
 
In lieu of a larger finishing room, can you incorporate a separate room for staging items that are finished? Maybe on the other side of the pits so you don't have to cover more? Or elongate the room pushing the shop further down the building? My future finishing room is 12 X 14, and I already know it will be too small. I'm using florescent lighting, but will only be using water based finishing products, and only wipe/brush on at that...no spraying. Jim.
 
In lieu of a larger finishing room, can you incorporate a separate room for staging items that are finished? Maybe on the other side of the pits so you don't have to cover more? Or elongate the room pushing the shop further down the building? My future finishing room is 12 X 14, and I already know it will be too small. I'm using florescent lighting, but will only be using water based finishing products, and only wipe/brush on at that...no spraying. Jim.

I wouldn't see any reason to have a place to stage items, when they are done they are out the door, or did you mean done with construction before applying finish.
 
Dave, if it were me and I had the available space you do, I would definitely have a separate space for dust collection and air.

I may place the cyclone outside the shop, I was thinking of maybe putting it by the large door so it was easy to take the full drum out to dump it.
 
Yes, one spot to assemble, another to finish. Could even go back to the first room to store until ready to move out the door. Jim.

I was planing to assemble in the top left area of the shop. There will be 2 or 3 benches and assembly tables there. Probably for now I will just use that area but I can always build another room if needed.
 
I am reevaluating the new shop, I don't think the larger shop is going to happen, I am now contemplating moving all of my tools into my basement. Here are the pros/ cons as I see it. If you are not familiar with my current situation it is: I share my current shop with my dad and 3 brothers, I am the only one who does considerable woodworking, the shop is 40x20 in an old chicken house, part of that is welding area. Pros to moving to the basement: I would have the space temp/ humidity controlled all year long, and for no extra cost. My basement is 26x58 plus a 26x13 bump out, so its larger than the shop, plus I would be the only one working in there ( a few advantages).
Disadvantages would be, I would need to buy an air compressor, drill press, miter saw, and random orbit sander. Noise, dust , and stairs( I do have a bilco door) I think I should be able to mount the cyclone in the garage so that would cut down on the noise, I have a cyclone so that should help a lot with dust. any thoughts?
 
Going along with having to buy a drill press, we have a steel city 20520 now which I really like, but no one around here carries steel city any more, I have heard that most of the top guys left steel city and the customer service went to pot and a lot of retailers dropped them. Not sure if its true but its what I heard. Any thoughts for alternatives, I really like the 6" quill travel of the steel city.
 
... Pros to moving to the basement: I would have the space temp/ humidity controlled all year long, and for no extra cost. My basement is 26x58 plus a 26x13 bump out, so its larger than the shop, plus I would be the only one working in there ( a few advantages).
Disadvantages would be, I would need to buy an air compressor, drill press, miter saw, and random orbit sander. Noise, dust , and stairs( I do have a bilco door) I think I should be able to mount the cyclone in the garage so that would cut down on the noise, I have a cyclone so that should help a lot with dust. any thoughts?

Dave,

Is this a hobby shop or an income-producing shop?

I have my hobby shop in the basement and I'm fine with that. Sure I wish I had level access, and I wish I had more natural light (only 1 tiny window in the shop) but I can live with that for now. As a hobbiest, I'm not often there during daylight anyway, and as a hobbiest I don't have to haul out large finished projects all the time. ;)

Being in the basement (without a hoist like Stu has!) means that I have also limited my equipment choices. I have a 6" jointer, and a DW735 planer, for example. I have heard of other folks getting BIG equipment down the stairs, but that does take some work.

I like being able to just pop downstairs in the evening for a half hour without dressing up (in winter). I like that I am closer at hand to the family.

If this space of yours is unfinished, then I would expect it to be cheaper than converting your chicken barn. Both options are cheaper than building new, of course!

Only you can decide what you can live with and what you can't!
 
Dave,

Is this a hobby shop or an income-producing shop?

I have my hobby shop in the basement and I'm fine with that. Sure I wish I had level access, and I wish I had more natural light (only 1 tiny window in the shop) but I can live with that for now. As a hobbiest, I'm not often there during daylight anyway, and as a hobbiest I don't have to haul out large finished projects all the time. ;)

Being in the basement (without a hoist like Stu has!) means that I have also limited my equipment choices. I have a 6" jointer, and a DW735 planer, for example. I have heard of other folks getting BIG equipment down the stairs, but that does take some work.

I like being able to just pop downstairs in the evening for a half hour without dressing up (in winter). I like that I am closer at hand to the family.

If this space of yours is unfinished, then I would expect it to be cheaper than converting your chicken barn. Both options are cheaper than building new, of course!

Only you can decide what you can live with and what you can't!


I am just a hobbyist, my friend and I may start building drums to sell, but if that would turn into a full time thing then I could build a stand alone shop outside. Do you have problems with noise and dust coming upstairs.
 
Going along with having to buy a drill press, we have a steel city 20520 now which I really like, but no one around here carries steel city any more, I have heard that most of the top guys left steel city and the customer service went to pot and a lot of retailers dropped them. Not sure if its true but its what I heard. Any thoughts for alternatives, I really like the 6" quill travel of the steel city.

I got the delta 17-959L recenty and really like it. I think it's around 5" quill travel. The price was good from acme tools too, about $550 delivered, the table is nice for woodworking. There's a higher end delta too, and jet that I looked at, as well as the steel city drill press.
 
Dave my spray room is 14x14 with a 6x7' spray booth in the corner. It is very sufficient for me except the occasional 10-14' conference table we get in, then it may be a bit tight but doable.

If you get into the finishing and own everything out right it can be a good side job.
 
10 x12 finishing room is ok if yu have none, but if you got more room then use it.. i have a 12 x16 and wish it were bigger, on the air movemnet thing i have a fan blowing into the room and a exhaust fan sucking out the fumes clean air in at the top and dirty air out the bottom.. the clean air is filtered.

I'm confused... wouldn't it be better for dirty air to go out the top & clean air in the bottom, or do the fumes settle?
 
Dave my spray room is 14x14 with a 6x7' spray booth in the corner. It is very sufficient for me except the occasional 10-14' conference table we get in, then it may be a bit tight but doable.

If you get into the finishing and own everything out right it can be a good side job.

Since the shop may be moving into my basement what would be the best way to handle the spray booth exhaust. I have a couple of the small below grade window with window wells in the basement.
 
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