My Little Dream Shop

Jim Canup

Member
Messages
12
Location
Douglasville, GA
Hello folks. I am a relative newbie to woodworking. I have always liked tinkering here and there but only recently have I wanted to get a bit deeper into it. My good friend, Bartee Lamar, told me this is a great forum with good people to learn from. I hope so, because I have a lot to learn!

We moved into a new house recently and I finally have space for a small shop. The space isn't very big (only 169 square feet), but I will make do with the space I have. I just want to plan it out to make use of the area as best I can. Which, is why I am looking for some ideas and advice.

Here are the dimensions of the shop. I plan to replace the double windows with out-swinging french doors as soon as I can find an economical door that my wife and I like.

ShopLayout.jpg
ShopLayout.jpg

So far, I have installed an electrical sub-panel and wired outlets and lighting. Here is a picture of the lighting.

shop%20002.jpg
shop 002.jpg
CeilingLighting.jpg
CeilingLighting.jpg


Since the above joists are the engineered I-Beam style, I cut strips of 7/16" OSB (18" x 48"), painted them white and layed them between the joists for ceiling tiles. This makes it easy to remove them for access to the ceiling if needed. The lights are mounted in OSB panel cutouts (I still have to paint the panels with the lights and the exposed part of the joists).

As far as equipmtent I currently own:

- Long Work bench (build before we moved into the new house)
- Craftsman Router Table & Router (I hate the table)
- Ryobi Compound Miter Saw
- Delta 10" Table saw (currently in garage)
- Hand Power Tools (Circular Saw, Jig Saw, Drill, Orbital Sander)
- Shop Vac
- A few hand tools

shop%20003.jpg
shop 003.jpg
shop 004.jpg
shop%20005.jpg
shop 005.jpg

shop%20004.jpg


Some Ideas I have seen are combining the Router station into the table saw. But, I don't know where to locate plaans or designs for this. My biggest concerns are workspace efficiency, air quality, and wood storage.

I want to build an efficient shop and I know I will need to build some cabinets and fixtures. I just want to put together a plan before I start. Therefore, any and all advice is appreciated.


See all the pictures here


Thanks and Peace,

Jim Canup
 
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Jim, I've been trying to figure out what to do with my new shop ceilings and I really dig what you did there. That was a great idea. I may have to steal it.

:D :D :D :D :D

Steal away Rob :thumb: - At $5.00 a sheet for the OSB, I did the entire shop ceiling for $30.00 and a half gallon of white trim paint I had laying around.
 
The master of making the most of a small is space is without a questions Stu. I am sure he will chime in. But meantime, I suggest you search the Shop Tour forum for the Dungeon tour. It's amazing at what all he crams in his small shop.
 
My shop & Stu's shop I think are about the same size. Mine is 13'5" x 24'5" I am now in the process of making room for a 12" 5 HP Bellsaw planer that spent the first 30 some years in my Dad's shop.

I forgot:doh: to say I hope you'll have a lot of fun in your shop Jim & the first arraignment won't be the last.:D :thumb: :wave:
 

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Hi Jim :wave:
Looks like you have the makings of a really great shop there. :thumb:
Don't forget to post pictures as you go.

Welcome aboard!!

DT
 
Here is a design I came up with. Items in red are future pieces of equipment as budget allows.

ShopLayout_2.jpg

Let me know what you think. I will listen to any and all suggestions and comments.



Peace,

Jim
 
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After stewing on the design and talking to a couple of friends, I made a couple of changes. First, I acurately measured my Delta 34-410 Table Saw and created a template sized for it. I sized the router table based on Bench Dog's ProMax. I will either end up buying this or building my own. The counter to the right hand side of the table saw gives the entire assemble a width of 72" and 53" deep. Does this sound right? I have never built a table saw station.

I plan to put the whole thing on locking casters so I can roll it towards the center of the room to accomodate full sheet goods without hitting the door frame. Granted, I may need the french doors open, but that isn't a big deal. Here is the updated design.

ShopLayout_3.jpg

Please comment on it and point out anything that I missed. I have never designed a shop and I am sure I am making some basic mistakes. I like to really plan things out because experience has shown me that poor planning can sometimes cost a lot of money in the end.

One comment from a friend that I think is worth mentioning is that I have no place for large sheet good storage. Unless any of you can think of a place, I figured I would store it in the garage. I don't plan on keeping too much in stock anyway. I will just purchase it on a per project basis.

Finally, my wife asked me about noise. The shop is directly below the bedroom and will be adjacent to the entertainment room when the basement is finished (the north wall in the diagram). What is the best way to dampen the sound from the shop? I have plenty of fiberglass insulation left over. Will that work?


Peace,

Jim
 
jim, i can`t offer any sound advice on layout.....but sound dampening i can help a little with. in order to muffle the sound of screaming power tools you`ll need to isolate your work area from the living area with more than an insulated wall.....hvac ducts, plumbing and wiring all transmit sounds very well. your floor joists and the hollow spots between them also make great reverbaration containers.....soooooooooo,
how much effort and money are you willing to invest in order to achieve what decible drop?
 
jim, i can`t offer any sound advice on layout.....but sound dampening i can help a little with. in order to muffle the sound of screaming power tools you`ll need to isolate your work area from the living area with more than an insulated wall.....hvac ducts, plumbing and wiring all transmit sounds very well. your floor joists and the hollow spots between them also make great reverbaration containers.....soooooooooo,
how much effort and money are you willing to invest in order to achieve what decible drop?

Money Huh??? :eek: Ummm, not much at all actually. I was hoping for a cheap (almost free) soultion. If it is gonna cost a lot, I figure my wife can live with the noise. I think I will just shove my left over insulation in the walls and ceiling and tell the wife I tried. I would rather spend the money on another screaming power tool anyway. Also, when we upgrade houses in a few years this is a good reason to pitch a stand-alone building for a shop.
 
for a free solution packing existing insulation in every nook-n-cranny is about as good as it gets.......shortly before putting in the plea for a new shop building be sure to run the router on one of "her" projects for several hours during t.v. time;)
 
I'm a little concerned about your miter saw location. It appears that you only have about 6' to either side. You may want to slide it one way to get at least 8-9' on one side. Or, try to make use of that door by moving it to the other side of the shop. You could let long boards hang out the door.

Other than that, it looks like you have a good plan.:thumb:
 
I'm a little concerned about your miter saw location. It appears that you only have about 6' to either side. You may want to slide it one way to get at least 8-9' on one side. Or, try to make use of that door by moving it to the other side of the shop. You could let long boards hang out the door.

Other than that, it looks like you have a good plan.:thumb:

See - I knew I was overlooking something simple like that. THANKS ROB !:huh:

I would have figured it out the first time I tried to cut something over six feet long (too late).

I moved the Miter Saw down giving me room to cut a 9-10 foot board if it hangs off the counter over the sink. If the counter (under the lumber storage) is at least 36" high, I can store the jointer (based on specs for a Delta JT360) and cut off bin underneath and gain an additional eight square feet of work surface.


Here is the revamped plan
ShopLayout_3.jpg


Thanks Again Rob,

Jim
 
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Now that I have a shop desigh to start with, I am looking for some advice about the following:

Table Saw Station
As you can see from the shop design, I want to enclose my old Delta 34-410 10" Contractor Saw (for dust control) and attach a left-side Router Table (also enclosed). Finally, I want a right-side table and an out-feed table with storage underneath. I have a good mental picture of what I want, but I don't understand how to best enclose the contractor saw or build a router table. Can anyone offer any advice or point me to any plans?
Workbench
Here is the plan I am looking at for my workbench. Does anyone have any comments?

Miter Saw Station
Here is the plan I am looking at without the wall cabinets and the Miter Saw on the left side, not the right.
Peace,

Jim
 
{There is a question at the end of this dialog}

When I first purchased my used Delta 34-410 TS last year, I made the mistake of trying it out before I really cleaned it. Consequently, when tilting the blade, something put it in a bind and a piece broke underneath. After getting really angry with myself, I removed the broken part and ordered a replacement from Delta.

I've had the part for a while now, and I just got around to taking the saw completely apart, removing rust, cleaning and lubricating it and re-assembling it. I also re-wired the motor for 220 while I was at it. I was amazed at how well built and simply designed it is. And EVERYTHING comes apart. None of those parts that are press fitted or put together with some specialized factory gizmo. I took lots of photos and I will put them up tonight or tomorrow.

I have it all back together (with no extra parts left over - YEAH!), and everything seems to be working great. The only concern is that the blade height wheel is a bit tighter than I think it should be. I don't see anyway to adust the gears mechanism either, unless I am overlooking something. If anyone has any knowledge about this I would be pleased as punch to hear it.

Breaking down the TS and reassembling it was a great education. I now know how and why it works. I only wish I had done it when I first got it, like Bartee told me to, and I wouldn't have broken that part in the first place. Oh well, live and learn...
 
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The only concern is that the blade height wheel is a bit tighter than I think it should be. I don't see anyway to adust the gears mechanism either, unless I am overlooking something. If anyone has any knowledge about this I would be pleased as punch to hear it.

Okay, I figured it out. The collar that the rod passes through has an off set hole. I loosened the bolt holding the collar and gave it a half turn - BINGO, the blade height wheel can now turn like it is should.

As promissed, here is a link to the pictures of rebuilding the TS: http://picasaweb.google.com/jim.canup/Workshop

I am very pleased :D
 
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You are to be complimented for making maximum use from a small space. For your situation, I note you live in a part of the country that has a lot of nice weather. Moving outside occasionally really opens up opportunities. I do that now and then and really enjoy working in the open air, even when it means hot sunshine. I would put the miter saw on a movable stand. I use the Grizzly
http://www.grizzly.com/products/h7657 It's as stout as a Mack truck and reasonably priced. There are others. I do have a gripe about the small wheels. I hope your diagraming helps. After the fact, I used the free planner offered by Grizzly. What I discovered was that the stuff I have in my shop won't fit. :huh: :rofl:
 
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