Machines: Straight Or Angled?

CVAIRWERKS has the right idea, full size plan in the dirt with cardboard machines. Don't forget the 3rd dimension. Ceiling hung cabinets above the machines with worklights below can add a lot of useable space otherwise used by roll-arounds.
Steve Metsch
 
Ripthorn said:
I like Grizzly's shop layout tool. You can select equipment that has the correct size/dimension/etc. and angle them however you want. It's easier than drawing by hand or in CAD. I am always interested in organization because I have a full wood shop and some small machine tools that all must live together along with an electronics bench and the rest of the garage.
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I didn't know Grizzly had a shop layout tool. Thank you for the information. I'm converting a small spare bedroom into my shop and was having a heck of a time figuring out how/where to place the mill.
 
I checked out the Grizzly's layout tool. It is great for grizzly tools, but it is has no option for other brands or sizes. I understand why Grizzly would do that.

I did a combination to scale layout and also did a mock up on the shop floor prior to the concrete pour. For my particular application it works out by doing one machine on echelon and the rest straight. The lathes are straight with the small against the wall and the large right next to it…. yes with plenty of room in between for safety, movement and work. The knee mills and large horizontal are straight with plenty of room on the walls for tooling. The small horizontal is in the corner as I will not use it for large or extensively long work. The gear shaper will be against the wall as well. Plenty of space in the middle for work and I have wall space for a work bench. Electrical panels will go near the door.

Of course this is subject to change…….
 
My lathe and mill are flat against one wall. I just rearranged the machines and ended up putting the lathe closer to the wall than it was as the space behind the lathe was just a catchall for stuff to accumulate. It is still at least a foot away so some access is there, just not the 2'+ as before. I like to place my tool box and a work table opposite the machines with a space between that is the size of the floor mat. The gives me plenty of room to work and extra work surfaces close by. It's still a work in progress.
 
drom68 said:
Got a new shop being built and looking at how I am going to arrange the machinery. With limited space, our shops are never big enough, I am looking to place the machinery in key areas to maximize the space. I have seen in the past that aligning the machines at an angle to the walls "saves" space. Can't forget the space needed to place all the tooling and misc. items.

I plan on making a to-scale sketch of the shop floor and then using cut outs of the machinery to mock up the different possibilities.

Any suggestions or ideas on how you have your shop set up?
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Do a scale plan with movable templates of your machines including operator and servicing space. So many variables to consider and you haven't given much info on your use or types and number of machines. I personally don't like angled arrangements, the exception being for shops with multiple lathes to give some overhang of bars protruding from the head-stock and to keep operators misaligned for safety (don't want work flying from one lathe and hitting another operator). If this is a home shop with one operator it may work best with aligning machines so one tool in operation interferes with the use of another as I have done (I feed long bar stock into my lathe past the drill press and bench grinder with a support tube fixture on the drill press column to stabilize the spinning bar extending through the lathe. In a shop with multiple operations going on at the same time such an arrangement would be totally unacceptable. If you might run long work pieces horizontally, as I do, you will want to allow extra room on either end of those machines but I've seen hatches in the wall on one commercial shop for long items to extend through.
 
My milling machine is away from the wall to make it easier to service and operate from all sides. Bench & tool cabinets against the wall. Storage cabinets mounted high on the walls. All other equipment on wheels so they can be moved as needed.
 
Make sure you have your templates include space for opening panel doors, draw bar removal, etc. Also consider access for a cherry picker to move heavy obects like chucks, motors, any machine accessories that need changing, however infrequent. I've moved both my lathe and mill because I didn't take my own advice.
 
Ripthorn said:
I like Grizzly's shop layout tool. You can select equipment that has the correct size/dimension/etc. and angle them however you want. It's easier than drawing by hand or in CAD. I am always interested in organization because I have a full wood shop and some small machine tools that all must live together along with an electronics bench and the rest of the garage.
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This sounds mighty handy! I tried searching Grizzly, but all I could find was layout fluid and a layout square. Do you have a URL to offer?
Thanks!
 
Space saving tip...I need 30 inches in front of my tall tool chest. So I backed my lathe up to that same 30 inches of space, dual use. Now I can get behind the lathe for cleaning and maintenance and space wise its like putting the lathe up flat against a wall since that space in front the tool chest is going to remain open no matter what.
 
hman said:
This sounds mighty handy! I tried searching Grizzly, but all I could find was layout fluid and a layout square. Do you have a URL to offer?
Thanks!
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Go to Grizzly's home page and click on "Shop Planner" at the bottom of the page.
 
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