My new building layout plans, with pics

[Investigator]

 

[Investigator]

I can tell its hard to see and read, so starting from the 10' roll up door and going clockwise:

• 4x6 horizontal band saw
• 12" metal chop saw
• welding table with welder (AC/DC stick and TIG)
• Storage area/shelving
• Sand Blast cabinet
• continueing inside this 10x20' space clockwise- 8" bench grinder
• Belt sander

moving to 10x20 space in upper left and moving clockwise within:

• RF 30 8x28 mill
• metal storage- cut offs, short pieces
• 2x3 metal storage cabinet
• workbench in corner
• doorway
• 12" Logan lathe
• rolling tool box in center

in center of building is small room for 80 gallon air compressor and RPC

Back to 10' roll up door in front and moving counter clockwise within the space:

• 12" delta planer
• wood storage
• 12" radial arm saw
• 12" miter chop saw
• 12" wood band saw
• joiner
• Pigeon hole storage (I got this from my grandfathers house after he passed away. It is an unmatched set of wooden drawers and cubby hole storage. I remember anytime something needed repair or a weird part replaced, Grandad always went to these and dug around and made it work.)
• shelving and storage
• workbench on back wall with shelving and storage above
• rolling toolbox
• in the largest open space a rolling workbench and 10" cabinet saw.
• 10" drill press

Hope that helps understand whats there.

 

[Winegrower]

These are always very personal choices of course. For me, in Northern California, heat and AC are not big issues (maybe i’ll put on a sweater). My shop is about 25’x30’, wood and metal, with 3 10’ sliding doors along the long side, so I can move outside for messy stuff. Everything is on wheels except lathe and mill...I prefer moving the equipment around to match the project work flow better. So I would not put in many interior walls. And with a dust collector, I have been surprised how little dust gets to the metal equipment. But, I have two low beams that prevent having a forklift...that is sometimes an issue. Thumbs up on the sink idea...wish I had that.

 

[mickri]

I envy you guys that can have a separate shop. Here is my garage shop.



Everything is on wheels except for the lathe and the radial arm saw. Not shown is my welder, 3x6 band saw and two rolling tool chests. All of this stuff has to dance around my 1966 MG Midget which is under going restoration. Wood storage is behind the radial arm saw and metal storage is behind the lathe. Not wanting to take over this thread. My purpose in showing my shop was to show how modeling in Google Sketchup makes it easy to visualize your layout.

 

[Investigator]

I envy you guys that can have a separate shop. Here is my garage shop.

View attachment 297318

Everything is on wheels except for the lathe and the radial arm saw. Not shown is my welder, 3x6 band saw and two rolling tool chests. All of this stuff has to dance around my 1966 MG Midget which is under going restoration. Wood storage is behind the radial arm saw and metal storage is behind the lathe. Not wanting to take over this thread. My purpose in showing my shop was to show how modeling in Google Sketchup makes it easy to visualize your layout.

Love to know more about using the sketchup software you are using

 

[mickri]

I find Sketchup to be a lot like drawing with paper and pencil. And you end up with a 3d model that you can spin and rotate to view it from any angle. The book "Sketchup for Dummies" will quickly get you up to speed. It is available to read online. The program is free to download. Like any program there are some quirks. I use it whenever I think about making anything. For example this week I thought about making another tool holder for my Norman style QCTP and did a Sketchup drawing of the tool holder.

 

[samstu]

Of my last three shops, two have included separate office spaces. My current shop has a modest office of perhaps 7x8. I have separate heating and cooling (electric heater and portable AC unit) for the office to allow a space to either get extra warmth or cooling. I don't find that the bulk of the shop needs to be perfect temperature. The office allows space for computer, 3d printer, manuals, gun cabinet and other items that don't like dust, etc. I probably use the computer more often than anything other than my wrenches.

Additionally, I thought that code requires circuit panel to be on or near outside wall, so I would consider the electric panel location when locating RPC, Air compressor and high amp tools since conduit and thick wire gets expensive.

Consider running plumbing, sewer and empty conduit thru concrete floor, even if you have no plans for restroom, sink etc as plans always seem to change over time. I did this once and It made bringing in additional electric a simple process.

Lastly, since windows aren't shown on your drawing, ensure that you have fire escapes for each room.

 

[matthewsx]

Ok, I've only built one shop, a 40'x60' commercial building. I've had others and currently work out of our garage, here are my thoughts.

1. Make it bigger - incremental cost of a larger building is small compared to expanding later. If cost is an issue now go higher and make one of the walls strong enough to attach a lean-to later. Go as high as you can since wall space up high can be great for storage with pallet racking and a possible loft, as others have said an 8' roll-up door is going to be a serious limitation. If you know you're never going to work on bigger projects you can go with something that will fit the tools you have now but what if your wife wants you to restore a vintage travel trailer? With no zoning limitations I'd go for something like a 40x60 and leave half of it unfinished if needed.

2. Separate areas are a great idea, put a roll up door on the metal shop so you can get equipment in/out and can work with it open on nice days. Also this will allow you to run multiple mini-split AC units so you can only cool the area you're working in at the time.

3. Compressor, RPC, dust collector should all live outside. A small lean-to will keep them out of the elements and the heat really shouldn't bother them. Definitely consider electrical runs while building to ensure the shortest distance for high current tools. You may also want to run some conduit through the floor before you pour the slab, it's awfully nice to be able to power equipment that's in the middle of a space from an outlet right there rather than having to drop down from the ceiling or have extension cords on the floor.

4. Absolutely stub in plumbing for a bathroom with a shower, you will be glad you did.

5. An office isn't a bad idea either. It will give you an area to plan and keep books, computers, drawings, etc. out of the way of your tools.

If this is your "forever home" then do it once and do it right. It's fairly easy to modify a steel building or pole barn after it's built but making it bigger is more difficult. You probably already know that your wife will have stuff she wants to store and maybe even a hobby area of her own, I'e never heard someone say they wish their shop was smaller....


Cheers,

John

 

[stioc]

I'm in the process of reorging my shop (attached 2 car garage). I can no longer function efficiently in my 22x22 garage anymore with a car lift, machine tools and woodworking stuff. If I have to unfold, drag out the stuff then put it back basically I'm spending not only time but also my energy on setup. Sometimes more time is spent on setting up for a job than the actual work if I just have to run a couple of quick weld beads or cut up a part or turn something.

So my plan is now to dedicate one half of the garage to the automotive work, the other half to the machining/fabrication/welding etc and move all the woodworking to a 10x12 shed in the backyard since I don't do a lot of woodworking but still have the basic tooling (table saw, miter saw, drill press, jigs, scrap wood etc).

This is the first draft I did but have since made some minor changes

 

[astjp2]

Ok, I've only built one shop, a 40'x60' commercial building. I've had others and currently work out of our garage, here are my thoughts.

1. Make it bigger - incremental cost of a larger building is small compared to expanding later. If cost is an issue now go higher and make one of the walls strong enough to attach a lean-to later. Go as high as you can since wall space up high can be great for storage with pallet racking and a possible loft, as others have said an 8' roll-up door is going to be a serious limitation. If you know you're never going to work on bigger projects you can go with something that will fit the tools you have now but what if your wife wants you to restore a vintage travel trailer? With no zoning limitations I'd go for something like a 40x60 and leave half of it unfinished if needed.

2. Separate areas are a great idea, put a roll up door on the metal shop so you can get equipment in/out and can work with it open on nice days. Also this will allow you to run multiple mini-split AC units so you can only cool the area you're working in at the time.

3. Compressor, RPC, dust collector should all live outside. A small lean-to will keep them out of the elements and the heat really shouldn't bother them. Definitely consider electrical runs while building to ensure the shortest distance for high current tools. You may also want to run some conduit through the floor before you pour the slab, it's awfully nice to be able to power equipment that's in the middle of a space from an outlet right there rather than having to drop down from the ceiling or have extension cords on the floor.

4. Absolutely stub in plumbing for a bathroom with a shower, you will be glad you did.

5. An office isn't a bad idea either. It will give you an area to plan and keep books, computers, drawings, etc. out of the way of your tools.

If this is your "forever home" then do it once and do it right. It's fairly easy to modify a steel building or pole barn after it's built but making it bigger is more difficult. You probably already know that your wife will have stuff she wants to store and maybe even a hobby area of her own, I'e never heard someone say they wish their shop was smaller....


Cheers,

John

I agree with what you are saying. I would go as big as you absolutely can afford now. I am looking at a 50x80 steel building, 16 foot walls, which will keep everything out of the weather. I would also add in-floor heat that runs off the hot water heater and a circulation pump and a few zones. you want 4" of insulation under the concrete and 8" in the walls if you have the room and 18" in the ceiling. Ceiling fans in each area.

Concrete needs to be thick and lots of rebar, 6" minimum if you dont want it to move with your machines on it, 12" directly under the machines if possible. Air conditioning also keeps the moisture down. I would also add an area for pallet racking, I have a horizontal compressor that I put on top of it then I can still put stuff underneath it. Allow room for an air dryer, it will help with the plumbing for air lines later on.

Power needs to be adequate for multiple machines in multiple locations, if you can find some, run a wire way that is enclosed, then you just drop the 120/220/3ph where you need it with a down drop. I have 6 different 220 outlets in a 20/40 shop along just one wall, I am planning on adding a few along the opposite wall.

LED lighting, 8' T12's are no coming down in price, enough to be cost effective and provide a lot of light. I would also paint the floor white, and use steel for the lower portion of the walls, if you ever weld, it can be a building saver. Just use the same type of material that the outside of the building but use white. The white walls and floor will help with light, especially at lower levels.

If you want a car lift, you want to put sonotubes down to support the lift, I guy I worked with had his fall over with a Ford 3/4 ton on the lift, anchors pulled out of the floor. No rebar on the anchors either...

This part of the criteria for my ultimate shop, I will also add a second floor with my library and storage with a small gantry crane to load and unload the upper level for about 8-12 feet across one end.