And I fit so many tools in there. Here's how 

I've added 'sort later' plastic bins to my small shop. I toss tools, fasteners, blue tape etc., in them while working on ongoing projects. I actually do, after finishing the projects, sort them out and put everything away in it's correct spot. Nice tour. Looks like a great place to work.

I used to be a pegboard guy, but over the years I've changed to enclosed storage like wall hung cabinets and lots of drawers. I did this mainly because of dust getting on everything and the resulting clean up annoyance. The fewer places for dust to settle the better.

I seriously love this video. I love that you are real, that you have a small space, that you don't always finish stuff. I resemble that. :). Thank you.

As a card carrying member of too many drills anonymous, I can tell you that the primary reason I have so many drills is that every time I end up needing a new battery, I wait for a holiday sale to pick it up, and it ends up being within $5 to 25 to buy the batteries alone or a kit that come with some combination of a drill, driver, & charger. Call me crazy but I just can’t pass up the extra drill & charger for a few bucks more… It’s a sickness really. 😂

Sometimes a tool is just fun and that's why you should keep it. I mean, it's a hobby and should be fun! The drill press is one of my favorites. Using a forstner bit to drill holes is just plain fun. Same with my biscuit jointer. It's just satisfying when the biscuits and slots line up. 😊

When I got my first bandsaw and drill press, I couldn't believe I'd gone so long without them! (sort of like an outfeed table, Lol). Even a mediocre version of each is a major step up! You noted you'd rather encourage people to build end product before worrying about shop efficiency, but when I saw you thump your chest about the Boom Arm, I sensed a lot of self-satisfaction! Sometimes making cogs is as fun and satisfying as any furniture I've built. Even if I'm the only one who will ever appreciate it!

I like the layout you have come up with, I haven't got there yet. A couple of thing that I keep in mind is 1) I keep safety glasses at every tool it reminds me to use them 2) from serving on a submarine I've learned to make maximum use of all vertical space and reasonably available overhead space. Thanks for creating and sharing the video.

With 350k+ subscribers, your garage is doing very well. I love your projects and inspiration that inspire me, in my small space, to build a mostly square plywood shelf for the storage room. It doesn’t totally suck.

Thank you so much for this. Sometimes when I watch woodworking RU-vid channels I feel like I’m failing at this hobby, but you and your content are very inspiring to us all. Thanks for keeping me inspired to make sawdust.

Great shop. One of the best shops I have ever had in my 60 plus years of woodworking was my one car garage shop.

One fun little idea for you, I mount my tracks on my rollup garage door. There's 3d printable holders that work amazing.

I can relate to this topic pretty well. We live in a rental where I could put together my first workshop in a shed. It's 10x7 feet, and the height is also not too much. It's definitely doable, but needs a lot of logistics. Stuff like a jointer or a cabinet saw are absolutely impossible to fit, no way to store lumber for multiple projects, and projects are pretty size-limited. I work mostly with handheld power tools and a jobsite table saw, those I can take outside the shed if the weather allows. But it's still my shop and that's the greatest thing in it. Thanks for this great video, I'll try to take one or two ideas.

All of this is solid advice, truly. I have a 2-1/2 car shop, and I have yet to try and optimize for 'work flow.' I keep the stuff I need right at hand, other stuff... I walk for. Helps keep my dad-bod battle more in my favor since I quit cigarettes. Reference you might or might not get: "Leon's getting larger..."

thanks for the honesty, I've had my shop 27 years, and keep adjusting and tweak things as I go. I tend to build projects more than jigs but when I do build a jig, why didn't I do that before. a common comment in my head.

Honestly, even in a larger space, there's a lot of good information and great ideas here! Right now, I'm kind of in a design phase of my shop space, and this just completely redirected a couple things I was planning on doing, so thank you! Currently, I have a crappy miter saw, an even crappier jobsite table saw, and a 40+ year old drill press that was given to me by a friend over a decade ago. I finally feel like I've become proficient enough with poor-quality tools to justify putting together an actual shop with higher quality tools.

I feel the same way about a lot of the things you mentioned. Also good at being in the middle of to many projects at once. Also: unfinished projects too.

There is a German RU-vid channel that recommends 3 drills. Not sure if it's their idea but that's where I picked up on it. 1 for pre-drilling 1 for countersinking 1 for screw driving For a project that needs a million bazillion screws, that saves a lot of time.

I am grateful you shared that the mini split can mount to the ceiling. I was not aware and is the solution to my problems. Also, I love the motorcycle lift idea but I think I will hunt for a slightly larger more stable lift. I have two drills and do often find myself wishing for a third. Great video as always.

As someone with a small shop that also has to accommodate storage of non-woodworking items, your practical approach rings very true. For example, I don’t have a dedicated outfeed table because it would block traffic flow through the room. Instead I have a portable stand that comes out when I’m breaking down large pieces of wood (which turns out to not be as often as you might think).

Than you. I've been skipping a lot of your competitors videos because of their obsession with 1/1000th of an inch over 10 inch span accuracy. Your solutions are always highly intelligent and your humor is appreciatedl

Thanks to you I built an arm for my shopvac too. And honnestly this was by FAR the best thing I did there. The second best thing I did was to build all the furniture the exact same height, my table saw height, so I could have support everywhere in any direction. My shop isn't big enough to get 8f in each direction, so I always end up moving the jobsite saw to the right spot, but then the furnitures help me support it correctly. I don't have any fancy tools other than the table saw and the sander, but your arm actually greetly helped me because I don't have to move the shopvac anymore. Thus I was able to put some PVC plumbing (the cheap part from central vaccum) to connect it to the shopvac exit. Thus I'm sure that even if the shopvac (and the central vacuum cleaner I have) all lead to outside vent. It's not much, but it's honnest work. It kinda greatly helped the whole air being cleaner and more easy to breath in even when the vacuum cleaner is on. I like this tour honnestly. I think the main advice, not enough outlined was "take your time improving your shop, you don't need everything from start". Especially since you will probably make bad decisions, so working on, you will see what works or not for you, and will be able to adapt from there on. That's also why my main workbench is on wheels, and that my DIY hanging cabinets are removable and may be mounted elsewhere, if one day I feel like this will not work anymore. I will just have to put two 2x4 on the wall where I want to hang them, then screw everything and put them here.

Love your channel, you are so "real". Your humor is outrageous. Nice pups BTW....

As a fellow one car garage shop inhabitant, thank you!

I put a track and winch on my ceiling for lifting heavy stuff. It's over my open space / walkway. Works amazing for picking up and moving heavy stuff. I was even able to lift my 500lb planer!

Ha, totally agree with the excessive drill/driver comment. I have one drill and one driver and that’s all I’ve ever needed. Great video with very realistic commentary on shop setup.

great job as usual. I have a 20 x 20 two car garage, that even with all the tools, I could get both cars in at night. I got rid of the second car to give me a full bay for the tools. Keep up the great work.

Such great advice of “It doesn’t need to all happen at once”. I am currently working out of a space just about the same dimensions as you and while I am sure it is still not as functional and well organized as it can be, it sure is worlds better than how it looked about a year ago. Great things take time and we often pressure ourselves with deadlines that aren’t existent. Focus on the projects and process!

This is a really dense video. I'll have to watch it about 10 times to absorb all the wisdom. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have limited space and infinite aspirations, so all of these ideas are like gold nuggets.

your comments / thoughts on workflow in a small shop / hobby shop are SPOT ON! well for me at least. On a per-job basis, if I get in an extra 10,000 steps, 215lb me says that isn't a bad thing at all. Maybe there's a niche audience market.. Woodworking for Weight Loss? Lifting Lumber for Mad Gainz? Edge banding for Abs?

Great video! Instead of the motorcycle jack, you should consider one of the hydraulic lifting carts from Harbor Freight. It's far more stable (could easily use the planer on the cart), it rolls much easier, plus it's also really handy for many other tasks. I bought one to install a full size water heater in a difficult location by myself, but the fact it raises to my truck's tailgate height makes it super easy to take heavy items out of the truck. My shop isn't "massive" but it's bigger than a 1 car garage. A separate outbuilding roughly 1000 sf (dedicated 200 amp electrical service, central HVAC, plumbing), and I still put most everything on wheels to move around. Sometimes you just need empty floor space.

A lot of practical information, especially the comments about what's important to a hobbyist workshop vis a vis a production workshop. Thank you for sharing.

That clip after saying this side though.. that made me about blow my water out my nose… 😂

I believe some important distinctions to make as a someone "starts" a small shop is what primary tool they want to use to rip and crosscut, are they going to be using a lot of sheet goods or rough lumber (vs S3/S4S), and do they want to use hand tools more or power tools- then determine whether you need a bandsaw or a table saw. E.g., if your going to use an MFT style setup then a bandsaw might be the way to go. Plenty of VERY well qualified woodworkers that advocate to ditch the table saw and go with a bandsaw (for cost and safety issues). That being said- I use both quite often. Appreciate your content!

Agree across the board. Nice job. For the miter station, peel and stick tape measure has been an awesome addition. Yes, you have to fuss a bit to get the saw just right after returning it to the station after a project, but the ease of sliding the stop, turning the knob to clamp and cutting is AMAZING.

Thanks! I'm just planning a new workshop with about the same size. Liked the boom arm! 16:00

I have a 2-car tandem garage, but it’s not a dedicated woodshop as I park two cars in it, store everything we’ve collected over the past 20 years here, including 30 totes of Christmas decorations. Because of this, I’ve had to be very thoughtful where and how I store my tools. I have an assembly table, a cabinet saw, a 14” bandsaw, a miter station, a drill press, full size router table, lumber racks, dust collection system and three shop vacs. I also have a 16’ bank of floor to ceiling cabinets that store many tools, glues, paints, stains, sprayer, etc. In addition I have an “L” shaped workbench, an air compressor, trash can, recycling bins and just about every tool and measuring device you’d find in a large shop. Almost everything is on rollers, except the cabinets, miter station, workbench and sanding station. It sucks having to take out the cars and rolling out the tools I need then putting everything back at the end of the day, but I’ve been doing for so long, it’s goes pretty quickly, but still sucks. I recently got a small cnc and had to remove some drawers from under my assembly table so I had somewhere to keep it. If I can store the number of tools I have in my space along with just about all the normal stuff that typically sits in a garage after 20 years and still able to park two cars in the garage, anyone can make their space work for them. I’m now at a place where I don’t have room for anything other than maybe a screwdriver. So, if I buy a tool, I have to give up something of equal size that takes up the same amount of space. My ceiling is covered with lights, hanging racks and a garage door opener, but I have a 4x8 area open where I’m thinking about installing a hoist and building a platform so I can raise and lower sheet goods to the ceiling, or use it for the cnc. Like I said, you need to be creative.

When you mentioned climate control I was immediately going to recommend getting a Mr. Cool mini-split. I got one very similar to yours several years ago and was the best decision for climate control I've ever made. I figured I'd reached a point where the intense heat of summer and the below zero workarounds (heaters, fans, etc...) that I had my entire life was worth this upgrade. Keep up the great work...the interwebs woodworking community needs more of these to help balance the noise.

I’ve been waiting for this stop block since the first announcement. Can’t wait!

I really enjoyed your shop tour and no-nonsense approach to everything! Well done, Sir!

So excited for the stop block. I have the red stop block that everyone on RU-vid says is the best ever and frankly it kinda sucks. Can't flip it out of the way, can't conveniently micro adjust. It's a huge pain to get exactly where you need it.

I have a car port, so I had a Tuff Shed built (12x24) to set up a wood shop with the tools I inherited from my dad. It took 5 years to slowly evolve into something very useable. The types of projects you do have a tremendous impact on the utility of your shop. Every few years I wish I had a large assembly table. Out of necessity I’ve had to work around not having one. You have to carefully think through what you want to add and then consider what you should subtract. A shop by is a never finished but nothing to what ever your current project is.

I hand make platform beds in a 12x20 wooden building -- I have sanders, jointer, mitre, Radial arm, drill press, and table saw all on rollers so "the space fits the work". I also hand finish the beds in the same space. I took inspiration from my surgeon Uncle's operating room back in the 60s. The bed is like a patient on a table -- each tool and task moves to it as opposed to it moving to the tool for the task. PS .... no air-con and It's in Arkansas ....

I really like your thought on work flow. Thanks for another great video.

Yep the work shop is always changing. after 14 years of peg board, I was thinking about ripping it down for cleats. Now I'm getting the metal peg board because the magnet answered the issues that I'm having

Love the honesty of this video! Well done

Lots of good advice. Thank you! I recently moved my router to my table saw. Some shuffling here and there, but happy with the new layout options it gave me, and little sacraficed so far.

Peg board! So, it's not just me. My Boy Scout work was in a garage with that awful old time particle peg board with the little bent hooks. You know how that went. The stuff today has got to be better, but I am scarred for life. What a good sensible vid. I am not organized per say(always wanted to say per say). As long as it is in the same place it's been in for the last twenty yrs. I can easily find it. If I organized those things I would spend more time trying to find them.

Great advice. Your making me think differently about the way I set up my shop. The one my husband and I are building right now. Thanks!❤

Enjoyed watching your thought process behind setting up your highly function workspace! Love your delivery on camera, calm, funny, entertaining, and easy to understand and follow along. Thanks for sharing 👍👍

You’ve made really great use of your shop. I’ve probably said this before…. But I love your tool names. I name all my tools. Your names are much more fun. My jointer is named Harrison. After Harrison Ford. So I do love the Star Wars references. It started with my bandsaw, Randall. It’s come in handy when one of the other family members asks me where something is. If I say… it’s next to the bandsaw… they dont. Know. But if I say Randall…. they know. LOL. Thanks for providing the links. Some people may get annoyed with that. But I’ve been looking for lights for my shop. And I know how to search Amazon… but there are 1000’s of choices for lights. So… I used your link and ordered them. I’m so excited! I can’t wait. I also love seeing your shop furniture not finished. I have two pieces in my shop that have been made and I put it into use before I added the drawer fronts. LOL.

Mr Cool for the win! I installed mine around 8 years ago and it's been flawless since then. The variable speed motor really reduces the operating cost.

I'm in Easley. If you want to get rid of that drum sander lmk Great channel. Keep the great videos coming

That motorcycle jack looks like it would be handy for getting heavy servers in and out of a rack!

Great idea for small shop! I ride dirt bikes and bought one of those lifts way back in the early 2000s, but opt. for the no wheels version. I built a workbench to slide it under. It works great. Its heavy. I will say if you support things (Like a dirt bike) use the metal bar as a stop so you don't tax the hydraulics. They will leak. I use a 2 wheel dolly to move mine around the garage. The dolly kind of just lives under it these days. Really want to get a shed for the bikes and some lumber/ ladder storage so I can set the garage more of a wood shop. Long term is a pass through gate for a trailer, car port to keep them cars out of the hail, building dedicated for the dirt bikes/motorcycles, and turn the 2 car into a full on wood shop. For now... everything on wheels. Its a storage/single car will fit/ motorcycle/ wood shop. Thank fully all the year gear fits in the original well house that is not longer used (well still there, but on city water).

Loved the video, thanks for what you do!

Excellent points, thanks for this video!

Lot's of great advise for a small shop, I feel this space.

the boom boom is bang bang gotta have it!

Yes yes yes!!! I've been putting off buying any flip stop once I saw that you two are working on one. Thank you for the update.

I like this video. Puts a bit more reality into the average workshop. My garage is 8.5’ x 17’ (after stud walls and plywood). I’m in the process of making stud walls (finished) then 10cm PIR insulation and plywood walls to go over the PIR and stud work. This is to make the workshop dryer to prevent or at least slow down rust and mould. However I’m not rushing this as I want it to be right and my garage/workshop is approx 20’ from my house. Will add a new circuit and lighting circuit then for the sockets etc. so as you say it’s a project in itself and can take quite a bit of time and money to buy all the materials. Then I can get to saving up and purchasing a table saw, planer and jointer (maybe) + pillar drill and bandsaw. Making the shop is just as much fun as starting to build something!

Great ideas, but I still want a bigger shop 😁. Is that OK?

I honestly think the straight knives give the best finish for the planer, especially if you take care of them, as in, i dont work with pine, i dont run very knotty wood through my jointer and planer. Fyi, i have the helical head for both jointer and planer. I joint my show face and i plane my hidden face, and i stay away from sanding as much as possible. I finish with a no. 4 1/2 and only sand when i need to.

Thank you , I’m in a 12x19 single car garage and dust collection is something I have got to work on and soon. It is awful to the point I take my saws outside to use and have to roll them all back in.

Thanks for the video, I also am constantly trying find the most efficient use of space in my single garage shop. Mobility is key

Great video! I'm working in a 10x14 foot space, so I appreciate your tips. For my Dewalt planer, I use a small hydraulic table from HF. Similar to your motorcycle lift, but stable enough for using the planer in place on it.

Tks for the ideas

It seems like there should shops around in bigger cities, where you could just go there to do your wood work and rent the shop space whenever you need it.

Great video as always I will purchase when there available to support you. Your video have given me tons of inspiration

the first LSW I watched was on your boom. the next one was on dust collection. lots of great content and inspiring tips. keep 'em coming! FWIW, I store my sliding miter saw on a french cleat on the wall of my 2-car garage. it's a great tool when needed, and this has been the best storage solution for it since its footprint is excessive. when I need it, it goes either on the floor or on my rolling work bench, depending on the need. great video!

Hey we need that stop block!! Thanks for your honesty and sharing valuable knowledge between jokes had to subscribe. Btw that Mr cool unit look super clean with the installation on ceiling I have a mini split but you had me thinking about getting one for a sec 😂😂😂

A+ video all around!

Dude! I didn’t know Mr cool had a unit to place in the ceiling!! I had to rig mine bc I don’t have a wall to hang it with the line going through the wall to the condenser outside.

I like the auto on/off vacuum switch for my table saw. The delay is annoying on the miter saw. I will probably remove it from my miter saw soon. Also note that if you run a larger dust collector and a table saw on 110, you should get a switch that you plug into two different outlets on different breakers.

Thanks for keeping it real and showing your drawer (lack) of organization - most of ours look that way too.

12x21….bliss! I got 7x16! Great channel!

My shop is in that basement, so hight is limited to 6'6"-7'. Not complaining though I'm really grateful that I have a shop. Thanks for the video, John, fantastic as always.

That Mr cool is awesome and your space is great too

Great ideas for a small shop! I added a boom arm to my shop a while back and it works so well.

I love your content and the delivery is really good too. I have also gotten into woodworking about 6 to 8 months ago and you were one of the first ones I found and have stuck with you since. I still have to wheel all of my tools to the front porch so it's a little cumbersome but I love doing the work. I also have a camera now and hope to be on RU-vid soon, and other platforms as well. Can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the future but rest assured I will watch it. Good luck and stay safe, Happy Building!😁

I like how you incorporated your drill press base into more storage. Very smart

Thank you.

I have 12 x 12, but I can't dedicate it to only woodworking. I also have a lot of construction tools like ladder jacks, roof jacks, saw horses to contend with. I also have mechanics tools like floor jacks, wheel ramps, and tailgate ramps to accommodate. The ceiling is almost useless because the HVAC ducts for the house run across much of it. I use multiple rolling 4'x6'x18" wire shelf units stacked against each other, which can basically be pulled out like drawers. Five of them take up 4'x8', and provide a ton of storage capacity. The work bench is a multi station flip top with miter saw, planer, drill press, belt sander, and bench grinder. I have one open bay, which will probably hold a 10" band saw eventually. Both the work bench and table saw are on wheels, so they can be best positioned for in-feed and out-feed, and the router table is integrated into the table saw wing.

If only my single car garage could be a dedicated workshop. Alas, it serves as a workshop, general storage, garden tools/hub and place to play guitar in. I need more room

Great idea with the planer lifting it up and sliding it onto your table! I have struggled with mine (same unit), which I made a permanent shelf for under my Dewalt table saw on a mobile cart. Great for space savings, absolutely horrible for my back trying to hold large stock a foot off the ground. Thanks for the idea, I’m going to consider a lift for mine when I redesign my shop carts soon! Can’t wait!

Tools and machinery is one thing, lumber storage for products is yet another. And even more important is space to put the product after it has been built. Cabinets for example require lots of space.

Rockler makes a tube that allows you to pass through a wall for dust collection. My dust collector is on wheels and works outside beside the garage. The benefit has been greatly reduced noise and surface dust collection. I use a remote on the power cord headed outside so I really have no reason to go out and see the dust collector until it’s time to wheel it back into my garage and put it to bed.

I constantly struggle with positioning of tools and materials in my one space garage shop. Thanks for the tips

Three drills is perfect: drill bit, countersink, and driver bit. Or pilot hole, through hole, and driver bit. Works either way.

This is a great tour. As someone who used to have a social media profile around the same size as yours, I’d definitely say you should let go of shifting your content (or omitting parts of your story) in anticipation of criticism from strangers. You’re obviously thoughtful and reflective about your presence online, that makes your videos pretty great even beyond the initial entertainment value. Will be stealing many of these tips!

This is the best video of this kind that I've seen

Drill compensating movement. . . Priceless. I have two and that seems excessive most days.

Good stuff! Multi drills - it’s very convenient to have one driver per bit type, and a dedicated drill when working, no tool changes. The wrong thing is to buy a bunch of drills though, here’s what you need to do… wait for the combo pack sales, and pick up an impact/battery/charger combo often for the same price as another battery, sell the charger and bag for cheap ($20-30 on FB market), and then you have a new impact and battery for less than the price of the battery. Of note, with makita, the upgraded impact is light years nicer than the black entry level one (although it is serviceable for basic tasks)… so keep that in mind.

Working with metal it helps to have multiple drills. I can have the pilot drill, through hole or tap bit size and countersink or chamfer bit and then another drill with a tap.

Thank you for your videos! I have gotten a lot of inspiration out of them!

Think about using white plastic laminate. It works great for making notes or quick math. Cleans up fast with a rag and lacquer thinner.

Came here to see the Jack stand for the planar. 14:20. Oh, you can’t use the tool on it. Oh well.

Great video! Love the added humor!

Wow, I found a current video. I am a lot like you. I have so many projects on my list I don't know how to prioritize them. Prioritizing shop projects, such as my jointer/ripping/tapering jig for my table saw that I did today, get done when I can't do my other projects without them. (let's just say I have started more than one and leave it at that. ;) I'm now moving into my own apartment and my tools are still scattered hither and yon. I have a 12 x 24 deck on 2nd floor to work from out in the weather. I wheel out my jobsite table saw and carry out my miter saw and two portable workbenches to do my wood working. I'm building a right of blade table saw sled where I have 35 inches from blade to extended table saw fence. My sled will only be about 16 inches wide, but I don't need to add an extended fence to it if it is on the right. Because I have a miter saw, I haven't had much need for a cross-cut sled, but since most of my boards are generally only about 5 feet, I can cut them on the table saw sled when I'm done or the Kreg cross cut station until I build my work bench. My workbench will have a cross - whatever station built in. I can cross cut with my circular saw, thickness plane or joint with my electric hand plane or router, and whatever else I come across needing. The "king", my miter saw, is leaving the building! It has gone from my most needed and used tool to a space hog I no longer need. I have so many tools and things duplicated or I never used so I am going to try to go "minimalist" within reason in my shop. I only brought with me my a chair, my bed and a folding table for house furniture so I"m building what I need -- farmhouse style! :) I'm looking forward to getting to the point where I pick a project, know what I need and can just set up the tools, cut it out, assemble it and not go through all the hunting for tools and parts and trial-and-error learning. Every piece I make brings me that much closer. Does anyone have any suggestion for an outdoor workbench that can handle the weather CHEAP?

Small shops are never (repeat never three times) efftcient, rather they are pracital, first by allowing for many divergent process to be preformed in a confined area usually by moving equipment into position prior to use. There is no other option if one wants to preform various operations in limited space. Your advice for me is well founded. Want better more efficient work flow get a larger space to allow each machine to function freely as intended and be ready for use w/o any re-arranging. My suggestion for wall area behind and above mitre center is an open rectangular cabinet with three groves for sliding overlapping plexigalss doors as large as will fit in this area extra high shelves inside will quickly find items that need to be stored in a visible cabinet. Ray Stormont

I have about the same space, but lacking two walls. We have a two car garage and I'm using 3/8 of it as the shop. Makes things more complicated as I can't hang as much stuff. But, it's nice and open!