Great video! You are a very talented woodworker. My first shop (50+ years ago) was a 30"' square closet. Open the door, a light comes on, and presto, you're standing at the bench. I've come a long way since then, but it always amazes me that I seem to get most of my enjoyment in working on the shop itself; making tools; making tools to make other tools; finding better ways to store tools. I love tools!
Inside My Shop I try to be well organized. The downside to that is, when you think of something you want to do to improve your organization, it can get in the way of your current project. SWMBO is not necessarily in favour of that. ;0) I'm very glad you enjoyed the video. Thank you for watching and commenting.
excellent use of that space! I'm sitting here with 15' x 30' basement planning it out to utilize the space better and stumbled across your video.... I was thinking WOW if he can do so much with such a small space I have NO REASON to complain ever!
That's funny. I'm certainly glad you stumbled across my video and I hope it helped. Thanks for watching and good luck with your shop. I hope you plan to post videos...
I also have a garden shed shop. The space saver for my vacuum air filter system is permanently fixed in one corner with PVC pipe laid out to reach my dust creating tools. Above my Vac, I built a corner shelf for my pancake air compressor and 3 pin nail guns. Above the a/c is a corner shelf for wood scraps. 3 in 1 stacked in a 2.5 sq foot corner. thanks for your tips.
You can never have too many tools. Even the ones you only use every so often as soon as you decide to get rid of it you will need it the very next day. Funny how that always seams to be the case with those old tools you think you will never use again. Nice looking shop great use of space. I suppose those of us who have small shops have to come up with ingenious ways to keep the clutter at bay or as much as possible anyway. Thanks for sharing.
Great use of space. When I farmed we had the wood shop, machine shed, and half a dozen storage buildings. Now I'm in town in a 7X10 yard she'd. While I can't go back to the Glory days, I will take some tips from your video. Thanks for putting it out!
Happy woodworking to you! I have a 10x12 shop, and I am in my 3rd re-design myself. I built a lean-to shed and that is where I placed my air compressor and shop vac. Saved spaced and a little quieter. I enjoyed your video and subscribed to your channel!
That's not overly difficult with a track saw. I don't like using the table saw for joinery anyway. I prefer to do that by hand. If you check some of the more recent videos, you'll see I acquiesced and bought one that fits in my annex tent. I do have a Unisaw but it has been in storage for several years now.
Hi Howard, I have arelatively small shop and I dispensed with iodea of pretty cupboars and peg boards. I have installed shelf racks all round the wall and many things go into baskets and boxes on the shelves such as chisels, hand planes, screwdrivers. It means that I must clear away after each job. Good video and keep them coming. regards Colin in Northern Ireland
I have a small shop,14 by 16 and I am always looking around trying to figure out how I can get better use out of the space,but I love the feeling of a small workshop. thank you for the video.
Thumbs up eh! Ha! Nice to see another Albertan working it out. I've just started to discover the "joy of woodworking" in the past few months. We moved into a new house that has an attached (and heated) garage and it was a blank slate, so I am able to start from scratch. I have all sorts of tools from building houses and doing renovations in the past and am slowly getting some tools for smaller projects such as cabinet making. Since the garage has to be multi-purpose (my wife insists on parking her car in there of all things), I enjoy seeing how people maximize the spaces that they have. Thanks for the tour and the insights. PS, my grandfather was a Ruttan from out Winnipeg way.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. It's always great to hear from a fellow Albertan, especially one who works the wood. If your wife insists on parking the car in there (and even if she doesn't) casters will be your best friend. I wish you the best of luck with your shop and I hope you post some videos. I'll be watching. Oh, if your related to Ruttan's from Winnipeg, I have some bad news for you. I'm 99% sure we're related. Think on that!
I had a one car garage shop at my home and always hated the fact I was always tracking sawdust in the house. Years later I purchased a house that had a detached 2 1/2 car garage turned that into my shop and my garage was turned into my train room...then I missed my one car garage shop and built a 16ft x 6ft (just under 100 sf) shed which is my mini shop. It is surprising how creative you get when the area is small and your right it is fast to clean up....good job!
Good job making your tools fit the space. I do the same thing adjust my work shops, plural as I have one in my basement and one in my garage for the warmer weather! I agree it is a never ending job changing and improving ones workshop!
Amazing job, you really have got everything crammed in there I'm a novice woodworker and recently built an 8x8 shop it has to be one of the best things I've done.
Paul C I hope you post lots of videos! I'm addicted to looking at other people's shops. I probably shouldn't say that out loud. Anyway, thank you for watching!
enjoyed your video, I have a tiny shop myself 10x14 with two windows a huge double end door and a side door. your right about it constantly changing. I set my table saw up on one end so I can open the doors for longer cuts. I have my lathe set up on an old Christiansen work bench on the window side of the shed with another work bench on the other side. I have a huge antique bandsaw that I should get rid of and a huge walker turner pedestal drill press and a nice rolling router table with a rockler top. if I downsized to a smaller router table, bandsaw and tabletop drill press I could really open up my shop instead of having it all crammed in there. imdo mostly turning these days but still like having all the tools at my disposal when I need them.
I'm working in my balcony! Probably similar space as yours, but as it's a common space for family and entertaining it set up to convert to a balcony when needed and back to a space to have guests and just some coffee. Great job with your micro shop...now I know I'm not alone in the world hehe
Thanks for sharing! I have a 12x 16 shed that I am currently trying to make into a wood working shop, I had my doubts of this working out until I saw your video...Now I can’t wait to get there again and move on with the project! You gave me hope that it can work! Thanks again! Merry Christmas ✨🎄✨
So true a workshop will never ever have every tool in it .my motto only use the tools that you need nothing more .enjoy woodworking for those who share this gentleman's workshop .
Omg thats just amazing and lots room for very large projects. Because you have huge door opening or small. Its built so perfect lol. Well done and that shop has more room than it looks. Perfectly designed
Like your vids BTW. My biggest issue with my micro-shop has been cleaning the floor , SO, my latest approach has been to cantilever my solid benches/machine stands off the rim joists on the outside walls of my cabin ... Voila, cleaning made much easier. No machine stand legs to interfere. ...… My bench grinder is mounted on a board to be clamped where needed and can be stored away on the underside of my bench ...… I also bolted plywood to my drill press table for casters/stability and have 4 carriage bolts attached to the plywood, [ head down ] that can be retracted with a drill driver to move my drill press around on my bench.... Rock solid...... The micro shop constantly evolves.
Just like you I have been limited to small shops. I used to have every tool know to man. I had a radial arm saw, a table saw, a jointer, a planer, a compound miter, a shaper, a lathe, a band saw, a drill press and more tool boxes full of hand tools than you could shake a stick at. And after 30+ years I found it's all nice to have but you just don't need it all. I am able to acomplish almost everything I want to from my table saw with a bunch of jigs, a drill press, a planer and a shaper table. You just gotta evaluate what you need and how you can do it. Stop thinking about how to fit another tool in your shop and think about how you can perform another task on what you already have. After a while I was selling some big tools because I hadn't used them in years. I also am much happier having so much less clutter and it's also a real nice feeling knowing my equipment like I do. I know exactly what I can do and what I need to be creative with. Hope my 2 cents gives you a little food for thought. :-)
James Funicello I don't know about food for thought. I have done pretty much the same thing. I have a way I work and only those tools that fit that process. There will always be another tool that finds it's way in - for one reason or another. I think you'll find that, if you look closely, the shop looks full but that's because I like everything at hand. I've been at this for over 30 years myself and have paired down to this after topping out at 1100 square feet. Even at that you can't tell me you never buy another tool. Can you? :0) If you can say that, you'll have to let me in on the secret. It is certainly nice to know that there are others our there in the same position. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Reminds me of the attic space I had when I was a grad student. No room for anything but hand tools, so that's what I got into back then. Now I've gotten into metal work. Hoo boy.
Nice Video. Really showcasing how you don't need a huge shop to have a shop. I just recently turned one of our future bedrooms into a temp shop for now in our unfinished basement. I hope to buy a 16x32 shop this summer???
Good job, when I got done with my microshop, there was enough room to walk in and that was it, walk in set at the scrollsaw or stand at the work bench. but it made everything handy.
My compliments on your ship-in-a-bottle workshop. (Stuffing a massive collection of tools into a small space.) I've been thinking about converting a small basement room into a workshop.
I had a friend who had a small 10x10 shop like yours....did small stuff in the poor weather, saving his big work for nicer weather so he could work outside....he had everything on wheels so he could roll them out to use in front of the shop itself....
Fortunately I have an annex tent that helps me out. Many people don't realize that leaving an open floor plan will allow you to build fairly large projects in a small space. The extra annex comes in handy and I am considering a small upsize. Not too big however. For a while I had 1100 sq. ft. and that was worse - always cleaning. Thanks for watching!
inthewoodshop I've been looking at building a shop at some point in the future...(my little one car garage just isn't big enough, and has some dampness issues...) If I can find enough room, 16 x24 would be very workable, though I think i could manage with maybe 16x16 or 12x16... I do more lathe work than anything else, but I do want to have room for a cabinet saw...
Tim Hyatt I think 16 X 16 would be ideal. Honestly, I have had shops that are 20 x 20 (2 different ones) and there is a lot of space to hide crap you don't need in them. Maybe I'm too OCD but I like to be organized and store things efficiently. 10 X 10 is not too bad but my ceilings are way too low and that restricts what I can put on the walls and the overall volume of storage space I have. If you are dead set on a cabinet saw (I have one in storage) then 16 x 24 would be better as you have quadruple the width of a sheet of plywood for a width (allowing stuff along the walls plus room to manoeuvre) and plenty of room before and after the saw to push a full sheet of plywood through. I would still put everything on casters though - I believe in keeping my options open for the centre portion of the shop. Open floor space is always a good idea. I have done without the cabinet saw by using ideas similar to Ron Paulk's. Check out his channel if you haven't already (although you probably have). I wish you the very best for your shop and it would be very cool if you posted videos. I love getting ideas from other people.
i'm always interested in seeing the different solutions people come up with. I agree on the casters, they're most definitely needed and easily added. I've seen shops in the 12x16 and 16x16 range where the doors set up so when open, it allows for feeding full sizes sheet goods. I'll have to check out the channel you mentioned...i've got dozens of subscribed channels, but I don't recall that one....
I don't feel so bad about the size of my shop now. My only problem is an uneven floor and too much junk lol. Plenty of ideas for me to make mine better . Thanks for the inspiration.
don't feel bad about not ever having enough room for all your tools, My shop is 17 x 35 ft. and I still don't have room for some of my tools, my answer was to put all the big tools on wheels so I could roll them out of the way. but still you have a pretty neat little shop and that sign you made for your shop is awesome. thanks for sharing..
I used to be in a 10 x 12 shop and played the same game with exactly the same jointer. I was shopless for a while but now I'm rebuilding a 1 car garage as my play space.
I know it's an old video, bit you're completely right. No shed is ever complete. I reckon I move stuff around every few years trying to improve storage and work flow. Some things work, some don't. I think I've come to realise that the best storage solution is a temporary one, or something that can be added to or changed easily. And trying to MAKE free cupboards fit the space generally doesn't work. Thanks for the tour.
Peter Vancompernolle Yes. It certainly does. When I get comments like, "why don't you build a bigger one," it's hard to explain why I don't build a bigger one. Cozy is a good word.
Thank's man, been in that boat, my shed was 8 x 8 foot and I enjoyed it because I made some lovely things a lot of people treasure even today. Your sign carving looks really good and you have some good machines and tools but all those old moulding planes!? Do you use them or collect them? Enjoyed your video, I too had to give up and down size things.... I gave up my bedroom which is 16 x 9 foot and that is my new shop. I live alone so I don't mind sleeping in a wall unit that at night pulls down to be my bed. Wish you more space in the future, and more pleasure creating the the pieces from you skills. Hope to be seeing more of your videos.
wow, thats inspirational . I have a single car garage that was split in half to make a small motorcycle garage and my shop. dont know exact measurements but gotta be only a few feet larger each way then yours so its cool to see what can be done. yes a huge problems is tables and benches and tools that require their own.
I do miss a larger shop, especially when building a larger project in winter. It can stay between -30 and -40° for weeks on end. I have a plan for that now. Thanks for watching. If you post a shop tour, I'd like to see it.
lol i hear your struggles. my shop is an 8x8 i built and it has 2 bikes, two bags of straw and a huge bag of shavings in it too. im doing a complete reorganization once my body heels up just so i can make room to fit a band saw in there. i also dont have permanent power. i have an extension cord dropping out of the soffits from inside the shed that i have to plug into my house when i work in there. the only large tool i have is a drill press on the bench and my miter saw on the bench shelf. really dont know how im going to squeeze a planer and a jointer in there. The planer i want is way too heavy to be lifting into a usable position. i have so much more than some other guys have and the challenge to make a micro shop functional is a lot of fun anyway although i wouldnt pass up the chance to move into the18x18 back room in our house some day:) im working on her....
I'll never complain again. I thought I had it bad. I have a nice 10'-10" x 16'-3" a room in my basement. I have a table saw, band saw, drill press, scroll saw, mini lathe, planer and router.
Great video always interesting to see how people get a magnificent looking shop in a small space very inspiring...I've got a lot more space than you have my shop is a nightmare. You've given me some great ideas ...thanks.
well looks like I've got to clear everything out am selling my jointer an router cabinet so that's a start. After seeing yours I have hope. I'm going lean in the shop ( something has to) lol. Great idea thank you think I'll subscribe
enjoyed your video, Please to hear that your shed is still evolving, like mine, but mine is just for my gear.. computers old and current Liked some of your ideas and i thought i was mad lining at 1 degree, Keep the video s coming good effort
Hi there I was excited to see your video because our shops are identical sizes although yours is much better organized than mine. I have been thinking a lot about expanding mine but might instead just better organize it. Nice job - I subscribed because I would like to come back and look more carefully. I have a table saw that I just can't give up. Thanks for your video.
I'm jealous! 100'ft? thats 20'ft more than i have to work with.... probably more, because it shares it with all the seasonal stuff I have stored in there!
My workshop is a 6 foot by 10 foot balcony with no walls except for the wall on the back of the building. I have to put my tool storage cabinet on top of my workbench with wood storage rack on top of that, and boxes underneath the workbench, and storage is an absolute nightmare. I have to plug the outlets on my workbench into the bedroom when the door is open. Can't work in bad weather. I've heard of micro shops in places like small hall closet but this is still pretty tight. If I did a tour of my workshop, it would probably take about 30 seconds. Actually, I would love to see some videos and pictures of some other micro shops. I wonder if there's any woodworking magazines that highlight micro shops? That might be an interesting article each month or in each issue. I'm sure it would encourage more wood workers.
+Kerry Wware I would love to see more tours on RU-vid. I am unaware of any magazines that are centred around microshops - I wish one existed. There are lots of people who have very small spaces. If you did find places to get more information, I would love to hear about it.
I am soon going to be having my new micro shop built to it's actually a 10 by 12 shed that has 8 ft walls and 10 and a half feet to the peak. I will be posting videos on my channel of the new shop as it develops. The kind of stuff that I do in my shop is everything from a little bit of woodworking to fixing the small engines to just about whatever I need to use my shop for. Keep an eye on my channel for the development of my mini shop
Great looking shop you have, sadly all I have is a shed thst is only 6ft x 6ft, and that holds all my tools, so I have to work outside inthe open air, weather permitting, keep working.
nice for 10 x 10 -mines 10 x 8 in s fl its warm/ hot . but works for small projects, i just wheel the saws outside u have to go outside to change your mind anyway.
I also have a small shop 10'x14' but after awhile it just doesn't work anymore.Need bigger.I did also find out that propane heat is fast but not good for the tools because of the moisture and went back to kerosene for heat.
I'm currently workshopping in a 8x6 garden shed so I would kill for the luxury of a 10x10 space. My elbows have been smashed so often that I no longer feel it....
No space to build a second shed unfortunately, nor to extend my existing one.. I live in a terraced house with a very small yard which can only accommodate a very small shed but i make the most out of it. Its all about clever organisation, various work stations that can be stored away and being able to locate all the right things effectively once they have been placed out of sight which is how things tend to be in small shops.
Jonto Dickens I couldn't agree more. I do have the space, but I would rather be woodworking, not doing construction. I have done too much construction the last few years. Besides, I like the fact that my shop is different from a lot of the shops you see in videos.
WELL BRAVO for you. I now work out of my two car garage and I know what it is like to have to down size from a big shop into a suit case shop. Hats off to you my man. about the jointer, I built my 3'x8' 638lb Roubo bench with my Porter Cable 6" jointer and it did the job just fine and the cost of that machine is very affordable, and it stores very easily and it is not heave at all. Your might look into getting that one. Mind you it jointed all my 6x6 stock with ease. you have a very nice looking table saw, do you still have it and use it? my I ask why you had to down size? Take care and look up my Roubo Bench build Dan West Roubo Bench you see just what that little toy jointer did, it is small but it did mans work.
I feel your pain, I just downsized from a 20 by 30 shop to a 16 by 16 so i'm on you tube trying to pull ideas off other peoples shops. all in all I think I have it pretty well organized but like you said no shop is ever complete.
