Hope you guys find this concept helpful in your own shop! I've been finding the clear open space in the shop even more valuable since I shot this episode. I've been doing a lot of mechanical work in the shop lately getting all my small engines ready for summer as well as maintaining the vehicles, so the clear open space has been very important and useful. Share some of your top shop setup tips here in the comments!
Dan Pattison, great tip on consolidating some tools and leaving work space! Certainly a concept that is worth considering in shop setup! Congrats on the new shop. I would like to share my minimalist application of the same type of concept: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oN2V0tlFSiQ.html I move frequently, so I have an added challenge with mobility/weight restrictions. I have both consolidated machines but minimized interference where possible. Thanks for sharing!
Or better yet just get tools that take up less space. Ive seen people who have occupied every corner of their shop with tools such as cabinet saws and stationary CNC machines. The truth is that may be impossible as some people have small shops. Think of it as having a shop the size of a bathroom (or worse an ant hill {exaggeration}).
In all the professional workshops I've worked in there have been 2 distinct shops. The machine shop and the assembly shop. This seem to me to a very sensible way to setup workshops if you have the room.
I totally agree with you Dan. I've been woodworking for 55+ years and my current shop is in need of a revamping. My biggest problem is free space or lack of it I should say. I,m selling some of my tools that I seldom use just to make more room for storage and assembly room. Thanks for the encouragement.
In the course of de-cluttering my garage and turning it into usage shop space (or for the occasional car) I have found out much of these same lessons. Basically nothing gets stays in there unless it is mounted on the walls (via french cleats) or is on wheels. Big thanks for the affirmation and fresh ideas.
Yes, you are 100% correct in my book. I started thinking like you have described about a year ago and my feelings are like yours. I live in a warm humid climate and have also thought that hanging all of your nice tools on the walls is not a good way to go. I have experienced some rusting when you do this so my new way of thinking is to hang only tools that I use frequently i.e. squares, hammers screw drivers some wrenches and portable hand tools like sanders. Also mobilizing the big tools is a great idea.
This is great advice. Clear space seems to equate to clear head, I feel. I will certainly take what I can from your presentation and implement in my workshop. Woodwork is a hobby for me but now that I am retired, time- saving and efficiency are even more important if I am to make the most of whatever time and energy I have left. Thanks very much.
This is great advise. Shop space is the most expensive “thing” in my shop. It’s never big enough! So use it wisely and keep the tools and gadgets to a minimum. I also like to keep my stationary power tools clear and ready to use.
Clear to the point and again proper organization makes for clear thinking which makes for better creations and quality. A needed space in RU-vid keep it coming !
I just keep watching the first 3 seconds; 5 times at least already. Says it all. (working normally on a 1 x 3 meter balcony with a 1x1m storage for the tools... ) Keep them coming. No-nonsense advice is much appreciated.
Fascinating video and concept, Dan. Only just came across your channel while interested in upgrading a couple of the kitchen drawer slides, but it's your calm method of presentation, your completeness of points covered, and the order in which they're covered, in short it's how shockingly organized you are in your delivery of information, that made me a subscriber from your first video. Most of the rest of the world, well beyond the subject of woodworking, could learn from your teaching ability. I only recently encountered a taste of a similar scenario where cleaning up enough of my own bedroom has allowed me enough space to realize how much my physical belongings were impeding my ability to actually work on any particular project within a finite amount of time. The idea of factoring in the projects, the materials required, and ease of getting them moved in, through, and out of a work area (for *any* type of work), and all efficiently, just seems to apply to ever area of one's life. Thank you so much for talking about this and articulating out the reasons and benefits that so many of us habitual hoarders have lost sight of!
Thank you very much for the kind words and feedback. It's always very much appreciated! Glad to hear that you found the episode helpful as well. Like you said, it really is a concept that you can apply to most areas of life. I used to be more of a hoarder and kept every offcut and tools that I didn't need but my wife helped me overcome that and helped me see how much more efficient you can be if you only hang on to what you truly need. The clear open space concept in my shop has been crucial since it allows me to do automotive work as well, which lately is the majority of the work that happens in there since my regular work has all been on site lately. Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts and feedback!
I appreciate you sharing your shop layout reasoning with me. You have caused me to start rethinking my shop layout. I have always thought more was better, but looking at it from your angle I will be considering condensing my shop some. Thanks for tips.
Wow! My garage has storage shelves on two sides for tools and the back is for material. Everything that is cut or fabricated is done in the middle AFTER I remove my truck and my wife's car. I don't have a dedicated shop. I keep wishing for one, but... I'm a contractor and cabinet builder (and welder, and custom installations designer, etc) and almost every job is different. So I have rolling work tables and saw horses with varying sizes of plywood or lumber work surfaces depending.... I am happy to see your video and feel acknowledged that my system of necessity is also used and been designed by smarter people than me! I love learning from other craftsmen!
Good advice! I extended my shop to double it's size a year or so ago, but most of the extra floor space is clear empty space, for the same reasons you have stated. Unlike your shop,though, my walls are crammed with tools, shelves,jigs etc. Not a clean minimal look (quite the opposite), but super functional! Workshops also evolve and adapt to the work you do over the years, so it's important to bear this in mind when setting up a shop : )
I couldn’t agree more after being in my 3rd shop now... I find that having open space is really important... I just finished working on a fairly big project and had a really tough time fitting it in the space and trying to work on it.... it’s all to easy to fall into the buying of new tools and filling up the open space....
Hi Dan, Just found this video and you are on point. Having a 2 car garage that I share with home storage, washer dryer, etc. space is at a premium. Everything that can be on casters is on casters. Another strategy that I use is my friend who owns a cabinet shop. I am not too proud to take him anything too big for me to easily or accurately machine. Even if I have to pay for his services it's cheaper than a $10,000 piece of equipment or rent a bigger workshop. Being in Florida I've always said it's better to have a friend with a boat than own a boat!
Dan, I've had a dozen shops in fifty years, and I couldn't agree with your analysis and conclusions more. I too learned this lesson "the hard way." Most dramatically, my most recent move, heading into semi-retirement, was from a 4000 sf space to a 900 sf attached garage. It was hard to part with many of my redundant customized machine creations, but in the end I had to decide which I wanted more: a tightly configured machinery warehouse or a productive work shop. My solution has included: planting the larger machines in logically fixed spots on the perimeter; mounting the rest on casters; and then creating a single modular location equipped with power, dust control, and air in the open area where any of the mobile machines could be moved to have maximum infeed/outfeed when necessary for processing of large workpieces. Finally, accepting the trade-off between reduced setup times and opting for multi-functional machines (or multi-functional use of single-function machines) is painful but necessary when space is limited.
just started to watch your videos and i like them.... i will have a workshop this summer 22 x 30 and i wonder how to set it up... watching your videos helps me a little... thanks
Agree %100!!! I have a two car garage. I originally followed the advice over everyone telling me to put my table saw in the middle of the shop. Work flow was not the best. Now that I have moved everything to the perimeter. I can build so much more and with much more ease and way better flow.
Another excellent video Dan, thank you. I’ve taken your thoughts and applied this to my kitchen installation business. Enhanced-Kitchens. I now use Dewalt TStak trays, deep and shallow for all my tools and fixings. Which fit onto the Dewalt trolley, this allows me to move around my tools into the area where I’m working and also only takes up a small surface area.
I’m currently reorganizing my shop. Your concept of open space is something that I have been designing into the project. I’ve always had some open space. Fortunately for me I rarely create large projects like you do so I don’t need quite as much open space as you have in your shop. When I do need a larger open space I can back our van out of the garage half of the building my shop is in and use that space for my projects. That was part of my original design plan for my shop/garage.
Dan, thanks so very much for sharing your knowledge with us about setting up your shop. I’ve noticed that a lot of your items are on wheels and can be moved against the wall. I’m going to make my equipment mobile because I have more than just wood working tools in my shop. Like you I maintain my small engines and clean my firearms in my shop. I also have another small building for paint and other items that I use on a limited basis.
You have something I don't have, and I'm envious. No, I'm not talking about your shop, although it is magnificent. I'm referring to your clear head and organized mind. Organization skills have always been an elusive trait for me. I must say, though, I have plenty of open space in my head. - A new subscriber.
Workshop equipment is like gas;it expands to fill the shop! I made this mistake before but now i have also took my `prevention measure` before hand and made 1:30 scale of EVERY equipment in the shop and placed on A3 paper. I will share a video about it upcoming weeks. Great video,thanks for sharing!
I agree with you having made the mistake of filling up my two car garage. I am now in the process of getting rid of stuff I don't need. Only took me 31 years.
hi dan, just came across your RU-vid channel. Love the way you explain things and the experience to back it up. As for the shop layout....you just gave me a kick in the butt to re-think my layout. i have a 26 x 33 workshop and no place to work ...lol too many tools or too many hobbies. i have 4 x 8 cnc router table, , 4 x 4 plasma table, a forge, welders, and all the incra stuff you can think of.. BUT NO ROOM for my projects...lol I get It... I need to re-think all that. It's actually stressing me out. lol ( I'm also a canadian by the way)
Glad to hear you were inspired by the episode👍 It's an easy trap to fall into to get the shop filled up to the point where there's no room to work. Let me know how you make out reworking your space.
Preach it. Yep. I started with an empty 1800SF space and filled it to the brim in 2 years. While I had a great open area, it soon filled up with random long term projects of woodwork and tool restorations. I'm focusing the next couple of months to finish....ehem....about 22 unfinished projects and get my space back.
I actually just rearranged my small 12x24 shop area like this before I watched this video.much more efficient than having tools in the middle of the shop where I was building a 4ft patio bar and it got very tight working around it. now I'm running less cords and hoses and it's much more open and efficient. great video
I've been in business for over 40 years and acquired a number of tools and material. Just finished building a new 6 car garage, that will never have a vehicle inside, except for my 97 HD Fat boy. I decided to spoil myself and just purchased a SCM Sliding Table Panel Saw and a 36 inch Wide Belt Sander. My next purchase is a Dust Collection System and Compressor. I'm enjoying the clear space and will be very selective on bringing other items into the shop. I will be looking at Edge Banders and Line Boring Machines later this year. I would greatly appreciate feedback from your subscribers on a shop layout. The bulk of my work is focused on European Cabinetry.
Great tip Dan!! I agree with your suggestion. Often times open space is overlooked and its so important in order to assemble your projects. I have a single car garage that doubles as storage and a wood working shop. I have absolutely no open space at all and it has become unsafe to even work in the confined area I have. I recently began making changes by redesigning my work space and getting rid of items that are not used very much. I will now have more open space to assemble my projects. Thanks for your help you are a true inspiration!
I learned early to work in limited spaces -- my first two "workshops" were apartment balconies :-) Now, many years later, I have a dedicated workshop space, but my flat woodworking now has to compete with a full size wood lathe, a milling machine, and a metal lathe. My forge, anvil, heat treat oven, belt grinders and welder have overflowed to my half of the garage, so I *still* have to work in limited spaces. My solutions have been to make everything mobile, use every inch of wall space, and hang several pieces of equipment (e.g. router table & scroll saw) from the ceiling with canoe/kayak hoists. I highly recommend this last solution if your ceiling is high enough and you don't mind the Sword of Damocles effect :-) Clyde
Great video. I would agree with you on floor space for projects I have this problem now. I will be moving into a new space soon and i have been thinking about how to set it up. This video came out at just the right time for me. I would enjoy videos of your mdf cabinet making projects. Thanks DP
Glad to hear that the episode was helpful to you and at the right time. I would like to produce some cabinet making episodes at some point. The challenge is finding a job with a flexible enough time line since filming slows things down considerably.
Wonderful topic and excellent presentation. I built a 192 sq/ft shop in my backyard and my big concern is stationary tools. Just becuase I have a small shop doesn't mean small projects so I plan to put my power tools on mobile bases. However, that also means compromising and having fewer tools but those tools can do many jobs. Spending a little bit more so I have fewer tools and more space to make stuff.
Thanks Brian. You're right that a small shop doesn't have to mean small projects. With some creative thinking and efficient layouts a small shop space can work very well as I showed in the episode. A lot of people don't realize that it was in that small corner of the basement in my 'in between shop' that I created and built the MPT. I didn't have any of my stationary tools set up there except for my drill press but I was still able to produce cabinet projects, many different jigs that I've featured on DP Shop Talk, as well as the MPT. Small spaces can still produce great things. When we were looking for a place to move to this past fall I was actually considering trying to make a 1 car garage work for my shop space if that was all we were able to find. I had many different ideas floating around in my head for how I could downsize and create a setup that would allow me to do my work in a small space like that. It ended up that we found the much larger shop space that I'm in now and I'm very thankful to have been blessed with that, but a small space can work very well too and I was prepared to do so.
I use my two car garage as a dedicated shop, and run across this issue frequently. I do a lot of case work, involving cutting a lot of parts to the same size and storing for later use, etc. Not only do you need plenty of room for assembly, but you need room to store the parts! Worse yet, when it comes time for finishing, you need yet another area or your shop becomes unusable during that stage. Another consideration that I have yet to deal with is storing and accessing sheet goods and scrap sheet goods. They seem to stack up against the wall, or tools that I then can't access for a period of time, ha. As I grow I think more space is the answer, but in the meantime, I'll try to come up with a storage solution for all those sheet goods offcuts that I can't justify scrapping...yet. Thanks for the video!
I think you shop and reasoning on layout, and open space is good! I can only do small project's, now day's, and my workshop is about 6' square. But the tool's I use most ar, a pair of jigsaw's, and a trim router, plus dril's. along with other odd's and ends. When the weather's right, I have a nice picnic table I built some years ago, that was made with the ideal of using it as an outside project table!
Excellent points! In my 10x13 shop which is part of the basement, nearly everything is on wheels. Using your concept, I'm thinking I can roll most tool carts to the side, back, or even temporarily to the other side of the basement and just use the one or two tools I'm working on at the time. As long as no one wants to do laundry :) . I may try this. Since rolling the tool carts away doesn't take much time.. What I've been doing is just clearing space around the tool I'm working with by moving the tools immediately adjacent. Planning my projects in steps is essential with either method.
Dan, you're soooo right! I only have a small cellar, where I store all stuff we seasonly use or things to be kept. Within this room I also have my "not really existing" shop, because I have to move all Tools out to the corridor to have space for turning myself arround in that room. Everything needs to be build on Wheels and must be high enough in case of flood water again. It is really no good place to work. And I'm always searching for space saving solutions and arrange my tool carts...
Hi Dan! Greetings from Chemainus (pronounced shem-ain-us) Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada! We are in the process of adjusting to our new shop space. We have recently built a 30' x 30' shop. My fella Tony is a mechanic, I am a wood creator. We have divided the shop equally with his half complete with a hoist and all the tools and machines he needs for restoring and working on vehicles. My side is home to my table saw, ban saw, miter saw, jointer, assembly table, fastener storage, tool storage, etc, etc, etc. Although I am very excited to have my 15'x30' space, I am still in the design/placement stage. I love your advice in this video. I think that my shop side is a work in progress that will change over time as needed and I will remain flexible! Thank you for your perspective, it's greatly appreciated and advice well heeded! L Psst. my table saw out feed/assembly table may be moving away from the center and closer to the perimeter of my shop now. . .
Sounds like you have a great new shop space! It's nice that you can make one space work for two separate work spaces and work types. Thanks for sharing and all the best with your new shop!
Very nice video thanks Dan. I have a very small workshop and often run up against the problem with storage space for the project. Guess it's time to re-organise.
I've also found clear open space to be important. But I also think it's important to have every tool acessible and ready to use. For every project that isn't thoroughly planned I turn to different machines all the time.
Finding that balance between clear open space and tool access is definitely the key. I think it comes down to figuring out which tools are used the most and making your setup work accordingly. That's going to be different for everyone and isn't something where one setup fits all.
Good stuff Dan. Regardless of your shop "space" the principle it the same. If you can't move your material around, it will be a frustrating thing to deal with. Congrat's on your new shop.
I have to basically agree with what your saying, I got tired of moving this to get to that and then back again, so I did a full shop tear down basically. I am in a one car garage 11 by 20 with a small roughly 4 by 8 area in the front to give me about 18 plus feet across the very front. I got rid of as much tools and excess storage lockers and the boxes that I had and just slimmed everything down a lot. I still have a little bit left to do but I am almost there and it has been so much more of a nicer experience to find something right away and put it back almost right away in the place it belongs. And I have more room at the end of the garage to work.
It depends on the things your are working with. Big (huge) projekts like kitchen or beds need big open (huge) workspace. If you often build for example shakerclocks, the open workspace is not really a problem. But yes, its always a good idea to have enough open space.
It all depends if you’re a pro or hobbyist. But even as a hobbyist myself I appreciate having open space to assemble my projects. Now off to organizing the shop. Thank you for your video. Cheers
I appreciate this video. You have put my consideration's into words. I have been opening up spaces that I don't want to give up for something that is a rare usage. It just feels better. Isn't it a good feeling? Warren
That's exactly it Warren. Identifying that tradeoff of space for rarely used tools. As nice as it seems to just have everything set up in it's own space to take up the whole shop space it just isn't efficient. Having a shop setup and layout that works well definitely is a good feeling, and that setup will be different for everyone.
Great info and especially for me as im rearranging my workshop and putting in dust extraction tubing and system here in my small workshop in Melbourne Australia.
From my 1st shop( a flat spot in the back yard)2nd hand Craftsman table saw and radial arm saw under a tarp , to the back porch upgraded table saw to new portable one so I could bring in the laundry room when not in use, to sharing the laundry room ( 10x20)so I upgraded to a bigger table saw , now that we bought a bigger shop with attached house (24x24 garage) I've added the SHOP Fox - The Classic Fence w/ 7' Rails & Legs (54" rip capacity) this video will help me set up my shop
Thanks Dan. Leaving more open space occurred to me while I was rebuilding my shop over the last eight months. I wish I had seen this video back then lol. I do struggle with having a place to put larger project pieces, etc.
I have to agree with you on over filling your shop. This is a problem I have at the moment. Limited space and big equipment etc soaks up your floor space at an alarming rate. I have resorted to having each and every mobile base cabinet etc having to do several different jobs or it don’t work because of the lack of space. Thanks for sharing because it’s a real problem that so many of us get into then realize the cost and inconvenience associated with not planning better lol.👍🏻
I'm glad to see here in the comments that you and others are identifying with the issue. When I wrote and shot the episode I wasn't sure how many other people had the same issue or would identify with it. Glad to hear that it's helpful.
Yes. Good points. I couldn’t agree more - clear floor space is key. And there is a need for clear wall space as well. Unfortunately, I suspect, many workspaces double as storage spaces, which means too much shelving and clear wall space is hard to come by.
Great video Dan! One suggestion I would like to make. If someone is running out of wall space in their shop for storing tools and supplies. Building a wall perpendicular to one of the perimeter walls. It only needs to be aboot 4 to 8 feet long. Thanks for your quality videos, keep them coming.
One of the first things I learned with my basement shop was ,,put EVERTHING on wheels. It makes life soooo much easier when you want to clean or reorganize things..
I figured out the workspace is more important than everything else. I have most tools on wheels or able to pack under work surfaces. I'm considering making a couple of those rotating tool carts where you can fairly easily flip to the tool you need. I've also been using smaller power tools most of the time. Drill, jig saw, circular saw, and a router, with easily stored jigs is what I use most often. I don't even bother rolling out the table or bandsaw unless I'm doing a lot of cuts on them. Lots of tools are cool but you have to figure out what you actually use, how often, and if you can make do with something smaller.
Great video Dan and I can tell you've given this a lot of thought and did a great job articulating your view point. I will say that I think the types of projects you seem to focus on will make this style of shop much more useful. With a 17x20 foot shop I've prioritized the types of projects I'm willing to tackle so I don't need large opens spaces. So instead of trying to build a king size bed, or kitchen cabinets, or built-in bookshelves; I focus on smaller projects. This allows me to put more tools in the shop that make working on these smaller projects more fun. Just my 2 cents. No doubt if I had more space i would maybe migrate to larger projects. But, for example I don't think a bowl turner or instrument maker would necessarily agree with your strategy. So in summary, it's the project size that determine the layout IMHO.
I agree. For small scale projects you definitely don't need as much open space. I've ended up doing a lot of automotive work in my shop so the open space has been critical for me.
I have a 160 sq foot shop. I have almost everything on wheels, and keep about 80 sq ft, in the middle of the shop, open. I can agree with you, you need to organize what you have to work. And, I have a complete woodshop (don't know what I might be missing). It's all in organization, in my opinion.
An interesting suggestion. I once worked for a millwork shop that built a staging wall clean across their shop to stage millwork as it was built. The time spent walking ALL THE WAY AROUND IT EVERY SINGLE TIME quickly became insufferably tedious.
Lots of wisdom in "less is more", "slow is fast" etc. Also, open space is adaptable for a variety of projects. Still, a place for everything and everything in its place.
Very good advice and application of experience. My reality is that I love wood work BUT I live on a condominium without space for a shop. Soooo I will build a cabinet 22”wide, 14” deep and 68” high. I have limited my power tools to: drill, sander, skill saw, and a future router, plus a number of hand tools. To survive I keep telling myself that the situation will force me to be creative and hone my skills to do more with less. Any advice to addressing my situation will be appreciate
Sounds like a great challenge to be creative and efficient with the space you have to work with. It's amazing what you can accomplish with some basic tools and a small work space. Is this cabinet that you're going to be building to hold your tools? I've found in my experience that you can do a lot with small spaces and basic tools but just can't work as quickly. So if you aren't doing it to make a living then small spaces and basic tools work just fine. If I were you I would make as many tools serve as many purposes as possible. So making jigs to add to each tool would be vital. All the best with your work!
I also agree with this. I'm actually in the process of modifying my DC to be even more compact to get stuffed into the corner of my shop, but still be far more efficient than my previous setup. This will help me rearrange my tools for a more optimal layout and in turn give me open space to do the assemblies like you discussed. The DC MOD though is taking up more time than I ever imagined though. Hopefully everything else will go quickly after I finish with this MOD.
I know exactly what you mean. I have just spent a year reorganising my shop to increase the space. My biggest battle is with offcuts. I find it hard to get rid of anything that may be useful in the future. But like you, over the years I have learned that the value of the space out weighs the value of a stack of pine and MDF pieces.
Offcuts can definitely be challenging. I always hate throwing pieces out since they can come in handy. I've actually been thinking about doing an episode on offcuts, what to keep and how to efficiently store them.
This is definitely a conclusion I’ve been coming to myself recently...have a small garage and used to have a very large 4x8 workbench in the center and my planer and a bunch of other stuff and slowly I’ve been paring things down to what I actually need - giving things I never use away and trying to move the rarely used items like thickness planer and jointer into a shed where I can use them if needed but they’re not in the way all the time. Also make a concerted effort not to keep to much scrap as it takes up a lot of space. About to cut up my large scrap bin which also fills quite a bit of space.
Thanks Chad. I use a Canon 7D as my primary camera and a Canon T3i as my B camera. I use a variety of lenses including the Canon 50mm, 24mm, 55-250mm, 10-18mm and 17-85mm depending on the shot.
Nice. Its also hard not to fill the empty spots with more tools or junk. Usually the more space one has.. the more they collect instead of tossing. I am trying to figure out how to configure my automotive shop space. In my case alot of my wood tools will be put away.
It is always so tempting to fill space up. Having come from some small shop spaces myself makes me appreciate space and the importance of keeping it clear even in a larger space. Does your automotive space and woodworking space share one space?
Hi Dan, I don't disagree with the concept because in my 12' by 20' shop I lack space. I have storage racks and shelves all round the walls. The main machines are on castors but the 6' by 4' table takes most space (needed for saw guides 4' and 6'). Recently I had some giveaway tool offers and reduced the spare tools. Apart from giving away one of my machines - shop made table saw or table router, chop saw with bench sander unit or bench top thicknesser and band saw I am stuck with very little space to move. The giveaways resulted from having to move stuff on top of the table saw and table router that had to be moved before I could use them and moved back after. I think that if I were to put the band saw or thicknesser down on a storage shelf then I may be reluctant to get it out.
It's definitely a balancing act Colin to try and reach that sweet spot between having space to work and making tools or machines too inaccessible to be practical or efficient. I've sold tools that I don't use anymore and like I mentioned left my 8" jointer as well as my lathe in storage since I don't really need them in most of my work right now. It's hard making the decision not to have certain tools set up but I've found the working space is definitely worth the trade.
I agree with the basic idea, but it varies greatly depending on what kind of projects you do. The other option, which I prefer, is to just make the shop modular and move things as needed. I have a smaller garage shop, and work on a variety of projects, so rather than fixing anything in place, everything is on wheels, and all of the tables are either at the same height, or height adjustable so that I can change things depending on what projects I am working on at the time.
That more or less applies only to non-model/toymaking woodworking-shops, where you work with large stock material and work on large items (furniture). There are lots of other types of workshops.
This is a great video for builders who build stuff like cabinets or furniture but I build guitars and have a 2 car garage as a shop so there is just no way of getting around having a shop full of tools. I need a bigger space for sure, all of my t shirts have holes at the belly from constantly rubbing against cast iron tables trying to squeeze from one station to another. Most of my free space is full of drying lumber for future use. I do love my shop though.
Everyone's work definitely has different space requirements. It wouldn't make much sense for you to leave as much clear open space as I have for the type of work you do. There is no 'one size fits all' solution for sure.
Fine, now you tell us! I've filled my shop with tools, and now have everything I need. No room for two projects when one is stalled for whatever reason, sometimes I've had every flat surface covered with stacks of furniture parts and nowhere to work. Even with my workbench and some machines outdoors under the carport I still have nowhere to work. This is only my third shop. Do I have to move again? Is that what you're saying Dan?
lol it sounds like a shop reorganize is in order rather than a move. Prioritizing what you use the most is the key and free up space by either eliminating or making mobile what you don't use much.
Hey Dan, interesting strategy. I guess it really comes down to what you build, right? My shop is big and compact in some areas, but open in others. Unfortunately, with reclaiming wood as I do, I steal shop space away by stacking things I've found everywhere. But the projects I do require little space to do them. Anyway, thanks for the excellent video. First view and now subbed.
Yeah exactly. The amount of open space required really depends on what kind of projects you work on. It really comes down to considering how much clear open space your type of work requires and making provision for that. Since I build cabinets and also do mechanical work in my shop I need a bigger clear space than others might. But like I showed, even in the smaller spaces I've had it was still important. Appreciate the subscription!
My shop for the time being is 10' x 16' so I am very careful when thinking about tools and space. My solution is to use a job site table saw and miter stand. I wheel them outside so I have space to cut and a small work area. If I can advance my skills a larger shop may be in my future. Now how large is large enough? I guess this is like asking how many clamps do I need?
I don't like your plane sole planes sitting hard on the shelves. Is this a good practice? Even with the blades drawn back it can deteriate the sole plates. Look forward to your reply.
Great topic. All of my planes actually sit on little self adhesive felt bumpers that I applied to the shelves in my hand tool cabinet. That protects the blades and also gives an air gap under the soles.
Lol same here. I did my largest job at the time about 4 years ago. About 100 linear feet of cabinets. I had nowhere to put my cabinets so I had to put them in my spare bedroom.... And also in my living room... and dining room...... It was a disaster lol. Question- have you found it a problem for you not to have a dedicated spray area? It has been a huge game changer for me to have a dedicated spray area
I've always used a local spray shop for spray finishing. For me and how often I need spray finishes done I haven't found that it's worth it to do it myself. A lot of the cabinets I've done lately have used thermofoil doors too.
Great tip Dan. I too try to keep open space in my shop. It's a struggle with such a tiny space and adding one thing has the cascading effect of rearranging everything. Has anyone seen my shop stretcher?.....lol.
Thanks Jim. Adding something new to the shop definitely makes for a rearranging game. If you can figure out how to make a shop stretcher you'll be a rich man😉
I used to do a lot of fine woodworking and furniture making and used the hand planes for that. I don't do much of that work anymore and I've actually sold off some of my planes since doing this video and invested that money in more mechanical tools. These days the bulk of the work that gets done in the shop is mechanical work unless I have a custom cabinet or built-in job on the go.
