# Building a workshop



## zone7867 (Jul 5, 2009)

Hi,

I'm very new to woodworking and new to the forums here. I'm about to start building a workshop this summer and i'm afraid of not having enough room for all my tools.

I'm not creating a workshop for a business or even a side job. Woodworking is a hobby i enjoy and recently picked up last year. My plan is to have projects here and there, but nothing in a business level.

My tools involve:
10" Portable tablesaw
Floor Drill press
Router table
Miter Saw
13" Planer
6" Jointer
20" Bandsaw

I'm not looking for anything fancy. Please give me your inputs on your recommended size shed/workshop. I played around with a layout program, and it "seems" that a 14x20 is a good size. I also already have a 10x10 shed for assembly and painting.

Because i'm so new, i'm really really really nervous of making a shed too small for all my machines. I don't mind building too large, however budgetary concerns limit me  But i DO need a shed/workshop because i cannot have my tools i the garage anymore through the winter; our cars need to go in especially during high winds/winters.

Thank you in advance!

-Tony


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## slatron25 (Dec 18, 2007)

Take a look Grizzly's Shop Planning Tool


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## zone7867 (Jul 5, 2009)

thank you slatron; that is exactly what i used. Everything seems to fight decent with a 14x20 shed, i just wanted some confirmations/opinions.

It seems to fit on paper, but i guess i'm just being paranoid.


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

Well you need to think about a few things in order to know how large to build.

1) Do you plan on working inside the shop with tools stationary or 
moving them around as needed? If at all possible it's nice to allow
room to comfortably work at each tool without moving them 
around.

2) Are you planning on only using the current tools you have are do 
you think you will need or want new/different tools? As your 
skills improve so will your interest and need for different or better 
tools. _*"I noticed no Dust collector on your list which you should use "*_

3) Are you allowing room for the ability to move your lumber and 
projects around inside the shop? When something is on paper it 
may look good but it may be smaller then you think. 


I planed my shop and tried to allow for everything I thought I would want or need. I allowed a good amount of room for dragging and moving lumber around and for the assembly of larger projects. I planed a bathroom and 9' ceilings. I planed a patio cover between my house and shop so I could have the doors open or get to and from the shop even if it was raining. I allowed for storage, workbenches and the growth I could anticipate. I worked it all into my budget built the shop and still have room at this time. However I bought a jointer and will probably get a lathe in the future and that will be pushing my limits on room. I wanted to go bigger but with the budget and allowing for my attached pool/assembly room I went as large as I could afford. It's 3 years old and I'm already thinking it's to small.

My shop is 34' x 24' with 14' x 24' of that used for my pool table, weights and if needed can be used as a dust free finishing room. It's much easier to grow into a shop built larger then it is to add on later. Good luck


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## tripod58 (Jul 6, 2008)

I'm in the process of designing one as well, personally I think you should build as big as you can afford. Think about this, are you going to be ripping down plywood? Cutting long boards down for face frames? What about wood storage, you can accomplish this by storing lumber in overhead racks. I know you said you have a portable table saw, but you may want to upgrade to a contractors table saw, like RR said think of things you may want to get in the future i.e. lathe, bigger table saw, air compressor. I would also second the dust collector, even its just a big shop vac with a seperator, if not you will burn i up. Also you may want to think of this you listed 14x20, why not go 16x20, depends on the floor, it probably wouldn't cost a few more bucks, do some figuring and you will see to make it that size or even 16x24 would proably cost you about 150 more, depending on what all your doing yourself. Just some thoughts


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## Wood4Fun (Aug 29, 2008)

my shop is 11x25, plus a about 10x10 (it is L shaped). I have everything you mentioned, plus a dust collector and a ton of hand tools (powered and unpowered). The space is in my garage, which I share with a car and other regular garage items. 
One thing I don't have is a lot of lumber storage space. in order to allow some working room for moving, assembly, etc, I have the jointer and planer up against the wall and they need to be pulled out to use.

The space works but I sure wish I had the entire garage - which would widen my 11' to 22'


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

tripod58 said:


> depending on what all your doing yourself.


That is a good point. I built my entire shop with the exception of finishing the slab and nailing the shingles with just my 12 year old and maybe a extra set of hands to raise walls and set the ridge. I formed the slab did the plumbing, electrical, framing and sheetrock work which saved a lot of money. Depending on how comfortable you are with all the phases of construction get a few Friends or family buy some beer & food and build it yourself. _Oh Build then drink. :laughing:_

I would also look into the size, plan it by how the lumber and materials are available to avoid waste. Raising the wall height is a good way to allow for storage and moving of lumber and adds little cost. if you are trying to move a 4x8 sheet of plywood and only have 8' ceilings its harder then if you have 9' ceilings. If you have overhead storage for lumber then the higher ceiling means its less likely to get in the way. I would also insulate to make it more comfortable to work in.


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Welcome to the forum zone 7867.
Build as big a shop as you have room to, and can afford. Even if you can't do all the inside stuff the first year, at least start with a good sized shell. You can always add elctrical, plumbing if required, insulation, and panelling as time goes along. It is absolutely amazing how much space you can use up with a woodworking hobby. My old shop, in the city of Richmond, was 12 by 20, and I had it absolutely crammed full so I could hardly move. I would also suggest, that if you are going to build a pitched roof, extend it out one side at least eight feet so you have a dry area to store lumber under.

Gerry


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## zone7867 (Jul 5, 2009)

Well i have a friend who is willing to help. I was planning on building it myself or just hiring a experts to build it for me. However i decided to work with my friend and build it ourselves. He was laid off work and needs money, so this was a no brainer. Help a friend, get a shed, and enjoy the company 

You guys all have very very good advice! Since i decided to build it with a friend instead of hiring someone, i hope i save enough money to go larger AND nicer now.

I hope to someday be experienced enough to help others as you all have helped me  

Thank you again,
tony


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Enjoy the project Tony. I think you'll find it quite a lot of fun. If you can take pictures, and post them, please do.We all love to see other peoples progress.


Gerry


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## zone7867 (Jul 5, 2009)

Just a few more questions before we get started.

For the foundation, i'd like to have elevated. I was thinking 4" elevation from the ground, my buddy suggested 6". I think 6" is good, however i'm not planning on using a concrete foundation.

I plan on using concrete piers instead to save on money.

Any tips on a wooden elevated foundation i need to know?

Thanks,
Tony


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

zone7867 said:


> Just a few more questions before we get started.
> 
> For the foundation, I'd like to have elevated. I was thinking 4" elevation from the ground, my buddy suggested 6". I think 6" is good, however I'm not planning on using a concrete foundation.
> 
> ...


What size are you planning on building it ? 

As for the 4"-6" elevation that is a decision based on if your yard gets water and how much during a good rain. Assuming your talking about distance between ground and bottom of foundation. 

As for what to use to build the floor foundation again that depends on size and what your doing with it. If I was building it I would look closely at the difference between wood and piers vs concrete. To make a solid wood foundation that will support heavy tools could cost close to what concrete would cost. depending on if you can do some of the concrete work yourself or not.


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## tripod58 (Jul 6, 2008)

How level is the site you are building on? Heres what I would do. Lets ust say you go 16x24, I would put your concrete blicks or whatever every 8", and dig a mini-footer under each one and pack with gravel, or you could set post instead of concrete blocks and set them in gravel or concrete. I would use a minimum of 2x6 for the floor joist but if it were me I would use 2x8 on 16" center and 3/4 floor decking. You may want to consider if you plan on putting in any floor plugs before hand so you can run your conduit before hand unless you can fitt in a 6" crawlspace :laughing: Here is a guide to go by
*Common Floor Joists Materials-Span Table*
Lumber Species

2x6 2x8 2x10 2x12 
9'-11" 13'-1" 16'-9" 20'-4" *Southern Yellow Pine #1 Grade*
9'-9" 12'-10" 16'-1"  18'-10" *Southern Yellow Pine #2 Grade*
9'-11" 13'-1" 16'-5" 19'-1" *West Coast Douglas Fir #1*
9'-9" 12'-7" 15'-4" 17'-10" *West Coast Douglas Fir #2*
9'-6" 12'-7" 16'-0" 18'-7" *Hemlock-Fir #1 Grade*
9'-1" 12'-0" 15'-1" 17'-7" *Hemlock-Fir #2 Grade*
8'-10" 11'-8" 14'-10" 17'-7" *Spruce/Pine/Fir Southern #1*
8'-7" 11'-4" 14'-2" 16'-6" *Spruce/Pine/Fir Southern #2* 
Maybe this will help you out, If you have any quesions when you get to the electrical let me know, i'd be more than happy to help you out, every where you can save mean a bigger shed or more tools


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## zone7867 (Jul 5, 2009)

The machinery i have is listed above. I believe i will go with a 6" elevation for the safe side and also the size will be 14x20 or 16x20.

The machinery i have are not mass production workshop type machines. More of a hobbyist machinery.

10" Contractor table saw
router with table (will build a cabinet for this later on)
benchtop miter saw 10"
6" jointer
13" planer benchtop
floor drill press
floor heavy duty bandsaw

My friend suggested 16" spacing for the floor framing; also i'd like to double up on the floor panelling.


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

I think Tripod58 meant 8' for the piers and I would agree with that and the 2x8 on 16" centers. I would double the outside 2x8s and use #2 pine. You mentioned doubling the floor decking which would make it 1 1/2" thick if using 3/4 ply. ( I would stagger the 2nd layer of floor decking and screw it all together.) You should be able to run all your wiring through the walls but if you want anything through the floor drill the holes and run the conduit before you finish the floor to make it easier. That foundation should support whatever you need it to.


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## zone7867 (Jul 5, 2009)

great advice, i'm taking it all to heart 

we're getting together this weekend to plan and estimate materials.

Thank you again,
Tony


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## tripod58 (Jul 6, 2008)

oops, that would be a little close blame it on fat fingers. The only other thing I could suggest is to glue your flooring down with a liquid nails type adhesive.


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

tripod58 said:


> oops, that would be a little close blame it on fat fingers. The only other thing I could suggest is to glue your flooring down with a liquid nails type adhesive.


 
Glueing the floor down works to well sometimes, If you ever have to pull up a part of the floor "Your Screwed"


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## gregL (Feb 1, 2009)

Last year I built a new workshop. I waited a couple of years to be able to afford a larger shop and not have the regret of building it too small. When it came time to build it I realized that it is not a whole lot more expensive to add extra width and length. My shop is 24 x 40 woth 10 ft ceilings and a barn style roof so I could have full use of the upstairs area. My shop filled up quiclky and as any woodworker knows, you will ALWAYS be buying additional tools. You can never have too much in the way of worktables also. I have never knowh a woodworker to say their shop is too large!


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

Good looking shop Greg.
You can never have too many clamps, and you can never have too much shop. At least until you have to heat it.

Gerry


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## gregL (Feb 1, 2009)

Gerry KIERNAN said:


> Good looking shop Greg.
> You can never have too many clamps, and you can never have too much shop. At least until you have to heat it.
> 
> Gerry


 You are right about the clamps Gerry. So far it is 57 and still adding more from time to time. I've never had to heat my shop here in Louisiana...mother nature takes care of that for me.

I used spray foam insulation in my shop and it keeps the temperature very comfortable. Only had to use the A/C a few times in the last few weeks when the temperature got around 100 degrees. The foam insulation was a fantastic investment and it also provides great soundproofing.


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