Barn/shop layout

[ns_in_tex]

I certainly wouldn't say my shop was the best layout because it has been a work in progress for over 30 years.

A couple of ideas for any shop, which I find very handy are:

1. Mount as many things on wheels as possible so they can be easily moved from wall to center of shop if more space is needed.

2. Make all work areas the same height so it will just be a table for the long item project. This includes welding table, chop saw, table saw, mitre saws, ETC.

3. Make steel welding table (I like expanded metal top) with a completely flat top, so anything larger than the table can be put on it and lay flat. Throw a piece of 3/8 plywood on it and it becomes a woodworking table. A piece of cardboard & it is a paint table, or it is just a stand (already adjusted to the right heighth) for that 20' angle iron you are cutting off with your chop saw.

4. Now then for all the things you want on a normal welding table, either make them to mount as quick attaches for vises, or holders for hand tools low enough to be below table top heighth. This way you will use the table with the vise mounted most of the time and when you need a flat table, slip the vise off and the table is flat, without moving all the hammers, screwdrivers, ETC.

 

[v8dave]

I just finished my 30' x 50' shop. As junkman said when it was under construction: "it's too small, start with a 200' x 200' and build out as necessary." Well, I didn't follow his advice and it is too small.

But, plan on building as large a unit as the land plot will allow. Oh, and the budget allows too.

How are you going to use the shop? Most of us use our shops for both storage and as a workshop. Think about walling off the workshop area so you can heat and cool it. If you work on cars, allow enough room to have a project car in this area and still have work benches. In my shop, I've built a machine shop area, I couldn't get a car in because that took too much space from the storage area. So, I'll have to put the car lift in the "storage" area.

Plan now on how you are going to heat it. This will dictate how you construct it. I chose to use 2" x 6" instead of 2" X 4" construction just so I could get more insulation in the walls. If you don't insulate it in New York, you aren't going to use it in the winter. Heating/cooling will also help you decide on the walling off the smaller area. I've placed my heater in the smaller machine shop, directly opposite a double swinging door. When I'm not in the shop I prop the doors open and the heater keeps the whole shop warmer. Close the doors and it gets toasty warm nice and quick.

If you work on cars, plan on a 12' ceiling so a lift can take a car up high enough to stand under. I built mine with 10' walls and arched truss ceiling, so I have 16' clearance in the center where the lift will go.

Put the air compressor outside the shop structure. Plan on building a cover around it. They are noisy and take up too much floor space.

Bring at least 100 amp service to the shop. Get as big a panel as you can and run separate circuits for as much as you can. Remember each 240 volt circuit will take 2 breaker spaces. I have two 12 breaker panels in my shop. One main and one for the machine shop--to many 240 volt motors for one panel.

Put windows in, don't make it gloomy. Think about open-able sky lights. Put man doors in convenient places, you don't want to have to open a garage door for access/exit. Think about fire hazzard exit. Make the man doors 3' wide so you can carry things through them. Plan the door swings so they open against walls instead of into the room (saves floor space).

Don't skimp on the garage doors. Put at least one in each end if you build it long. Make sure they are as tall as the sill plates will allow. Get sectional, insulated, roll up doors, when you get around to insulating it will be ready. If you have much vehicle storage in the shop, garage door placement will dictate how you can park the cars. A long wall alongside a garage door is not usable for car storage. Or, if you do place a car there, you won't be able to get it out in a year.

Put a toilet and sink in it. One will fit in a 3' x 7' space. Use a pocket door to keep from using floor space.

Others have already said it-you can't have too much storage. But it has to be planned, otherwise it will block windows, block garage doors and/or knock down the floor space. Plan for the place to park your roll around tool boxe(s) and roll around work bench.

Attached picture shows interior. Note: light shining on the floor from the windows, bathroom, double doors to the machine shop, 2'wide heavy duty storage rack, back door, ceiling drop cords, and the storage avove the shop area. The air compressor is just sitting there waiting to go outside.

 

[v8dave]

Front view. There is a F250 crew cab, tractor, two old cars and one motorcycle in here and I can squeeze one more car and several motorcycles in. Any more and the tractor gets evicted to the smaller 10'x20' shed in the picture off to the side.

 

[bczoom]

My original post discussed shelving.

The shop setup of my building is sectioned off and I have and concur with most of Scott's thoughts. (The shelving in my previous posts was in the storage section of the building).

A couple notes/alterations I've incorporated from Scott's post.

On the compressor, mine is elevated but not in the rafters. Bottom is about 5' off the ground and it's on its own 110v switch. I didn't put up higher so I could reach the drain in the bottom for removing condensation.

For speakers, I ran a couple outside as well. Nice when working outside the shop.

I wholeheartedly agree with the fridge!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I too only heat the workshop section (16x28'). I have a 75K btu Reznor that raises the temp more than 1 degree/minute.

For electric, also consider outside receptacles. Ditto on water. Great for running pressure washers and stuff.

I think we discussed running cable, phone, intercom, water, ele... to the building in a different thread. A 3 way circuit is handy (put a few receptacles on this circuit) so you can turn thing on/off from the house (block heaters, battery chargers...)

I use stackable lawn chairs instead of bar stools.

Dart board?

Cow pads on the floor in front of the work benches and stuff are nice. Keeps the cold off the feet in the winter (instead of standing on concrete).

If I recall your design, you have a sliding door. If not true and you're using an overhung door, don't forget electric in the ceiling in the event you want to add a garage door opener in the future.

Brian