EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Bob,
My workshop is 24ft wide and 30ft deep. It's a good size for working on projects and storing my tools. I don't park my tractor or anything else in there as it gets crowded real fast as it is. Most of what I do is wood projects, but I also do some metal work. While it would be nice to have seperate areas for both, I don't think it's really practical.
My walls are 12ft tall and that is really nice. I was ripping some plywood the other day and will be working with sheets of MDF today, and just being able to handle 8ft lengths without hitting the ceiling is very nice. If you've done any woodworking in a garage, you know what I mean. LOL
Another advantage to the 12ft walls is how much storage I have for shelves. One wall is all shelves above my workbenches. I don't have doors on the shelves so that I can look up there and know exactly what I have and where it is. I really like that.
My lighting is done with four 8ft florencent double lights. I really prefer 8ft lights over 4ft ones. They just seem to give better coverage to me.
One wall is my workbench and shelves, the other wall is where I store all my tools. Table saw, sander, planer, router table and things like that. Then when I need them, I just pull them out to the middle where I have lots of room to work. Otherwise, the middle is clear and open. I really like having the open space available for projects.
The twelve foot walls allow me to have a nice lean-to on the side of the building. This is where I store my "stuff." The fourwheeler is out there with the lawn mower, bikes and all sorts of outdoor tools. I'm amazed at how much storage I have under there!!
I don't have any windows and don't really like windows in a shop. They always seem to get broken or covered in dust where I've seen them. I also don't like the loss of wall space. Shelveing and storage is more important to me then a window. Be sure to include at least one walk through door 3ft wide and a big entry door. My big door is a 10ft wide by 10ft tall roll up door. I like the roll up doors over other kinds because of it's minimal space requriements, ease of opening and decent seal from the elements for a very reasonable price.
My walls are covered in OSB. It's cheap at under $7 a sheet right now and makes for hanging stuff real easy. My floors are concrete and I consider that mandatory. My previous shop had gravel on the floor and I hated it. Made working on vehicles or just about anything awkward at best. I planned on putting concrete down at a later date, but found it dificult to get around to it. Do it from the beginning and you will never regret it. With a concrete foundation, stick building becomes my prefered way to build a structure. Of course, you can go steal with a cement foudation too. Both are excelent options that will never rot on you like wood poles will.
Be sure to include a shop sink. Mine is used all the time and a must have. If it's a code issue, then run the plumbing for it or at least a cold water line and sneak it in later. You can always drain a sink into the woods if you have to. Be sure to include a water spicket. I gurantee you that you'll appreciate it once you have it available. I also have an air hose dedicated for outside use. It gets used as much as my inside line, sometimes more. Wether it's airing up a tire, or blowing out my radiator, it's extremly handy.
If you never plan on having a welder, or learning to weld, run the wiring for it anyway. You can put the plug in the wall near the breaker box for a very minimal cost real easy when running your other electrical lines.
Run a dedicated 20amp line for you air compressor. It's always on when working on projects and if you have some other high demand power tool on the same line, it will trip the circut if the both turn on at the same time.
I prefer lots of single box outlets over doubles. Just easier to wire and I put them in every four feet. Mine are also four feet off the ground so that I can get to them easily over my workbench. At four feet, they line up good for the OSB siding too!!!
Here's a picture of my workbench in my shop.
Eddie
My workshop is 24ft wide and 30ft deep. It's a good size for working on projects and storing my tools. I don't park my tractor or anything else in there as it gets crowded real fast as it is. Most of what I do is wood projects, but I also do some metal work. While it would be nice to have seperate areas for both, I don't think it's really practical.
My walls are 12ft tall and that is really nice. I was ripping some plywood the other day and will be working with sheets of MDF today, and just being able to handle 8ft lengths without hitting the ceiling is very nice. If you've done any woodworking in a garage, you know what I mean. LOL
Another advantage to the 12ft walls is how much storage I have for shelves. One wall is all shelves above my workbenches. I don't have doors on the shelves so that I can look up there and know exactly what I have and where it is. I really like that.
My lighting is done with four 8ft florencent double lights. I really prefer 8ft lights over 4ft ones. They just seem to give better coverage to me.
One wall is my workbench and shelves, the other wall is where I store all my tools. Table saw, sander, planer, router table and things like that. Then when I need them, I just pull them out to the middle where I have lots of room to work. Otherwise, the middle is clear and open. I really like having the open space available for projects.
The twelve foot walls allow me to have a nice lean-to on the side of the building. This is where I store my "stuff." The fourwheeler is out there with the lawn mower, bikes and all sorts of outdoor tools. I'm amazed at how much storage I have under there!!
I don't have any windows and don't really like windows in a shop. They always seem to get broken or covered in dust where I've seen them. I also don't like the loss of wall space. Shelveing and storage is more important to me then a window. Be sure to include at least one walk through door 3ft wide and a big entry door. My big door is a 10ft wide by 10ft tall roll up door. I like the roll up doors over other kinds because of it's minimal space requriements, ease of opening and decent seal from the elements for a very reasonable price.
My walls are covered in OSB. It's cheap at under $7 a sheet right now and makes for hanging stuff real easy. My floors are concrete and I consider that mandatory. My previous shop had gravel on the floor and I hated it. Made working on vehicles or just about anything awkward at best. I planned on putting concrete down at a later date, but found it dificult to get around to it. Do it from the beginning and you will never regret it. With a concrete foundation, stick building becomes my prefered way to build a structure. Of course, you can go steal with a cement foudation too. Both are excelent options that will never rot on you like wood poles will.
Be sure to include a shop sink. Mine is used all the time and a must have. If it's a code issue, then run the plumbing for it or at least a cold water line and sneak it in later. You can always drain a sink into the woods if you have to. Be sure to include a water spicket. I gurantee you that you'll appreciate it once you have it available. I also have an air hose dedicated for outside use. It gets used as much as my inside line, sometimes more. Wether it's airing up a tire, or blowing out my radiator, it's extremly handy.
If you never plan on having a welder, or learning to weld, run the wiring for it anyway. You can put the plug in the wall near the breaker box for a very minimal cost real easy when running your other electrical lines.
Run a dedicated 20amp line for you air compressor. It's always on when working on projects and if you have some other high demand power tool on the same line, it will trip the circut if the both turn on at the same time.
I prefer lots of single box outlets over doubles. Just easier to wire and I put them in every four feet. Mine are also four feet off the ground so that I can get to them easily over my workbench. At four feet, they line up good for the OSB siding too!!!
Here's a picture of my workbench in my shop.
Eddie