Building a Workshop

[markwm]

We're doing some work on our new house before we move in and part of our plan is to convert the garage, splitting it into two 9’2” x 8’ halves, one of which would be a workshop. I'm looking for some advice on setting up my own workshop. I have quite a few hand tools and a few projects planned like building a spice rack and a bread box, but would eventually like to move on to bigger projects like bookcases and side tables.

Would there be enough space to fit a table or band saw? I am also wondering about a dust extraction system. Do I need any of those? I'd like to build my own workbench, so could tailor that to fit with large equipment. I have a lot of wood that I have been buying and accumulating and had the thought that I could store it overhead in the workshop (my wife would certainly be very happy if I stopped storing it in the house). I would be grateful for any suggestions on setting up and customizing the space.

 

[Jameshow]

Of course you can many of us have small workshops. Mine is 12x10'

Don't buy any more tools than you need and keep everything tidy.

Get a band saw or a folding table saw like a Ryobi or Excell. If you can get your hands on an old Kitchen or persuade you Mrs she needs a new one, you can use kitchen units as storage and a mitre saw station. (Put it in the sink!)

Then a bench at one end or better still under the window. Bandsaw /ts near the door to cutting longer lengths.

As for dust extraction a wet and dry vacuum will be fine for a small bandsaw / ts + Sanders etc.

Put in a divider even if it's a pair of big old curtains to limit spread of dust to general garage area.

 

[Molynoox]

We're doing some work on our new house before we move in and part of our plan is to convert the garage, splitting it into two 9’2” x 8’ halves, one of which would be a workshop. I'm looking for some advice on setting up my own workshop. I have quite a few hand tools and a few projects planned like building a spice rack and a bread box, but would eventually like to move on to bigger projects like bookcases and side tables.

Would there be enough space to fit a table or band saw? I am also wondering about a dust extraction system. Do I need any of those? I'd like to build my own workbench, so could tailor that to fit with large equipment. I have a lot of wood that I have been buying and accumulating and had the thought that I could store it overhead in the workshop (my wife would certainly be very happy if I stopped storing it in the house). I would be grateful for any suggestions on setting up and customizing the space.

Having used my workshop a little bit now, I do like the idea of dust extraction... you can keep it cheap and simple, such as a shop vac, rather than spending hundreds. Having dust everywhere gets boring really quickly. For me at least

Martin

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Would there be enough space to fit a table or band saw? I am also wondering about a dust extraction system. Do I need any of those? I'd like to build my own workbench, so could tailor that to fit with large equipment.

Don't even think about a table saw you don’t have the space for it. You don’t need it. The bandsaw is an excellent idea. Dust extraction is a must and can be done with auto start shop vacs, building some kind of workbench is a good idea. Put everything on wheels including the workbench, use high end wheels

 

[Jameshow]

Don't even think about a table saw you don’t have the space for it. You don’t need it. The bandsaw is an excellent idea. Dust extraction is a must and can be done with auto start shop vacs, building some kind of workbench is a good idea. Put everything on wheels including the workbench, use high end wheels

Just don't buy a little cheap one.

I'd take a cheap table saw over a cheap bandsaw tbh.

Something like the Excell one would fit under a bench too.

They are two completely different machines and there are poor examples of both.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Just don't buy a little cheap one.

I'd take a cheap table saw over a cheap bandsaw tbh.

Something like the Excell one would fit under a bench too.

They are two completely different machines and there are poor examples of both.

on the subject of table saws;

​

Don’t buy a little one and don’t buy a cheap one are really 2 warnings.​

The don’t buy a cheap (poor quality) one I am in complete agreement with.​

The don’t buy a little one, assuming it’s good quality, is much more difficult. If you are going to buy a table saw, the size and quality of the table is important, don’t buy either one with a small table or a poor quality table.​

on the subject of bandsaws;

Don't buy a cheap one, is true from the point of all tools that cheap is low quality, however a high quality blade is a cheap upgrade and Ian at TuffSaws will supply that.​

a quality bandsaw is much less expensive than a quality table saw.​

my opinion is that both tools of high enough quality are equally useful but you must have the space available. As @markwm has a space challenged area the bandsaw will be of more use. Also and probably more important a quality bandsaw is going to be less than a quarter the price of an equivalent quality table saw.


I have had a quality bandsaw for 55 years, I have had a “table size challenged“ table saw for about the same time. The bandsaw is the tool that has been and continues to be the more useful and used tool

I now have both the space and money to buy either small industrial sized tool if I were to upgrade I would probably get a 27” bandsaw first, before a 12”~15” blade cast iron table table saw

 

[clogs]

lots of good advice...
here's one for u....also u can get an ELU *Dewalt bought the company and copied it) even Makita make one.....
I regret selling mine.....
a new one is around £1000, factory rebuilt a bit over 1/2 that...used if u can put up with 110v from around 150-200...another £100 for 240v....
this way u get a decent table saw and a chop saw.....it just flips over...
gotta say, well built and not flimzy....
pain in the harris if u want to move it with the legs on, a bit heavy but would be easy to make a mobile base.......

a decent bench would be handy but make a steel framed unit, extra stong and easy to make mobile....
this one is a bit specialised and weight almost 1 ton....but it could have a wooden top...the drawers are vey handy....these carry around 50 -100 kgs each on rollor bearings...the locking bar is to stop the drawers moving when on my pallet truck.......
it's just ur imagination...

workshop,
if u want some good ideas, look at this lads efforts....


good luck...oh, lastley dont be in toooooo much of a rush when buying used, easy to say tho.....

 

[Terry - Somerset]

The OP has a workshop area of 9' X 8'.

Kit needed will depend on what the OP plans to make, and preference for power rather than hand tools. With limited space it is likely to be smaller projects (eg: boxes, small coffee tables, woodturning, toys etc).

Larger projects - the materials could be prepared but would need assembly elsewhere (eg: doors, window frames, bookcases etc)

Any piece of kit needing lots of space will not fit. A table saw would not be on my list - a couple of folding trestles + track saw used outside if required would be my advice.

As other have noted I would mount all kit on castors and use the space below for storage. Based on my own experience the items which will get most use would be bandsaw, pillar drill, planer thicknesser, belt and disc sander.

Together with workbench, there would be room for little else.

 

[Allen Quay]

Lots of things are possible in a small workshop, but it's very much a case of trial and error i.e. start using your workshop space and over time it'll evolve as you find out which things work well in the space that you have and which things don't. Don't buy loads of tools and machinery at the beginning. Again, it's a case of start using your workshop space to make things and build up your tools etc once you've got a better idea about the amount of space available and where you're going to store tools and machinery when you're not using it, so that it doesn't get in your way.

My shed / workshop is 8ft x 5ft and I manage to make small, basic projects in there. I have a bandsaw, a workbench, some cordless power tools, hand tools, a cheap shop vac and lots of shelving. I have a sliding mitre saw but don't often use it. I don't have a table saw (but I'd like to get the Excel job site saw eventually, for occasional use outside, in the garden). I'm also a member of a local men's shed, so I can work on bigger projects down there and use the table saw, if I need one.

Here's a link to a playlist about micro workshops / tiny workshops. You might get some ideas and inspiration from some of the shop tours:


Edit: the first video in the playlist includes a homemade "table saw" which doesn't have a riving knife or blade guard. I don't think it's safe to use a table saw without these and I'm definitely not recommending that anyone should use a saw like that.

 

[markwm]

Very sorry, all- I got a notification about the first reply to my post (which I then read), but didn't get any notifications about the subsequent replies, so am only just seeing them now. Thank you all for your responses and help.

Don't even think about a table saw you don’t have the space for it. You don’t need it.

Jerome, as it turns out, the space will be slightly larger than I thought- 8'2" wide by 9'10" long with 6'10" to the ceiling. (There's a possibility of making it even longer by 8-14", but I don't want to take over the entire yard). I'm not sure the exact dimensions, but a family friend is offering me his table saw (largeish, less than five years old, only giving it up because of arthritis), which is why I'm even considering table saw. I will also be installing large double doors which will open outward to a small courtyard and my backyard. The architect's current plan:

My hope is eventually to do larger projects, so if I were to utilize the space created by the open doors and have a collapsible outfeed table, do you think that would be enough space to make the table saw (or perhaps something similar to the DeWalt that clogs recommended) a more realistic option? How small is too small for a table saw? If I put everything on casters and moved stuff around as I needed it (possibly frustrating, but maybe not frequent enough to be too onerous because I reckon a lot of my work will be with handtools), do you think I could reasonably fit a table saw? You've definitely sold me on a band saw and YouTube has given me a few ideas on which ones and how to make them work in the smaller space. I will also follow up with TuffSaws.

@Terry - Somerset I would be grateful for your ideas on whether, if I cart the table saw around, I can make it work in the space.

a decent bench would be handy but make a steel framed unit, extra stong and easy to make mobile....

@clogs My original plan was to build an all wooden bench, similar to a Sjoberg, roubo, etc, but you recommend a steel frame. Would thick wooden legs have a particular disadvantage compared to steel?

@Allen Quay - thank you for the playlist. Lots of good ideas. And yes, I've seen enough videos on YouTube of people without riving knives and seeing the kickback that have scared me into making sure I have one in place.

 

[Spectric]

Why did you split the garage, you could leave it as one nice large workshop and then just put a shed in the garden for anything else.

 

[markwm]

Why did you split the garage, you could leave it as one nice large workshop and then just put a shed in the garden for anything else.

Hi, Roy. The other half serves as a space in which my wife and I can see clients.

 

[rogxwhit]

You know, how to equip and lay out a workshop should really stem from what work you intend to do. However I note from your available floorspace that you're not going be embarking on doors, windows or stairs!

A bandsaw will saw wood in any direction but without quite the precision of a sawbench, and neither can it perform buried cuts as a sawbench can. But I'm bound to query whether you need a sawbench - it tends to be space-hungry in operation. I also query the high level dust extractor - has it occurred to you that you'll have to empty it regularly? Without a planer and if you still want to extract dust, I'd think about a shop vac on the floor - this should cope with the bandsaw and any power tools.

I certainly wouldn't entertain a metal-legged bench for woodworking - it would have the wrong ambience, somehow. Wood all the way!

 

[Inspector]

For what it is worth I used a 5hp and later a 3hp cabinet saw with 52" extension rails In a 12' wide portion (18" wide shelves down one side making it narrower) of my basement. I would spin the saw to make crosscuts and then again for rips. With the saw off, went over it to get to the other side on many occasions. If that saw you are gettig is on wheels that you can retract to use it then you can do the rips through the door or with the saw 90º to the door, long crosscuts. Way more stable than any dinky toy job site saw and only marginally bigger. Put everything on wheels.

Pete

 

[markwm]

@rogxwhit Yes, I'll need to figure out a workflow once I've gotten started. Although I've never used a table saw and only used a band saw once, I have more than once in my fairly short woodworking career wishing I had access to one to speed up my work and make it more precise. I do intend, though, to do most of my work by hand. I'm not too worried about the inconvenience of moving things around and hiding them away when I'm not using them, but want to make sure there's enough room (and the many warnings from fellow forum users has made me think twice as to whether there is).
Re: dust extraction, partly because I'm a beginner and my first woodworking teacher scared me by telling me that all wood dust was carcinogenic, I've been sort of anxious about dust extraction and dust masks. Before I broke my arm two months ago, I was generally spending at least an hour or two a day woodworking, so I spend a lot of time in my work area (though, not doing much sanding, just mainly chiseling and hand-sawing). My space is presently in the open air without any real enclosure, so I wasn't so worried about dust, but my inclination was to pull out all the stops for when I would regularly be in an indoor workshop. I thought I would continue to do all my planing and jointing by hand, so would you expect a shopvac would be sufficient?
Also, what's a buried cut? I googled it, but nothing came up. Is it when the blade doesn't cut all the way through the wood in order to achieve an effect similar to a router?

@Inspector Thank you for the advice, Pete.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Very sorry, all- I got a notification about the first reply to my post (which I then read), but didn't get any notifications about the subsequent replies, so am only just seeing them now. Thank you all for your responses and help.


Jerome, as it turns out, the space will be slightly larger than I thought- 8'2" wide by 9'10" long with 6'10" to the ceiling. (There's a possibility of making it even longer by 8-14", but I don't want to take over the entire yard). I'm not sure the exact dimensions, but a family friend is offering me his table saw (largeish, less than five years old, only giving it up because of arthritis), which is why I'm even considering table saw. I will also be installing large double doors which will open outward to a small courtyard and my backyard. The architect's current plan:


@clogs My original plan was to build an all wooden bench, similar to a Sjoberg, roubo, etc, but you recommend a steel frame. Would thick wooden legs have a particular disadvantage compared to steel?

I only just got round to reading this reply.

as it seems the table saw is free rather than a very expensive purchase (cheap ones are useless) I would make sure that it’s on wheels and incorporating into the workbench is a good idea, then you can move it out for longer cuts, and if it doesn’t prove useful pass it on in a year or two.

my opinion on workbenches is that steel is not the way to go unless you are a good welder and have a ready supply at low cost. You have to make the bench stable or it’s useless I have a plywood bench that has lamented 150mm x 150mm columns and beams. It is also able to be dismantled if needed and is totally rigid and very heavy but mobile as it’s on wheels my bench build plans are at MFT Top Replacement
I haven’t organised my pictures well so I would need to photograph the bench again if wanted

 

[markwm]

my bench build plans are at MFT Top Replacement

Jerome, I checked out the link and looked on your meekings website, but I didn't see the full plans for the bench (on the forum the first link for the top of the bench is dead).

 

[sometimewoodworker]

Jerome, I checked out the link and looked on your meekings website, but I didn't see the full plans for the bench (on the forum the first link for the top of the bench is dead).

I know that my Meekings website is currently down however if you ignore the link the plans are all in that post. You can see the base in the pictures as well as the structure for the sets of draws. FWIW the complete bench can be broken down into its components, the 2 sets of drawers are actually on their own set of wheels, I think that the bench is probably something around 300kg this means that there is usually no need to immobilise it though the wheels can be locked in 2 planes.
if you go to my Flickr site there are quite a few pictures of the work bench along with a number of other projects Jerome And Nui
this is the back of the bench

and here is the front