Equiping a workshop

[skywriter]

Hi all, i'm looking for some advice. . . . . In the next couple of weeks i'm looking to put a few new machines into the workshop (Brick built with tiled roof) it measures 14' by 12'6. The doors are along the long wall and there are no windows (pics to follow - cant find the camera cable atm) anyway the plan is to start from scratch with the exception of my faithful BAS316G Bandsaw and Sealy 16 Speed Pillar Drill. So far i've been tempted by the Record Power range, in particular the TS200C table saw, PT260-X Planer thicknesser and the CX2600 Chip extractor. They seem to fit the bill regards price, quality etc. Budget for machines £1000 - £1500

- your opinions on them / alternatives for a similar budget would be appreciated before I fork out wads of cash.

I know i'm doing this ass upwards, putting the machines in before the renovations to the building are undertaken, but there is a method to my madness - the building belongs to my parents and as such I can't renovate till August/September. Which brings me on to my next request for help.

- How would YOU lay out the w/shop, bearing in mind the small(ish) space available. Your starting with a blank canvas as it were, placement of power cables, lights, work bench(s), storage etc can/will be fitted to suit. There needs to be a SCMS in there too, as well as a place for my laithe. I have no problems with moving one machine to use another. I have no need for stock storage in the w/shop as I am lucky enough to have a dedicated storage space for timber in a lean too behind the w/shop.

all help and advice very much appreciated.
Adrian

 

[ByronBlack]

For layout, you'll get a million suggestions, the only way to do it is to a little research online, you'll find a tool (on the grizzly site i think) that will allow you plot a layout using some pre-made graphics.

You'll want more sockets than you realise. I have (i think) 12 double sockets and a couple of singles.

The record tablesaw isn't that great. I would look at the axminster TS200 instead, or increase your budget and go for a SIP 10" CI model.

Make sure you budget and plan for dust extraction before you move anything in. You will cures yourself if you need to sort it out later (like me).

Make use of the walls for cabinets/shelves for stage. Put drawers in everything. Put benchtop machines, bandsaw and pillar drill on mobile boxes with drawers. Have everything on wheels so you can easily move stuff about.

Give youself plenty of infeed and outfeet room on the TS - utilise the doors if you can. For example. My TS is near my door, so that I can use the outside for infeed, and the length of the workshop as outfeed - might be more difficult for you as you have the doors on the long-side.

As for lighting - paint the walls white, and make sure you have plenty of overhead lighting. In my workshop I have 6 strip-light's and with the white walls, it gives me a nice bright work area.

Keep two area's setup for sharpening and finishing and maybe a low assembly bench, this will give you more workspace and a clean area for assembly/finishign.

HTH

 

[wizer]

I can't imagine the size of your workshop. But does this help?

If so there is an article to go with it on the FineWoodworking website

 

[skywriter]

ByronBlack - table saw, I'll look into the axminster TS200, also a possible increase in the machine budget. What is it about the Record saw you don't like ?

wizer - I'll try and dig out the cable for the camera over the weekend, pics will help make things a little clearer.

 

[MikeG.]

Hi Adrian, and welcome.

My standard advice with small workshops is to forget the tablesaw! The space is far more important, in my view. If you do a lot of ripping, then get a hand held circular saw with a guide rail, or a long straight edge.

My workshop is a good deal larger than yours, and I just wouldn't have a tablesaw. It would always be in the way.

Mike

 

[skywriter]

Thanks for the welcome Mike

 

[ByronBlack]

I disagree with mike - I tried to make do without a TS for ages, I owned a fully kitted out festool system, regular saw with board and a bunch of different setups, all had niggles which made a TS a higher priority than I realised.

I like the axminster TS200 because it's excellent value for money, the sliding table is well made, it has a cast iron top unlike the record, a good quality motor, and is very well made for what is essentially a budget machine. I have mine mounted on a wheeled unit that also houses my router-table. It takes up very little room as I can wheel it out of the way when not in use.

I use my TS for more than just ripping - mitres, cross-cutting, batch processing - which is a pain in the buttocks with a regular cs + rail.

If you want a TS and you have planned the room for it (my workshop is smaller than yours and I have plenty of room) then I think it's a very versatile machine - and this is coming from someone who avoided one for ages because I thought a bandsaw and ciricular saw would be all I needed. I was wrong.

At the end of the day, it all depends on your needs and requirements.

 

[Chippyjoe]

Hi and welcome to the forum,another member from Norfolk.
Before you commit to any Record machinery,(Cant comment on that as I have never owned any Record machinery).

Have you considered buying any thing from e-bay? There was a nice looking Startrite table saw single phase sold last night for a tad over £200 which seemed like a good buy.

Just a thought, anyway good luck with your workshop and never be afraid to ask any questions,as they are a good bunch on here.

Mark.

 

[ByronBlack]

Here's a quick shot of my TS and router-table setup in my workshop:

When not in use, I can spin it around and push it flat against the right hand wall giving me a load of space. I can also use my workbench as an outfeed table, I can easily rip an 15ft length this way.

 

[Dave S]

Hi, and welcome from another Norfolk woodie

I agree with Mike. I bought a circular saw and guide rail (DeWalt and EZ guide in my case) and haven't used a tablesaw since.

cheers
Dave

 

[skywriter]

Thanks to all for the welcome and advice, i'll have a look on e-bay, never crossed my mind to get machinary from there lol.

Hopefully swmbo will dig out the camera cable over the weekend and i'll be able to upload a few pics of the current shop, shavings and sawdust included.

Adrian

 

[head clansman]

Hi ADRIAN

welcome

All of use use wood in different ways some buy timber already cut to size other don't and buy in bulk sized timber and cut down to sizes required.

In any workshop it really doesn't matter what size you buy in to work on it more important to get the layout correct to cut down to minimum amount of handle the timber whilst your working it into whatever your making. now your the only one who really knows what you want to do in your workshop and your the only one who knows what your going to make and how your going to go about making it.

Theres no point in buying any timber in and double handling all the time you have to get the design right so in a short example bulk timber is lifted in you have to decide which machine you want to use first so that the machine nearest the doors then decide what your next part of the process of machining will be , so on & so on till it gets to your bench with your materials prepared now to your required sizes ready for marking out through the shortest possible route with the least amount of handling involved. if not, your making it hard work moving the timber about all the time, now depending on size of project the effort to get it finish can use a lot of time & energy .

There is a thread on here somewhere on workshop layout . good luck . hc

 

[crazylilting]

i think it is important to start with the end goal in mind. What are you using the shop for? Then you need to think about the work flow. When the wood comes in what needs to be done first? and so on.

The space you are using is very small. Right now i have a 14 foot by 40 foot and it is to small. However if that is the space you have you need to be very organized and do away with anything that isn't needed. And everything should have wheels so you can move it.

Table saws are imperative if you are doing cabinet/furniture making. But your budget means you will have to make some sacrifices.

I bought and old wadkin off of e-bay for £210 pounds so if your not in a rush you can find yourself a deal. I always keep my eye's open. I'd like to replace it now with a Sedwick i think that is how it's spelled. However they seem to be going for about a £1000 pounds for one with a sliding table these days. I'll have to wait.

I started out a year and a half ago with portable tools. A bosh table saw, makita compound miter saw and bought as the jobs allowed me to do so. Never go in debt unless it is something your next job will pay for it. Overhead is what kills people.

Just make sure you only buy what you need to do the work at hand. Make sure all your storage inside the shop can be moved easily to give you room to do your work. Keep it simple and keep it real.

Its no good having tools if they aren't going to serve you.

 

[Joe]

There is a whole Fine Woodworking book devoted to small workshops. Amazon have it here. The only person to review it gives it a miserly two stars on the basis that it is an American publication and therefore has some irrelevant aspects, but I think that's a bit unfair - principles of an efficient layout apply on both sides of the Atlantic!

There is one chapter written by Gary Rogowski entitled "My Five Essential Power Tools", and none of them, interestingly, is a table saw...

Joel

 

[Night Train]

This is how I laid out my workshop after a lot of thought.
The room is 16'+bay window x 15' into the alcoves.

1. Cupboard storage tall and low level
2. Timber storage racking
3. Compound sliding mitre saw 305mm
4. Bench on locking casters 5'3" x 3' with tool storage underneath and router built in
5. 12" x 60" surface planer, old and 3ph converted to 1ph with a motor change
6. Portable 12" thicknesser stored under thicknesser but placed on thicknesser bed, on stand, for use
7. Bandsaw
8. Morticer on mobile storage unit
9. Mobile dust extractor/collector
10. 12" disk sander
11. A0+ drawing board with index head
12. Tormek sharpening station

To the right of the saw, under the timber racks is the sash cramp rack and workshop bins for both wood waste and off cuts.

The planer, thicknesser and bandsaw have been placed so that long work can be passed in through the door and out through the window hence they are at an angle. The morticer can be moved to where ever it is needed, same with the extractor.
I set the router into the middle of my bench as it made a large flat top to machine from. The bench can also be moved to best working position dependent on size of work. It is also in front of the huge bay window for best natural light.
There is also a metal workshop too.

I bought some of my machines from Ebay either new and cheap, secondhand and repairable or, in the case of the planer, as scrap for pennies. The only new machines are the bandsaw, morticer and extractor with the Tormek being a birthday present.
I use the morticer as a pillar drill so the original is now covered in oil and metal.

 

[woodbloke]

Welcome to the forum. I have the K419 table saw (with both extension tables) and K439 p/t as well as am Inca Euro 240 bandsaw. I wouldn't be without any of the machines and use them all the time for different purposes. The essential thing is to plan how you want to use them and then position each accordingly to maximise throughput. Here's a shot of the p/t and router table:

Band saw and AirPress:

Table saw, bench and sharpening station:

...lot:shock: more tools though now on the 'Tool Wall' :wink: Workshop size is 20x12' - Rob

 

[MikeG.]

Just a quick one, Night Train.......I don't know what you make in your workshop, but if you made a piece of furniture, where would it stand once it was starting to come together? You've got a lots of floorspace, but divided into small areas. Just curious.........


BTW Crazy Lilting........table saws aren't an imperative for furniture making at all. That is virtually all I make, and I don't / won't have a table saw. If I had a huge workshop I would probably buy one, but for me, floor space is more important than machinery. Each to their own. My father had a friend who had a small workshop and a tablesaw that was so big he had to cut a new door into the far side of the shed.......he couldn't walk across his space past the tablesaw, so would go out of the shed and around to the other door to fetch a tool from the far side of the room!!!)

For what its worth, here is my workshop layout.....

Mike

 

[Night Train]

Just a quick one, Night Train.......I don't know what you make in your workshop, but if you made a piece of furniture, where would it stand once it was starting to come together? You've got a lots of floorspace, but divided into small areas. Just curious.........
Mike

There isn't as much clear floor space all in as the diagram shows so I didn't bother with trying to keep it clear and together. I opted for access to the machines as a priority on the basis that there is only me walking around it all. This lets me process long lengths effectively to reduce waste.

Mostly I make small pieces that will stand on the bench. Otherwise I make knock down that is delivered to site and assembled there. Occasionally I will set up a piece in my box trailer just outside the workshop. The trailer has a 3m x 1.4m floor and 1.2m headroom. If it doesn't fit in there then I can't deliver it. I also have a large house so I can always find space in one of the unused rooms to set up a knock down piece to make sure it all fits.

The workshop was originally in the basement but when I found I couldn't turn a 7' x 3' table top for planing the other side without taking it outside, turning it and bringing it back in again I had to move everything up a floor.

Most of my 'in house' work at the moment is prop making for the local amateur theatre. The rest is currently site work that subsidises the theatre work. I also make test pieces for college and experiment with solutions if I see a difficulty will occur for a student later on in their project.

 

[Dave S]

Table saws are imperative if you are doing cabinet/furniture making. But your budget means you will have to make some sacrifices.

Sorry, but for an amateur (and the OP gives no indication that he is trade) that is complete twaddle. Nice to have, maybe, but certainly not imperative.

Dave

 

[Night Train]

I don't have a table saw (well I do but My Dad has it in his workshop).

I hardly used the one at college when I was studying so never factored one in when I equiped my workshop.

I cut large sheets outdoors on trestles and small sheets either go on my cross cut or through my bandsaw. My sliding compound mitre saw, before I broke it, worked well as a dimension saw as it has a really long slide and anything needing more accuracy is put on the bench and shot (sometimes out of frustration :wink: ) on the shooting board.

I also have a range of fences and jigs to go with a collection of hand held circular saws ranging from 4" blade to 12"blade.

Table saw? Nah, don't need one.