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New turning shop

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HI,

Attached is a floor plan of a shed I'm having built in August that will have a small separate turning shop. This will be my second turning shop, my other one is much larger.
It will be insulated and have an electrical panel with adequate power for my machines. It will have a typical gable roof with 8' studs with 1/2" plywood walls. The interior is about 5' x 9'.
My lathe is a Powermatic 3520B.
this is very tight so I 'm looking for feedback about the machine layout, tool storage systems, heating it safely and any other comments you may have. Also looking for suggestions for a small footprint band saw and dust collection.
I do mostly bowl turning and consider myself an intermediate turner. I work with logs and kiln dried dimensioned lumber.
Thanks,
Rob
 

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hockenbery

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Looks like a good sized room for one lathe

You need to decide what is important to you
If that plan works for you use it.

I like to be able to walk around my lathe on all sides.
I would also like the grinder a bit closer and I like a bench/ table for the tools I'm using to be handy.
 

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A useful bandsaw will have a larger than 18x18 footprint if you include the table.
In addition will you have dust/chip collection in the room too?
Room for tool storage, on the wall , or a rolling cabinet.
And flat places to put things, masks, finished work, sandpaper, etc.
perhaps drawers under the lathe bed, which makes the lathe 'bigger'.
If you use the wolverine system the bar for the v-arm needs a foot or so behind the grinder.

Making some cardboard mockups ( boxes stacked ) of the space used by the tools can help see how the space works.
Everything has an invisible buffer space around it, including you. It all takes up more space than it appears.
Being comfortable in the space and having enough room to maneuver and work safely will make or break your happiness with it.
 
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Mark,
I agree about the space buffer and being comfortable. Unfortunately I am limited to the 10 x 12 shed by the town so its this or nothing. Maybe i will eliminate the band saw and use my chain saw as i will need space for a dust collector.
While working in a very small space in a garage in the past, i rolled out a tool cart on wheels and replaced it when i left. I may have to do this again. i may also get a rolling stand for the lathe.

Can someone recommend a safe heat source?
 

Bill Boehme

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Can you eliminate the partition that divides the shop in half? It seems to be rather cramped even without the bandsaw. Also, consider air quality in a small room. It won't take very long for the air to be unbreathable when sanding or turning dry dusty wood unless you have a dust collector.
 

Emiliano Achaval

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It is proven that a nice comfortable studio/shop is conducive to better work. Don't make anything permanent, like a work bench screwed to the wall. As you work, you will find what you like and adjust as needed... I too like to walk around my lathe... And way from walls... Good luck
 
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I think your layout will work fine. If you insulate well R19 walls and R38 ceiling you should easily heat it with an electric heater (Electric oil-filled radiant heater - no exposed elements) as your heating only 45 square feet. I think your biggest problem is dust collection from sanding. There a ceiling mounted dust collector should work but it will require regular cleaning. Good luck!
 
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Unfortunately I am limited to the 10 x 12 shed by the town

Check your bylaws closely.
Conventional wisdom here is ALL sheds are limited to 10x10, or get a permit.

However, there's an intermediate solution: you can build shed up to 525 sq feet, without a permit, if you file a plan with the city and pay small fee. (assuming its a decent plan)
I just downloaded a plan off the net and filed it. Paid the $30 fee and that was it. Of course it needs to stand up to building inspection. No one ever came by. But you'll have to check your local situation. You might find the city hall is quite accommodating on this. They want you to comply.

On other stuff,
- I usually put the grinder by the headstock.or behind me.
- a small bandsaw could be on a mobile base.
- overall, its small and tight. I had a shop like that, was constantly banging into the walls.
 
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Note to previous posts- My chop saw is on an old BBQ grill stand with wheels. My TS was bought used and the former owner built a cabinet for it with wheels. The wheels are slightly off the floor. I can raise one end with the rails and move it around. My router table (Kreg) and DeWalt planer go on a portable table on wheels. It is a real pain sometimes to shuffle things around but I'm limited in space as mentioned before.
Good advice- check with the city about building something bigger with a permit. Also, if you live in a subdivision, are there any restrictions on outbuildings? Some subdivisions are real picky. My father owned a business in FL many years ago. By regulation, he had to park the company truck with the logo on the door in the garage as it was a commercial vehicle and could not be visible parked outside the garage.
 
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Lots of good suggestions, thanks.
Grizzly sells wall mounted dust collectors which may be perfect.
The reason i want the wall is so i can keep of the dust and chips out of the shed area.
Also, i'm replacing an old decrepit nonconforming grandfathered shed and cant go any larger.
 
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I think your layout will work fine. If you insulate well R19 walls and R38 ceiling you should easily heat it with an electric heater (Electric oil-filled radiant heater - no exposed elements) as your heating only 45 square feet. I think your biggest problem is dust collection from sanding. There a ceiling mounted dust collector should work but it will require regular cleaning. Good luck!

Bill,
Are you suggesting one of those small oil filled roll around radiator looking heaters? Wouldn't that take quite a while to heat in the winter if at all.
 
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Robert, yes that is what I am talking about. Overly cautious about dust and open red hot heating coils. If you insulate well I think it would heat fine. A quick look (Comfort Zone® Heater Deluxe Oil Filled Radiator CZ8008 - 1500/900/600 Watt $49) is rated for 1000 square feet, not for an instant do I believe that it would heat a 1000 square feet but from your plan you're heating 45 square feet and I think it would work. I'm not an expert on any of this but if you insulate well it should work and there are tons of these heaters that have different specs and there may be heavy duty ones.
 
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I use an electric IR heater and a regular electric heater to heat the shop in winter. They are on two separate circuits so they don't keep tripping breakers. I get the shop nice and warm then shut them off when I'm working.
 
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Good advice- check with the city about building something bigger with a permit. Also, if you live in a subdivision, are there any restrictions on outbuildings? Some subdivisions are real picky. My father owned a business in FL many years ago. By regulation, he had to park the company truck with the logo on the door in the garage as it was a commercial vehicle and could not be visible parked outside the garage.

Everyone in my family are real estate developers. I'm the black sheep - a software developer.
Really hoping that Geeks will Rule! :)

That said, I'm in Canada, so slightly different regs involved. But there are few things likely common:

1 - subdivisions as can set their own rules, but are superseded by the city/town rules and by-laws

2 - many cities are pretty poor in their enforcement of bylaws - they dont have the manpower / money.
My shop in the city is plainly "non-confirming". But then, so is most of the neighbourhood.

Bylaw officers only show up when someone protests vigorously. So, don't piss off your neighbours!

When I built mine, I took the plans to the neighbours with a bottle of wine and discussed it. They didnt care about square footage, setback rules etc. Did it look decent? Will anything be a problem? No - ok...don't care. Go for it! Never had an issue.

BTW - your old "grandfathered" shed, is now likely exempt from newer requirements like setbacks.
Look closely at those regs. Common around here is to leave ONE strategic wall standing, rebuild the rest. Insist its just a repair. 2 years later...turns out the original wall needs some "improvements" :)
 
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Robert,
I too have a very snug shop, carved out of my garage. I started out with the oil filled radiator and found it to be slow. I tried a simple portable coil heater and it worked great, but I felt obliged to turn it off when the chips started to fly. The combination of both is a great solution. Start both units, the coil heater warms it up fast, then turn that one off and let the oil filled radiator keep things toasty, and safe. I've since gone to a water filled baseboard heater and a wall mounted bathroom heater with fan, but I still use them the same way.

Regarding your layout--unless you're going to work off the end of the lathe, or slide your headstock to at least half way down, you won't have enough room for your backside with the band saw in the corner. Maybe put the grinder there and the bandsaw in the opposite corner, on wheels if necessary to make long cuts.

There are some nice ideas and plans for tool storage underneath the Powermatic, if you search for them. You can put a lot of tools on the walls, if you're creative and determined.

I also hung an 'air cleaner' from the ceiling. It's a 20" box fan in a bracket with a furnace filter on the intake side, on top as installed. It's not adequate for all your dust removal, but it helps get the suspended crap that the rest of your system doesn't capture. A 3M Airstream or Trend helmet filter might obviate the need for a dust collector, save space, and protect your face.
 
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Radiant heat in a shop area is your best bet, if you have a small shop area hydronic heat is one of the
most comfortable low maintenance type heat sources. Plastic pipe in the concrete floor, a small circulating pump, and a small water heater or boiler for the heat source.

They also make electric radiant ceiling panels that fit into a 2x4 grid, these panels will radiate heat down on the
person and keeps you comfortable while the rest of the shop is cold. The ag industry makes heating mats
for use on the floor, these will keep your feet warm and also keep you comfortable while the rest of the shop area is cold. The floor mats can be found in any farm store. The ceiling panels usually need to be ordered from a wholesale supplier. Several of the radiant heat manufacturers also made wall mount radiant panels that were commonly used in office area's to keep staff warm. Radiant heat is similar to standing in the sun while absorbing the radiant heat of the sun. It can be cold outside but if the sun is shining it warms the body.
 
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All that I have is a floor ... the driveway apron for my woodturning. Plenty of elbow room and the breeze carries dust away.
:D:D The inter-state feud was alive and well until you shut it down, Bill.

I think you win, unless the International Space Station writes in to tell us they are turning and have neither floor nor gravity.
 
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