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Moving to a smaller shop. Any advice?

Mark Durrenberger

Mark Durrenberger

Joined
Jun 4, 2021
Messages
20
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236
Location
Hudson, MA
Website
www.instagram.com
I have a pretty good sized shop now but I’m downsizing from a full flat work nd turning shop to just a turning shop. I’m getting rid of my planer, jointer, tablesaw, even my router cabinet.

Remaining
Big lathe, little lathe (mostly for buffing) bandsaw grinder drill press chop saw and some sort of dust collection.

The new space will be roughly 9’x12’ with good ceiling height for a basement of 8’

What are some shop design tricks to use the space wisely?
 
Toss in a workbench and a tool chest, and you've described my current workshop contents with what you're trimming down to. All of my gear is set in the dimensions of 11x22 feet. I wish the space was doubled.

My first workshop measured 9x11. Mini lathe on a stand, 8' long bench covered with everything, 14" bandsaw, a bit of wood piled on the floor, some shelves mounted high on the walls, and a few square feet to walk around. I wished the space was doubled.

Have you drawn out all these things on graph paper to see if they'll fit the new space? I don't see a work surface (bench or similar) on your list. Even a 2'x6' bench will take up a serious chunk of your 9x12.

I don't envy your task, but you may have to cut down further. Sell off a lathe.
 
Perhaps consider ditching the little lathe and buffing on the large lathe. I use three 8" buffing wheels on individual 2MT collets, quick to change.
I've never had a use for a chop saw in a turning shop, do most cutting with the bandsaw, use a handheld circular saw to break down boards not too thick, otherwise an electric chainsaw.
I like the 18" bandsaw a lot better then my older 14".
A workbench with a vise is handy, even if narrow and against one wall, shallow drawers and shelves below for no wasted space.

Some major decisions depend on the type of woodturning you want to do. For example, some really want the lathe out in the middle of the room for turning bowls/hollow forms. For what I like to turn I'm happy with the lathe against the wall and make use of the wall space behind. The space where the lathe sits 8' long, designed that way on purpose even though the shop is large.

lathe_PM2_Jan17_IMG_5751.jpg
Wall space is premium for me. I cover most with floor to ceiling shelves and cabinets for tool, supplies, and wood storage. I put 1/2" plywood on all walls so I could mount shelves everywhere. A long thread had ideas on tool storage:
Douglas Ladendorf

Thread 'Show us your tool rack/cart'

I'm finding myself sticking tools hear and there and need to make a proper tool rack or cart so they are organized and accessible. I'm looking for ideas and would love to see how you have solved this. What do you like or don't like about what you have? Any plans to change or expand? Does it include chucks and other accessories?
Thanks!
Doug

If you use the OneWay Wolverine & Varigrind for sharpening cut off most of the long v support so the sharpening station doesn't need to be so deep.

When planning my multipurpose shop I made scale drawings of the space and moved paper cutouts of everything I wanted to fit, keeping walking and working space in mind.

JKJ
 
Last edited:
John K Jordan said:
Perhaps consider ditching the little lathe and buffing on the large lathe. I use three 8" buffing wheels on individual 2MT collets, quick to change.
I've never had a use for a chop saw in a turning shop, do most cutting with the bandsaw, use a handheld circular saw to break down boards not too thick, otherwise an electric chainsaw.
I like the 18" bandsaw a lot better then my older 14".
A workbench with a vise is handy, even if narrow and against one wall, shallow drawers and shelves below for no wasted space.

Some major decisions depend on the type of woodturning you want to do. For example, some really want the lathe out in the middle of the room for turning bowls/hollow forms. For what I like to turn I'm happy with the lathe against the wall and make use of the wall space behind. The space where the lathe sits 8' long, designed that way on purpose even though the shop is large.

View attachment 73473
Wall space is premium for me. I cover most with floor to ceiling shelves and cabinets for tool, supplies, and wood storage. I put 1/2" plywood on all walls so I could mount shelves everywhere. A long thread had ideas on tool storage:
Douglas Ladendorf

Thread 'Show us your tool rack/cart'

I'm finding myself sticking tools hear and there and need to make a proper tool rack or cart so they are organized and accessible. I'm looking for ideas and would love to see how you have solved this. What do you like or don't like about what you have? Any plans to change or expand? Does it include chucks and other accessories?
Thanks!
Doug

If you use the OneWay Wolverine & Varigrind for sharpening cut off most of the long v support so the sharpening station doesn't need to be so deep.

When planning my multipurpose shop I made scale drawings of the space and moved paper cutouts of everything I wanted to fit, keeping walking and working space in mind.

JKJ
Click to expand...
I agree keeping the chopsaw handy may not be necessary. It’s an older rigid and the blade brake works poorly. Maybe I’ll get rid of it and live without it for a bit. If I find I need one, I’ll go shopping.

I have the same PM lathe but I’m probably going to sell it and get a robust. I do a lot of hollowing so I need to work from the end….

And yes I’ll do the scale drawing in Sketchup and virtually rearrange

And fortunately, the basement has other storage areas so I won’t have to use the shop space to store wood or finishes (in fact, I’ll be able to have a finishing area, embellishment area, and a photo studio area outside the dust and noise area)
 
Some thoughts

Wheels and casters are your friend. being able to tuck tools under a bench top/storage cabinet really helps. Move them out when in use, and replace when done.

Think in terms of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary spaces and align your tools and processes this way. The only stuff in a prime space should be things that are really important and accessed often. Conversely, it is no fun to have to reach into awkward spots for thing you need frequently.
 
Kirk Amidon said:
Wheels and casters are your friend.
Click to expand...
I agree completely agree with Kirk. My sharpening station, two bandsaws (I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of the 14” Delta saw after I bought the larger Jet saw), cabinet next to the lathe and jointer are all on wheels, and move around regularly as space demands arise. I also question whether or not a chop saw is necessary in a pure turning shop, but in my case it lives in semi-storage under a workbench since when needed it is such a useful tool. I think I’d have a hard time getting rid of my table saw. Most of the time it’s just a work surface, but when needed, it’s there.
 
If you can, it's so much easier to visualize the space in real space rather than on graph paper or the computer. The paper layouts can help, but nothing beats standing in a space. So maybe you can rearrange your current bigger space and tape out the size of the new shop, then move some things around and get a feel for what works and what's going to fit (or not).
I moved to my new shop about 18 months ago, and my strategy was - I first figured out where I wanted my lathe. Stood there in the empty space for a while to "feel" it, then moved the lathe in. Made sure there were places for tools etc around the lathe (not just gouge racks, but grinders, drawers, etc). Once that was set, I did mostly the same with the next important tools (bandsaws & second lathe). Then kept going basically like that.
Utilize your ceiling where possible- dust collection duct, compressed air lines, vacuum lines, power outlets, whatever. That keeps stuff from eating up valuable wall space and keeps cords etc off the floor.
 
Mark Durrenberger said:
The new space will be roughly 9’x12’ with good ceiling height for a basement of 8’
Click to expand...

Lou Jacobs said:
I think I’d have a hard time getting rid of my table saw. Most of the time it’s just a work surface, but when needed, it’s there.
Click to expand...

I have a table saw, a PM with a slider, and don't use it often but won't get rid of it. And a number of other large tools I'd hate to be without. However my shop building is 24'x62'! (for woodturning + flatwood, welding, machine shop, electronics, equip repair, and hatching peacocks)

But moving to a 9'x12' shop space like Mark described? I'd have to do some SERIOUS downsizing and make careful decisions!!

For a woodturning-only shop 9x12' is certainly possible. Until I built the big shop for years I had my woodturning in 1/2 of a 2-car garage. The space was tight but I sure did a lot of happy woodturning, and made a lot of dry turning blanks from log sections. I'd do it again if needed, and probably will after running the farm gets to be too much and we move into a smaller place!

I posted this before, but this is how I had my garage shop set up, with more shelves behind me when standing at the lathe and bandsaw and wood processing off to the right. The garage door was to the left with a small air compressor and more shelves on either side of the door. The shop was so tight that when two of us used it one had to go outside before we could switch places at the lathe!
lathe_layout_01.jpg
If I wanted to set this up for hollowing like Mark wants, I'd consider arranging it about the same except position the lathe so I could work from the end.

@Mark Durrenberger, please post your layout when you get it designed! I'm highly interested in what you come up with - want to learn from it. When we circle through the NE again maybe I'll stop and visit.

JKJ
 
I'd put the lathes and grinder against one long wall with tool racks on the wall to either side. Dust collector (and compressor?) in a corner. Bandsaw, drill press and chopsaw on the opposite wall (with a workbench w/ vise?. Set it up so the chopsaw and bandsaw tables are the same height or the bandsaw is sufficiently higher to slide lumber under it for crosscutting. Line it out on paper or CAD and expect to change things around for fine tuning at least once. Make sure you have good lighting, both overall and task lighting at the lathe.
 
Dave Landers said:
I moved to my new shop about 18 months ago, and my strategy was - I first figured out where I wanted my lathe. Stood there in the empty space for a while to "feel" it, then moved the lathe in.
Click to expand...

I did the same! I had designed everything on paper before hand but before I moved things in I stood in the space and imagined how it would work.

Hey, another idea: maybe make a full-sized paper lathe cutout to put on the floor!

I did something similar when we moved to this place. The house we moved from was larger and I wasn't even sure I could fit my piano into the space. So I taped big sheets of paper together and cut out a full-sized outline of the piano and one of the bench and moved it around until I figured out how to make it work. It was SO much easier to visualize not only the placement but the walking space too. Ended up putting it at an angle and even had plenty of space for a small fold-out sofa bed!

20240505_104156.jpg

JKJ
 
Kirk Amidon said:
Wheels and casters are your friend. being able to tuck tools under a bench top/storage cabinet really helps. Move them out when in use, and replace when done.
Click to expand...
Yes! And allows one to more easily rearrange the shop.

Since you have other work storage areas in the basement some seldom used tools could be stored outside of the shop. For example, a job site tablesaw on a folding, rolling stand.
A quality, accurate 12" sliding compound miter saw can do a lot of tablesaw functions. I buy dry wood in 16/4 boards several feet in length and cut off blanks as I need them. I can make the cut in one pass on the SCM, where I couldn't on a TS.

A SCM is one of those tools that is "move-able" if not truly "portable". Could go on a folding, rolling stand, too, or set on a workbench.

I've also seen temporary router tables the clamp to a workbench.
 
I'm guessing you are not turning glue-ups or segmented? I just bought a planer because I need to get very straight pieces for some of my projects.
And I wish I had a table saw for cutting large boards down to blanks, or for that matter making sleds for my bandsaw.
Perhaps some tools can be downsized to smaller versions that take less space (or are more easily moved when needed)?
 
Mark Durrenberger said:
Remaining
Big lathe, little lathe (mostly for buffing) bandsaw grinder drill press chop saw and some sort of dust collection.
The new space will be roughly 9’x12’ with good ceiling height for a basement of 8’
Click to expand...
Based on my personal 10X12 shop, it's going to be very difficult to get all that in and be able to hollow from the end of a large lathe. It may depend on where the door/entry is located.

The dust collector can be nearby but outside. A vacuum pump and compressor are very useful and should be included, and can also be nearby but outside. You will need some sort of work surface/table. A chop saw is not needed for woodturning, as you can use the band saw. The drill press is not required but some folks prefer to use it for some functions.

There may be some remorse and grieving as you move from lots of space to turning in a closet. Those abandoned tools have provided you with much satisfaction.
 
Dean Center said:
Based on my personal 10X12 shop, it's going to be very difficult to get all that in and be able to hollow from the end of a large lathe. It may depend on where the door/entry is located.

The dust collector can be nearby but outside. A vacuum pump and compressor are very useful and should be included, and can also be nearby but outside. You will need some sort of work surface/table. A chop saw is not needed for woodturning, as you can use the band saw. The drill press is not required but some folks prefer to use it for some functions.

There may be some remorse and grieving as you move from lots of space to turning in a closet. Those abandoned tools have provided you with much satisfaction.
Click to expand...
Compressor will be outside the space as will the dust collector. The dust makers will be in the space. The drill press is currently mounted to my workbench. I’ll probably keep that setup but I’ll make the bench narrower so I can reach the wall behind it and put shelves up.
 
My basement shop is larger than yours (and only 7' head room). Problem was every flat surface (all tool tables & extensions, workbench, two foldable work tables, etc.) had "stuff" stored all over them. No room to work ... and too lazy to move all that crap!!! So, I added three shelves suspended from the ceiling joists (from "I might need that someday" stuff ) and one from Wire Shelving (ClosetMaid type). More of those to come.:p
This has nothing to do with getting rid of equipment/tools, etc., but might come in handy for you and others.
 
Mark Durrenberger said:
I have a pretty good sized shop now but I’m downsizing from a full flat work nd turning shop to just a turning shop. I’m getting rid of my planer, jointer, tablesaw, even my router cabinet.

Remaining
Big lathe, little lathe (mostly for buffing) bandsaw grinder drill press chop saw and some sort of dust collection.

The new space will be roughly 9’x12’ with good ceiling height for a basement of 8’

What are some shop design tricks to use the space wisely?
Click to expand...
Dont do what I did and downsizeed my wood stash, I was overly zealous and have lived to regret it. It was a ruthless triage :)
 
Tape off that space in your current shop to get a feel for it and try some layouts

I would give up my chop saw way before the table saw even doing flat work yet. The table saw can do nearly anything the chop will do plus more. Do you use the chop for turning?
 
I started doing layouts in Sketchup. It's going to be tight :-).. My table saw is a Delta Cabinet saw from the 1990s. I barely use it. If I find I need for a TS, I'll get a small one. The chop saw is handy for a lot of things but it doesn't need to be "on deck" all the time.

The good news is that I'll have plenty of room outside of the noise-making area to store stuff. So I can keep the chop saw and it's base stashed in a corner and roll it out if I need it. But the TS with it's wide stance (56" to the right of the blade) is just too big. The dust collector will also sit outside of the noise-area. But it will have noise containment built around it...

With my preliminary design I have room for the lathe, my portable sharpening station, bandsaw, a workbench - lots of walls for shelves. That space will be "soundproofed" and dust tight. Outside of that space I have room for a finishing table, an "embellishment" table (woodburning/ carving) and a photo studio (a table with a back drop and some flashes on a tripods), and a set of shelfs for storing completed works.
 
I have a shop that is 172 square feet. It is not a permanent space as I share it with my car. I have two work benches, a lathe, two grinders, a dust collector, a band saw, a planer, a router table, a compound mitre saw, a drill press a mobile tool rack, and a belt sander, a small electric air compressor and two tool chests. The key to organizing a limited amount of space is:
1. Overhead drop supply of electric to increase the flexibility of equipment placement and eliminate coords on the floor as a trip hazard.
2, All equipment is on wheels (locking) or sleds. At the end of the day, after clean up, which is easier because all equipment can be easily moved about, it can also be quickly put away.
3. Everything including small and large tools has a designated place indicated by a label or a shadow gram. The space is too small for randomly located items.
4. Every equipment stand is multi-functional. For example I have one tool chest that has a bench top. On that bench top is my drill press, a vice, my belt sander and my small grinder. There is, on the side of the bench, a power strip that serves each of the items on the bench top. I can then connect the electric drop to the power strip to use the grinder, sander or drill press. My lathe table has four drawers for all jigs, chucks, measurement tools. It has two cabinets, the left size is for special hollowing and carbide tools, the right side is for adhesives, oils, epoxy,
CA and colorants. On the back of the stand is a charging rack for tool batteries.
Photos: 1) my work space with car. 2) my work space with all tools and equipment. 3) I can quickly roll out my lather, dust collector and grinder below a flexible electric drop. 4) my collapsible work bench
 

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I am so tired of my relatively small shop size. Inside dimensions of 11x21 ft. I've owned a table saw- gone. Once I dig out the Jet 6" jointer, that'll probably go as well, now that I know how to use hand planes. Retirement arrives in about 6 years or so (age 62), and we want to leave the metropolis for mid-to-small size surroundings to build a modest home and a good size shop. I am content with what is in my shop, and I really don't yearn for more stuff, just more breathing space. Walls set at 24x24 ft will provide what I need, and want. Space for a comfy turning and small flat-board project shop.

Years ago, I fell in love with a reproduction page out of the Sears catalog for a Sears house. This is it. It'll be tweaked a little bit, but I'd be just fine in this. Check out that materials cost from a century ago!
1000001691.jpg
 
Ed Brekke said:
I have a shop that is 172 square feet. It is not a permanent space as I share it with my car. I have two work benches, a lathe, two grinders, a dust collector, a band saw, a planer, a router table, a compound mitre saw, a drill press a mobile tool rack, and a belt sander, a small electric air compressor and two tool chests. The key to organizing a limited amount of space is:
1. Overhead drop supply of electric to increase the flexibility of equipment placement and eliminate coords on the floor as a trip hazard.
2, All equipment is on wheels (locking) or sleds. At the end of the day, after clean up, which is easier because all equipment can be easily moved about, it can also be quickly put away.
3. Everything including small and large tools has a designated place indicated by a label or a shadow gram. The space is too small for randomly located items.
4. Every equipment stand is multi-functional. For example I have one tool chest that has a bench top. On that bench top is my drill press, a vice, my belt sander and my small grinder. There is, on the side of the bench, a power strip that serves each of the items on the bench top. I can then connect the electric drop to the power strip to use the grinder, sander or drill press. My lathe table has four drawers for all jigs, chucks, measurement tools. It has two cabinets, the left size is for special hollowing and carbide tools, the right side is for adhesives, oils, epoxy,
CA and colorants. On the back of the stand is a charging rack for tool batteries.
Photos: 1) my work space with car. 2) my work space with all tools and equipment. 3) I can quickly roll out my lather, dust collector and grinder below a flexible electric drop. 4) my collapsible work bench
Click to expand...
Great lathe and not a bad choice of brewski ;)
 
Bill, Leinenkugels is so hard to get in San Diego that when I do find it I buy all the stock! And yes, I love the lathe!
 
Ed Brekke said:
Bill, Leinenkugels is so hard to get in San Diego that when I do find it I buy all the stock! And yes, I love the lathe!
Click to expand...
To heck with the beer and lathe, enjoy the sunshine with the top down on your Spyder! My Mini convertible has cabin fever pretty bad as I await spring rains to wash away the winter road salt here in MN (where Leine's is available everywhere).
 
Steve Tiedman said:
To heck with the beer and lathe, enjoy the sunshine with the top down on your Spyder! My Mini convertible has cabin fever pretty bad as I await spring rains to wash away the winter road salt here in MN (where Leine's is available everywhere).
Click to expand...
I was out today in the Spyder with the top down. Well, probably 300 out of 365 days per year with the top down. Where it gets fun is when you drive east from San Diego into the two lane foothills. You know, when I lived in Minnesota we used to go down to Elko Speedway on Saturday evenings. After all the regular races, they had family car racing. Anyone could enter, you signed about 1000 release from liability waivers, then you went out to the track and raced one other car, two laps, and you stated on to race all other challengers. Last car standing was the winner. Insane. The umber of people who damaged their family car was crazy. But one evening a guy with a Mini went out there and every body started laughing. But it's a short track, and the corners count, and a Mini does corner. That Mini raced and beat a Mustang, a Chevelle, a couple other cars handily just whipping around that track. Sadly, on about the fifth race, she was winning and blew out the engine. I have a lot of respect for Minis.
 
Ed Brekke said:
…family car racing. Anyone could enter, you signed about 1000 release from liability waivers, then you went out to the track and raced one other car, two laps, and you stated on to race all other challengers. Last car standing was the winner. Insane. The umber of people who damaged their family car was crazy. But one evening…
Click to expand...

Do you have to go for a track for that?

Driving back from DC yesterday there was a race on I-66, west out of Arlington. A group of about a dozen modified (and extremely loud) sports cars passed us driving far in excess (my guess) of 100mph, weaving between cars in all lanes and on the shoulders. A few frustrated stragglers were hades-bent on catching up. I expected a to see a pileup or at least one or two upside-down in a ditch but didn’t.

Maybe the Immature Boy’s Racing Club does that every Sunday. Unfortunately, last time I checked I still wasn’t Highway Patrol in VA.

JKJ
 
Hey, if it's just fine to drive like that in movies and video games, it's just fine in real life. And with cameras everywhere on public roads, where are the LEOs? Idiots. (Boy, did we veer off topic...)
 
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