Anyone With A Small Shop Like Me?

AndersonsWworks

I get really envious when I see some of the nice large shops on this board such as Gus's and Leo's. They would probably be shocked at the size of my shop, about 24' x 24'. It is cram packed with tools, materials, scraps, workbench, and other odds and ends. Sometimes I have trouble finding assembly area in between everything. But somehow I make it work. Luckily I am just a one man show. I don't have the best of everything by any means but not the worst either. I have learned to make do with what I have in the space I've got. Anyone else out there have the same limitations I have and still crank out some pretty large pieces? How do you make your space work?

Rocky

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chris klee

i am in a 14' x 30' space. basicly a large shed with an overhead door.
i make it work by having everything on wheels.
i am planning on replacing that with a 24'x30' garage one of these days (concrete work is expensive).
my issue is i am not in the shop everyday, its hit and miss. sometimes i will be onsite for months at a time, sometimes in the shop for a month straight.
i also use my shop for offroad fabricating, although not very much, so i have to keep room to pull a jeep or something in every once and a while.

WarnerConstInc.

That's tough. There are shop quality tools that break down and take up no room for storage.

If you are looking for a nice assembly table, work table, cross cut table that can be moved around and stored out of the way when not needed,
I suggest looking at a Walko work bench or a mft/3.

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Gus Dering

When I was in a two car garage I battled all of the same issues. Life got some what easier when I bought an enclosed trailer to haul cabinets in. I used it as a storage container for sheet goods and things during the parts breakdown phase. Then as cabinets were done being detailed, I moved them into the trailer when needed.

Nothing wrong with where you are at. I miss those days sometimes. Life was simple to some degree. But more space is nice too.

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pinwheel

I've been there, but I had smaller tools then too. Today, I'm betting I'm somewhere between where you are & where Gus is. My main shop is 20x60, but it's in a 40x80 2 story turn of the century brick commercial building. The balance is used for warehousing & showroom. Got a seperate building that's 20x50 that we do our finish/paint work in. But it's also turn of the century, brick.

My plan, is to build a 40x80 at the farm that will incorporate my shop & paint shop all in one building. It's a pain moving everything from building to building as they're completed.

Tom R

I'm a one-man show, too, and I have about a 20 X 20 shop, but some additional buildings, too (although they're sometimes loaded like a woman's closets)

woodworkbykirk

lol, i have 10x10 shed with a work bench and a glue up table, the saws go out in the yard when needed and weather permitting. i build a attic into it by putting plywood down on the ceiling joists and created a 3'x 4 ' opening to put bins of tools up there

however i have access to another shop which is prob 50x40 or so, one side is jammed with junk old furnaces, fridges, tools and such, the back has a lumber rack filled with random hardwoods, azek, vinyl siding trim and other materials. then there's the general table saw, thickness planer and jointer with a 5x10 glue up table/outfeed table. if i need more space to build something or mill up trim its there

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mattsk8

Mine's 22x 27'. I've done a couple custom kitchens (about to finish one and start another) and a bunch of other stuff. Bigger would be better but I make do. Just trip and swear a lot and have to clean it that much more often!

jlhaslip

24 x 26 'garage' that has never had a car in it.
Tools and stuff around all 4 walls and sawhorse tables in the middle. I can clear the sawhorses out in about 5 minutes to have a 16 x 16 clear floor as a work area. I spray right in there and it turns out pretty fair. The dust can be an issue, but I point a fan at an open window and it gets better.

mikeswoods

Walk out basement here. 38x55---The low ceilings make building things for tall houses a challenge.

Someday I'd like to have a shop with a separate finishing room.

Cabinet work is a minor part of my business. Wood storage eats up much of the wall space.

In order to get good discounts at the sawmill,I usually buy wood in 200 to 300 bd.foot lots.

stp57

It's called wide angle camera lens. Trick photography. Probably for a good beer, they'll show you the real size of their shops. 12' x12'.
Steve

chris klee

I am looking into trading my flat trailer for an enclosed like Gus mentioned. I think it would make things a lot easier dome days.
Part of the reason I want a new shop is the current one is 7' from the fence (property line) and I would like 10' so I can park my trailer next to it and out of the way.

I made an assembly table a few weeks ago, it doubles as an outfeed table and it's just screwed together, so it comes apart if needed.

Jordy3738

I built cabinets out of a two car garage for a couple of years, entire kitchen and bathroom sets. The key to making it work is don't keep all of the leftovers. They must be pitched once the job is finished. My mind set was that the customer paid for the materials, the jobs finished, so, out they go!

The other thing I did was put as many of the larger tools on wheels as possible. All work benches were on wheels.

I built a rather large saw "table" and used it as the assembly bench.

I had to really plan out how and when I built particular pieces of all projects.

I used my delivery tailor for storage. I completed pieces systematically to make things flow smoothly.

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CJ21

I am working out of a 10x12 shed.

Worm Drive

Don't feel bad. No matter how big your shop is, eventually you'll fill it up and need more room. I built a 30'x40' with 10' ceilings two years ago and am already thinking I need an addition for cold storage. I put in 2-man doors, 8'x10' garage door and 6-4'x5' windows, which kills the wall storage space, but all that natural light sure is great.