Shop Reorganization #1: Design and concept drawings

Well, it is finally time to get started on a major overhaul in a few areas of the shop. We have been in our house now for seven years, and I have done little to no upgrades in the shop. It is starting to get extremely messy out there, and I am getting tired of it. So, I have decided to go through and make some improvements. These improvements are basically aimed at more storage and a better work flow for the shop. I have spent several months thinking about what to do, and I have gone through several ideas. I even started building part of one of the ideas when I realized it was totally wrong.

So, here is my new concept for the back wall of the shop.

The “stud wall” behind this whole thing is actually my wood rack. The box to the far left is a five drawer filing cabinet. The work surface will be 36” off the floor.

Ok, so what does this give me?

First, the new planer cart will allow me to more efficiently use the space in the shop. When I am not using the planer, the cart can double as a surface to lay my tools on so they are not in the way.

Second, I get a new eight foot long work surface. On this surface I can permanently set up my spindle sander and my belt.disk sander where they can be used at any time. Right now I have to pull them off the shelf and use them on top of the tablesaw. Sometimes this makes it a hassle to use them. The rest of the work surface can be used for miscellaneous things.

Third, I get two new cabinet (identical) that will store under the work surface to put tools and various other shop stuff in. Like the planer cart, I am planning on getting double use out of these cabinets. They are going to have really nice formica tops on them, and I will be able to roll them out and use them as two separate assembly tables (approximately 2’ deep x 34” long), or I will be able to roll them together for a 48” x 34” assembly table or a 24” x 68” assembly table. When done with them, they will store neatly under the work surface.

I am hoping to get started this weekend on building some of this. I am going to start with the planer cart and work my way across. Within the next couple of week, I will get the other two cabinets built. It will likely be next month sometime before I get to the actual work surface, but hopefully by the end of the summer this will be done and I can start on other parts of the shop.

I will post more as I go along. Hopefully someone will find some useful ideas in all of this.

-- -- Rob Hix, King George, VA