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Shop location

1K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  TheFridge 
#1 ·
Shop location

Hello all,

I am looking for input on location for a wood shop I am setting up. I am currently working in my 2 car garage and have to share it with 2 cars every night. I have a chance to move my shop to a stand alone chalet that I could dedicate to just being my shop. The desision is the stand alone shop is about 3 miles from home. Do I move the shop or keep it at home? I am looking for advise

Thanks
 
#2 ·
I think if you are doing this for a living or you are really dedicated to spending significant amounts of time out there traveling a few miles to the shop wouldn't be a big issue. If you prefer to do your shop time in shorter bursts or for whatever reason you can't focus on being in the shop 100% I think having to travel to your shop would mean less time spent there. I put a lot of thought into this last year when I was trying to decide if I wanted to build a shop or rent space and for me I decided rented space would just result in less time in the shop. But that's me, you might be very different. For instance if I was trying to make a living doing this full time I would want a separate shop for sure both from a personal focus perspective and insurance/business liability reasons.
 
#3 ·
3 mi is quite a ways to drive for a hobby. I used to use my 2 car garage and park cars in it until I finally built a separate building in back yard. I may go out for just an hour or 2 or spend most of the day out there. Driving 3 mi. would require inveating time and planning that I don't want to put into a hobby.
 
#6 ·
3 miles isn't any thing if you live in the country?
To be able to stop working and not have to put every thing away is a big plus for work flow.
My biggest concern would be are your tools going to be safe.
 
#7 ·
I travel 4.5mi to my hobby shop. No space at home for what I have here. Sometimes that 4.5mi trip could take an hour in traffic. Yeah that's the unfortunate reality of living in a city with 11m people. However I love working in my shop and actually getting out and away from the house isn't such a bad thing. Less distractions. Sometimes I'd like to fiddle around in the shop after dinner, but that has to wait until another situation arrises - like I relocate :)

If your 3mi trip isn't encumbered with traffic, I'd say go for it. Getting away from the distractions at home could be beneficial to your psyche and to your work :)
 
#9 ·
That's an issue anyone can encounter no matter where their tools are located including at home. Security measures can and should be put in place - i-cams, alarm, etc. Even though this is for a hobby shop, it should be treated like a business location.

In my situation, there is 24hr monitoring of the premises already in place, but I also ordered some internet cams and an alarm for my individual space. I'm also looking into what an insurance policy may cost. However theft is not just confined to off-site locations. Unfortunately homes are burglarized every day. Shop tools may not be on their list, but who knows?

The idea that not having to clean up after each work day is a plus, though I try not to leave things that way. But having the ability to leave glue-ups out and tools setup is nice and if I need to leave for any reason, I don't have the pressure of doing a hasty clean-up.

Again there's plusses and minuses to each situation.
I agree with htl about the security of your tools. It sure wouldn t take much for someone to clean you out over night.

- BurlyBob
 
#10 ·
Bob, I have been faced with this dilemma a couple times and there are pros and cons to each. The deciding factor for me was that I am often involved in projects that require waiting some time before the next step, e.g. glue two sub-assemblies individually, wait 30 minutes while the clamps are on, then glue the two assemblies together. I normally only work on one project at a time, so having the shop in the house is a great benefit to me. Yes, I could probably work on something else in the meanwhile, but I tend to be a very linear person. Your work style is something you need to consider. HTH
 
#11 ·
Your are in between a rock and a hard place. For me I would in the garage. The reasons are many. Insurance, rent, travel, Security, and on and on.
If you own your home and there is space on the property, save your money and in two or three years build your shop where you live.
I would not travel 3 mi. for my hobby as much as I enjoy woodworking.
 
#12 ·
First I want to thank everyone for the input, woodworkers are the best. A little more information. the Chalet I spoke of is 3 miles but only 10 minutes at the most. Traffic is not a concern. Also the house is on 23 acres that I hope to build our new home on some day. It sounds like I am talking myself into it but the garage I use now is so close. What to do?
 
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