Remodel the Shop #1: Initial Sketchup Drawing - ideas welcome

All of my pictures drawings got cut off on the left side. If anyone knows how to fix it, let me know and I’ll get them corrected. Pictures sized to fit a 800×600 screen.

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

I like how you have your miterbox saw setup, next to your table saw. I’ll definitely be thinking of that when i set up my new shop. You may want to put the dust collection tubing in so you can count out your tubing, blastgates, adapters and floor sweeps. looks great!

Wildbill,

I plan to get everything drawn in eventually, but I want to make sure of all of my major tool locations first. I’m not fast enough to draw it all twice. HA HA.

I have an idea on the dust collection, but I doubt if anyone will like it. Since I want to use the NE corner of my tablesaw outfeed for assembly, I do not want a dust collector tube running down from the ceiling. Therefore I am going to run it across the floor. I don’t like it, but I haven’t come up with anything better yet.

I’ll run a 6” to the Unisaw table area: branch off to the Unisaw, the router, jointer, miter saw/planer, and a sweep on the South and maybe on the North edge, and possibly make the NW corner a sanding table. The other tools will get there dust collection from overhead.

What do you think? Makes the run to the Unisaw station tools much shorter too.

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

I really like the idea of what I take is a removable support for the miter saw. That really makes a good use of the space you have while allowing you to get around the shop.
Excellent work on the Sketchup also. I’m still trying to play with it and learning more everyday.

-- Kyle, Michigan

kshipp, Thanks for the kind words about my attempt at Sketchup. It really isn’t a difficult program, but it does create some aggravation sometimes.

You are correct, the right hand “table” on the miter saw is removable and I think I’ll store it under the front of the Unisaw.

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

Kevin, I can’t really help you but I just had to say that if my shop had a fridge and a bathroom I might never leave :) I look forward to following your project and seeing where you end up.

-- Paul D, Atlanta GA

Amazing shop. Perfect drawings. There is lots of inspiration in it. Thanks for sharing.

-- Jiri

Those drawings are awesome. Do you have the paid version of sketchup? I have the free version and I’m still figuring it out. Did you have to draw each of those tools or were they pre made in the software? Also, the outfeed side of your table saw seems close to the wall as to not allow you to finish a rip of a longer board. I have the blade of my table saw exactly centered on the long dimension of my shop so I know if I can feed it into the saw I will be able to rip it’s whole length without hitting the wall. Again, those drawings are awesome.

-- Tony, Ohio

WOW nice drawings. I have to ask …How long did it take you to do that?? I just can’t seem to get the hang of that program at all.

-- Hope Never fails

Very nice plan…I’m envious of the relatively cavernous room you have!

As for the dust collection, if it were my shop I’d absolutely drop it from the ceiling to the unisaw station in the area behind the miter/jointer. Seems the perfect spot for it and much less out of the way than a pipe across the floor that your certain to trip over and will curse when trying to roll heavy equipment around with partially-assembled pieces in the open area.

However, if you use S&D pipe and don’t glue it together, changing it around it fairly easy anyway…so probably not that big a deal to try it out and see if it works or not.

I look forward to the pics as the plan comes together!

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL www.TenonAndSpline.com

Hi Kevin

You did a nice job on the drawings. I know you don’t want to hear this idea but I would turn the table saw so it runs south and north. That way you could open up the big door if you were ripping longer stock. Switch west and north walls around. As it is now, if you were going to rip 12” off a 4’ X 8’ sheet your dust collection cabinet is in the way. No matter what you do I am sure it will be a beautiful shop to work in. Thanks for posting. Good luck with the new shop.

Tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

Wow, I am speachless. I didn’t post this expecting to get complimented on my Sketchup skills. A lot of the tools were pre-made/started by other people, but all the rest is mine. I have the free version. Took me about 6 hours including the time to figure out what I wanted to do.

Paul, It is hard to go back in the house sometimes. Last night I quit at well 12:30 this morning actually.

Tony, the saw is set up so that a 10’ long board can be ripped. If I have to rip anything longer than that, which is rare, I can use my other table saw.

Tom, The problem with your idea is that I still need to be able to pull a truck in the garage from time to time. Once this saw is set with the table, it is not moving. I’m guessing it’ll weigh over 1,000 pounds when complete. Good call on the plywood though. I have enough room to rip a sheet in half and clear the dust collector. I guess the way it is now, I’d have to put the 3’ side next to the fence and have the 12” be on the left of the blade. I might play with this a little tonight and see if I can shift the saw station to the South & East a little farther.

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

kevin:

I built a rolling wood rack, with brackets on both sides and a 12” wide center section for 4’x8’ sheet storage. With nine high quality 3” castors I find that I cannot move it, even on my very smooth and level concrete floor. You will be surprised at just how easy it is to load it to 1000 lbs or more. Fortunately, my shop has a gambrel roof, giving me a 12’ x 28’ second floor which I am now using for wood drying and storage. I plan to cut down my present rolling rack considerably, basically so that it just holds enough wood for the projects at hand. Maybe then I can move it.

A large garage door presents problems. Basically, it is a large wall that you can’t hang anything on, or put anything permanently in front of. Unless the rest of your space is quite large, it almost forces you to keep most of your tools mobile. For dust collection, I have a smaller, lower HP collector that I roll around and connect to each machine as I use them. Because of the noise, shops with 2 HP and larger collectors on hard ducted systems like to place them outside the shop in their own enclosure if possible.

I painted my walls and ceiling semi-gloss white. I have a mixture of incandescent and electronic ballast fluorescent light fixtures. The electronic ballasts operate at 21,000 HZ and do not flicker and hum like the old magnetic ballast fluorescent lighting.

-- "Heaven is North of the Bridge"

the drawings look good. well thought out. the only thing i would comment on is electrical service, i have my shop on its own meter and breaker panel.
this will allow you to keep a record of shop expense if you decide to sell stuff in the future, also it will allow you flexability in your wiring.

however many plugins you have you will find that you need more. in my small shop i put one every 4 feet but that was 10 years ago b4 the price of copper wire was impossible. in the shop i built last year i am still installing plugins both 110 and 220.
i have found that i need them both on the wall and hanging from the ceiling, and it would of been nice if i had put a few in the floor when i pored the pad.

jay angel

-- "not all those who wander are lost" JRR tolken

8iowa,

I built this rolling rack. http://lumberjocks.com/projects/4773
I may not keep as much sheet goods on hand as you do though. Mine rolls quite easily loaded as is.

Jay Angel,

I am a journeyman electrician and so I have no problem adding receptacles where needed. When I bought this place the shop had ever outlet on the same breaker. When I get done, you won’t have to look far for a receptacle.

Thanks for the comments.

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

pardon me i did not mean to presume, many appoligies .

its just that i have a friend whos shop has the same kind of wiring you had, 6 plugs on one 20 amp breaker, and then want to know why the breaker flips when they turn on a router and shop vac at the same time.

jay angel

-- "not all those who wander are lost" JRR tolken

Jay,

No need for apologize, I love the constructive criticism. That is why I came here for help.

I was just saying that the receptacles will not be an issue for me to add after the fact, so I plan o setting my tools up first and then adding them. I completely agree with you. It is NOT possible to have too many outlets or too much light for that matter. Just ask my wife, if I could, I’d put an outlet every couple feet in the house and more in the shop. Ha Ha

I am making a list of things like Jay’s comment about outlets and Patrick’s comments on dust collection and will be implementing them once the “final” large tool and cabinet arrangement is determined.

For know I am trying to incorporate ideas like Tom’s in the overall arrangement. By the way Tom, I think I can get my full sheet of plywood cut now. Thanks for pointing that out.

-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas

Hi Kevin, I was just admiring your shop drawings very nice, I just wanted to give you my 2 cents for what its worth, I think I would move the miter box to the 18’ bench on the top of your drawing and your move your jointer to the left side of the table saw, I know when I’m working I seem to use these three tools hand in hand jointing a board then ripping it, then cutting it to length, and the way you have these tools set up would mean you would have to walk around the out feed table to joint a board, or take down your table saw set up to use the miter saw, now I might be mistaken or it might not affect the way you work, but I just thought I would point it out to you, but it looks likes its going to be a great shop.

Joey

-- Joey~~Sabina, Ohio http://sleepydogwoodworking.blogspot.com/

I’m not sure if anyone answered your 2nd post, but I think that the maximum size is 640×480. BTW, where did you get those tool drawings?

-- Charlie in TN, looking for his tools...