# Shop layout - Sketchup eye opening experience for me.



## PLK (Feb 11, 2014)

I recently purchased some anti-fatigue mats after being very sore after long hours in the shop each day on my concrete basement floors. I've used sketchup to mock up builds before but never to design and play around with my shop. So before I placed the new anti-fatigue rubber mats I spent a couple nights playing around with the shop layout in sketchup.

Being able to play around with a birds eye view was pretty eye opening to me. I was wasting a ton of space in my already small shop.

This is the before the sketchup shop layout.










I had not really thought much about the layout of my shop as I don't have much equipment. Everything was pretty much on 90 degrees for layout. I could get around fine but had to "scoot" by the miter saw and DC. Not only did sketchup open my eyes to new angles for the machines, I was able to add more and get more floor space.










My tiny shop has turned pretty spacious to me, all due to $30 bucks in anti-fatigue rubber floor mats and me being too lazy to move equipment piece by piece and place the flooring.

I highly recommend mocking up your shop in sketchup. If you have a tiny shop like me it's a great way to understand potential unused or overused space.

Paul


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## lateralus819 (Mar 24, 2013)

Big difference! Nice. I have a big space, unfortunately half is shared with band equipment. Luckily i only have a table saw and use my bench as a feed table. It works.


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## woodchuckerNJ (Dec 4, 2013)

It's very hard to tell from those photos.
So do you have the sketchup b4 and after?

The only important thing is how you like it..
We all change things, as our work evolves and we get new equipment or we part with stuff that we don't use that much.


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## PLK (Feb 11, 2014)

I do not have a sketchup of the before. Until you asked I didn't see a reason to document that. The new floor space I have was the real reason for the post.

My workshop is now updated if you want more info.

Paul


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