# Hats off to those working in small shops



## TechTeacher (Nov 3, 2011)

I enjoy checking out other lumberjocks work space and projects. Most of my work is usually done on the job site out of my van or in a couple of shops that I have access to. Over the past couple days I decided to do a little bit of casework at home because it was more convenient, or so I thought. One bay of my garage is sectioned off from the rest so I set up some temporary heat and thought I would get started. Dragged some tools in and then ready to start. Whoops got to get more supplies organized. Need to cut some parts to length, set up the miter saw, made a couple cuts. Time to rip some parts, move the miter saw set up the table saw. Not enough room to make the cut, time to move some lumber and boxes. Got the cuts made, time to move some more stuff around, maybe I will be able to get something done tomorrow. It frustrates me but also makes me appreciate what some of you accomplish in small spaces, lots even smaller than mine. I guess maybe I should organize or maybe get rid of some excess stuff. How do you small shop guys ever get anything done?


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## dawsonbob (Aug 5, 2013)

It isn't easy. Still, if you want to do it badly enough, you find a way.


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## retfr8flyr (Oct 30, 2013)

That's what I am working with. One bay of my garage, that I have to share with my lawn equipment. The mowers get moved outside when I am working. It really gets frustrating at times but it's worth it.


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## dawsonbob (Aug 5, 2013)

Living in a one bedroom apartment, I'm actually working in my living room. I make it work, somehow.


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Yep. I do it all the time. One car garage with washer/dryer, freezer, hot water heater and a storage rack. I haven't even started mentioning my tools yet. :-(


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## djc4990 (Jan 14, 2014)

i work out of my garage…i have about a 8×8 workspace with all my tools crammed in…when the car isnt in the garage i have a little more room to breathe but all of my tools(tablesaw,chop saw, etc) need to be mobile and packed away…not heated or insulated either so the winter time gets a little cold! but gotta do what you gotta do =)


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

I used to do it inside a 20' x 12' space and my shop was setup efficiently enough that I seldom had to move anything to get to any machines. The catch is that I didn't have a planer or jointer at the time so it wasn't quite a fully equipped shop. It had a tablesaw with outfeed support, bandsaw, lathe, air compressor and miter saw plus a decent sized workbench and a dust collector. There was just enough space to store some lumber and a couple sheets of plywood where they wouldn't get in the way.

The jointer I could have squeezed in just fine but if I had a planer, it would had to have been setup in a portable manner. There was a portable router table that rolled under the outfeed of the tablesaw.

That shop was good for making a single piece of furniture desk sized or smaller. Larger projects were doable but hard to manage.

Of course that's pretty large compared to what a lot of people here are talking about. I built a shed to get the lawn and garden equipment out of the shop after the first year. Anything that wasn't needed got pitched or given away.


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