# small shop layout advice



## jamsomito (Mar 26, 2017)

Hi everyone, first post here! I've been dabbling in woodworking the last couple years. It's been enjoyable and I have a countless list of projects in cue, so it's time to get a bit more serious about making space for working on things. (well… the whole garage is also getting a reorg this spring) Here's my little nook in the back of my garage right now:










I'd like to minimize needing to move my tools to use them. Having to get everything situated before I can even begin is a big deterrent, and I'd like to be more productive. Really all I have is a table saw, a miter saw, and a slew of hand tools. So I'd like to make a table saw outfeed table, a miter saw stand, and a decent work bench / assembly table. I intend for storage under and over most of these on the walls of my nook, either shelves or cabinets.

Long scrap wood will be stored on shelves horizontally above the miter saw, and sheet goods can be stood up vertically between the end of the miter saw table and the window.

I allowed for 96" from both the miter saw and table saw blades to the back wall, so I will be able to fit a full 8 foot board or sheet of plywood through each. The table saw can move left and right to allow for up to a 42" wide rip cut, or I can wheel the table saw to the middle of the garage for even wider / longer cuts if necessary.

I'm wondering if I can get by with 6 feet from the miter saw to the back wall though, because by moving it 2 feet back, I'll have a lot more room to stand behind the saw when working with it. Where it is now only allows 24" for me to stand and work there. I might get rid of the 45 degree angle on the outfeed table from the table saw and make it a full rectangle, but then it'll take up more of my work space again.

What do you think? Can you suggest a better layout?


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## LittleShaver (Sep 14, 2016)

Depending on the lumber you buy, the distance to the wall from the miter saw only needs to be a little over 1/2 the length of the longest board.


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## jamsomito (Mar 26, 2017)

Yeah, I was thinking that. I can really only fit 12 ft stock in my car and I don't recall ever getting anything longer. I'm thinking I'd be safe moving the miter saw back a couple feet.

What do you think of my outfeed table / assembly table? I might make a hinged table that comes up from the table saw so I can collapse it down and move the saw back a few feet when I'm not using it. That will give us a bit more room to move around in the garage when we come and go every day. But, it's another step to use the saw when I need it…


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

It would be helpful to know what projects you plan to use your new shop for. Cabinets require a different space than, say, building bird houses.

A table saw generally needs a lot of space around it to be most flexible. Your wall will be in the way for most of the sheet goods you will cut on that saw. Is it possible to turn the saw 90 deg and move it to the right in your drawing to allow 96"+ on the discharge side? You can be up against the wall on the right of the saw.

I would suggest is that your assembly area be a free standing workbench that you can pull out later or rearrange to suit the project. Go with just a front vise for now given where you will put the bench. Size your bench to suit your projects and to fit your available space.


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## simonov (Jan 6, 2017)

> What do you think of my outfeed table / assembly table?


I like it and will think about something like that for my new shop. Originally I set up in a 500 square foot space in my company's warehouse and so when I bought a table saw I went hog wild and got the full sized 52 inch rip. But now I am losing that space and have to figure out how to fit everything into one bay in a three car garage.


> A table saw generally needs a lot of space around it to be most flexible. Your wall will be in the way for most of the sheet goods you will cut on that saw. Is it possible to turn the saw 90 deg and move it to the right in your drawing to allow 96"+ on the discharge side? You can be up against the wall on the right of the saw.


OP said he would move the table saw out when necessary.

That's more than I will be able to do. In my case, I've decided the table saw, miter station and maybe the outfeed table will be stationary. Everything else will be on casters. I need to make sure my table saw location works, because that puppy is not moving.

I have one advantage in that I am only dealing with three walls. There will be a car instead of a wall on one side, and if necessary I can move the car out of the way for some jobs.


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## jamsomito (Mar 26, 2017)

Good question. I intend to use this shop for a wide variety of things (I know that's not really helpful…). In my cue right now I have some file cabinets for under my desk, a coffee table for the living room, a picnic table for outside, rough shelves for the whole garage, converting a front closet into locker-type mud room units, and I'd love to build a shed one of these years. I also plan on doing some smaller things like little gifts with more exotic woods for family - thinking about making these in "bulk" and selling some.

In short, I guess I'd like to set up the shop to be able to be used for some of the larger things, but be mobile enough to move to the rest of the garage for the largest of things. If I can break down a sheet of plywood here it would be awesome, but if there's just not enough room then the saw will be on wheels. Smaller things can kind of be done in any shop layout I'm thinking - just need to move a bit more in between steps.


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## jamsomito (Mar 26, 2017)

Oh, and my first project- I have some 6-foot long 6" wide boards of maple I intend to rip down to the same size and glue up for a shelf on my desk. That curved piece of plywood you see in the back right now is my template.


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## jimintx (Jan 23, 2014)

I like your drawing and suggest you go for it. The excitement of getting it all set up and workable is always great fun. I predict you will make adjustments along the way during setup, and a few months in, and beyond, anyway - so once you get something sort of workable in mind, don't over worry it, just do it!

I have a larger space, ~20×21, and fwiw, have done woodwork for several decades while in 3 different houses. I have concluded that i do not need to account for 8 ft panels or 12 ft boards in the shop - with one rare-for-me exception I will explain.

With modern circular saws and techniques, I can break down large sheets of plywood with no problem at all, outside the shop space. It is easy to set up on saw horses or similar supports, and it gets al that dust outside where i dont have to fret about it. The resulting smaller panels are much easier to handle with accuracy when I bring them to the table saw. So i do not need to allow spacing for 4'x8' panels around the table saw, inside the shop. (I take my sanders and many other power tools outside as often as possible, as well.)

The exception: one project was milling replacement canoe gunwales, that were ripped from 12 ft long ash stock. I was able to align the table saw cut-path with my shop's doorways, and make the needed rips. This would also apply for ripping a plywood panel 8 ft long, but for me anyway, it would be cutting from a narrower panel, not from a 4×8 sheet.

I purchased my Unisaw with the Delta fold down outfield table, and have used it for circa 17 years. I like the flexibility of folding it away a lot. It requires a little personal discipline to not store too much stuff under the table when it is up, a problem for me, so i have to move all that when i fold it back down.

I'll add, I am a big believer in mobile bases. They allow me to rearrange machines when the mood strikes, while working alone. My shop arrangement today is the third version in the last 3 years inside the same structure, and i have plans for v.4 soon, so this is important for me. And the wheels allow me to align in and out paths for any machine as well. While I do I have good dust collection, I use flexible hoses for connecting between piping and the machine, and they are easy enough to get in place once a machine is settled for an operation, or for its longer-term placement.

GOOD luck, be SAFE, have FUN.


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## JFFan (Mar 27, 2017)

Put as much as you can on casters, can't tell you how many times I've added them after the fact.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

As Jim mentioned breaking down sheet goods before they get to the shop works well and helps save space. My first two basement shops did not have bilco doors for access and both had obstructions that prevented me from getting sheet goods there is full 4×8 sizes. I routinely set up in the driveway to break them down into more manageable sizes to get into my shop.

If your chop saw has a laser it is likely on the left side of the blade. When you make your cross cuts on this saw the finished parts typically come off the left side. Consider moving the chop saw down in your drawing to allow more room on the right of the blade for the remaining stock. Assuming most of your stock starts as 12', the closer you can get to having 12' to the right of the saw the more flexibility you will have for cross cuts. Also don't underestimate the amount of dust generated by a miter saw and try to build in some dust collection of you can.


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## jamsomito (Mar 26, 2017)

Thanks for all the tips. I'm used to switching sides on my miter saw for the finished cut - I'm crammed in this corner as is, and I've only got about 4 ft on the left right now. My preference is to have the finished piece on the left because I'm working the saw with my right hand, but there's no laser on it and really either is fine with me.

Yes, dust collection is becoming a concern of mine, both for health and mess. In my drawing I have my shop vac and small 5gal cyclone bucket on the concrete pad just behind the table saw. I intend to make some rigid piping that goes along the wall in a u-shape over to the chop saw with one more port right in the back in the middle for misc hand tools on the assembly / outfeed table, of course with some connections for the table saw right there too. Mulling over where I could put a floor sweep too…


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## JKMDETAIL (Nov 13, 2013)

If cutting full size sheet goods, 8'-0" is not enough, Not to sure that will get you out past the blade.

If getting your sheet goods from the box store have them broken down there. Typically they will give you two cuts for free.


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## jamsomito (Mar 26, 2017)

Well, I've got between 8' 3" and 8' 6" right now, and I can always pull the saw backwards a foot or so to make sure I clear the blade. I don't have enough width for a 4' wide board in this space though, so if I'm working with a full sheet I'll need to move it to the middle of my garage for sure. But I do have a lot of 8' long strips I work with from time to time, so it'll be nice to have the ability to at least work with those without moving things around.

I don't like having Home Depot cut them down for me due to accuracy concerns and waste if you allow for it, but I suppose if I'm using a hand saw in the driveway and bringing back to the table saw for a more precise cut, it's kind of the same thing.


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