# From small barn to wood shop



## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

Hey everyone,

I'm new here so hopefully this is the right place for this post. I have recently purchased a new (to me) house in Wisconsin with a small neglected barn on the property. After some deliberation on what to do with it I decided to make it into a wood shop instead my original plan to use the basement since the basement stairs location isn't very conducive to moving lumber in and projects out.

The barn has a cinder block lower level that was originally used for horses so it is half concrete and half dirt with one horse stall still existing. The garage door to the lower level is falling apart and inoperable. There is also a 40 amp sub panel and a yard hydrant in the lower level. The upper level had a functioning overhead door and a 1/2 plywood floor, half of which was in good condition with the other half in sub par condition. About 4 years ago a tree punched some holes in the roof and they were never repaired resulting in some rotted rafters roof deck and floor on that half of the barn.

I've already started the restoration process and am doing everything myself so it's as I have time available but figured I'd document it so I have no excuse not to take progress pictures which I'm notoriously bad at keeping up with. That being said I don't have too many progress pictures up unto this point.

The plan is to use the upper level as a wood shop with the dust collector, compressor and such in the lower level. I have a new insulated overhead door on order and will be installing that in the upper level and moving the existing plywood overhead door to the lower level to seal the barn up for the first time in well over a decade. Long term I will be insulating and heating the upper level but before that I need to house wrap and install siding over the existing plywood paneling.

The roof before any work









Sistering up some of the rotted roof rafters


















Installing the new roof









All finished


















Added a walk door and window so that I didn't always have to use the overhead door. The window is just installed temporarily until I do the house wrap. The upper windows on each end will be removed since the ceiling will cut through the middle.









Installed 3/4" plywood over top the existing 1/2" floor









That's where I'm at now, next on the list is the rough framing of the ceiling and knee wall and then I can get started on all of the wiring.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

should make a very nice shop :<))


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Looks as if you're well on your way. Keep us posted.
Remember---you need lots of elec. supply, and at least 2 240 volt accesses, plenty of light, etc. Do it now while you have a chance.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

How wide is the barn? Any concerns with load bearing? I don't see any columns.

Electric will become an issue. 40A may be OK. FWIW I ran my entire shop on a 60A subfeed (that included a 5HP compressor beast).

An electrician familiar with shop equipment will know what you can/can't do.

You'll get lots of electrical advise here, but I can't tell you how strongly I recommend hiring an electrician. Pulling a permit can open up a can of worms regarding the rest of the building so that's up to you.


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## fly2low (Feb 19, 2018)

That will make a nice shop
Where in WI? I grew up in Tigerton - and if you don't have to look that up you are in a very select group


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> Looks as if you re well on your way. Keep us posted.
> Remember---you need lots of elec. supply, and at least 2 240 volt accesses, plenty of light, etc. Do it now while you have a chance.
> 
> - Bill White


Bill, thanks for checking in. I will definitely be going overboard on electrical since outlets are cheap and I haven't yet figured out where tools will go exactly. I'm thinking each side wall will have a 20 amp 120v circuit with upper and lower outlets every 4 feet or so. Then also a 20 amp 220v circuit on each side wall with probably 2 outlets each side. Then a 120v ceiling circuit with 3 outlets. And I'll add any floor outlets as needed since the lower level ceiling is open.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> How wide is the barn? Any concerns with load bearing? I don t see any columns.
> 
> Electric will become an issue. 40A may be OK. FWIW I ran my entire shop on a 60A subfeed (that included a 5HP compressor beast).
> 
> ...


The barn is 26' deep and 24' wide. The upper level deck is 22.5' wide. The rafters are site built using 2×4, so not the strongest but the barn has been up for over 40 years and is straighter than some houses I've seen, so I'm not too concerned. It will also be better off when I add some collar ties for the ceiling as well as the knee walls. To keep weight down I'm going with a steel ceiling instead of plywood or drywall.

40 amp definitely isn't ideal but running a new line is cost prohibitive since it'd be over 100' so I'm pretty confident I can make it work. I'm plan to go with as many 220v tools as possible to reduce load balancing issues and will put a light switch up stairs for my compressor so I can make sure it doesn't kick in at an in opportune time such as when the lights are on, with the table saw, and dust collector running. I did pick up 6 48" LED lights that only draw 3 amps total so that should help.

I appreciate the recommendation on an electrician but I have quite a bit of experience with home wiring. I'm more than confident that I can install everything up to code and likely more cleanly than many electricians who just want to get in and get out as quick as possible.

Thanks again for your input.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> That will make a nice shop
> Where in WI? I grew up in Tigerton - and if you don t have to look that up you are in a very select group
> 
> - fly2low


Hey Rich, I am about 20 miles northwest of Milwaukee and go ahead and mark me down as one of the few because I actually went on an ATVing trip up to Tigerton with a buddy a while back.


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## mathguy1981 (Aug 30, 2018)

+1 to all the guys telling you to run electric NOW while you're still in the rough stages. Also, you might consider dust collection. You don't know where the tools will go, but based on your outlet placement you'll have a good idea on where the big ones will….Just a thought. Lots easier to run 4" pipe now then later, and you can always move it if you don't glue the fittings. 
You might also consider where/how the DC will vent..outside or inside with filtering. 
Good luck! I'm envious of your space.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> +1 to all the guys telling you to run electric NOW while you re still in the rough stages. Also, you might consider dust collection. You don t know where the tools will go, but based on your outlet placement you ll have a good idea on where the big ones will….Just a thought. Lots easier to run 4" pipe now then later, and you can always move it if you don t glue the fittings.
> You might also consider where/how the DC will vent..outside or inside with filtering.
> Good luck! I m envious of your space.
> 
> - mathguy1981


Thanks for the comments. You're definitely right, I will be running all the electrical before closing up the ceiling or walls. I'll also plan on steel for the ceiling and plywood for the walls secured with screws so modifications will be possible. As for the Dust collector I'm not too concerned with that right now since I plan to put it in the lower level and have all of the inlets come up from the floor. The lower level ceiling is currently half open and half closed, but I have no qualms taking down the plywood ceiling in the half that is currently closed up. I go back and forth on venting outside vs a filter. I think I might set it up as a convertible outlet. The reason being that most of my free time to work on projects happens to be in the winter and I don't know that I want to exhaust all of my heated air outside when it's well below freezing.


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## johnstoneb (Jun 14, 2012)

Double the number of 220 outlets. You said 4 do at least 8 and preferably 10. I did 4 in my shop thinking that would be plenty. Right now I could use 2 more. I have plenty of 110V and the tools run on 110V but I would prefer 220V for them.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> Double the number of 220 outlets. You said 4 do at least 8 and preferably 10. I did 4 in my shop thinking that would be plenty. Right now I could use 2 more. I have plenty of 110V and the tools run on 110V but I would prefer 220V for them.
> 
> - johnstoneb


Thanks Bruce, So would you say just add a 220v to each lower duplex box making probably 12ish total? I'll also add one in the floor wherever the table saw ends up? At less than $4 a piece the cost isn't an issue and it's not much more wire to just pull some extra into each box and connect them to an outlet.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

Not much progress lately, just countersinking and screwing hundreds of screws through the plywood floor. To avoid double handling, I cut to size and put the corner screws in when unloading the plywood but still have all the field screws to do. The laser level makes it easy to find the floor joist since it is a continues 24' long 2×8 for the full width of the barn. I highly suggest getting a laser level if you don't already have one because once you have it you inevitably find uses for it.










Below are a few other pictures just to give everyone an idea of what I'm working with.


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## Clarkie (May 11, 2013)

Hello Nick and welcome. You reminded me of the shop I had out in the country years ago. It was on the 3rd floor of a barn that was over 130yrs old. I had over 2 thousand square feet and the ceiling was 38' high. She had massive timber framed beams, sliding door on the side and window at each end. Had it wired and made a lot of sawdust up there. You'll find the guys and gals here very helpful, again, welcome aboard, Clarkie.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> Hello Nick and welcome. You reminded me of the shop I had out in the country years ago. It was on the 3rd floor of a barn that was over 130yrs old. I had over 2 thousand square feet and the ceiling was 38 high. She had massive timber framed beams, sliding door on the side and window at each end. Had it wired and made a lot of sawdust up there. You ll find the guys and gals here very helpful, again, welcome aboard, Clarkie.
> 
> - Clarkie


Clarkie, sounds awesome we have a lot of barns like you're describing around here, I sort of wish we had found a house with one like that but on the flip side the maintenance seems a little daunting.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

How important is having water on the main floor?

I have they yard hydrant in the lower level and I could easily tap off of that to run a supply line up to a utility sink and then run a drain down to the sump crock. I would obviously have to drain the supply line at the end of the day in the winter but during the summer it could stay live all season long.


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## fly2low (Feb 19, 2018)

I would not bother. I know what it means to have a water line in an unheated space in winter in WI


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## Brawler (Nov 12, 2018)

Hello Nick, cool shop. I am envious of how much space you will have. You seem to have a good handle on the electrical requirements. Remember you can only run one tool at a time (+DC) anyway. So it depends on the machines you are using. What size DC do you have, tablesaw, etc.. You may run into issues with a 40 amp service if you are going to run two 3HP motors at the same time. That would be about 36 amps + start current + shop lights + the blower for the heater that you will have etc..
You are going to have a lot of fun putting that shop together. I am just finishing my initial shop now. What I mean by initial is I'm not done with things like outfeed table, planer cart, wood rack/ cart,stuff like that. I do have the basic infrastructure done and aquired most of my tools. Again have fun, I really enjoyed putting my shop together.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

Thanks for the feedback, 40 amps definitely isn't ideal but luckily I haven't purchased a lot of the equipment that I have planned so I can adjust as needed. I only have a jobsite TS so I still have to get a good unit and I don't have a DC at all. I'll definitely be going with as many 220v pieces of equipment as possible but being just a hobbyist I think a 1.5 or 2 HP DC will be adequate. Like you said putting the shop together is as much fun as actually having a shop for me. Thanks again!



> Hello Nick, cool shop. I am envious of how much space you will have. You seem to have a good handle on the electrical requirements. Remember you can only run one tool at a time (+DC) anyway. So it depends on the machines you are using. What size DC do you have, tablesaw, etc.. You may run into issues with a 40 amp service if you are going to run two 3HP motors at the same time. That would be about 36 amps + start current + shop lights + the blower for the heater that you will have etc..
> You are going to have a lot of fun putting that shop together. I am just finishing my initial shop now. What I mean by initial is I m not done with things like outfeed table, planer cart, wood rack/ cart,stuff like that. I do have the basic infrastructure done and aquired most of my tools. Again have fun, I really enjoyed putting my shop together.
> 
> - Brawler


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

Had this big elm taken down. I always try to avoid taking down trees but I'm pretty sure that's the tree that did the damage to the roof in the past and with the one shoot overhanging the barn pretty far it just wasn't worth the risk to me.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

I got to work on the ceiling/collar ties today. I set the laser level on one end of the building and then worked my way back to it. I put up a ledger board on 1 side and then set the otherside with one screw and then worked my way back and forth which worked out well. I put the ceiling height right at 9' which is really nice but only leaves me about 1.5' of attic space. I could definitely do it but I'm really hoping that I never have to get up there.



















Here it is all done. The missing one will be put up when I replace the garage door and the subsequent mounting brackets.










In other news I received some new additions for the shop: a 60v tracksaw and a long awaited planer.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Nice progress!


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## JCamp (Nov 22, 2016)

Looks great man. I'm envious. I love old barns and have wanted to build one for years but with no livestock I don't have a good excuse to do it. Lol.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

So I've finally made some progress of note. I wired and installed (6) 4' led shop lights. I picked them up from Menards for $15 each when they were on sale. I also wired outlets on each side so when I add the knee braces up top I can put 2 more lights on each side since a lot of the tools will be up against the side walls. Overall I'm happy with them but I am glad I added the side outlets because there are shadows over there. The boxes and lights are just mounted temporarily as I plan to do a steel ceiling and need to figure out the exact rib layout so that they don't interfere.





































I also installed a motion light on the outside. It is made by RAB and I ordered it from Amazon. It wasn't cheap at $89 but it is a much better quality than the home store ones that I haven't had luck with. Then I wired up boxes for 2 barn lights that are on my Christmas list and will go above the overhead door corners. I wired those to a 3 way switch so that when the switch is in the down position the motion light sensor will turn them on but they can still be turned on independently of the motion light. I've only very briefly tested the motion sensor but I am happy with it so far.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

My new garage door finally showed up at Menards last week so I picked that up and got to work playing musical garage doors. The garage door that for the lower level was rotten and disintegrating from being left open below the leaking roof. Since the upper and lower garage doors were the same size I moved the original upper door to the lower level and installed a new insulated door above. Now for the first time in well over a decade the barn can be completely closed up and secure.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

The barn has always had a small scuttle hole for a ladder on the back wall but my plans necessitate a stairway so I got to work enlarging the hole. Although far more precise than required I did use this opportunity to try out my new tracksaw. I'm really impressed with that thing, not only does it cut a perfectly straight line but it is easily the most smooth circular saw I've ever used. Next up is making the stair stringers and getting them installed.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

Today I was able to get started on the stairs. I've never built stairs before but it went pretty well. I ended up with a 7.5" rise and run. It's a little steep but no steeper than the stairs in my first house and definitely less steep than the ladder. Using a 45 degree slope really makes all the measuring easier. The stairs will end up about 36" wide and there will be about 36" between the final step and the back wall/horse door below. The horse door will not be able to open completely anymore but I don't plan to use that often once the stairs are in place. If I do find myself using that door more I will replace it with a standard out-swing walk door. I may also eventually install a 32" door on the bottom stair tread when I do the insulation just to keep the heat in a little better, but I don't love that idea so we'll see. I need to finish up some trim work on the opening, Build the wall and then I can install the treads/risers.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

A few days ago I did some work roughing out the opening which is over complicated because I am trying to recess the stair way into the area above the existing beam as far as possible to maximize the distance between the bottom stair tread and wall which ended up at about 36". It's not much but is enough to install a 32" door on the bottom stair in the future. Then yesterday I spent the day picking up. I am not always the most organized person when I work and sometimes I just need to take some time to organize everything. The only outlets in the upstairs at the moment are switched outlets for the lights so I hung some scrap near one that is prepped for future lights and used that for charging batteries. I'm glad I did because I've now decided that I will add some dedicated charger outlets that will be tied into the lighting circuit since I'm not a fan of leaving chargers on when the barn is unoccupied. I made the lighting circuit a 20 amp so I'm not concerned about overloading it with a few battery chargers.










Today I spent the day working on the half wall for the stairway. I wanted to build the wall before mounting the stringers so that I didn't have to notch out the wall sheeting for each tread and riser. I built the wall on the floor and then installed the sheeting. Then I put a ledger board on the wall so that when I flipped it up it would land in it's final location and not fall further since none of the studs extend all the way to the lower level floor. I roughed the half wall height at 33.25" so that when a trim board is added it will end up right at 34". That way I can use it as an in-feed support for a table saw since 34" is the standard table height. The dog still isn't quite sure what to make of the stair-less stairway but it will be done soon enough. The stringers are now permanently mounted and next up are the treads and risers and then I can finally stop teetering on the center stringer while going up and down.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

Looks fantastic, nice progress!

I'm jealous of the space.


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

I have really enjoyed your narration and photos. I love to do restoration carpentry.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> Looks fantastic, nice progress!
> 
> I m jealous of the space.
> 
> - jonah


Thanks for following along Jonah!



> I have really enjoyed your narration and photos. I love to do restoration carpentry.
> 
> - ArtMann


I appreciate that ArtMann, it's good to know someone is reading all of my babbling. I'm enjoying the process and learning a lot along the way.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

your buddy looking at you like hey you forgot something LOL :<)) coming along very nicely


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

Today I started by cutting the 2×10's into stair treads. I temporarily set them in place and then numbered them as they came out. I commissioned the under powered but always reliable craftsman 8 inch table saw to trim them all to an even depth and remove the rounded over edges for a more finished look. Ironically enough after squaring the one edge I set up the router table to further round over the other edge. I would have liked to use a 3/4" round over bit to give full bullnose but the largest I had was a 1/2" radius. Finally I set up a quick "jig" to drill the holes in the risers so that they all end up in the same place, this was completely unnecessary but it improves the appearance a bit. The track saw came in handy when I started cutting the 1/2" plywood into risers. After that there was nothing left to but to do it and it come together well.























































I gave it my best effort but I couldn't convince the inspector to give them a try. He's always been a cautious dog and stairs that just appeared out of no where seemed to have thrown him for a loop. He'll get there on his own time. I've still got lots of trimming out before I can call them complete but they feel pretty good and are now functioning stairs.


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## Chad_B (Apr 21, 2017)

Looks great, are you going to make the upstairs a finishing room?


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Count me among the folks reading and enjoying the progress shots and narrative. Nice job!


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> Looks great, are you going to make the upstairs a finishing room?
> 
> - Chad_B


Thanks Chad, the upper level will be the main wood shop while the lower level will house the dust collector/ducting, compressor, lumber storage and whatever else ends up down there. Like the mustang currently stored in there until completion of the pole barn I'm putting up for storage as well as automotive and metal working fun.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> Count me among the folks reading and enjoying the progress shots and narrative. Nice job!
> 
> - Smitty_Cabinetshop


Thanks for following along!


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

I didn't have time to work on the barn today but the warmer weather gave me the opportunity to work on another "wood" working project. Late last summer lightning struck large willow tree down by a creek that runs through the property about 100 yards from the barn. When it initially happened I left a few large logs lying partially in the creek because it was still flowing fine and frankly I was being lazy. Once the cold weather came the logs slowed the water enough to freeze and dam up the Creek and I feared that with the snow melt in spring I would end up with a flooded yard if they weren't removed.










I don't have any heavy(ish) equipment to help with this job so I attached a ratchet strap to the logs. I then cut the offending half with the chain saw and drug them out with my truck.




























Overall in went pretty smoothly and after clearing a few other areas the creek is now flowing smoothly.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

I am back to working on the barn and started the day by anchoring the lower board and stair stringers to the concrete. I made sure to drill all the way through the concrete so that if I ever need to remove this board I can punch the anchors all the way through and slip it out without disassembling the entire stair case. This is because I might someday want to replace the concrete in the barn because it's in pretty sad shape and only covers half of the floor currently.










After that was done I started finishing off the stairwell "ceiling." I trimmed the floor joists and then added a support board. I then cut a piece of 3/4" plywood to finish it off and positioned it so that when the 1/2 plywood ceiling is added below it would butt up flush to it.




























Then I moved on to completing the half wall return. When I cut the 3/4" beveled ceiling panel I ran it long so that I could maintain as much floor space as possible. The wall sort of sits on top of the 3/4" panel and is secured in place so that when the 1/2" plywood is installed it will also butt up flush with the 3/4" panel. When I initially cut the hole for the stairwell I ballparked the opening hoping there would be enough head room. As it stands I have about 3" of headroom when I naturally walk down the stairs and I'm over 6' tall so although it doesn't meet code for a residential dwelling it functions perfectly and I've preserved as much floor space as possible.




























That's all for today and maybe a few days with the holidays. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!


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## Mike_in_STL (Dec 8, 2016)

Following as well. Nice work!


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

With barn lights being all the rage right now I figured I'd install some on an actual barn. I wired them to a 3 way switch so that when in the down position they come on with the motion light but in the up position the stay on independent of the motion light status. I'm really pleased with they way they turned out and their size is perfect for the relatively small barn.


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## EricFai (Sep 30, 2018)

Great restoration, I could use a building like on my property. But I will have to wait for a build in the spring.

I really like the idea of using a few outlets tied into the lights.

Keep up with the good work.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> Great restoration, I could use a building like on my property. But I will have to wait for a build in the spring.
> 
> I really like the idea of using a few outlets tied into the lights.
> 
> ...


Thanks Eric! Make sure to document your build when you get started, I was a little late on that and wish I would have started sooner.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

The first step out of that door is a doozy… and it looks like a challenge to correct. Lighting looks great!


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> The first step out of that door is a doozy… and it looks like a challenge to correct. Lighting looks great!
> 
> - Smitty_Cabinetshop


Good eye but it's not as bad as it probably looks. Standing on my right foot and stepping in with the left makes a relatively natural and vise versa going out. When I get annoyed enough and the ground isn't frozen I'll sink 4 posts in the ground and build a small 4' x 4' deck in front of the walk door with a railing on the left side.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

That sounds like a good plan, I'm sure you'll get used to it quickly once it's there. ;-)


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## Mike_in_STL (Dec 8, 2016)

> The first step out of that door is a doozy… and it looks like a challenge to correct. Lighting looks great!
> 
> - Smitty_Cabinetshop
> 
> ...


Why not build a retaining wall to the left of the building and backfill with gravel? Less work than driving four 4×4s. No deck though, but much easier transition. I'm envious of your space. My better 3/4 is grumbling about parking the car in the garage/shop. Wish I had a big space like yours to escape to and not worry about the logistics of parking a vehicle in a woodshop.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> The first step out of that door is a doozy… and it looks like a challenge to correct. Lighting looks great!
> 
> - SmittyCabinetshop
> 
> ...


That's a good option as well, I'm just concerned about back filling too far up the siding which is about 1' down from the threashold. In all honesty there's a good chance I'll take the lazy way and just put some cinder blocks down lol.

It should turn out nice in the end. I used to just set all my tools up in the driveway every time I took on a wood working project which wasn't convenient at all.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

I saw that siding and figured getting a small deck installed wouldn't be bad at all. Maybe only requires two posts if anchored to the building.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

As I've mentioned before the barn is supplied with 40 amp/240v service which was going to a small 8 circuit sub panel. I decided early on that the panel wasn't big enough for what I wanted to do.










On the property there is also a small 10' x 20' garden shed that had its own service drop. I had the service permanently disconnected because I would never be willing to pay the $15 monthly meter charge for a garden shed. With that disconnected there was no reason I couldn't steal the 12 circuit panel out of the shed to use in the barn.



















As soon as I removed the panel cover I started to question the decision as the stench of mouse urine hit me but I grabbed some gloves and pressed on. I disconnected everything and brought it over to the barn.










It took quite a bit of futzing around but I was able to completely disconnect the old panel. Unfortunately I had to replace the wood blocking before mounting the "new" panel.










I've still got to get a few knockouts to plug in the now unused openings but here it is all finished up and ready to go to work.



















All in all it was a lot of work to gain just 4 extra slots but those 4 slots were the difference between have (4) 240v circuits and having just (2) so to me it was more than worth it. The panel isn't brand new and shiny but neither is the barn so it doesn't bother me. An additional benefit to changing out the old panel is that the "new" one has a main disconnect. Being a 100 amp breaker it doesn't provide any circuit protection since that is done in the house panel with a 40 amp breaker but it does allow me to energize the panel without going back to the house basement.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

I finished up the rough framing on one half of the barn. The knee wall and knee braces are now installed and it all worked out well although I did have to notch out the plywood gusset plates a bit.. The lower wall is 42" high so that I can have a 36" work bench with some room left for outlets above it. Both the middle and upper wall are 47" to minimize the waste when I sheet it with plywood.














































In other news I finally purchased a Porter Cable 7518 so that I have one dedicated to the router table and one for portable use. It's amazing how much larger and heavier a 3 1/4 horsepower router is than a 2 1/4 horsepower one.










On new years eve we had a snow fall that left us with a winter wonderland so I got this cool picture of the barn and scenery.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

As I am finishing up the rough framing I'm moving on to planning the electrical. I plan to put outlets pretty much everywhere but wanted to get an idea of the tool layout before I started just in case I needed something specific. I played with Grizzly's shop layout tool for a while and this is what I've come up with.










I'd really appreciate any input on the layout since I've always just set things up in the driveway as needed. I do plan to put wheels under most things but don't want to move them often. You might notice there isn't a compressor or dust collector because those will be located in the lower level. I'm not quite sure what to do with the orange box space and am open to ideas.


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## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

> I m not quite sure what to do with the orange box space and am open to ideas.
> 
> - NickinWI


clamp or wood storage :<)))


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> clamp or wood storage :<)))
> 
> - GR8HUNTER


Thanks Tony! I did consider lumber storage but thought that could be something that could go in the lower level. I really like the idea of clamp storage though particularly because with the gambrel roof on 2 sides and the doors on the third side I have almost no vertical wall space. All I've really got is 6' or so between the (soon to be) windows on the back wall.


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## RichBolduc (Jan 30, 2018)

First of all… you have no idea how jealous I am. This looks amazing.

One thing I'd consider is moving the TS closer to the door. That way when breaking down goods you don't need to bring it as far or walk around the assembly table. I'd also consider putting the miter station in where the plywood cart is for similar reasons. The jointer I'd consider swapping with where your two sanders are. This configuration will put all of your initial cutting and processing all next to each other. Then all of your finishing equipment is close to your assembly table also.

Rich


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> First of all… you have no idea how jealous I am. This looks amazing.
> 
> One thing I d consider is moving the TS closer to the door. That way when breaking down goods you don t need to bring it as far or walk around the assembly table. I d also consider putting the miter station in where the plywood cart is for similar reasons. The jointer I d consider swapping with where your two sanders are. This configuration will put all of your initial cutting and processing all next to each other. Then all of your finishing equipment is close to your assembly table also.
> 
> ...


Rich, I really appreciate the input. I started off with a layout similar to what you're describing but a lot of the locations were predicated by infeed and outfeed. My goal was that the jointer, planer, band saw, and table saw could all handle 8' long material without moving them but that seemed to spread out the processing equipment more than I hoped to. The space seems big until you really start laying things out. I could always combine the assembly table and outfeed table but I'm hoping I don't have to. I do plan to take Jay Bates' recommendation to make everything the same height as the table saw so sliding from one surface to the next is made easier.

If you wanted to play with the layout I could send you a link if you PMed me your email. That of course goes for anyone else as well.

Thanks again!


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## Mike_in_STL (Dec 8, 2016)

The orange box needs to occupied by the beer fridge! Not kidding either and I'm super jealous of your space.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

I'm not sure that this link will work for everyone but if you wanted to play with the layout, give it a try.

https://cdn0.grizzly.com/shopplanner/v1-4/1/shopplanner.html?planID=b9ee2941-f98b-43b7-92ca-41cd0513f4cd


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> The orange box needs to occupied by the beer fridge! Not kidding either and I m super jealous of your space.
> 
> - MikeinSTL


Hey Mike, that does seem like a logical spot for one although despite the Wisconsin stereotypes I am not a drinker. Maybe a root beer fridge lol.


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## RichBolduc (Jan 30, 2018)

Works for me. You ever consider combining your outfeed table with your assembly table? I did that in my small shop and it works great.

Rich


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> Works for me. You ever consider combining your outfeed table with your assembly table? I did that in my small shop and it works great.
> 
> Rich
> 
> - RichBolduc


That is an option that I've considered. I'm betting I'll get a chance to try that out as I'm sure it will end up that way for a while since I have no intentions of building everything all at once.


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## RichBolduc (Jan 30, 2018)

This is more along what I would do.

https://cdn0.grizzly.com/shopplanner/v1-4/1/shopplanner.html?planID=1de8cfc8-c1f8-4983-a99b-d5e6d7d3f457

For really long pieces, you can open the garage door for more space to feel the jointer, planer or ts. I'd probably do smaller plywood storage. That seems to be what I have the least about of anyways. What do you plan on using the 2nd floor for? It would be nice to fit a lathe in there. I'd put a lathe where I have the plywood storage and probably use the 2nd floor for lumber storage.

Rich


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> This is more along what I would do.
> 
> https://cdn0.grizzly.com/shopplanner/v1-4/1/shopplanner.html?planID=1de8cfc8-c1f8-4983-a99b-d5e6d7d3f457
> 
> ...


Interesting plan, definitely much more roomy with the combined outfeed/assembly table. I worry about losing heat when opening the door because most of my free time is in the winter but a smaller outfeed table could largely solve that issue.

This is all on the upper level, the lower level is half dirt floor half crappy concrete. So it can serve as lumber storage but I was hoping to store sheet goods on the upper level because they can't come up the stairs and would have to be hauled around by hand or with my truck. Eventually I will probably add a lathe but my current interests don't require one and my grandfather has one I can use for the occasional project.

Thanks again for the input!


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

Today marks the completion of the rough framing. After finishing up I cleaned up a bit a took a few glamour shots. This gives a better idea of what I'm working with. Now that all the studs are in I can start running all of the electrical.


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## JCamp (Nov 22, 2016)

Looks great. By the time ur done tho you'll need a break from building stuff. Lol

Btw I found this on Pinterest a bit ago. It would potentially work in your corner


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

There's really almost no headroom in that dead corner there. I'd use it for storage or park a cart into it or something.


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

Today I got to work on the electrical. I started by setting up the laser level and marking all of the studs at 15" so that all of the boxes would line up perfectly. Then I reset the laser at 37" and marked the location of the upper outlets.










I mounted all of the 220v boxes for the south side of the barn and wired those all up. They're mounted about every 6' and all of the horizontal wiring was run on the back side of the bottom plate so that insulating will be easier.



















Before wrapping up for the day I knocked on all of the boxes for the south side 120v circuit so I'm ready to go tomorrow. I'm pretty anal about wiring so it's taking longer than I'd like it to but it's coming along nicely.


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## RichBolduc (Jan 30, 2018)

So any new updates? Just saw a shop on a FB group I thought was yours but it wasn't.

Rich


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## NickinWI (Oct 22, 2018)

> So any new updates? Just saw a shop on a FB group I thought was yours but it wasn t.
> 
> Rich
> 
> - RichBolduc


Thanks for checking in Rich. Unfortunately no updates on the small barn all my time has been devoted to construction of a big shop for automotive related projects.





































It's coming along nicely but taking a lot of time.


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## Zvonko (Nov 28, 2018)

Like others have said: I'm envious. That's a fantastic space and watching your progress has been really fun!


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