# Building Woodshop



## WarEagle8 (Feb 28, 2016)

Hello, I am new to the forum and am finally able to build and equip my dream shop. I am retired from the Army and my second job has kept me traveling. My wife told me not to wait any longer. I will be receiving some quotes to build a two car garage to house my shop on the first floor and a living space above. My idea is to buy my equipment now and build the space to fit it all. My current set up is in my attached garage with a delta cabinet table saw, delta scroll saw, delta chop saw, rigid planer and rigid spindle sander. On Friday I am going to buy the Powermatic drill press, and Laguna bandsaw (1412). Next month the Grizzley 8 inch jointer and 3 hp shaper. Does this look reasonable? Also, any ideas when building the garage such as, vacuum, electrical, water etc? I do not want to waste money but want to buy quality that will last my lifetime. My goal is to build furniture indoor and outdoor. Thank you for your help!!

Kev


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## bbasiaga (Dec 8, 2012)

Some pro shops have dust collection buried in the floor. That would be slick, but you've got to know pretty darn close to exactly where you want all your tools to live.

Same for power if it is allowed in your area codes. Put the plug in the floor right where you want the tool. No cord problems. Ceiling mounted can also be nice, but doesn't work great for the table saw.

Lots of lighting so you can see well at every tool.

Don't forget some space for a nice wood rack to store your materials.

If you are going to have a living space above, you'll have water so a shop sink is a no brain-er. But keep the hot water heater and furnace out of the shop so you don't have to worry about dust getting hot on them or plugging filters.

If you can find a corner to wall off, use it for a finishing space. Put a fan in the wall to vent it outside and keep the smell down. It'll fill the whole shop and rise upstairs to the living space too, unless ventilated well.

Someday, I hope to be living your same dream.

-Brian


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## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

Figure what your square footage is you think you'll need and then double it, haha.

Seriously though, overbuild. I have a 20×40 shop and I have run out of room.

Also, get the largest dust collector you can afford and have a separate enclosure for it as they are loud. Very loud.

For electrical, make sure you have 240v outlets. The jointer more than likely will need it as well as the shaper. I would make sure you have 240v along every wall in case you get new machinery or decide to move things around.


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## Bob5103 (Feb 13, 2016)

Hey Kev, from one Army puke to another, THANK YOU and congratulations on the new shop. Your plan sounds reasonable to me. How big is the shop going to be? What are your plans for dust collection? When I built my shop I put in a 100 amp service which with your current tools and planned tools should be plenty. But there is nothing wrong in going bigger. I also ran plumbing, (but it is just roughed in right now). With tools I try to "buy once cry once" but the budget doesn't always agree. Good luck on you build and keep us updated on your progress.

Bob


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## Woodchuck2010 (Jan 19, 2016)

Sounds amazing! So is it going to ever be a garage, or are you making it strictly a shop?


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## WarEagle8 (Feb 28, 2016)

Chuck, my homeowners association says it must look like a garage from the outside but it will only be my shop.
Bob thank you for the advice. My shop will be an oversized two car garage so probably 28×25. I like the idea from AZwoody to section off the dust collection system to reduce noise. AZwoody and Brian suggested a 240 V on each wall and a plugs in the floor. I like that idea and will plan on that. I thought of a separate staining room but it will be small but doable. Thanks guys for your advice. Once I have the plans I will post and keep you updated on the progress with pictures.

Kevin


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## JBrow (Nov 18, 2015)

WarEagle8,

Thank you for your service. Congrats on the new from-scratch shop!

The tools you listed omitted an important tool. A powerful cyclone centralized dust collector will be an expensive but valuable accessory. Planer, jointer and shaper shavings build up pretty fast and a cyclone dust collector with fine filtration will go a long way in keeping the shop clean and you enjoying retirement longer than you worked to earn it.

I would suggest installing a 100 amp sub panel in the garage. This gives you the ability to conveniently run electric in the shop down the road, should you need it. LED lighting with color in the sun light range is real nice, especially for us older guys. About 5000 K is what I have.

When specing out the garage, consider all the heavy stuff that could be mounted to walls such as cabinets, etc. Blocking installed during framing with a map as to its location for after the walls are covered in wall board would be nice to have.

I heat my shop with electric infrared radiant lamps. They are quiet and operating and unit costs are affordable. The lamps are controlled by a thermostat and an on/off switch. Maintenance requires occasionally blowing out dust that can collect around the lamps. The advantage is that they move no air and put no moisture into the shop. However, from scratch in-floor radiant hydronic heat would be very nice.

A scale drawing of the shop and scale cut outs representing each piece of equipment would allow you to arrange the shop in different ways until you decide on the final layout. One area of space allocation often overlooked is an assembly area. If you build a large piece of furniture, you may want to assemble it and then fit drawers or whatever. If an assembly area is not allocated, the project can get in the way, making it difficult to use the machinery.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

You can never have enough electrical outlets and lights.

I think flexibility is important as you will probably change things around. I would love to have higher ceilings in my shop to make running runs for dust collection.

Two other items…..air compressor also in an enclosed area for noise…..plan for storage of lumber and sheet goods.


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## RossCapolupo (Jan 5, 2016)

Kev, congrats on building your shop. May I ask why you're buying a Powermatic drill press? Obviously a terrific brand but seems like overkill for furniture building. Believe it or not, I get by with a Ryobi bench top… Putting that savings into a more important tool, the A3-31 Jointer Planer!


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## BuzzBate (Nov 2, 2012)

I have a detached 2 car garage as my shop, and I am in the process of framing in half of the front and putting an actual door with window and just having 1 overhead garage door. It may sound silly, but it's really annoying to not be able to walk out of the front of my shop whenever I want. Plus, I like being able to see who is driving up to it. Even with my insulated garage door, it still leaks air. I'm hoping a single bay door will reduce that since my shop has central heat and air.


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

welcome,kev.
only thing i'll suggest is if possible have 9' walls in the shop.
oh…..
plan a bathroom.

anda build thread.


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## TheWoodenOyster (Feb 6, 2013)

I could really go on for a while on this topic, but I'll keep it short and sweet with my #1 tip from my favorite shop I ever had.

Install garage doors at both ends of the shop. It'll cost a little extra, but nothing, and I mean nothing clears dust out of a room like instantly opening 2 of the 4 walls. It creates a great flow through the space and clears the air way faster than any dust collector ever could. This was the setup I had in my first real shop and I loved it. When things got dusty, I just opened both doors and pulled out the leaf blower.

May not be practical in your situation, but that is the one tip I have that doesn't typically get mentioned by others.

Have Fun!


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## WarEagle8 (Feb 28, 2016)

You guys are great! You have helped me so much. Jbrow I will look into the cyclone dust collector and will ensure the collector is enclosed along with my air compressor recommended by Redoak49. Tomsteve my ceilings will e 9ft. Brian great tip and when I meet with the contractor I will run the ne door idea by him. It will also give me more wall space. I will mount my outlets above 4ft and talk about putting a smaller garage door on the back side of the shop. LED lights and radiant heating. I live n South Carolina so cooling will b more of an issue. 
Ross, I know the powermatic is overkill but I really want a full drill press. After comparing it to the Jet I think it will last longer and I never will regret going big.

Thanks everyone,
Kevin


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## mercwear (Jan 19, 2015)

I came to this forum to ask the same question.. We are in the process of buying a new home that does not have a garage so I will be building my shop.

Here is what I was planning on doing:

In floor dust collection (4" PVC)
220 on each wall (in addition to 120)
In floor outlets for my larger tools
Using the Grizzly workshop planner for some basic layout ideas (http://grizzly.com/workshopplanner)
I will probably rough up some plans in sketchup before hiring someone to make plans for the contractor

I am still on the fence with what floor to use. Since it's a workshop and not a garage I am thinking of doing a raised plywood floor that will allow me to access the dust collection and power run below it but I am unsure if local building codes will allow for this.

This is an awesome thread, I hope people keep posting ideas.


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## WarEagle8 (Feb 28, 2016)

Mercwear, I like the idea of an in floor dust collection system but how will you clear any clogs? If mounted on the walls or ceilings I can identify remove or replace the pipe if necessary. This will be fun to work together on ideas our fellow woodworkers have given us. I meet Thursday with the first contractor to discuss the plan and price!

Kevin


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## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

> I came to this forum to ask the same question.. We are in the process of buying a new home that does not have a garage so I will be building my shop.
> 
> Here is what I was planning on doing:
> 
> ...


If you're wanting to do it right, you want 6" rather than 4" on the dust collection.


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## putty (Jan 1, 2014)

If your HOA allows I would use roll up doors, No track overhead. I have 9' ceilings, my track is at 7' off the floor.
If they wont allow it in the front be sure to use it for the rear.


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## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

> If your HOA allows I would use roll up doors, No track overhead. I have 9 ceilings, my track is at 7 off the floor.
> If they wont allow it in the front be sure to use it for the rear.
> 
> - putty


This definitely. One end of my shop is a roll up door. 20'wide x 12' tall. It's way more than I need, but it sure is better than having to bring things in through a regular door. Especially tools and machinery. The only bad thing about it is you can feel the heat radiate off it in the summer. They're not the best at keeping the shop insulated.


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## splatman (Jul 27, 2014)

> The only bad thing about it is you can feel the heat radiate off it in the summer. They're not the best at keeping the shop insulated.
> 
> - AZWoody


Build a single-panel garage door, framed with 2×4s (or 1×4s to save weight), and insulate it with R13 insulation; essentially a moving wall. Fewer drafts and little/no heat radiation.
If needed (HOA rules/etc.), add trim to the exterior to give it the appearance of a sectional G-door.

Or dispense with G-doors altogether, and go with large double doors a.k.a. carriage house doors, again, built and insulated like walls.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Dittos on what AZ said. I expanded my shop from about 500 SF to almost 1300 and I've run out of room….....
Personally I think 7-800 SF is a minimum to work comfortably in a shop.

If there is any way you can put in a dedicated service I don't think you'll regret it.
A 150 A service would give you plenty of power and AC if you want it.

As for DC, I would not do in floor. I would be looking at a 3HP cyclone system and definitely 6" ducts minimum.

I like lots of windows and big doors.

And Oh, I think its really nice to have a separate room, even if its 10 X 10 for drafting, finishing, etc.

Take your time but don't get analysis paralysis!!


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## mercwear (Jan 19, 2015)

> Mercwear, I like the idea of an in floor dust collection system but how will you clear any clogs? If mounted on the walls or ceilings I can identify remove or replace the pipe if necessary. This will be fun to work together on ideas our fellow woodworkers have given us. I meet Thursday with the first contractor to discuss the plan and price!
> 
> Kevin
> 
> - WarEagle8


Here is a great video on how to clean the in floor dust collection system:





This guy (Alain Vaillancourt) also built a beautiful shop and did a video series on the whole thing, here is a re-cap of the series but the whole series is worth watching in my opinion:


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## mercwear (Jan 19, 2015)

> I came to this forum to ask the same question.. We are in the process of buying a new home that does not have a garage so I will be building my shop.
> 
> Here is what I was planning on doing:
> 
> ...


Thanks - you are correct! I should have said 6" pipes.


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## daddywoofdawg (Feb 1, 2014)

put your dust collection and your compressor 60 Gal would be nice in a outside access closet.10'+ Overhead door and 10'+ ceiling then get some old vinage power tools like W-T 20" bandsaw,12"jointer,etc They will last longer than any new power tools will and if you have the room you can get them cheaper that new hobby stuff.


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## RogerM (Oct 31, 2011)

WarEagle - This is the dust collector I installed which sits next to an 80 gallon air compressor. I ran my ducts overhead because the under floor systems in a concrete floor are too restrictive in that you will need to know where to place your equipment. I wanted more flexibility for moving my equipment. Also, ten foot ceilings offer tremendous advantages that you will never regret.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Here's how my under floor dust collection works. It may or may not be for you but it certainly works. If you have room to have a raised wood floor, your legs will thank you.
http://lumberjocks.com/shipwright/blog/31966
That is one segment of the blog. The others may be of interest as well. The whole dust collection series is here.
http://lumberjocks.com/shipwright/blog/series/5536


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

Use a floor planner (Grizzly has one online that's easy) to lay out everything. That will help layout 220v and 120v outlets, and plan the electrical circuits - what equipment will be running at the same time, approximate load, etc. Use separate HVAC for the shop and the upstairs to keep the dust out of the upstairs and allow separate temperatures. One option is called a multi-split heat pump - one outdoor unit with separate indoor units. You will need a separate breaker box for the addition. Knowing the loads that exist at one time will set the amp size of service.

It's a nice tool list - have you thought about adding a lathe? Allow for spray finishing. It doesn't have to be a separate room or area (that's best but it's a lot of room). Allow for shelf/cabinet space for finishing materials. I use "roman blinds" made of plastic sheeting - each "wall" rolls up to the ceiling when not in use. The blower sits on the floor and can be moved anywhere. I have an 8" flexible duct that can be used to vent the exhaust outside.

Whatever door design you use, be sure the doors are insulated. Uninsulated adds a lot to HVAC cost to buy and run. LED lighting is the way to go - doesn't attract bugs so you can open the shop doors on nice evenings.


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