Please help with workshop

[sooty]

Please help me sort out my mess as I seem to have got myself into a bit of a pickle.
I bought a 10' x 8' shed earlier this year as I needed a hobby for my retirement and decided to take up woodworking, But I seem to have aquired a fair amount of tools and now find the tools take up all the room in the shed and if I want to do any work I have to do it outside on a workmate I don't mind this in the fine weather but I want it to be an all year hobby.

In the shed I have a,

Floor standing Bandsaw
Bench Jointer Planer
Bench Pillar Drill
Sliding Mitre Saw
Bench Morticing Machine
Router Table
Scroll saw

as well as,

2 portable Circular saws
3 Routers
2 Jig saws
Nail Gun
Mains drill
Battery Drill
2 Random Orbital Sanders
Biscuit Jointer
all stuffed into various cupboards

Then there are my hand tools Planes, chisels and such

I need to sort out this mess before winter so I can carry on working at my hobby!
I have a 8' x 6' outbuilding with power laid on which I could convert into an extra workshop the question is what tools do I move into the other workshop to achieve a good workflow in each workshop
Please help as it's driving me NUTS?

 

[Mcluma]

I see nothing wrong with the acquired tools. the hand tools can nicely be stored in cupboards.

What works well is having good shelving (floor to ceiling), then a nice workbench (which is never to big) and a bit of floorspace to do the assembely.

Put the band saw on a mobile base, and create storage (under the workbench for the benchtop machines (so you can put them out of the way when you do not need them)

 

[sooty]

No room left under benches they are crammed full of tools?

 

[Adam]

I'd split it along the lines of heavy processing in one - e.g. routing, planing, drilling / sawing in one, and the handtools/construction/assembly glueup and finishing in the other. Stuff like mains drills, nail guns etc can't get used that much surely?

One thing to think about is which is warmest? I'd do the handtool/construction/assembly in whichever is warmest in the winter.

Adam

 

[sooty]

Good Idea Adam
The new shed is the warmest as it's fully insulated I guess I could fashion some benches with storage underneath in the smaller workshop for sawing / routing etc, like you say nail guns and mains drills are only used occasionally so they could live in the smaller workshop out of the way with my chainsaw and bench grinder

 

[ByronBlack]

Sooty, how tall are your sheds, would there be room to make some loft-style storage?

 

[gidon]

I agree with Adam - I would keep the bigger shed for machinery and make the smaller shed for hand tools / assembly. I use my wife's gardening shed for finishing - you might need another shed for that too .
In fact I've come close to using her green house for some storage but so far resisted :lol:.
Cheers
Gidon

 

[Chris Knight]

Use drawers as much as possible. They are a more efficient form of storage than shelves. Drawers can be built into carcases under several bench-top type machines.

 

[sooty]

ByronBlack Posted:
Sooty, how tall are your sheds, would there be room to make some loft-style storage?

Afraid both sheds only 6'4" high just enough room to walk comfortably.

waterhead37
Use drawers as much as possible. They are a more efficient form of storage than shelves. Drawers can be built into carcases under several bench-top type machines.

Never thought of that I have only ever built cupboards under the units as they are much easier but it's worth giving it a go.

I agree with Adam - I would keep the bigger shed for machinery and make the smaller shed for hand tools / assembly. I use my wife's gardening shed for finishing - you might need another shed for that too .
In fact I've come close to using her green house for some storage but so far resisted .
Cheers
Gidon

Think I would use the smaller building for my machinery for 2 reasons
1/ Its brick built and a lot more secure than the shed
2/ Its as cold as hell in there in the winter and if I need to use it in the winter then I would like to be in there as short a time as possible

the wife has a potting shed but I would have to fight her to get in it and I think she would win

 

[ByronBlack]

Sooty, your other option is to clear your current sheds, and a build a larger one more suitable to your needs - thats what i'll be doing in the near-future, much easier than trying to squeeze into a small working space.

 

[sooty]

Have not got either the room or the resources to build a larger shed I only wish I had

 

[Adam]

Think I would use the smaller building for my machinery for 2 reasons
1/ Its brick built and a lot more secure than the shed

Remember thieves are unlikely to nick heavy equipment like pillar drills, planer thicknessers etc. They want stuff like routers, drills, handheld electric power tools are ideal carryable items.

Adam

 

[Simoli]

I would get rid of some of your extras like one router, one circular saw, one jig saw and trade or sell them for something more useful. In this day and age people are hung up on having seperate tools for different situations, even though the tools do the same job. AS for the routers I would keep one for hand held situations and the other for the router table.

Then I would be sure to make full use of overhead storage. Racks for wood and tools that aren't accessed much (biscuit joiner) are best overhead.

Wheels on your large items will help too. Even in my rather large basement shop I have a couple of tools on wheels.

 

[engineer one]

have you thought about board mounting some of the pieces, and then sliding them away when not in use, or make fold down tables.

what you need to do is think about what you are going to make, and
from what, then plan your layout around it. whatever happens, you need
a path down the centre of the workshop, so everything must go on
the sides somehow when not in use.

we ALL have too much stuff, and most of it we do not use very often,
so think about it. you need material storage, also.

i agree about putting the bandsaw on wheels, then you can leave it in the
corner when not in use, and then put it back afterwards.

how about fold up tables for say the router, scroll saw etc.
recently one of the magazines had an article and the guy left
space in his worktable for mounted tools. you can then
replace them on drawers which retreat in to the under work
table space.

as said before drawer are better than cupboards, the storage is much
easier to access, and you lose fewer things in the dark corners.

so my suggestion is build a top framework, after measuring the
"footprint" of your tools. cut standard mounting piece of mdf, and
the you can build under the top drawer units. then you need to think about
the room you need on either side of the tool. that gives you the main
working place. place the worktop on top of the frame, but have a
removeable piece where you can put the mounting plates.
you can lock them in place.

you could even make a scms station that does not stay in place.

the biggest problem is that you will need to plan more, and
put tools away more often than those with a proper sized workshop.

however if you do not do something like this you will never use
the workshop.

good luck

paul :wink:

 

[OLD]

You may need a thicknesser benches a number of clamps and a table saw in the future so the problem is worse than you thought . making m/c mobile and storing other smaller m/c under benches is good. the ability to move a m/c into a doorway helps with longer stock also wider doorways are good for this.
sliding mitre saws take up lots of room but you can cut a hole in the shed to feed in long stock and use moveable block supports to keep all in line you will have to accept that lots of walking from building to building will be the norm also extra marking out equipment will be required so that both sites are self contained. putting a pillar drill nexst to a window so the job can stick through it can save some space , flat bench space is required so that you can glue up and put things down etc and reduce frustration .

 

[Anonymous]

Ever thought about stamp collecting!!!!!!!!! :lol:

 

[sooty]

Lots of ideas for me to think about

The trouble is I came into woodwork without the faintest Idea of what I would need in terms of benches, tools and workshop sizes i.e. I fitted out the workshop with counter type benches the kind you would find in a fitted kitchen

I now know the benches are totally inadequate and much to low for my size 6'3" as I get backache when using handtools

Started clearing out the small workshop yesterday (lots of trips to the local tip) but now I know that both workshops need a total rethink and careful planning to get the best out of them

I would like to thank everyone who has answered my query so far, so please keep sending your suggestions I appreciate them very much

 

[engineer one]

the bench height thing is really interesting and some might say controversial. but it is actually just like a kitchen, there are so called
standard sizes, but for different people they can be either too low,
or too high, you can adapt things.

generally hand tools require a higher bench than power tools, so you could
always make a taller section that drops down from a wall for instance.

the other thing is how often you use specific tools.
but remember not to throw the baby out with the bath water. :lol:
think about what works for you, and then work round that.

paul :wink:

 

[ByronBlack]

When I went on a cabinet making course, the lecturer funnily made a comment that the ideal height for a bench should be equal to a mans dinckle

Personaly I made mine a couple of inches higher than waist height - stops me from 'stooping' over the bench and getting back ache

 

[Paul Chapman]

When I went on a cabinet making course, the lecturer funnily made a comment that the ideal height for a bench should be equal to a mans dinckle

Personaly I made mine a couple of inches higher than waist height - stops me from 'stooping' over the bench and getting back ache

Or getting it caught in the vice :shock: :shock: :shock:

Paul