workshop space savers

[johnnyb]

hi everyone,
i am at last at the stage of thinking about about where all these tools will go. this is after tons of structural / insulation work. my dimensions are 3.6m by 6.o m. i have blocked off the garage door and replaced it with a 37 inch door and an insulated panel. this has given me two more corners. i also have an opening door adjacent to the back wall. is it common in small shops to have the worktops at the same level. could i have the backs to wall machines(mortiser, chop saw, drill press) with the tables at the same height. i aloso have a mezzanine storage floor what would be best to store here ideally something not in regular use. i am tempted to put lots of clip shelving and peg boards around the perimeter rather than cupboards to save space. any timber will be stored in another shed as my previous workshop was completely overrun witjh wood. kitchen base units seem a good idea for storage and tool stands. this previous reincarnation was woefully short of assembly space too. any great ideas from their own shop or even tool placement philosophys would be greatly appreciated.

 

[davy_owen_88]

Having a very small shop with some very large tools presented me with a few problems that needed sorting:

If you have a large compressor you could consider building a workbench around it. This is what I did and I can't imagine getting all my tools in otherwise.

If you have an extractor with separate blower and filters then consider mounting the blower on a wall or ceiling so you have some space below for your vacuum or other small tools you rarely use.

I found that as I collected more tools it became more and more difficult to have them all ready for use, so I decided to build a small outhouse wth shelves to store all the tools I rarely use (small belt/disk sander, tormek, spare routers etc...)

I made sure the biggest tools that I couldn't move had plenty of space and then made another small bench next to my bandsaw to act as an outfeed table and as a worktop for the small tools stored in the outhouse.

These space savers have made a huge difference. Keeping it tidy also makes all the difference - I didn't have the time to make my own storage units so I bought 2x 4-draw units from Wilkos for about £13 each and they go either side of the workbench. This gives everything a drawer and keeps everything to hand which also means when I have finished its not such a chore to put things away.

 

[mailee]

Not so much a space saver but an idea that has helped me in my modest shop is to mount machinery on castors. Use the heavy duty type with locks on and you can roll the machines out of the way when not in use. Having injured my back a while ago I didn't fancy humping or sliding things around the floor so came up with the castor idea instead.

 

[JFC]

Yup casters are the way to go , with locking wheels . Some of the machines will be to high adding the wheels so you may need to make a platform to stand on to use them safely. Best too keep those ones on the floor !

 

[Waka]

All my machines are on castors and where possible drawers or cupboards underneath. I've also pretty well used up all my wall space with cupboards.
Certainly can't get anymore machinery in my shop, its packed solid.

 

[Losos]

Davy-Owen wrote
Keeping it tidy also makes all the difference

Yes, I agree - I used to be terrible at tidying up when I had a very small shop, mine is somewhat bigger now and although it's not so essential I forced myself to get into a 'tidy up' routine everyday (Well almost every day )

I'm also going down the 'kitchen worktop' route but would suggest you have cupboards where you can 'cos things inside will be much less dusty than on clips and conti-board.