Help me plan the layout of my shop build

opiy

opiy

Well-Known Member
I am in a slow process of trying to build me a small shop 16x16. I have been trying to figure out what I possibly would have for electrical needs and so far I have come up with.
240v:
1. KMG Belt Grinder
2. Evenheat Kiln
3. Air Compressor
4. Air Filtration system

120v
1. Air conditioner window unit (its the south, its very hot here)
2. Drill Press (maybe more in the future?)
3. Polisher
4. Band Saw

Now this is just a list of items I might get in time but since I plan to put plywood on the walls (as of right now anyway) I am trying to make sure I plan for what I can and get plugs in place when I get to that point. I am wondering if I should just put a bunch of outlets about mid-wall height in 120v or do you guys know of some "Rule of Thumb" in this situation.

Now as far as machinery layout do you have suggestions? Is there a work flow layout that works better kinda like in woodworking?
I try to look at pictures of peoples shops to see if I can take some ideas from them.

The 240v outlets is something I think I really need to work out where the 120v I can fudge around more.

If you happen to have any ideas or input let me hear it. I want to get this thing built soon so I can start making something :biggrin:

Many more questions to come :confused2:

Thanks
Larry
 
The one thing that I would like to have in my shop but dont have is a contained grinding room. Just to keep the dust all in one place.

I have been in shops have have it and shops that dont and it makes a big difference. A closet to put that compressor in to kinda keep it quiet would be cool too!
 
I know someone that has a wood working shop and someone that has a fabrication shop and in both places the air compressor is outside.
 
The air compressor outside sounds good to me. I am thinking of some kind of enclosed lean-to maybe on the backside of the building?
 
Remember the "work triangle" and utilize it to the max. Like in a kitchen, there are points in the shop that you will use all the time, for 99% of your projects. This includes the bench, drill press and grinder. Your main three need to be placed convenient to each other, and in such a way as they can be fully utilized. Funny Story: A bud was building his wife's "dream" kitchen, center island and all. When all was said and done, it looked great, but you couldn't fully open the oven door because it banged into the island. Failure to plan!

If you stick the drill press in the corner to get it out of the way, you're going to need to move it out in the open to drill a hole in some long stick of something that you would never guessed you'd ever have to drill a hole through! I put mine right be the door so I can always stick the extra length outside. And I do need another smaller press so I can keep one set up for smaller drilling projects.

Being able to move smoothly from the drill to the bench to the grinder to the drill, without having to step over a dozen things or move stuff out of the way, is a big thing. Neatness and organization will make even a small shop worth working in.

The size of your shop isn't really so making the most of that space is going to be a good idea. Is there any way you can go up to 16x20 or 16x24? If there is, take it! Just one bench will eat up a lot of room, so envision the shop as being 16x14. You will always find a reason to add this or that, and the next project....

My garage is 20x40, and it's too small for knife-making, woodworking, car work, and all the other garbage than creeps up around the homestead.

Oh, and put those 240v outlets on both sides of the building. You don't have a welder yet, but you'll soon add that to the stable "just in case", and you never know when you might want to re-organize the shop for whatever reason. Run the wiring now, and it's less hassle in the future.

Compressor outside, under a lean-to, is the only way to go!
 
opiy said:
The air compressor outside sounds good to me. I am thinking of some kind of enclosed lean-to maybe on the backside of the building?
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Better to not totally enclose. Needs air to breathe and it will run cooler, lasting longer.
 
One problem I have yet to tackle that is extremely aggravating is lighting.

Just wanted to mention to consider that also.

Josh
 
Are you planning on a workbench along a wall, or something in the center?

Personally, I don't see how you can have too much lighting. I have 8' overhead fluorescents, under-shelf fluorescents, and spotlights for the grinder and drill press. Not including windows and doors. There's no such thing as a shadow in my joint, and I could still use more task lighting, imo!

The way it was explained to me is, if you can see your shadow while in the building, you don't have enough overhead lighting. Spot lights are critical to getting a good sight on what you're doing where the rubber meets the road, but general lighting should be enough to eliminate shadows.
 
Les is very right on the separate grinding room if possible. When I did my new shop/addition or whatever you want to call it I did a separate grinding and buffing rooms with the flap freezer/cooler doors that you can walk or drive machinery through. I put the dust collector in a little shed outside the shop with a switch I can turn on from inside the grinding room. I stole this idea from Gil Hibben who is a neighbor and close friend of mine and that is the way his shop is. Believe me it makes a HUGE difference.
 
Cliff Fendley said:
Les is very right on the separate grinding room if possible. When I did my new shop/addition or whatever you want to call it I did a separate grinding and buffing rooms with the flap freezer/cooler doors that you can walk or drive machinery through. I put the dust collector in a little shed outside the shop with a switch I can turn on from inside the grinding room. I stole this idea from Gil Hibben who is a neighbor and close friend of mine and that is the way his shop is. Believe me it makes a HUGE difference.
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I was wanting to get a Grizzly 1HP Canister Dust Collector http://www.grizzly.com/products/1HP-Canister-Dust-Collector/G0583Z and run to the machinery to control dust. Would this work since building up a wall inside may be unlikely? The plastic over the door to the grinding room sounds like it good idea though.


VaughnT said:
Are you planning on a workbench along a wall, or something in the center?

Personally, I don't see how you can have too much lighting. I have 8' overhead fluorescents, under-shelf fluorescents, and spotlights for the grinder and drill press. Not including windows and doors. There's no such thing as a shadow in my joint, and I could still use more task lighting, imo!

The way it was explained to me is, if you can see your shadow while in the building, you don't have enough overhead lighting. Spot lights are critical to getting a good sight on what you're doing where the rubber meets the road, but general lighting should be enough to eliminate shadows.
Click to expand...

I was trying to draw up a crappy drawing with a simple paint program last night but I didn't make any major headway with it. I hope something this weekend I can work out my plans a little more. I am also just kinda wingin this thing too. With that said I don't know what I want to do with benches yet. I am trying to incorporate the working triangle thing and plan machinery that I don't even have or seen in person so it makes it a little more difficult. I was kicking around the idea of a table in the center like an island bench with electrical ran to it or maybe on a wall have a long bench. I know I will put some peg board up and I will have to consider the need for shelving. The thought is there just nothing is definitive yet.

The light was going to be 4 flourescent shop lights but I may have to increase that number to 6 or 8. I have a strip spot light setup over a reloading bench and it is very helpful so this would be a great benefit to consider whenever I work out the layout. I would be interested in seeing some pictures of your under-shelf lighting so I can see how it works and looks or anyones if they have the pictures.

Thanks
Larry
 
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I've got a Grizzly and another friend of mine and Gil has the same one. It's not the one you are getting but the one with a top and bottom bag. I notice a lot of very fine dust getting out of mine and Gils but since my other friend is a woodworker his does OK. Hopefully the one your looking at with the canister does a better job of filtering the air. Either way I want mine outside for the noise reason if nothing else. I bought one of those little plastic outbuildings that looks kind of like a port a pot and sat it beside the outside wall of the shop. Ran a PVC pipe through the wall into it and wired the collector through and switch in the grinding room. When I turn it on it's quite, mostly just here the air sucking through the pipes.
 
Well I am tired. Got this done today so I thought I would share it. I know looking at the pictures it doesn't look like much happened. I know the heat index today had to be over 100F. I hope tomorrow I will get all of the joists in and maybe next payday I will get the plywood (anyone seen how much treated plywood 3/4" costs ?!? holy crap) and have it all finished up. It was so bright out it washed out the first picture some. I think I will put something in the back of the building to house the compressor and maybe central vacuum system. Enjoy.

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Larry
 
Cliff Fendley said:
I've got a Grizzly and another friend of mine and Gil has the same one. It's not the one you are getting but the one with a top and bottom bag. I notice a lot of very fine dust getting out of mine and Gils but since my other friend is a woodworker his does OK. Hopefully the one your looking at with the canister does a better job of filtering the air. Either way I want mine outside for the noise reason if nothing else. I bought one of those little plastic outbuildings that looks kind of like a port a pot and sat it beside the outside wall of the shop. Ran a PVC pipe through the wall into it and wired the collector through and switch in the grinding room. When I turn it on it's quite, mostly just here the air sucking through the pipes.
Click to expand...

I think that if I put mine outside I may consider a non-canister model to save some money. The canister is supposed to filter the air down to 1 micron but if its outside I don't know if it would have a purpose.
 
I thought I would update this for the heck of it. Its not a knife WIP but a shop build WIP :biggrin:


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I got most of the shingles on today but underestimated so I had to get more. I will finish the roof in the morning and also finish painting the building. I need to figure out where to rough in the electrical boxes next. I hope within a week or so I will get the power wire in the ground and into a breaker panel. Once all of the electrical is done I will insulate the walls and roof then cover it with plywood of some kind.

It isn't perfect but not bad for someone having to read a book, youtube, and ask dad question on how to build something. I done atleast 90% of this build alone and i'm pretty happy with the accomplishment so far.

Well, I hope someone finds this amusing. Later.
 
Took these pics today. Still working on the wiring. When that is done the insulation will be next.
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You may want to consider lining up the machinery that needs dust control on one wall or nearby, the longer the pipe the less suction. Things like drill press and workbench dont need to be near the dust control, grinders, buffers and bandsaw (for wood) will need dust control. BTW if I had it all to do over I would go bigger than 1hp, its really a minimum I plan to add another blower one day to get more suction.

While you have the walls open you can wire on/off switches for your dust control as well.
 
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