Building a woodshop (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 12/2/2024 1:40:45 PM EDT
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Looking at building a woodshop in my back yard. Probably 30 x 40. 2 x 6 studs to allow for higher insulation lots of 110 and 220 outlets. Attic joists. Built on a slab. What am I not thinking about? |
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Originally Posted By Covertness: Looking at building a woodshop in my back yard. Probably 30 x 40. 2 x 6 studs to allow for higher insulation lots of 110 and 220 outlets. Attic joists. Built on a slab. What am I not thinking about? I like it. That sounds like a hefty concrete pour price wise. |
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Originally Posted By Shoresy: I like it. That sounds like a hefty concrete pour price wise. Rough quote for everything is $125K by my builder. Still in my planning phase. Don’t want to pull the trigger and later go shit I should have included……… |
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| true 6 inch minimum for concrete. I poured 7.5 inches on mine with no expansion joints and no cracks. 24x24 no 5 rebar, fiber in concrete. 32x45 building, with steel posts in piers and rebar field welded to posts. posts are in piers. all welded steel frame 8 in. zees w/26 ga steel roof. open cell 5 inch foam. very solid and very easy to heat. |
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That sounds like an awesome shop. Don't forget insulation and natural/artificial lighting. Most all my stationary tools are 220V and the ones that are 110V usually need a dedicated outlet. I installed a subpanel in my garage and every new outlet is dedicated 20 amp 110V or 30 amp 220V. If I could design it again, I'd add in auto opening and closing blast gates that activate the collector when that tool is turned on.. Dust collection has come a long way in past 20 years. My large and heavy Oneida cyclone is nice but needed 6" ducting due to run lengths. If I were building a shop now, I'd forego a large central unit in favor of smaller ones spaced around. This would allow for 4" piping and the smaller units would be much quieter and cheaper. They are also much easier to reconfigure for the inevitable shop rearrangements you will do as you add new toys. ETA, don't forget lumber and sheet goods storage and a separate room (if possible) for finishing. It's very dry where I live so humidity was never a concern. My hand planes all sit exposed on a wooden rack as well as other tools. If humidity is an issue for you, plan on dealing with it as well as heating and HVAC. |
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Originally Posted By Covertness: Looking at building a woodshop in my back yard. Probably 30 x 40. 2 x 6 studs to allow for higher insulation lots of 110 and 220 outlets. Attic joists. Built on a slab. What am I not thinking about? Window height. My contractor put them as a house would have been done. Counter height would have been better. It limited me in where I put work benches. I could have had them redone before they sheathed it with plywood but I was too nice as I did not spec it out. |
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If I ever build another wood shop I will do an elk seed floor. Build a frame system with 12” of space between the ground and the floor. This way I can run all my dust collection and wiring under floor. This also lets you insulate the floor. I’d also make sure you have enough ceiling high to have 8.5 ft below any thing on the ceiling including fans. I hate my two fans but haven’t found a replacement yet. |
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Keep your dust collection indoors. If you put it outside the building, the moment you turn it on you suck all the hot or cold air outside. Plan your machine locations now. Suspend the wiring from the ceiling. If you run the wiring in ground conduits you are stuck were the machines will be. Get the largest drum sander you can buy. It will pay for itself fast. Same applies to the band saw, jointer and planer. |
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Originally Posted By Covertness: Looking at building a woodshop in my back yard. Probably 30 x 40. 2 x 6 studs to allow for higher insulation lots of 110 and 220 outlets. Attic joists. Built on a slab. What am I not thinking about? Go with wire a lot bigger than you 'think' you may need for whatever particular tool. Do not skimp on the electric. Voltage drop due to long runs or tiny wire WILL prematurely kill tools that 'could' have potentially lasted for much longer. Do not skimp here trying to send electricity from your home service to your backyard workshop and the service you plan to have there. Go bigger than what you think you may need to allow plenty of room for growth / expansion as well... Not cheap to run the proper wire that will allow you to do whatever you plan to do (AND grow if needed) but in the long run you will save money as you will not be replacing motors that would not have needed replacing if they had the proper wiring and voltage available to begin with. If I could go back in time and spec out my electric again knowing what I do now - That one single big ass IR compressor motor that I killed (and had to pay a shit ton of money to buy a new motor for) cost a lot more than what I 'would' have spent paying the tiny bit extra to go bigger on the front end with the electric so it could be fed properly. The difference between the proper wiring for that compressor and the lamp cord shit that the original electrician ran was audibly noticeable on startup and during running. With the lamp cord shit you could hear the motor struggle because it was... 
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The studs and outlets are good ideas. I usually put a duplex outlet on every other stud. Quads where I think I might be plugging in more things. You'll need a 6" or so wall pass-through for your dust collection exhaust. |
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Originally Posted By Aaron56: Go with wire a lot bigger than you 'think' you may need for whatever particular tool. Do not skimp on the electric. Voltage drop due to long runs or tiny wire WILL prematurely kill tools that 'could' have potentially lasted for much longer. Do not skimp here trying to send electricity from your home service to your backyard workshop and the service you plan to have there. Go bigger than what you think you may need to allow plenty of room for growth / expansion as well... Not cheap to run the proper wire that will allow you to do whatever you plan to do (AND grow if needed) but in the long run you will save money as you will not be replacing motors that would not have needed replacing if they had the proper wiring and voltage available to begin with. If I could go back in time and spec out my electric again knowing what I do now - That one single big ass IR compressor motor that I killed (and had to pay a shit ton of money to buy a new motor for) cost a lot more than what I 'would' have spent paying the tiny bit extra to go bigger on the front end with the electric so it could be fed properly. The difference between the proper wiring for that compressor and the lamp cord shit that the original electrician ran was audibly noticeable on startup and during running. With the lamp cord shit you could hear the motor struggle because it was... |
“As long as none of us gets hurt, we’re making memories.” - one GA trooper to another after shooting HOSTAGE 9 times
Their SHAME has become their PRIDE
K-3/9
Their SHAME has become their PRIDE
K-3/9
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Originally Posted By Quicky06: If I ever build another wood shop I will do an elk seed floor. Build a frame system with 12” of space between the ground and the floor. This way I can run all my dust collection and wiring under floor. This also lets you insulate the floor. I’d also make sure you have enough ceiling high to have 8.5 ft below any thing on the ceiling including fans. I hate my two fans but haven’t found a replacement yet. That would make running ducting and electrical easier but what about heavy tools? My tablesaw/shaper weighs over 1500 pounds. That would require a lot of 2X12 bracing. Unless you place the contact points right over a brace, the floor will eventually sag causing alignment issues. |
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Toying around Attached File |
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| My delta 8" jointer and my planer are mobile. They are heavily used, but do they need to be in line? I dont think so. i batch process my stuff when I prep wood. Joint and flatten a face, all goes in a stack. Then run the stack through the planer. I have most every but my table saw and workbench with the ability to be mobile. Saves a little room getting the less used stuff out of the way. |
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Originally Posted By JQ66: My delta 8" jointer and my planer are mobile. They are heavily used, but do they need to be in line? I dont think so. i batch process my stuff when I prep wood. Joint and flatten a face, all goes in a stack. Then run the stack through the planer. I have most every but my table saw and workbench with the ability to be mobile. Saves a little room getting the less used stuff out of the way. Agree 1000% about tool mobility being a very good thing if possible. A guy never knows he will need or want that particular floor space or work area until he 'needs or wants' that particular floor space or area. Tools that you can easily roll someplace else in the shop are always a great idea. Mobile bases are the greatest thing since sliced bread in my opinion...
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Originally Posted By Covertness: Toying around https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/257818/IMG_4153_jpeg-3473531.JPG Not seeing where you allocated an area for the couch. Being comfortable needs to be a priority towards the top of the list...   |
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Jointer should be parallel, close together, to the planer IMO. Also should be closest to the dust collection and can share one drop of electric and vacuum. Theres no reason to have to access the backside of the jointer or the side of the planer the height adjustment isnt on. Put those close to save space. If everything is on wheels you can move the equipment for mx or cleaning anyways. Table saw should be out in the most open. The table saw and band saw is my most moved shop tool |
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Originally Posted By Jerret_S: The table saw and band saw is my most moved shop tool I originally made a mobile base for my bandsaw, but then found that I never moved it. So when I upgraded to a bigger and better model at the beginning of the year, I didn't bother with a mobile base. It is always interesting to see how different everybody's experiences and expectations are, based on the types of projects they do. I've seen a number of woodworking YT channels rate bandsaws and drill presses among their least-used tools, whereas they are among my most-used. And conversely, the table saw is quite easily my least-used, despite most people ranking it quite high. I use it so rarely that I actually only have a jobsite style - while a proper table saw would be nice, there is absolutely no way I can justify the expense or the loss of floor space. |
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I put all my outlets 60" off the floor, unless for a special need. No more bending over to plug up something and I can put stuff under them. Double gang 110 box every 10 feet with each box having its own circuit. At my old job we didn't have enough power and you had to wait your turn to run a tool or a breaker would trip. Never again. I ran the air line right under the electrical boxes with couplers and drain valves spaced out where needed. Everything is surface mounted. Nothing is hidden in the walls or ceiling. If something needs to be moved or taken out, makes it very easy to do. Dust collection and power in the slab for the table saw to have no obstructions. Comes out behind the saw, under the rear catch table out of the way. Even put in a spare pipe and power incase it was ever needed. Just poured the concrete over the box containing it. If needed, I know exactly where it is to cut it out for use. Only thing I don't have against the wall are my planers. I dropped power and dust collection from the ceiling for them to keep the floor clean My big air compressor is indoors to keep it away from the weather. But it is in a side room with the electrical panel to cut down on noise. Built little side rooms on both sides of the building, just letting the roof flow on down. One has electrical and air compressor and the other was built about twice as long with a bunch of shelves for small power tools and stuff not used often Air hose reels are amazing. I wish the electrical versions didn't cost so much. My building is 32'x84' wood framed with trusses for the roof system. Went ahead and put sheetrock on the ceiling and walls to try to seal it up. I heat and cool it cheaper than most people can heat and cool their house |
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Originally Posted By Covertness: Update It’s happening. Have an architect drafting plans right now. Nice! |
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Originally Posted By Zaphod: A sink. May as well put in a bathroom, too. Man, do I miss a simple sink in my 2-car garage-turned shop... Yes, those would be great to have You need water to clean up finishing stuff anymore. And yourself. And when you gotta go, the last thing you want to have to do is go running from building to building |
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| If you do 14-16 ft walls, you can put in mezzanines. mine has 5 ft mezzanines down both sides and 8 ft at back. 7 ft off the floor. gives you lots and lots of storage. full length workbench with gooseneck lights every 5 ft, double duplex recepticals every 5 ft, wood-fired furnace ducted to shop. I found a deal on 6 bulb t5ho lights, have them over workbenches and main bay, if I ever need lots of light. 29k lumens per light. I use LEDs for normal lighting. |
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Attached File trees cleared, pad laid. next step is pouring footings. |
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Originally Posted By Quicky06: If I ever build another wood shop I will do an elk seed floor. Build a frame system with 12” of space between the ground and the floor. This way I can run all my dust collection and wiring under floor. This also lets you insulate the floor. I’d also make sure you have enough ceiling high to have 8.5 ft below any thing on the ceiling including fans. I hate my two fans but haven’t found a replacement yet. This is sage advice. Think millennium falcon floor smuggling panels. Easily removable. Easier on the feet and back. Easily run more circuits and dust collection wherever you want. Nothing hanging overhead for dust to collect on and get messy |
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Originally Posted By Homesteader375: 3 words... roll up door. You're going to want a big ass door at some point to move big things in and out. |
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Attached File footing poured. Starting to get exciting. |
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Originally Posted By Covertness: Looking at building a woodshop in my back yard. Probably 30 x 40. 2 x 6 studs to allow for higher insulation lots of 110 and 220 outlets. Attic joists. Built on a slab. What am I not thinking about? You probably have it covered, but make your walls at least 10' tall so you can sling sheet goods. Also a wash station, or even a full shower/toilet in the building. Oh dang. Talk about resurrecting a thread. 
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Attached File Yes, interior walls will be 10' |
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Originally Posted By Covertness: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/257818/IMG_5410_jpeg-3657205.JPG Yes, interior walls will be 10' 8/12 in-room attic trusses? |