Auto/metal PLUS woodshop — layouts?

[Joel_BC]

Anybody got floor layout sketch for a practical shop that includes metal/automotive (such as electric welder(s), O/A rig, metal table, grinders, hydraulic press, jacks or lift, etc) and also space for table saw, planer, shaper, dust management, etc — under one roof?

I’m planning a new shop to run the gamut. I’d like to see how other guys have handled this.

If you don’t have a floor plan, maybe you’ve got pics showing how you've handled it. I’d be grateful to see.

 

[jloehlein]

Here's the layout I used. It's 32x80 - bays 1 and 2 are the auto workshop. There is a full height wall separating them from the rest of the garage. Bay 3 is the planned wood shop with storage above and bay 4 is car storage. I wanted to make sure I had access to all vehicles without having to shuffle things around. Splitting the shop also let me worry about heating/cooling bays 1 and 2 more than the others (the wood shop stays nice since it's completely walled off).

 

[niget2002]

A lot of this depends on the size of your shop. Smaller shops just have to make do with covering the metal working stuff when doing woodworking and having the best dust collection you can manage on the bigger tools.

My plan is to do the woodworking tools down one side of the shop with the big dust producers as close to the front as possible. I then hope to put a metal mill/lathe in the opposite corner of the shop.

 

[matt_i]

I think the highest level of care comes when mixing in engines/transmissions/machine tools. Those things really don't like grit of any sort. Recognizing that the machine tools produce metal swarf but its the owner's responsibility to keep way-surfaces clean.

Having a purpose built dust collector and an air filtration unit for the wood-side will go a long way. Ideally though, there would be a wall to separate the sides.

 

[bullnerd]

I did a layout using the Grizzly shop tool thing on their website.

I think there's some pics in my sig. Shop is 30x40.

It is not even close to being done, but it will be very similar to what I drew.

Just found some cubical walls locally that I'm going to try as a room divider.

 

[astroracer]

Like was mentioned, the size is important, BUT... If you put all of your equipment on casters the layout is not important. Everything in my shop is on casters except one bench, one lathe and the FrankenMill. The stomp shear and even the hydraulic press are on casters. All of this stuff gets rolled along one wall when not in use.
I have seven benches/workstations that are on casters as well and they serve as my main work tops and can roll wherever needed. Bandsaws, chop saws, table saw and sand blasting cabinets are all on casters.
Mark

 

[Joel_BC]

Re: Auto/metal PLUS woodshop — layouts?

Thanks for the replies so far, guys.

A lot of this depends on the size of your shop. Smaller shops just have to make do with covering the metal working stuff when doing woodworking and having the best dust collection you can manage on the bigger tools.

I do think some kind of "making do" will be necessary. Even though I find a shop plan like jloehlein's drool-worthy, I don't have the finances for it. Also, a site consideration... only a fairly small portion of our 8 acres of mountain valley land is a level bench. Most of our place is hilly and/or treed. And we already have a house, outbuildings, small orchard & gardens in place, so I can't build any new building that big.

 

[turbowoodworker]

My setup is nearly identical to Jl's. I have a detached four car with a wall dividing it in two equal sides. Rough dimensions are two rooms at 25x25 each. The auto/metal side has two bays with overhead doors. The wood side has a double man door and a large bay window.

The wood side has its own minisplit HVAC and a dedicated dust control and filtration. The metal side is prewired for welder, air compressor, etc.

This keeps the dust off the oil and vice versa and having two minisplits, I can be quite comfortable in either space depending on what project is ongoing.

 

[Joel_BC]

I'm enjoying reading all posts in the discussion, but like I said a four-car garage sized structure is out of the question for me.

So I'd really enjoy seeing sketches, diagrams, or actual pics of how guys have handled this in a more compact space. Y'know,designated areas, walls, movable equipment, welding blankets...

Heatable space for winter use is one of my goals. My current spaces for any sort of vehicle work or metalworking are essentially unheated, making such pursuits (on my own property) impossible really.

 

[Blazinzuk]

Put stuff on casters. That way when you need a metal shop you have one. Wood shop quick change. Mechanics shop just wheel out most of the tools.

That is my plan as I am in a similar situation. 1200 sq ft but I got about 5000 sq ft worth of ****

 

[bradpac]

I've been thinking about this for my new garage/shop. I've come up with a covered lean to or carport area to do most of the wood cutting and general dirty work with assembly and finishing being done in a designated area of the shop itself, as I know it will still be somewhat dusty. Such a design would also work for degreasing cars and other messy or wet work that needs to be out of the baking sun. I've been thinking of some kind of oil/debris catch to go along with it so I'm not just washing the nasty stuff into the ground.

 

[Keith_MN]

I am watching this thread because I plan to do the same thing. Going big to have dedicated space solves the problems. But, I am on a budget and want something that is easy to heat in the winter because it can get chilly here.

Since I do not do a lot of wood working, my plan is to make the wood space rather small and walled off from the rest of the garage with dust collection systems in place. I want to to have enough space to keep the tools usable in place to minimize set-up when I need them. I will use the adjacent drive in bay for assembly and material management on larger projects.

For the drive-in bay side, I plan on having an extra 6-7 ft on the side that I can curtain off to separate the welding and metal work.

Total garage size is about 30 ft deep x 34 ft wide. See attached picture.

 

[TerryH]

Few pics of mine...

 

[ford33]

I doubt you will find any sketches of a dedicated small shop for automotive, metal and woodworking. You have one big room so put your machines and benches on 4" dia or larger locking casters and make this single space multi-functional. There is really no other way to do it. If you don't have the room for three shops then one small flexible shop space is the only alternative.

 

[James-W]

I have one garage/shop with woodworking tools and metal working tools. I have a dust collector but I still try to do as much woodworking as I can near the overhead door to keep the dust down to a bare minimum. It has been working out pretty well, except in the Winter months when it is too cold to have the overhead door open while doing woodworking projects. But I have some tarps I can put over the metal working tools if I figure I need to do so. The dust collector I have does **** up most of the dust and wood chips, a little gets on the floor but not all that much. So far it has worked out OK, it's not perfect but it is acceptable.

 

[CraigStu]

Similar to James-W, I just have a 3 car garage which is mixed use. The radial arm saw and the table top belt/disc sanders are on metal cabinets w/ casters. The sander cabinet is actually a small $99 Sears roll around tool chest w/ 3 drawers. I don't do that much woodworking so this works for me. The winter can be a pain when I roll the radial arm over to the open garage door but I try to plan ahead to do as much as possible in door one opening. When sawing either MDF or the plastic wood, I roll the saw outside and close the door behind me. That dust sticks to everything and is really bad to breathe. For me the most important planning is the wall outlets location. Especially the 240V for welder and compressor. Get those nailed down, add 120V outlets every 6 feet at a 48 inch height and you will be able to adjust the rest as needed. The 48 inches is so they are above work benches and below wall cabinets. You mention budget so here is how I light the 3rd bay that we added on. Had the electrician install ceramic bulb sockets in the ceiling.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002HEMXY8/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Once we had final approval, I bought a "Y" socket
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RN19V4/?tag=atomicindus08-20
and two 100W globe bulbs for each.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077ZFKQLP/?tag=atomicindus08-20
The ceiling is white so this has worked out great.

 

[86turbodsl]

i had to do this out of necessity. I am too poor to build another building for wood. I put the two disciplines in opposite corners of my 40x64 space. Just deal with the added wire for running electrical to opposite corners. I'm heavy 3 phase, so lots of big wire running all over the place. Big efficient dust collector is a necessity.

 

[Sinergy]

currently building a pole barn. the woodshop I plan to put in a loft with storage shelving underneaththe loft on one side, the metalworking shop on the other side under the loft, and the lifts being on the opposite side of the loft right after the garage doors.

 

[Joel_BC]

How bout anybody with fairly limited space and how you may have handled the situation with wood-dust control and something like hanging welding blankets?