One shop or two?

[Choirboy]

Would like some opinions. Though I never finished my thread, my shop is still coming together in fits and starts. It is roughly 20x30 and was originally intended to do double duty as a wood/auto shop.
We moved an old building to our place that is roughly 12x26, though it has a non-loadbearing wall that makes a 12x8 room on one end. It was originally to be used in my wife's business after restoration but career directions have changed. It would make a very cute, cozy and more pleasant shop to work in, but I'm a little worried I won't be able to comfortably fit my larger power tools in it without it becoming claustrophobic.
Options are 1: completely separate the shops, carefully lay out my power tools to minimize a crowded floorplan.
2. Since I intend to do mostly hand tool work, just put in my hand tools and the most used power tools in the smaller building and leave the bigger stuff (table saw, jointer, radial arm saw) in the bigger shop.
3. Keep original plan of a larger multi use shop and turn the smaller building into a completely different use.
What are your thoughts?

 

[DBS5Window]

I would turn the smaller shop into an assembly / finishing area.

 

[iagsxr]

Small building becomes the wood shop. Add a lean to for your larger tools if you have to.

My personal experience is that automotive and woodworking don't mix very well if you're particular about the cleanliness of your shop. I'd do a lot more woodworking if I had a separate area to do it.

 

[nadogail]

Live Rich, have two shops.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Get a 40 ft conex box, or two to free up space, you can store a lot of tools & material freeing up shop space.

 

[mmb617]

I have my woodworking and automotive shop in two separate buildings and wouldn't want them together. You do what you have to but if there's an option of keeping them separate I'd take it.

My woodworking shop is only 14x18 but I think it's laid out pretty well with my table saw and chop saw being on tables that are portable so they can be moved around as needed. I also have a standard garage door on one end of the building and have been known to open it to allow extra long stuff to be run through saws while still in the building.

Some portability of tools and a couple roller stands go a long way towards making the best use of a smaller space.

 

[CraigStu]

If the 12x26 has, or could have, a garage door, I'd make it the wood shop. I say that because my combi garage has the radial arm, band sander, and 2 band saws on wheels. The band saws and sander do pretty well if I hook the shop vac to them when doing small projects. The radial arm saw gets rolled outside for pretty much any use. I think this could give you more space.

 

[KpFlyz]

A really good dust collection system allows woodworking and automotive home shop to coexist. I have a 5hp cyclone dust collector with 6 inch pipe through out my 28x30 shop. I’m very happy with this setup. I have an attached 12x20 garage for tool storage

 

[Choirboy]

Smaller shop was originally either the airport office building or a one room school, depending on who's story you believe. We moved it to keep another old building from bring torn down and because my wife needed a little office building for her eventual business plans. We located and built the foundation with those plans in mind so a lean to or garage door aren't possible now.
I'm leaning towards making it the wood shop and just knowing that sheet goods will always be a challenge (low ceilings) and that my big 50s RAS may or may not be a good fit for the space. I think with wheels most of the other tools will be OK (table saw, jointer, band saw).

 

[rburke65]

We have a 10’x14’ Garden shed, a 32’x40’ pole barn for mowers, splitters, tractor, lumber, wood, UTV, etc., and a 32’x56’ shop where I can go and weld, paint, bang or what ever I want to do. Separate is good.

 

[niget2002]

I could probably make a 12x26 work for just my woodworking. It'd take quite a bit of time moving the large tools around until I found a good workflow where everything would fit.

I'd say try to separate the two. I might consider having some of the less used woodworking tools in the larger shop, but I know that walking back and forth with materials would get cumbersome fast.

I'd start off with only the power tools in the woodworking shop and a single work bench that's easy to move around. Use that for a bit moving tools as needed until you find where they fit best for you.

I wish I had a second building if only for storing all the lawn equipment.

 

[Aaron_W]

Small building becomes the wood shop. Add a lean to for your larger tools if you have to.

My personal experience is that automotive and woodworking don't mix very well if you're particular about the cleanliness of your shop. I'd do a lot more woodworking if I had a separate area to do it.

Woodworking and anything else don't really go well together. All my grinding and woodworking are done in a covered outdoor space, I don't need everything in my basement coated in a layer of fine sawdust.

In my personal situation lumber of any significant size is tough to get into the basement anyway which just adds another plus to working outside.