Woodshop Help

[Zekez]

First, I apologize if this is the wrong place to post. If it is please delete and I’ll post elsewhere.
I posted this in woodworking Reddit, and a user suggested I joined this forum!

In an attempt to keep this post short I’ll just get right to the point. There is a barn on land my family owns, it was originally used as half horse barn/half mechanic shop. My father and I had aspirations of turning the shop into a makers space. Mostly woodworking for him, and laser cutting/3d printing for me. Sadly, my father passed away unexpectedly. I would like to still make this the maker space my father dreamed of, kind of carry on his memory. Problem is, I know nothing of the sorts. I’m a software guy. Shaping the barn into “our” shop was going to be our opportunity to bond and learn from each other, and he isn’t here to teach me anymore. So I’m just…kinda of lost where to start. I’ve attached pictures of the space in its current state. I know my father said we needed to weather proof and insulate, however there are just so many options for that I’m so confused. If anyone has any ideas, or a direction to point me in to research I would be more than grateful . Thank you for reading. Have a good day.

 

[Bessy]

Firstly,

My condolences on the loss of your father. Particularly in instances where emotions are at play it can be all the more difficult to make sound decisions, so do take time if you are able, before making any big plans.

The first question I have is in the context of making a makerspace, I'm assuming that this is for private use only, and not something that would see a larger group of unrelated parties using the space? The answer here completely changes my armchair opinion on how to proceed...

The second question is, being a "software guy", how are you really going to use the space yourself. It's great to want to honor your Dad's memory and the plans that you two had for the space, but spending potentially thousands on tools and equipment you do not have any use for yourself, nor have any skills to work with yet, is a mistake that could cost you your digits (which as a software guy, are pretty invaluable)

I have many of the same hobbies and interests as you mentioned. I'll say that in general, 3d printing and more techy stuff like that needs to be hermetically separated from woodworking, to the greatest extent possible. Dust, heavy objects, and vibration is going to be an enemy to a shop dedicated to finer more delicate"clean" processes, and technologies. My suggestion is to separate those two practices to minimize potential contamination.

3rd and final question: are there any pieces of equipment or tools you have now that you want to incorporate? My suggestion is to learn sketch up, fusion 360, etc, and begin building around the items and space you have available to you.

Cheers,

 

[Zekez]

Firstly,

My condolences on the loss of your father. Particularly in instances where emotions are at play it can be all the more difficult to make sound decisions, so do take time if you are able, before making any big plans.

The first question I have is in the context of making a makerspace, I'm assuming that this is for private use only, and not something that would see a larger group of unrelated parties using the space? The answer here completely changes my armchair opinion on how to proceed...

The second question is, being a "software guy", how are you really going to use the space yourself. It's great to want to honor your Dad's memory and the plans that you two had for the space, but spending potentially thousands on tools and equipment you do not have any use for yourself, nor have any skills to work with yet, is a mistake that could cost you your digits (which as a software guy, are pretty invaluable)

I have many of the same hobbies and interests as you mentioned. I'll say that in general, 3d printing and more techy stuff like that needs to be hermetically separated from woodworking, to the greatest extent possible. Dust, heavy objects, and vibration is going to be an enemy to a shop dedicated to finer more delicate"clean" processes, and technologies. My suggestion is to separate those two practices to minimize potential contamination.

3rd and final question: are there any pieces of equipment or tools you have now that you want to incorporate? My suggestion is to learn sketch up, fusion 360, etc, and begin building around the items and space you have available to you.

Cheers,

I appreciate your time in responding and your kind words about my father.

1. Maybe makerspace wasn’t best choice of words. It will just be used by myself and my immediate family (wife, kids, brother)

2. “Software” meaning I usually stick to coding/running computers versus operating the hardware. However it has been a desire of mine to learn more hands on, especially woodworking. My father did it his whole life. Long story short, growing up I didn’t wanna learn, and then after having kids and my own family I realized my mistake in not spending that time with my father. So I’m wanting to continue his hobby and incorporate mine (3d printing, laser cutting/engraving). He did a lot of furniture and decorations. The space has a separate room that I plan to use for all things that need separated from the woodworking space. However that spaces floor is falling apart and has no roof. So I will need to finish that.

3. My father has a lot of woodworking tools and machine. Honestly not entirely sure what all he has. Large pieces like table saw, planers, miter saw, band saw, drill press, lathe. More clamps then I can count, and a multitude of other things. He woodworked as a hobby for many years. I also have a large laser (aeon Mira 9) as well as several 3d printers. I’ve been looking into sketch up and shop layouts. My concern right now is getting the barn itself ready to fill up with the tools. It’s a pole barn, has no insulation or heating/cooling. It’s few and far between posts with metal walls. No ceiling, just metal roof. The laser and 3d printers will need climate control.

Apologizes if I missed answering any of your questions.

 

[Bessy]

No this is excellent!

I've not had a pole barn myself, rather my experience has always been in stick built structures. A buddy of mine has a metal building that's fully spray foamed inside, with all electrical running in conduit. It makes for easy changes to layout as you acquire more tools and/or your needs change.

It looks like the first things I would tackle would be to get the space dried in. I see lots of light coming in from the bottom of the steel, around the doors and in between the peaks and valleys of the siding. I'm really not sure the best method to attack that myself, so I'll let the rest of the brain trust weigh in there.

Focus on one area at a time. I don't see any photos of the offending floor, but since you're considering that space for 3D printing and clean work, you might build in a raised plywood floor on a 2x4 or 2x6 structure, with some barrier and insulation under it and build up from there. That would give you a good level and clean surface on which to continue. Since you have a laser, it could be a good opportunity also to run a duct under that floor to mitigate any fumes.

Looking forward to hearing what others have to say and following your progress!

 

[johnre]

Condolences on the loss of your father. And I would say that I also learned too late, as you did, that time spent together was precious, and I should have done more of it.

Since you father had all of the woodworking power equipment together, and I'm presuming you'll inherit this, work first on storing it in a clean, dry environment. There's a reason your dad saw the need to address this part of it; the cast iron surfaces on the equipment won't much tolerate moisture. This could initially just be tenting over a smaller area inside this building with one of those inexpensive vendor tents with velcro sides that are common at farmer's markets, and putting in a little bit of heat with forced air circulation, along with a dehumidifier.

And since you don't know how to safely use this sort of power equipment, sign up for a beginner's woodworking shop course at your local community college. It will not cost a lot, and they will teach you how to do simple things with them, but most importantly they will address the most pressing need that you have, which is safety instruction around such equipment - you don't want to be trying to learn this on your own, with no instruction or mentoring.

As you gain skills and confidence in doing this, you'll have a better idea of what you want, and can move on to modifying the shop to suit your needs and using your own equipment. And doing it this way, you won't be spending a lot up front to modify the building in a way that later doesn't suit where you take this hobby, and you'll also keep all ten of your fingers intact on your hands, where they belong.

Good luck! These wooden toys in my intro post here were done just a couple of years into my woodworking journey; they can be learned pretty quickly.

 

[4x4Pete]

Condolences on your father. That was a really tough thing for me to go through as well. You have a great starting point to build an awesome place to now bond with your kids. You need to research as much as possible, then make the decisions on how the space is to be used. I use my shop for mostly mechanical stuff, I have rebuilt motorcycles with my kids, plenty of automotive service and repairs, and the occasional get together, with family and friends.
Decisions need to be made before starting. Like, do you or the space require constant heat, either by way of the 3d machines requirements, or your availability to use the space. Will it need cooling? Again you or your equipment will help decide this. I keep my workshop heated 24/7, I generally go out there every day, even for only an hour sometimes. I feel the trade off is worth it, I probably would use it less if I had to wait for it to heat up. I don't need cooling, so it is only heated. The pictures you posted, show a considerable space, would it need to be split up for different purposes? Woodworking divided from 3d printing? Would it have to incorporate a washroom? It would be nice but my space constraints and close proximity to the house made not incorporating one an easy call. How much power is run to the building? This could have been taken care of already if the woodworking equipment was used there. There is plenty to think about, make a list and put your ideas and questions in there, as you come up with answers you'll find it gets easier and fun to plan. I spent a lot of time working through my plan, and it turned into an awesome project, the kids helped out, everyone loves the space.
I hope this doesn't scare you from following through with your idea, it is a bit daunting at first. I found that researching and reviewing ideas really helped make an amazing place that me and my family love to use and look forward to spending time there. Good luck and have fun!

 

[loganb]

I echo the condolences in your families loss.

Ballpark where is the shop geographically as that change recommendations for finishing the interior and heating/cooling options

 

[acer66]

Also my condolences for your loss.

You came to the right place for your project and good luck with the process.

 

[Notgrownup]

Your general location will help. For the delicate equipment I would suggest having a dedicated climate controlled room for 3d printing area, then for the woodworking part. I climate control my woodworking space with a mini split because i paid a lot for my exotic lumbers. Insulating the whole building would be nice but you can isolate 1/2 or so of it . This way you could save some coin. Keeping moisture out will be the biggest task and make it easier to climate control. I will let the experts chime in about moisture barriers and insulation choices as mine is stick built and in a high humidity environment. My mini split in my 24x24 is awesome.

 

[nadogail]

Add me to those expressing condolences.

Any advice I might give will be dependent on your location.

I also agree that classes in Woodworking will give you more confidence and options regarding your machinery.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Sorry for the loss of your father.

Edit you profile to include a general location. This will helps others give you advice more accurate for your location.

Before you even get started, who owns the building and land ? Don't get all your $$ wrapped up in something you can lose next year. Draw up the paperwork, see a lawyer or purchase the property to make sure it stays with you.

You don't want to be trying to fixing it up and "Uncle Mike" says I'm keeping my boat, SXS and Aunt Bertha's **** in there. Nor does anyone else need access to it. If they have access, your junk will come up missing and their junk will find a way there.

Behind the walls shown must have been the horse stall ? That needs cleaned out, pressure washed and maybe sealed to prevent any future issues.

 

[zcar751]

My condolences on your father's passing.
You are setting out on a project, so you need to tackle it as such. What is your end goal and start working backwards. What do you want and what is your budget. How do you envision the final space? Many wood workers will attest to the fact that they have moved their machines and tools multiple times over the evolution their craft. So don't get to ******* on how you set it up.

Wood working generates dust no matter how good a dust collection system you put in so I am going to assume you will need some sort of partition.

The question about your location is really a moot point, in my opinion. If you want to go out whenever you want you will need insulation and some type of climate control, which is a regional issue. If you're in the extreme North you may not need A/C but you will definitely need heat. Wood working tools are subject to rust if the humidity isn't manage (east coast/south east problem).

I would go in and gut what isn't needed for my vision remove the slider doors, put stud walls in install electrical circuit's, spray foam insulate the walls and roof. Put in a ceiling so you don't have to heat or cool as much. Install interior walls (I like drywall, others like OSB or plywood) then paint the wall and seal the concrete floor.

 

[bugnut]

Condolences on your fathers passing. You've coming to ask and folks here will help. There are people here that can guide you in every avenue you might need help. Don't be afraid to ask.

 

[Zekez]

Condolences on the loss of your father. And I would say that I also learned too late, as you did, that time spent together was precious, and I should have done more of it.

Since you father had all of the woodworking power equipment together, and I'm presuming you'll inherit this, work first on storing it in a clean, dry environment. There's a reason your dad saw the need to address this part of it; the cast iron surfaces on the equipment won't much tolerate moisture. This could initially just be tenting over a smaller area inside this building with one of those inexpensive vendor tents with velcro sides that are common at farmer's markets, and putting in a little bit of heat with forced air circulation, along with a dehumidifier.

And since you don't know how to safely use this sort of power equipment, sign up for a beginner's woodworking shop course at your local community college. It will not cost a lot, and they will teach you how to do simple things with them, but most importantly they will address the most pressing need that you have, which is safety instruction around such equipment - you don't want to be trying to learn this on your own, with no instruction or mentoring.

As you gain skills and confidence in doing this, you'll have a better idea of what you want, and can move on to modifying the shop to suit your needs and using your own equipment. And doing it this way, you won't be spending a lot up front to modify the building in a way that later doesn't suit where you take this hobby, and you'll also keep all ten of your fingers intact on your hands, where they belong.

Good luck! These wooden toys in my intro post here were done just a couple of years into my woodworking journey; they can be learned pretty quickly.

Thank you. I appreciate your response. I have looked into local woodworking shop courses per your suggestion, and it has opened up a whole to avenue to me! Also thank you for the link to the wooden toys! Saved them, for some starter stuff once I get some of the equipment hooked up and learned

 

[Zekez]

I read over all of the posts, and instead of replying to each individual response, I'll just try and answer all questions in one post. First I'm located in western TN., weather is all over the place lol. We get below freezing during the winter, sometimes snowfall. Sometimes above 100 in summer, and humidity is def an issue. I'm looking into heating/cooling the shop, my brother mentioned a MRCOOL DIY system. I would be needing to build a closed off space for my laser engraving and 3dprinters, as well as a spot for my wife (she wants a paint room, but this is late part of the project). Someone had mentioned removing the sliding doors, which is something I considered myself. However I would like a larger sized entry to still exist. something my truck can back into, to unload larger pieces of wood/furniture, or new equipment easily.

 

[toolmiser]

Sorry to hear about your father. Sounds like you need to get the building "weather proof". Come up with some way to get it insulated. Can you do a double door to get your truck in (maybe one standard size and the other oversized). I think this way you can get the equipment into it, while getting some education on how to use it before getting tied into where you would like it placed.

 

[nadogail]

Johnson's Paste Wax keeps the Cast Iron table of my saw rust free and allows the boards to slide nicely through the saw.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Per the sliding door. I've seen people leave the sliding door in place but a typical O/H door behind it.

In the winter time, they close the slider to help block the wind on the O/H door. Bonus points for insulating the slider with some foam panels.

 

[aquinob]

Sorry about your dad.

You might want to enlist the services of a contractor, at least to get the building sealed up and have adequate power and HVAC running. Yeah, you can try and do it yourself, but its a lot of grunt work and it would probably take you 3-5x more time and effort than you might anticipate.

Woodworking and 3d printing and laser engraving are really different hobbies, esp the 3d printing. That really needs more climate conditioning than WW machinery. Now if you get into CNC, that will exist happily with the machinery as it tends to generate lots of its own dust.

I've recently started getting into CNC and 3d and may get a Laser too and I set it all up in a finished room over the garage. I have a fairly complete woodworking shop down in the garage. Unless you plan on running a printer farm, one or two printers aren't going to take up that much space. It's also more convenient to be able to pull jobs off the machines and keep an eye on them. And they dont get covered in dust either. HTH.

 

[zcar751]

Oh yeah in west Tennessee you will need a mini split. If you want it to be useable year round. I'm in East Tennessee and I love my mini split.