Woodshop

Shop Layout

The shop you see in the layout is my current setup and has evolved over many years to accommodate most importantly the acquisition of newer equipment but also better work flow.

It is a free standing 2 story gambrel style barn with office and storage space on the second level.

Lumber and supplies are moved in and out of the shop through the front overhead door. To the left of the door are the lumber and plywood storage racks. Across from the lumber rack and to the right of the overhead door is the radial arm saw, miter saw and mortiser utilizing a single fence system for all operations. Below and above these are cabinets and storage for misc. power hand tools. Next to the radial arm saw and in the corner is the floor drill press with accessory storage next to it for all drilling operations.

Across from the radial arm saw is a separate workstation set up with a small portable table saw and router shaper set-up with storage underneath for routers, bits and accessories.

The dust collector is stationed in the front center of the shop with the main trunk running the length of the shop and branches to the major workstations and machines. Across from the radial arm saw are the planer and jointer and at the rear of the shop is the band-saw.

To the other side of the shop is the main cabinet saw, out-feed table and sanding center. I incorporated a downdraft sanding station into the out-feed table to make it closer to the dust collector for better dust control. Immediately behind the cabinet saw is the work bench and assembly table. On the back wall is another bench cabinet system housing the various hand tools, planes, hand saws, chisels and measuring and marking instruments with additional storage underneath the bench.

In the corner of the bench is the sharpening station and metal vise. On the wall next to the bench is the lathe and air compressor.

I find this set-up helps in work-flow from rough cutting and shaping to sanding and finishing and very comfortable to work around. As with most shops, you never seem to have enough work space so additional lumber storage was added in the newly constructed located next to the shop.

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This is a basic Flow chart for the shop. You will see the from the chart below, how the material which enters the shop first is rough dimensioned, jointed, planed, final piece's cut to size, assembly and dry fit, final sanding and glue-up then finishing and out to the customer. I found this to be a good guide in setting up my shop to help not only keep in mind the process of materials to final piece but in also setting up the shop equipment and workstations in order to keep the workflow smooth from one procedure to another.