POPULAR WOODWORKING August 200254

Getting started in woodworking is always the hardest part.But getting your shop set up right will make everythingthat follows a little easier. This article will show you how.

THE ULTIMATE HOME WORKSHOPTHE ULTIMATE HOME WORKSHOP

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When DIY - Do It YourselfNetwork, asked PopularWoodworking to help pro-

duce its “The Ultimate Workshop”series, which first aired in May,we sent DIY (www.diynet.com)a barrage of tips and advice thestaff had accumulated over decadesof professional and home-shopwoodworking.

We took a look at all our ad-vice – enough to fill a book – andboiled it down into an essentialguide for anyone planning theirown ultimate home workshop.

But what is an ultimate homeshop? It depends on you. However,whether you’re going to build re-

production furniture using onlyhand tools, or make plywoodshelves for the den, many of theideas presented here will help youset up your ultimate home work-shop the right way, the first time.

Location, Location, LocationMost woodworkers can put theirshop one of two places: the garageor (in about half the country) thebasement. If you’re lucky orwealthy you might have a sepa-rate outbuilding to consider.

If you’re in a part of the coun-try with basements, they can makehandy shops. Basements are usu-ally pre-wired for electrical out-lets and lighting, and already haveplumbing and heat. But a base-ment shop poses problems, too.You need to get lumber, largeequipment and finished projectsup and down steps. The size ofyour doors, the number and slopeof your steps and any corners youmight have to turn can make abasement shop impossible.

Photos by Al Parrish.

by David Thiel

Comments or questions? Contact David at 513-531-2690 ext. 1255 ordavid.thiel@fwpubs.com.

Another basement problemis ceiling height. Older homesmay only have 6' or 7' ceilings –less than optimal when workingwith taller projects.

Finally, basement shops testthe patience of your family withthe dust and noise. Here’s a tipfor quieting your basement shop:If there’s drywall on the ceiling,add a second layer. If the ceil-ing is open rafters, so much thebetter. Add insulation, then adda layer of drywall.

If you don’t have a basement,or it’s already got a pool table init, a two-car garage makes a greatworkshop, offering easy access

POPULAR WOODWORKING August 200256

This corner essentially makes up the“machining” area in the shop. Lumberis stored within easy reach above thejointer, with the planer positioned readyto be used by simply turning aroundfrom the jointer.With the wood milled,it’s a simple step to the table saw to cutthe pieces to final size.The stand for theplaner is designed to knock downquickly and fold flat against the wall.The planer itself stores under a cabinet,or even under the right-hand wing ofthe table saw.The portable dust collec-tor is stored in the corner, but it can beattached quickly to any of the threemachines in this corner for clean andsafe working conditions.

We know that not everyone has the same sizeworkspace, so we thought we’d give you some

templates to photocopy and cut out to planyour own shop.The grid is a 1⁄4" pattern in full

size (one square equals 1'), which will workwith most graph paper you buy in tablets at

the store. (Trust me, paper tools are muchlighter to move around.) Also, when organizing

your tools, remember to include space for thewood on the infeed and outfeed sides.

through large doors, a solid pouredconcrete floor and a location that’sunlikely to get you in troublewhen you make dust.

With a garage shop, your firstdecision is whether the cars willstay out permanently or just whenyou’re woodworking. If your work-shop will include some major ma-chinery, the cars will be experi-encing some weather.

Other concerns with a garageshop include: upgrading your elec-trical system (more outlets andperhaps 220-volt service); plumb-ing and lighting the shop (andheating in colder climates).

A third option may or maynot be available to you. If youhave an outbuilding on your prop-erty (or the space and funds tobuild one) they make great shopswithout the noise and dust con-cerns. If you’re building, this alsoallows you to get everything justthe way you want it.

10" Miter Saw

13" Planer

6" Bench Grinder

16" Drum Sander 14" Band Saw10" Table Saw

6" Jointer

OscillatingSpindle Sander

11/2 hp Shaper

25 Gal. VerticalAir Compressor

6" Belt / 12" DiscSander

10" Radial ArmSaw

16" Scroll Saw

1100 CFMDust Collector

Router Table

161/2" FloorDrill Press

10" BenchtopDrill Press

Once you’ve decided whereyour workshop will be, it’s timeto decide how it will be used.

Not Just for WoodworkingWe all know that a lot more hap-pens in a home workshop thanjust woodworking. Hundreds ofhome fix-up projects take placethere, from painting a closet doorto rewiring a lamp.

So even though you’re plan-ning on lots of woodworking,don’t overlook the needs of otherprojects. Plan on extra storagefor paint cans, mechanic’s toolsand a drawer or two for electri-cal tools and supplies. But beforewe worry about storage, let’s picksome tools and machines.

Picking Your ToolsIf woodworking will be an occa-sional activity, or space is at a highpremium, consider buying bench-top machines. You can do a lot ofwork with a benchtop drill press,planer and band saw. While notas versatile as their floor-modelbig brothers, we recommend themfor the small shop.

On the other hand, we don’trecommend benchtop table sawsfor any but the tiniest of shops.While a benchtop saw might besmaller, it’s also less powerful andless accurate. Find a way to squeezea contractor saw or cabinet sawin your shop on a mobile base.

The same goes for the joint-er. Like the table saw, benchtopjointers just don’t satisfy the needsof most woodshops. We recom-mend carving out a section offloor space along the wall for astationary 6" or 8" jointer.

With these five machines (andan assortment of portable andhand tools) you’ll be ready to buildcabinets and shelves. However,if turning is your passion, a lathemay be at the top of the list, andthe jointer and planer may dis-appear altogether. It’s your choice.

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Our example of work flow in a two-car garage.This is the same shop as shown in the otherphotos, so you know it works on more than paper. Just follow the red arrows to the easiest pathfor woodworking.The dotted lines show approximate infeed and outfeed room for lumber.

Band Saw

Router Table

Miter Saw

Hand-tool Storage

Drill Press

4 The finishing area is locatedclose to the garage door fornatural ventilation, or for usewith an exterior exhaust set-up.

3 The assembly area is close to all the smaller tools and clamps necessary for this step.

Shelving

DustCollector

Planer

Jointer

LumberStorage

Table Saw

2 The machining area islocated close to lumberstorage and themachines are situated tosmoothly move thelumber from onemachine to the next.

1 Lumber enters through thegarage door, or in cooler weather, through thepassage door to the left.

There are other tools that you’llwant to have (or may own al-ready), including a miter saw,scroll saw and bench grinder, butthese can be added as you go along,and they don’t take up much space.

Placing Your MachinesOnce you know what machineswill be in your workshop, you needto determine their location. Allowfor infeed and outfeed space andplace them near machines they’reused with most frequently.

Each machine requires spacefor itself and space to use the tool.With a table saw, you need to beable to maneuver a 4' x 8' sheetof plywood to the back, front andleft side of the saw. This means apretty big footprint for the ma-

chine when in use (you can over-lap the “in-use” footprints of mul-tiple machines). We’ve added adiagram above that shows thenecessary working footprint foreach major machine. We suggestyou draw up your shop on graphpaper, cut out the tools (at left)and start trying different arrange-ments to see what works.

The trick to positioning yourmachines in your shop is to cre-ate an orderly flow of work fromraw lumber to the finished prod-uct. The work flow always startswhere the wood is stored, or whereit enters the workshop. Next, thelumber is prepared for use by joint-ing, planing and sawing to theproper dimensions. Conveniently,the machines required for these

steps are also the ones that needthe most power and create themost dust, allowing you to locateyour power and dust collectionin a “machining” area, with thesemachines close to one another.

From the machining phase,the next step is joinery and as-sembly, usually requiring handtools, a band saw, drill press andhand-held power tools, such as arouter, biscuit joiner and bradnailer. A stable workbench or as-sembly table are ideal for this step.

The assembly area should belocated out of the way of the ma-chining area, but not so far awaythat you end up carrying lots ofmilled lumber across the shop.Your hand and small power toolsshould be easily accessible (stored

POPULAR WOODWORKING August 200258

in handy drawers or on the wall),and quick access to clamps willmake things easier as well.

Once assembly is complete,the third phase is finishing. Nomatter what finish you use, a clean,well-ventilated area is required.

When applying a varnish orshellac finish, the vapors givenoff as the finish dries are flam-mable and should be kept awayfrom any ignition points, such aswater heaters or space heaters. Inconcentrated exposure, the va-pors can also be harmful to you,so ventilation is important. Also,when storing solvent-based fin-ishes (such as varnishes) a fire-proof storage cabinet is a must.

If you’re going to use a spray-on finishing system, ventilationis even more critical to move theoverspray away from your lungs.

From here, the rest of your shopwill fall into place in the spaceleft. Keep in mind that to savespace, many tools can be storedunder cabinets until needed.

Putting Things AwayWhile we’ve talked about whereyour lumber storage should be in

The cabinets you choose for your shopcan be premade kitchen cabinets,cabinets you make yourself, or cabinetsdesigned for your woodworking needs,as shown in the photo.These cabinetsoffer simple drop-in platforms for avariety of benchtop tools, with slide-in/slide-out storage for easy access.Storage options include drawers anddoors, depending on your needs. Eachof the units is capable of easy dustcollection hook-up for any benchtoptool, and one of the drop-in panels willallow the cabinet to function as adowndraft table. But don't forget thelowly pegboard for storing hand tools. Itstill provides the easiest, least expen-sive and most adjustable hangingstorage around.

the work triangle, we haven’ttalked about how to store it.

There are three types of woodstored in a workshop: sheet goods(such as plywood), rough or full-size lumber, and shorts and scraps.Shorts and scraps are the piecesyou can’t bring yourself to throwaway. Not only are there usual-ly more of these pieces, but they’reharder to store than plywood orrough lumber because of their oddshapes and sizes. Let’s start withthe easy stuff first.

Plywood takes up the leastamount of space when storedstanding on edge. Most of us aren’tstoring more than a few sheets ofplywood, so this can often bestored in a 10"- to 12"-deep rackthat can slip behind other stor-age or machinery. This keeps itout of the way but accessible.

Rough lumber is best storedflat and well-supported to keepthe wood from warping. Keepingit up off the floor also keeps itaway from any water that may getinto your shop. A wall rack witha number of adjustable-heightsupports provides the easiest ac-cess while keeping the wood flat

and dry. See our “$30 LumberRack” in the April 2002 issue,which is available for sale atwww.popularwoodworking.com.

Shorts are the hardest to store,but a rolling box with a numberof smaller compartments hold-ing the shorts upright allows easyaccess to the pieces, and it keepsthem from falling against and ontop of each other. For plans for agood bin (and 24 other shop proj-ects), get a copy of the book “25Essential Projects for YourWorkshop” (published by PopularWoodworking Books).

Carrying on with the stor-age concept, one category thatdeserves special attention is fin-ishing materials. While water-borne finishes are gaining in pop-ularity, flammable finishes in cans,bottles and jars should be storedin a fireproof storage box and keptclean and organized at all times.A tall cabinet with lots of ad-justable shelf space makes roomfor the many sizes of finishing sup-plies. For more details, see the“Flexner on Finishing” article onpage 86 in this issue.

Other workshop storage needs

fall into the cabinet and shelv-ing category. Just because there’sa tool sitting on the floor againstthe wall doesn’t mean you can’thang a cabinet or shelving aboveit. In fact, in many cases there areaccessories and supplies you neednear that tool that belong on ashelf right above it. And don’thesitate to go all the way to theceiling with storage. Even thoughthe top shelves are harder to getto, we all have things in our shopsthat don’t get used very often.

Many of us have purchaseda tool that had a base tossed in tosweeten the deal. It seems like agood idea, but if you stop andthink about it, it’s truly wastedspace. Throw away that stamped-steel base and build a storage cab-inet to go underneath the tool.

When choosing base storagecabinets, you’ll have to decidewhether you need drawer cabi-nets, door cabinets or both. Ifyou’re storing large, odd-shapeditems (belt sanders, arc welders)a drawer can be a real problem.They’re designed to fit only somuch. A door cabinet is a betterplace to store bulky items.

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On the other hand, if you’restoring smaller items (door hinges,glue, seldom-used jigs) a door cab-inet can be a great place to losethese items. Items seem to mi-grate to the back of the cabinet;and until you’re down on yourknees peering into the hole, youwon’t find them. While drawerscan get pretty junky if you’re notcareful, you’ll at least be able tostand up and stare down into thedrawer looking for your lost met-ric tape measure.

Beyond doors or drawers, youhave two general choices in cab-inets – buy ’em or make ’em. Ifyou make your own cabinetry,you will almost certainly get ex-actly what you need for the bestspace utilization. You’ll also like-ly save some money, but it’ll takea fair amount of time.

Buying shop-grade cabinets

A good workbench is one item youshould build into your plans from the

start.We've put the bench in thisshop so it’s central to all the activity.

It's just a short step away from thesaw and planer, and only a few feet

away from all the hand tools andother benchtop tools.And with it

isolated in the center of the room, allfour sides of the workbench can beused.You can order complete plans

for this bench (which costs just$175 to build) from our web site at

www.popularwoodworking.com.The plans are $9.95.

from a home center can work outwell. There are any number ofutility cabinets available in allshapes, sizes and finishes.

One other option is plastic ormetal storage units, such as theTool Dock cabinets shown below,designed specifically for a work-shop. These units offer featuresthat are set up to maximize tooluse and convenience.

Beyond cabinets, open shelvesare good for storage, but they’rea bit of a trade-off. While you caneasily see what you’re looking for,so can everyone else – whetherit’s attractive or not.

Wire-frame shelving is not agood choice for storing smallpieces. And knowing the weightlimit of the shelves will keep youfrom picking up all of your woodscrews from the shop floor whenthe shelf collapses. Also, while

you may view deeper shelves asbeing capable of storing more,(which they are) recognize thatsmaller items on the shelf can getpushed to the back and get lost.

Where’d I Put That Hammer?Certain hand tools (hammersscrewdrivers, chisels and handsaws) are always being reachedfor – frequently when only onehand is free. For that reason theseand other hand tools are usual-ly stored hanging within easyreach on the wall.

There are all sorts of ways tohang hand tools on a wall. Somewoodworkers build special cab-inets for their hand tools. Themore common solution is peg-board. It’s inexpensive, versatileand easy to mount. With a vari-ety of hooks to choose from, youcan make pegboard storage adapt

to almost anything. And peg-board doesn’t have to be darkbrown. More frequently it’s beingoffered in colored plastic, or youcan simply paint your own.

But pegboard isn’t the onlysimple option for hanging tools.You’ve likely seen “slat wall” indepartment stores holding upsocks and ties. This material isessentially a 3⁄4" board with T-shaped grooves cut in it and a col-ored plastic laminate on top. Itprovides much of the versatilityand convenience of pegboard,but looks nicer doing it. It’ll costa little more, but it’s your choice.

Then there are the workshopexperts who mount things rightto the wall. By using drywall mollys(or covering your walls with paint-ed particleboard) and a varietyof hanging storage accessoriesavailable in any home-center

store, you can make a wall of toolsthat will be uniquely your own.In fact, many folks add outlinesof the tools on the wall (or onpegboard) so they know exactlywhere it belongs, and more im-portantly…if it’s missing.

Power, Lights,VentilationNow that you know where every-thing belongs, it’s time to powerit up. While it’s one thing to beable to check the tool manualsfor the power requirements, it’squite another thing to go abouthooking up that power yourself.If you’re uncertain about addingnew breakers or running wiring,we recommend you get a licensedprofessional to help you out. Butyou can help them out by de-termining the voltage require-ments for your tools, whether 110or 220 volts, and also how manyamps each tool requires.

You’ll need to provide ade-quate amperage for each group-ing of tools. A contractor’s sawwill usually require a 110-volt,

POPULAR WOODWORKING August 200260

Here’s a little closer look at the interchangeable drop-in panels and dust-collectionhook-ups for the benchtop tools.

20-amp connection, but you canuse that same circuit for your plan-er or jointer because these ma-chines are seldom used simulta-neously. Band saws and drill press-es can also share a circuit. Anotherway to improve motor perform-ance and safety is to use a heav-ier-gauge wire (12 gauge versus14 gauge) for your stationary tools.

Other things to include in yourpower requirements are lighting,bench outlets and any ambientair cleaners. Even if you’re blessedwith lots of windows in your shop,we all work on cloudy days andin the evenings. So proper light-ing can be critical. Make sure youhave plenty of general lightingthroughout your shop, and addtask lighting over dedicated workareas such as your workbench andtools that require careful atten-tion to detail, such as the bandsaw or scrollsaw.

Don’t skimp on power outlets.Heck, put one everywhere youcan imagine plugging in a tool,radio or fan. Make sure there is a

good power strip with numerousoutlets mounted near your benchbecause cordless-tool batterychargers will use them up fast.

Wood dust is bad for the lungs.By properly using dust collectionto keep the larger dust particlesout of the air to start, and air clean-ers to pull the smaller particlesout of the air, the workshop canbe a safe and lung-friendly place.

Dust collection is usually setup one of two ways – either witha central collection system usingmetal or plastic ductwork and asingle large dust collector, or withmultiple dedicated collectors(though often these can be sharedby more than one machine).

A central dust-collection sys-tem is a fairly involved topic thatentire books have been writtenabout (see “Controlling Dust inthe Workshop” by Rick Peters[Sterling Publications]). You needto determine the amount of airmovement required to collectfrom the many different machines,make sure your collector is capa-ble of that performance, and lo-cate and use blast gates in theduct work to maximize the per-formance of the machine. If acentral dust-collection system isyour preference, you should spendsome in-depth research time onthe topic and maybe even con-sult a professional for advice.

Smaller portable dust collec-tors are often more affordable andcan provide adequate collectionfor a couple of machines. By usingmultiple hoses and closeable gatesto control which machine is beingcollected, one machine can dodouble or triple duty. Each ma-chine is rated by the “cfm” (cubicfeet per minute) of air that it iscapable of handling. We’ve in-cluded a quick reference chartthat rates each machine by thesuggested cfm required to extractdust. By using the chart you caneasily determine the size and num-

ber of dust collectors you need.Ambient air cleaners pull the

dust from the air that the dustcollectors miss. They are designedto exchange a specific amount ofair determined by the size of yourshop. Choose the air cleaner (orcleaners) to best serve your space,then let them go to work. Aircleaners require less attentionthan a dust collector, but you doneed to clean or change the fil-ters on a regular basis so they op-erate properly.

Another air-quality decisionis finishing. Because of the volatileand harmful vapors given off bysolvent-base finishing products,they will be labeled for use in awell-ventilated area. Whetherthat means a dedicated finishingarea with appropriate air-extrac-tion equipment, or just makingsure the garage door is open anda good fan is in use, finishing shouldtake place in an area that ensuressafety from explosion, or inhala-tion of fumes. PW

MACHINE DUST-COLLECTIONSTATISTICSMachine Req’d CFM12" Planer 350

13" + Planer 400

Shaper 400

Band saw 400

Radial arm saw 350

Table saw 350

Disc sander 300

Jointer 350

Drill press 300

Scroll saw 300

Static Press. Loss/ft.4" Duct .055 in./ft.

5" Duct .042 in./ft.

6" Duct .035 in./ft.

7" Duct .026 in./ft.

8" Duct .022 in./ft.