Last Updated on November 19, 2024 by teamobn
It’s pretty exciting to set up a woodworking shop right in your garage. You have to prep the area, make sure everything is safe, and grab your woodworking tools as well. You may have a long to-do list on this one, so it can be frustrating if you don’t know where to start.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Contents
General Wood Shop Layout for a Small Woodworking Shop
Whether you’re setting up your small woodwork shop in your car garage, a rental space, or just an outbuilding outside your house, there are a few tips you need in terms of layout. Here’s our advice:
Don’t Disrupt the Flow
Create a smooth traffic flow inside your shop. From the first cut up to finishing, you want to have a well-organized process.
The journey of the wood from shaping to polishing should be smooth. You don’t want to place the first tool you need at the center of your workshop and the last tool at the door. Create a flow where you can move from one machine to another without hassle. Try it out so you know if you need shop rearrangement, like which equipment should be near the door or away from the door.
Tool Storage
Heavy-duty stuff such as a radial arm saw, jointer, router table, or table saw should be placed in the order you need them for a seamless process.
Planning a specific workshop area to store them is important. Ideally, it should be near a garage workbench, so they’re within reach. Utilize tool cabinets, the floor, or even wall space in your work area.
Storage units would help. Wall-mounted organizers are top-notch for hand tool storage. Clamps on walls are great for storage too.
Let There Be Light
In every book for woodworkers, you’ll find this tip: woodworking shops have to have good lighting. When you use a jointer or a table saw, you want to stay safe.
Have overhead lights and lamps to provide lighting as you work. If possible, place your garage workbench with storage or a work table near a window to get natural light during the day. Remember, you will sit or stand in your workspace for a length of time – you want it to be well-lit when you cut or plane pieces.
Wood Storage
The very best place to store wood pieces or sheet goods is nearby the front of the shop (like near your garage door) or close to your workbench. You’d want to get a piece of wood when you walk in the door, and this makes it easy to reach.
Another option is to consider a dedicated cabinet for raw pieces of wood and another one for unfinished workpieces. Opt for plywood boards and other sheet goods when planning your floor plan.
Have a Middle Ground
We actually mean a table or an island in the middle of everything. This is also called an assembly table or assembly area, and it holds lumber, boards, a saw, a hand tool or two, and jointers. Your screws and nuts can go on here for easy access. With this option, you will have a smoother flow too.
End at the Window
After our boards and materials become a beautiful workpiece, we need to coat it with finishes and paint. That’s why the area where you apply finishes should be near windows or doors. Being near the door helps air out the fumes. And if you have an AC unit on the side or against a wall, that helps fan out fumes as well.
Alternatively, you can have a high-velocity wall or floor fan as well. The amount of chemicals you can inhale in a workshop can be potentially harmful, so have this option for better ventilation.
If you have a respirator mask, that’s good protection. However, many of us forget this, causing health problems if we’re always working on a ton of wood projects.
Try to Keep Things Moving
Setting up storage can be tricky, and you may never know what works immediately, so be prepared for any adjustments to your shop floor.
Thankfully, most large tools today (like the router table, tablesaw, or jointer) have mobile bases so you can roll and push your machines around your workspace. This allows you to move the machines when you need space on either side of it.
Clamps on walls are useful, too. Planning to have shelves on your wall will also be great for other products.
Setting Up Your Garage Workshop
If you’re just starting out but wanting to create profit in woodworking, you might want to begin in the comfort of your own home – in your car garage. This saves you money on rent and also allows you to customize the wall and floor space as you see fit.
Spending time in your shop sounds heavenly. To set up your shop, here’s what you need to do.
The Space
Determine how much space you have to work with. Not all garages are the same size, and a one-car garage may not accommodate the same amount of materials or workbenches as one with a larger shop floor. But before you set up a shop, clean and clear out the space. Garages often double as storage spaces, so decluttering would reveal how much space you have.
If you’re still shopping for larger power tools, aim for mobile ones for more flexibility. Be careful with the big machines, though – you might end up choosing between which ones should stay on the shop floor and which ones should go.
The Equipment
The equipment others would need in their dream shop may not be what you need. Every woodworker is different, but basic machinery such as a table saw and jointer are common. For some, a beverage cooler might be a necessity. If you work in winter, a wall-mounted heater would do wonders. Whatever you choose, just have high-quality and heavy-duty equipment in your plan. That is extremely important because you want every piece of equipment to last without having to buy new ones soon.
Organization
Having a few organizers like a toolbox, clamp racks, workbench, assembly table, and work belt can make your shop neater. Hangers, hooks, a clamp rack, cabinets, and rungs are all great for keeping your materials out of your way.
As for your work surface, having bench dog holes may help, depending on the work you’re doing. You can even have an accent wall on the side to make your shop prettier. If you care about aesthetics and you want to brighten up the space, why not?
Power It Up!
Make sure you have outlets working at a capacity of both 110 and 220 volts. Larger equipment will need more voltage, while smaller ones will do well with the 110.
These outlets should be placed in optimal positions for your garage workshop layout. It’s nice to be able to plan each receptacle around each machine, but extension cords would help with that.
You might also need heating in your space, so include that in planning too. At least 5000 watts of heating power is enough.
It’s All About Lighting
Aside from planning the storage, heating, and wall organization in your layouts, it’s important to have lights in your space. Of course, you want to build your first-ever woodworking projects with ease and without straining your eyes.
Generally, what helps is having light from two separate sources. If you have a row of overhead lights, use another lamp to offset the overhead light and eliminate the shadows.
Having adequate lighting is crucial to a workshop. You want to be able to create small projects of furniture with accuracy. It’s a safety feature as well since you’re working with potentially harmful equipment, and you don’t want any accidents happening.
Dust Collection
A table saw, radial arm saw, sand paper, jigsaw, and almost every other tool can accumulate particles on your work surface. This can damage your airways, especially after long-term exposure, so dust extraction is a must.
Use a dust collection system that, in combination with blast gates, gather waste and wood chips from the wood shop. This will prevent health risks, fires, and safety issues.
Give It A Try
When you start building your projects, that’s the time you’ll figure out what you need to modify in your plan and organization technique. You can plan your setup all you want, but sometimes, you still need changes to the space. It can be a wall organizer or moving storage near the door – or you’ll realize you’re missing some more things altogether.
Don’t be afraid to work on a few projects even when your layout isn’t completely done. Start by building simpler projects like frames, wine holders, address signs, and any easy piece.
You can also sign up for services that will provide you with tips and information, like the Woodworkers Guild of America. After you’ve attempted the easy tasks in your space, move on to a complex project. This will help you get a better idea of what works in your small workshop space.
Small Basement Workshop
There are problems that come with setting up a small woodworking shop in a basement. As you probably know, basements often come with mold, leaks, and moisture issues.
Moisture is a killer of heavy machines. When assessing the condition of basements, also make sure that the plugs are clean and in ideal positions.
Basements aren’t usually known for adequate task lighting, so you may need to enlarge the windows and even install a door to let the lights from outside in.
Must-Have Tools to Consider
A lot of beginner woodworkers are concerned about overspending or buying the “wrong” accessories. In this quick guide, we’re going to help you weed out the “good” from the “bad.”
What Not To Do When You Buy New Tools
Instead of reading off of untrustworthy sites, we suggest looking into proper reviews. Don’t buy and use hand-me-down products. Some essential stuff you might need on the shop floor contain a radial arm saw, combination machine, drill press, miter station, router table, and some air tools as well. Planning the organization and storage is paramount in your layouts.
Good Tools to Invest In
Power Tools
- Table Saw – Whether it’s a large table saw or a portable design, table saws are great for cutting angles and cutting through surfaces. If you’re planning to have a table saw, have an outfeed table.
- Miter Saw – This is used to cut rounded corners. The standard blade is about 8-15 inches. A miter saw station is commonly used in a basement shop or a garage shop.
- Drill Press – Perfect for small workshops. Similar to a hand drill, a drill press boasts precision and are easy to use. It’s capable of drilling holes, sanding, and producing grooves as well.
- Planer – Also known as a thickness planer, these are used to trim lumber into consistent sizes.
- Sanders – This does the job that any best quality sandpapers do, but much more quickly and effectively. The abrasive surface smooths down surfaces upon contact. This is often used as a finishing touch on most woodworking projects.
- Band Saw – A band saw is a machine that sports a thinner vertical blade that moves up and down when it’s powered on. It can also cut through metal and is a common fixture in a small shop. You should have space on either side of this equipment.
- Router – These devices can be easily handheld – they are used to hollow out pieces for your wood project.
- Circular Saw – An enjoyable handy piece used by professional woodworkers, the circular saw is used for crosscutting.
- Power Drill – The use of a power drill is common in the house and in the shop. It’s one of the accessories most commonly required in a job.
- Jigsaw – It’s a versatile power tool. It’s ergonomic and gives you a lot of control.
Hand Tools
- Measuring Tape – How do you know if you have the right-sized lumber? A measuring tape is a must in any toolbox for length, width, and depth measurements.
- Hammer – One of the most trusted devices in the woodshop and in the household space. It’s essential for securing nails or whenever you need force.
- Chisels – Chisels are used in shops for chiselling surfaces and are ideal for beginner woodcarvers.
- Speed Square – Another must-have in your workshop, this tool is used for measuring the right angles.
- Screwdrivers – Even if you have an electric power drill that can double as a screwdriver, having one you can operate with your hands is still useful.
- Wrench – Screwing in nuts would require a handy wrench.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is A Workshop Layout?
A workshop layout is a plan that specifies the placement of equipment, storage areas, and your work bench inside the workshop. A solid shop layout is ideal for optimum workflow and doesn’t result in too much clutter or excessive unnecessary relocation within the floor space.
How Do You Lay Out a Woodworking Shop?
You layout it by thinking first about your workflow and setting things up according to that. Group related tools, place your bench near a window and have available wood near the entrance. An assembly table at the center helps, too.
What Is the Ideal Size of a Woodworking Shop?
The ideal size is 75 square feet to 125 square feet, depending on the number of tools you have on the floor. Power tools will occupy a lot of space, so that’s one thing to consider in shop size. You must also have a lumber storage or a lumber rack.
Conclusion
We hope our guide helps you with setting up a small woodworking shop from scratch. The basics are the same whether you’re renting out a workshop space or working in your basement. Start gradually with small projects and then expand as experience grows.
