workshop size

[Brandon Maxwell]

i currently use my brothers garage or my parents porch to build my projects and just curious of the dimensions of everyones shop on here and how well the size worked for them? 

[Brandon Maxwell]

that looks like it would be a nice shop. why did you say had? do you not have it anymore?

Robert J Guidry Sr said:

Had a 24'X40' metal building built for my shop.  All tools on bases so I can move them around.

[Eric Aldrich]

I built a 24x24 detached garage as soon as I bought my house.  I have (over the years) turned it into a woodworking shop, leaving my poor vehicles parked in the elements.  I insulated (r-13) my walls and celing and drywalled everything.  Makes it easy to heat in the cold Wisconsin winters.  I wish there was a perfect size for a shop but no matter what size it is it never seems to be big enough.  Organization is key!

[ray vile]

Robert you have the shop that i want when I do get my forever house, I dont think my wife will be satisfided with a steel building I all ready tried that but the size and the detached part she would love

Robert J Guidry Sr said:

Had a 24'X40' metal building built for my shop.  All tools on bases so I can move them around.

[Robert J Guidry Sr]

What I mean is I had someone build it for me

Brandon Maxwell said:

that looks like it would be a nice shop. why did you say had? do you not have it anymore?

Robert J Guidry Sr said:

Had a 24'X40' metal building built for my shop.  All tools on bases so I can move them around.

[Robert J Guidry Sr]

I have one regret, there is another overhead door at the back, I had it put there for ventilation in the summer, gets pretty hot here, wish I had put windows instead, the door takes a lot of wall space. I had a shop the same size at my past house and had much more space without the second overhead door

ray vile said:

Robert you have the shop that i want when I do get my forever house, I dont think my wife will be satisfided with a steel building I all ready tried that but the size and the detached part she would love

Robert J Guidry Sr said:

Had a 24'X40' metal building built for my shop.  All tools on bases so I can move them around.

[thetoolnut]

I built a 18ft by 16ft (internal dimensions) shed two Years ago, the floor, walls and ceiling are insulated and its warm in the winter and cool in the summer. I wired it for power and lighting a couple of Months ago. Prior to that i was running an extension lead in the window from an outside socket on the side of the house. I built a workbench for the centre of the shop and another one along one of the longest walls to which i bolted my 12 inch Dewalt sliding mitre saw. My table saw is on a rolling cabinet and i plan to build two more rolling cabinets, one for my planer and another for my jointer. They will all be the same height as my workbench so i can use it as an outfeed table. When i eventually build my dream house i will have a workshop near the house which will be at least 1000 sq ft.

[jenee lowe]

Okay, here's a cautionary tale for when you're dreaming/designing your shop...

When we added a small addition (laundry room, mudroom, porch) onto the back of the house I knew I wanted to also add a shop to the back of the small (10x16) detached garage but was concerned that I was eating up all the space in my already small backyard.  Finally decided a 10x16 gabled shop attached perpendicular to the garage would do the trick...match the architecture of the existing structures and would be long enough to handle 8' boards.  Felt like an idiot the first time I tried to rip an 8 footer on my tablesaw sitting smack in the middle of the shop & realized the 16 ft. was an OUTSIDE dimension.  Luckily, we'd recycled a sliding glass door from the addition and I can rip 8 footers with the door open and the piece sticking out the door.  Obviously, I work with shorter lumber when the weather is chilly.

Anyway, the shop is too small but I think it would be if I'd built it fencepost to fencepost & used every inch of the yard.  There's always something to add in there.  I built a tall rotating clamp stand a while back that has hardly rotated since I loaded it up with clamps because they keep bumping into stuff.

I have a tip if you do want to heat a small shop, I found a great thermostatically controlled electric heater at a greenhouse supply company.  It keeps the shop warm enough for stains, glues, etc. when I'm not out there & I can crank it up when I am.  All the electric heaters I found at farm/home supply places were expensive, more btus than I needed to heat a little shop & had a thermostat that started around 65 degrees, warmer than I felt an empty shop warranted as much as I do like my carpenters glues.

[Jim Lusardi]

32 X 64 but it always seems to not be enough :)

[Braxton Overby]

I have a 12x12 storage building and I'm cramped...I don't care what size shop you have, It's never big enough...just like clamps.

[Bill Bryan]

Brandon, I say anyplace you can,saw go for it. I just retired and am working on an old house I own, intentions are to turn it into a shop. dem-14 x 40.  Bill

[Brandon Maxwell]

must be nice to have that big of a shop. ill never have enough land to build one that big. would love to see some pics of yours.

Jim Lusardi said:

32 X 64 but it always seems to not be enough :)

[LeRoy Newton]

I have a 12' X 24' shop.  Would now like it to be wider.  Sometimes moving large pieces around is difficult with drill press on one side and wood storage on the other side.  I probably keep more pieces of scrap wood then I need to.