Shop layout ideas

[Digger]

I am fortunate to have a lot of room and I built a four by eight bench with masonite top. But what has turned out to be a good idea is I inlaid a two by two piece of 3/16 steel in one corner which is great for beating on stuff.
Also welded sq.tubing in two places in the steel (flush on top) then made adaptors for Beverly shear, stretcher/shrinker bead roller etc. That way they are all out of the way when not in use , when you need one just drop it in.
Also built a mobile table for the chop saw and put wheels on the brake, shear, and mill drill.
As for plumbing the air, the line works best if it is up high and drops down to the fitting, also drop about a foot below the fittings an put a drain in the bottom. 1/2 in. line should be enough for a shop your size. Also the upper line should drop a little toward the compressor so moisture drains back. There are different products on the market you could investigate but I just use galv. pipe. Buy yourself the best dessicant dryer you can afford and remember to drain tank often.

 Oh and be sure to put a flexible line between the compressor and your plumbing.

[purplepickup]

......I inlaid a two by two piece of 3/16 steel in one corner which is great for beating on stuff.
Also welded sq.tubing in two places in the steel (flush on top) then made adaptors for Beverly shear, stretcher/shrinker bead roller etc. That way they are all out of the way when not in use , when you need one just drop it in.
Also built a mobile table for the chop saw and put wheels on the brake, shear, and mill drill.

Good to see you here Digger.  Your posts have always been helpful on the other site...and now here too.  I like the idea of mounting a piece of plate on the bench top along with a way to quick mount things to it.  

I have as many things on wheels as possible.  It is a great help in quickly reorganizing the shop for different projects, or just plain getting things out of the way.  

Retractable drop cords hanging around the shop come in handy too.

A tall bench or two really helps slow down back pain from bending while you're working.  

As unklian said earlier high storage keeps a lot of clutter organized but up off the floor and bench tops.  I have two rows of wire shelving near the ceiling going around the whole shop.

[jaybee]

I really like the idea of inlaying a steel plate on the bench.  I have a spare piece of plate just laying around that would be perfect for that.  Including a place to drop in other tools sounds great too, I have to remember that.

Putting my compressor outside is the best thing I've ever done for livability in my shop.  Yeah, the tools still make noise but not having that compressor noise in the shop means there's less total noise and it's quiet when a tool isn't triggered.

My plumbing is 3/4" copper because I like working with that material.  It also transfers heat out of the air well.  To cut down on moisture it's good to have at least 10' of piping between the tank and air outlet, with a valved drip leg below your outlet.  That'll carry the droplets down past where your hose hooks in so they can be drained later, just like your tank.  It also helps to have your drops come off the top of the horizontal air line, then down.  That serves the same purpose, carrying drops of water past the drop to a drip leg at the end of the run.

[Digger]

A couple of things I forgot to mention.
I put a lever style shutoff valve for a drain on the compressor and ran a piece of tubing through the wall to outside. No more mess draining the tank! Also remember to put a shutoff valve on the compressor line in case you blow a hose, and while we are on that subject-always remember to shut it off when you are not going to be using it! I never did until I blew a hose when I was gone and it ran til it fried my compressor. that was a expensive lesson. That's when I was younger and stupider--well at least younger.

[TJ's Dad]

My Dads place after he passed away ......





This was an 8 car shed ...... no room for cars tho ..  

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I thought I had enough electrical  outlets on my shop walls... wrong,  I added more after the building was finished


For folks that may have an excess junk storage problem....  1 800 GOT JUNK  may work for you.

My brother is a pak-rat. His patio is non usable with a narrow passage on it.

I went over to his house 3 weeks ago and in about 4 hours had near 1/2 of his crap on the patio  moved to the street with a sign on it "FREE"  , remainder into trash bin or  back of my truck.

The FREE stuff was mostly gone by 2pm ...  we helped the folks load their trucks , and they sent friends over for more FREE stuff


He had new(?) cartridges of caulk  that had sit on his patio so long  as I tried to pick up the tube.... it collapsed in a gooey  pile

[taxpyer]

WOW, you guys, this is so excellent. Thanks so much for sharing your ideas and comments. I going to print off the whole file for reference!
The only thing is........ doesn't anyone have that oozing, dripping, smelly parts washer in the corner some where in your  shop? Any ideas on that on how to make it better?

I am finishing a new shop 30X60. It's divided into three 20X30 bays. Does anyone have any good ideas about bench/work space layout that will help me avoid the old "damm I wish I hadn't put that there" thing.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

WOW, you guys, this is so excellent. Thanks so much for sharing your ideas and comments. I going to print off the whole file for reference!
The only thing is........ doesn't anyone have that oozing, dripping, smelly parts washer in the corner some where in your  shop? Any ideas on that on how to make it better?

I am finishing a new shop 30X60. It's divided into three 20X30 bays. Does anyone have any good ideas about bench/work space layout that will help me avoid the old "damm I wish I hadn't put that there" thing.

I have a transmission parts washer in the corner.. a water based unit for transmission case and parts.  You need a water hose near by.   Machine  is close to the garage door , so I can roll it out to the yard for a service when needed.  Washer is next to my tear down bench for oily trans , engines, etc.

5/8  inch sheet rock is on the walls with semi gloss paint.. every 1-2 yrs , I wash the walls down with a  degreaser - Simple Green or similar product

Make sure you have a good shut off valve at the hose bib.  I did not get my hose bib  fully shut-off a few weeks back due to a worn washer inside the hose bib.. next morning I had water at that corner , about 4 feet wide , 20 feet long that ran along side the inner shop wall.

[UGLY OLDS]

The only thing is........ doesn't anyone have that oozing, dripping, smelly parts washer in the corner some where in your  shop? Any ideas on that on how to make it better?

 Mine is next to the sandblast cabinet..It's clean & seldom used..( It gets cleaned after every "Major Project" ) ..  

It has but one MAJOR flaw..... :? ....It has one of those $%^$%^* HORIZONTAL SURFACE COVERS  :!:  :!:  :evil:  :evil:  Yet ANOTHER place to  "pile" things ....        



Bob.........

[Glen]

Here is a quick run around my "Tree Fort".....You will proably hate some ideas and maybe you will like others.  there is a row of cabinets along the west wall you cant see.

http://www.hotrodsbyglen.net/shop.html

[Digger]

A whole bunch of things came to mind looking at your pictures but I think "WOW!" pretty much sums it up.




P.S.--Showoff (LOL)

[wvcab]

i have a shop that is 20 x 24, and a closed in attached carport 10 x 20(3 sides closed in)on the south side, with a man door in to the main shop area. the carport has concrete floors and houses metal storage rack, tire machine, parts washer, and the sand blast cabinet. i try and do the dirty work out there.

[taxpyer]

Damm Glen, I always knew there was a shop around some place like that,,,,,,,, wow.  Say, how do you like that roll up door?

Here is a quick run around my "Tree Fort".....You will proably hate some ideas and maybe you will like others.  there is a row of cabinets along the west wall you cant see.

http://www.hotrodsbyglen.net/shop.html

[Glen]

I love the shop door.....the height and width are very nice when moving things in and out.

[papastoyss]

Here is a quick run around my "Tree Fort".....You will proably hate some ideas and maybe you will like others.  there is a row of cabinets along the west wall you cant see.

http://www.hotrodsbyglen.net/shop.html

That place is waaay too clean.  HaHa I'm really envious.