I've added 'sort later' plastic bins to my small shop. I toss tools, fasteners, blue tape etc., in them while working on ongoing projects. I actually do, after finishing the projects, sort them out and put everything away in it's correct spot. Nice tour. Looks like a great place to work.
I do the same, shoe size bins that hold different categories of sorts, one for tape and, one for sanding blocks, one for current project tools which gets emptied when project is over.
if he can bring himself to actually do this, it's a great idea. I personally can't. tried it somewhat, and lack the discipline to put things back. Even knowing if I do it at the time, it only takes moments. Often I will wait until it is a huge mess that takes sometimes hours.
I used to be a pegboard guy, but over the years I've changed to enclosed storage like wall hung cabinets and lots of drawers. I did this mainly because of dust getting on everything and the resulting clean up annoyance. The fewer places for dust to settle the better.
Very nice, good ideas for a small space. I totally agree that worrying about "optimal work flow" is a waste of time and misdirection of energy for DIY people. Get it working and focus on building some stuff to use your skills! I've built and rebuilt so many shop fixtures that uses up my time, so not that much actual furniture makes it into the house. Also, don't cheap out on the casters for moving things around. Good quality locking wheels will make moving heavy things much more pleasurable. I do need help with those plywood offcuts, though. Plywood is so expensive I'm having even more problems throwing the odd shaped pieces out! Keep up the good work.
I seriously love this video. I love that you are real, that you have a small space, that you don't always finish stuff. I resemble that. :). Thank you.
Sometimes a tool is just fun and that's why you should keep it. I mean, it's a hobby and should be fun! The drill press is one of my favorites. Using a forstner bit to drill holes is just plain fun. Same with my biscuit jointer. It's just satisfying when the biscuits and slots line up. 😊
My best advice is making sure that all safety (and that includes dust collection) is convenient. I lost count of how many times I had forgone safety glasses, dust collectors, respirators, etc because I just didn't want to have to track them down or hook up the hoses.
All of this is solid advice, truly. I have a 2-1/2 car shop, and I have yet to try and optimize for 'work flow.' I keep the stuff I need right at hand, other stuff... I walk for. Helps keep my dad-bod battle more in my favor since I quit cigarettes. Reference you might or might not get: "Leon's getting larger..."
I can relate to this topic pretty well. We live in a rental where I could put together my first workshop in a shed. It's 10x7 feet, and the height is also not too much. It's definitely doable, but needs a lot of logistics. Stuff like a jointer or a cabinet saw are absolutely impossible to fit, no way to store lumber for multiple projects, and projects are pretty size-limited. I work mostly with handheld power tools and a jobsite table saw, those I can take outside the shed if the weather allows. But it's still my shop and that's the greatest thing in it. Thanks for this great video, I'll try to take one or two ideas.
When I got my first bandsaw and drill press, I couldn't believe I'd gone so long without them! (sort of like an outfeed table, Lol). Even a mediocre version of each is a major step up! You noted you'd rather encourage people to build end product before worrying about shop efficiency, but when I saw you thump your chest about the Boom Arm, I sensed a lot of self-satisfaction! Sometimes making cogs is as fun and satisfying as any furniture I've built. Even if I'm the only one who will ever appreciate it!
A bandsaw is probably a better choice for a new woodworker than a table saw, especially if they mostly work with solid wood. Especially with the availability of affordable track saw systems. A table saw eats up so much shop budget and shop real estate, many/most people would benefit from putting its purchase off until a case can be made that they *need* one.
I like the layout you have come up with, I haven't got there yet. A couple of thing that I keep in mind is 1) I keep safety glasses at every tool it reminds me to use them 2) from serving on a submarine I've learned to make maximum use of all vertical space and reasonably available overhead space. Thanks for creating and sharing the video.
thanks so much your videos are helping me alot. I'm building a wood shop in my house and just found out that my family was trying to kill me. wood working helps me deal with all the caos that I'm going through. have a great day everyone and try to make someone smile today 😊
Thank you so much for this. Sometimes when I watch woodworking UA-cam channels I feel like I’m failing at this hobby, but you and your content are very inspiring to us all. Thanks for keeping me inspired to make sawdust.
You’re not failing your actually doing it as a HOBBY. when guys setup what is essentially a furniture making factory in thier garage and spend 20k on machines that require a forklift to move they have jumped the shark of woodworking as a hobby. It is now either thier job or they are the least interesting person on the planet since thier entire life and wealth is going to woodworking. Or they are just rich. But in any case they have nothing to do with us hobbyists and therefore you cannot use thier “success” to determine how well you’re doing since they aren’t even hobbyists anymore. This isn’t a criticism of what they’re doing at all. I’m just saying that you like to play basketball occasionally and you’re getting depressed watching Lebron.
When you mentioned climate control I was immediately going to recommend getting a Mr. Cool mini-split. I got one very similar to yours several years ago and was the best decision for climate control I've ever made. I figured I'd reached a point where the intense heat of summer and the below zero workarounds (heaters, fans, etc...) that I had my entire life was worth this upgrade. Keep up the great work...the interwebs woodworking community needs more of these to help balance the noise.
With 350k+ subscribers, your garage is doing very well. I love your projects and inspiration that inspire me, in my small space, to build a mostly square plywood shelf for the storage room. It doesn’t totally suck.
Than you. I've been skipping a lot of your competitors videos because of their obsession with 1/1000th of an inch over 10 inch span accuracy. Your solutions are always highly intelligent and your humor is appreciatedl
There is a German UA-cam channel that recommends 3 drills. Not sure if it's their idea but that's where I picked up on it. 1 for pre-drilling 1 for countersinking 1 for screw driving For a project that needs a million bazillion screws, that saves a lot of time.
So excited for the stop block. I have the red stop block that everyone on UA-cam says is the best ever and frankly it kinda sucks. Can't flip it out of the way, can't conveniently micro adjust. It's a huge pain to get exactly where you need it.
I believe some important distinctions to make as a someone "starts" a small shop is what primary tool they want to use to rip and crosscut, are they going to be using a lot of sheet goods or rough lumber (vs S3/S4S), and do they want to use hand tools more or power tools- then determine whether you need a bandsaw or a table saw. E.g., if your going to use an MFT style setup then a bandsaw might be the way to go. Plenty of VERY well qualified woodworkers that advocate to ditch the table saw and go with a bandsaw (for cost and safety issues). That being said- I use both quite often. Appreciate your content!
I am grateful you shared that the mini split can mount to the ceiling. I was not aware and is the solution to my problems. Also, I love the motorcycle lift idea but I think I will hunt for a slightly larger more stable lift. I have two drills and do often find myself wishing for a third. Great video as always.
thanks for the honesty, I've had my shop 27 years, and keep adjusting and tweak things as I go. I tend to build projects more than jigs but when I do build a jig, why didn't I do that before. a common comment in my head.
Thanks so much for sharing your setup with us! Like you, I am an avid Star Wars fan, and started getting into woodworking over the Pandemic. Bought my first "heavy duty" tool last year with my Ridgid 12" miter saw. But I have a lot of work waiting on me to better organize the garage, so that I can utilize some of it for a shop; I currently do most of my work on my driveway currently. Your setup gave me several good ideas for how I might better utilize space in my garage, so THANK YOU! Looking forward to more of your videos!
Thanks to you I built an arm for my shopvac too. And honnestly this was by FAR the best thing I did there. The second best thing I did was to build all the furniture the exact same height, my table saw height, so I could have support everywhere in any direction. My shop isn't big enough to get 8f in each direction, so I always end up moving the jobsite saw to the right spot, but then the furnitures help me support it correctly. I don't have any fancy tools other than the table saw and the sander, but your arm actually greetly helped me because I don't have to move the shopvac anymore. Thus I was able to put some PVC plumbing (the cheap part from central vaccum) to connect it to the shopvac exit. Thus I'm sure that even if the shopvac (and the central vacuum cleaner I have) all lead to outside vent. It's not much, but it's honnest work. It kinda greatly helped the whole air being cleaner and more easy to breath in even when the vacuum cleaner is on. I like this tour honnestly. I think the main advice, not enough outlined was "take your time improving your shop, you don't need everything from start". Especially since you will probably make bad decisions, so working on, you will see what works or not for you, and will be able to adapt from there on. That's also why my main workbench is on wheels, and that my DIY hanging cabinets are removable and may be mounted elsewhere, if one day I feel like this will not work anymore. I will just have to put two 2x4 on the wall where I want to hang them, then screw everything and put them here.
Agree across the board. Nice job. For the miter station, peel and stick tape measure has been an awesome addition. Yes, you have to fuss a bit to get the saw just right after returning it to the station after a project, but the ease of sliding the stop, turning the knob to clamp and cutting is AMAZING.
Such great advice of “It doesn’t need to all happen at once”. I am currently working out of a space just about the same dimensions as you and while I am sure it is still not as functional and well organized as it can be, it sure is worlds better than how it looked about a year ago. Great things take time and we often pressure ourselves with deadlines that aren’t existent. Focus on the projects and process!
Honestly, even in a larger space, there's a lot of good information and great ideas here! Right now, I'm kind of in a design phase of my shop space, and this just completely redirected a couple things I was planning on doing, so thank you! Currently, I have a crappy miter saw, an even crappier jobsite table saw, and a 40+ year old drill press that was given to me by a friend over a decade ago. I finally feel like I've become proficient enough with poor-quality tools to justify putting together an actual shop with higher quality tools.
As someone with a small shop that also has to accommodate storage of non-woodworking items, your practical approach rings very true. For example, I don’t have a dedicated outfeed table because it would block traffic flow through the room. Instead I have a portable stand that comes out when I’m breaking down large pieces of wood (which turns out to not be as often as you might think).
If you lifted your main dust collector up to the ceiling you could get more storage under it. It would allow you to have a larger dust bin and storage under the filter or storage under both if you are happy with the dust bin size. Of course you probably would need to customize a stand, but in a one car garage storage is valuable. Just my two cents. I’ve done this with my clear Vue system. I ran my filters side by side and was able to store my shaper under the filters when I was not using them.
You may want to consider moving your dust collector outside. So, unless you are regulated by some HOA pin heads it's pretty straightforward. Build a little shed with some ventilation and poke a hole threw the wall for the hose. A louvred gable vent (or two) works well for ventilation. You'll get some much needed space (i.e. don't sell the sander) and the annoying noise goes away. Anyway, something to chew on. Good luck!
A lot of practical information, especially the comments about what's important to a hobbyist workshop vis a vis a production workshop. Thank you for sharing.
I feel the same way about a lot of the things you mentioned. Also good at being in the middle of to many projects at once. Also: unfinished projects too.
Hey we need that stop block!! Thanks for your honesty and sharing valuable knowledge between jokes had to subscribe. Btw that Mr cool unit look super clean with the installation on ceiling I have a mini split but you had me thinking about getting one for a sec 😂😂😂
Great idea for small shop! I ride dirt bikes and bought one of those lifts way back in the early 2000s, but opt. for the no wheels version. I built a workbench to slide it under. It works great. Its heavy. I will say if you support things (Like a dirt bike) use the metal bar as a stop so you don't tax the hydraulics. They will leak. I use a 2 wheel dolly to move mine around the garage. The dolly kind of just lives under it these days. Really want to get a shed for the bikes and some lumber/ ladder storage so I can set the garage more of a wood shop. Long term is a pass through gate for a trailer, car port to keep them cars out of the hail, building dedicated for the dirt bikes/motorcycles, and turn the 2 car into a full on wood shop. For now... everything on wheels. Its a storage/single car will fit/ motorcycle/ wood shop. Thank fully all the year gear fits in the original well house that is not longer used (well still there, but on city water).
Ha, totally agree with the excessive drill/driver comment. I have one drill and one driver and that’s all I’ve ever needed. Great video with very realistic commentary on shop setup.
This is a really dense video. I'll have to watch it about 10 times to absorb all the wisdom. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have limited space and infinite aspirations, so all of these ideas are like gold nuggets.
Lots of good advice. Thank you! I recently moved my router to my table saw. Some shuffling here and there, but happy with the new layout options it gave me, and little sacraficed so far.
your comments / thoughts on workflow in a small shop / hobby shop are SPOT ON! well for me at least. On a per-job basis, if I get in an extra 10,000 steps, 215lb me says that isn't a bad thing at all. Maybe there's a niche audience market.. Woodworking for Weight Loss? Lifting Lumber for Mad Gainz? Edge banding for Abs?
Great video with sound advice. As an old timer, I have one suggestion for beginners. Don't fall in love with the tools. They'll break your heart and/or wallet. Focus on the projects you want to build, then how you can build them without the fancy gadgets. In the end, you'll have more to show for your efforts than a shop full of tools you may not use.
Mr Cool for the win! I installed mine around 8 years ago and it's been flawless since then. The variable speed motor really reduces the operating cost.
As a card carrying member of too many drills anonymous, I can tell you that the primary reason I have so many drills is that every time I end up needing a new battery, I wait for a holiday sale to pick it up, and it ends up being within $5 to 25 to buy the batteries alone or a kit that come with some combination of a drill, driver, & charger. Call me crazy but I just can’t pass up the extra drill & charger for a few bucks more… It’s a sickness really. 😂
@@troyqueen9503 sounds like the title of a terrible movie starring Antonio Banderas…. “In a world where nothing makes sense and IKEA passes for fine craftsmanship… a band of brothers shall rise from their garage workshops… this summer… Antonio Banderas is… the thirteenth Router…’” 😂😆😂
Aren’t there a there tools on that holiday sale that also come with batteries? Angle grinders, oscillating saws, anything? I never buy batteries straight either but at some point wouldn’t you spend a little bit more to get a new tool rather than the 17th drill that you don’t beed(
the first LSW I watched was on your boom. the next one was on dust collection. lots of great content and inspiring tips. keep 'em coming! FWIW, I store my sliding miter saw on a french cleat on the wall of my 2-car garage. it's a great tool when needed, and this has been the best storage solution for it since its footprint is excessive. when I need it, it goes either on the floor or on my rolling work bench, depending on the need. great video!
great job as usual. I have a 20 x 20 two car garage, that even with all the tools, I could get both cars in at night. I got rid of the second car to give me a full bay for the tools. Keep up the great work.
I put a track and winch on my ceiling for lifting heavy stuff. It's over my open space / walkway. Works amazing for picking up and moving heavy stuff. I was even able to lift my 500lb planer!
Great video! I'm working in a 10x14 foot space, so I appreciate your tips. For my Dewalt planer, I use a small hydraulic table from HF. Similar to your motorcycle lift, but stable enough for using the planer in place on it.
I honestly think the straight knives give the best finish for the planer, especially if you take care of them, as in, i dont work with pine, i dont run very knotty wood through my jointer and planer. Fyi, i have the helical head for both jointer and planer. I joint my show face and i plane my hidden face, and i stay away from sanding as much as possible. I finish with a no. 4 1/2 and only sand when i need to.
I have a car port, so I had a Tuff Shed built (12x24) to set up a wood shop with the tools I inherited from my dad. It took 5 years to slowly evolve into something very useable. The types of projects you do have a tremendous impact on the utility of your shop. Every few years I wish I had a large assembly table. Out of necessity I’ve had to work around not having one. You have to carefully think through what you want to add and then consider what you should subtract. A shop by is a never finished but nothing to what ever your current project is.
I want to build a few adjustable sawhorses and some 6"x18"x7' torsion tables that lock into them. When I need a large assembly surface I would drop those outside under a canopy and butt them up
Yep the work shop is always changing. after 14 years of peg board, I was thinking about ripping it down for cleats. Now I'm getting the metal peg board because the magnet answered the issues that I'm having
Rockler makes a tube that allows you to pass through a wall for dust collection. My dust collector is on wheels and works outside beside the garage. The benefit has been greatly reduced noise and surface dust collection. I use a remote on the power cord headed outside so I really have no reason to go out and see the dust collector until it’s time to wheel it back into my garage and put it to bed.
I like this video. Puts a bit more reality into the average workshop. My garage is 8.5’ x 17’ (after stud walls and plywood). I’m in the process of making stud walls (finished) then 10cm PIR insulation and plywood walls to go over the PIR and stud work. This is to make the workshop dryer to prevent or at least slow down rust and mould. However I’m not rushing this as I want it to be right and my garage/workshop is approx 20’ from my house. Will add a new circuit and lighting circuit then for the sockets etc. so as you say it’s a project in itself and can take quite a bit of time and money to buy all the materials. Then I can get to saving up and purchasing a table saw, planer and jointer (maybe) + pillar drill and bandsaw. Making the shop is just as much fun as starting to build something!
Great video! Instead of the motorcycle jack, you should consider one of the hydraulic lifting carts from Harbor Freight. It's far more stable (could easily use the planer on the cart), it rolls much easier, plus it's also really handy for many other tasks. I bought one to install a full size water heater in a difficult location by myself, but the fact it raises to my truck's tailgate height makes it super easy to take heavy items out of the truck. My shop isn't "massive" but it's bigger than a 1 car garage. A separate outbuilding roughly 1000 sf (dedicated 200 amp electrical service, central HVAC, plumbing), and I still put most everything on wheels to move around. Sometimes you just need empty floor space.
This is a great tour. As someone who used to have a social media profile around the same size as yours, I’d definitely say you should let go of shifting your content (or omitting parts of your story) in anticipation of criticism from strangers. You’re obviously thoughtful and reflective about your presence online, that makes your videos pretty great even beyond the initial entertainment value. Will be stealing many of these tips!
Good stuff! Multi drills - it’s very convenient to have one driver per bit type, and a dedicated drill when working, no tool changes. The wrong thing is to buy a bunch of drills though, here’s what you need to do… wait for the combo pack sales, and pick up an impact/battery/charger combo often for the same price as another battery, sell the charger and bag for cheap ($20-30 on FB market), and then you have a new impact and battery for less than the price of the battery. Of note, with makita, the upgraded impact is light years nicer than the black entry level one (although it is serviceable for basic tasks)… so keep that in mind.
I love your content and the delivery is really good too. I have also gotten into woodworking about 6 to 8 months ago and you were one of the first ones I found and have stuck with you since. I still have to wheel all of my tools to the front porch so it's a little cumbersome but I love doing the work. I also have a camera now and hope to be on UA-cam soon, and other platforms as well. Can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the future but rest assured I will watch it. Good luck and stay safe, Happy Building!😁
Thank you , I’m in a 12x19 single car garage and dust collection is something I have got to work on and soon. It is awful to the point I take my saws outside to use and have to roll them all back in.
Enjoyed watching your thought process behind setting up your highly function workspace! Love your delivery on camera, calm, funny, entertaining, and easy to understand and follow along. Thanks for sharing 👍👍
Can you tell or show us how you connected your Jorgensen clamps together for panel glue ups. It appears that you have them attached to a metal jig that keeps them evenly separated. Thanks
My shop is in that basement, so hight is limited to 6'6"-7'. Not complaining though I'm really grateful that I have a shop. Thanks for the video, John, fantastic as always.
Wow, I found a current video. I am a lot like you. I have so many projects on my list I don't know how to prioritize them. Prioritizing shop projects, such as my jointer/ripping/tapering jig for my table saw that I did today, get done when I can't do my other projects without them. (let's just say I have started more than one and leave it at that. ;) I'm now moving into my own apartment and my tools are still scattered hither and yon. I have a 12 x 24 deck on 2nd floor to work from out in the weather. I wheel out my jobsite table saw and carry out my miter saw and two portable workbenches to do my wood working. I'm building a right of blade table saw sled where I have 35 inches from blade to extended table saw fence. My sled will only be about 16 inches wide, but I don't need to add an extended fence to it if it is on the right. Because I have a miter saw, I haven't had much need for a cross-cut sled, but since most of my boards are generally only about 5 feet, I can cut them on the table saw sled when I'm done or the Kreg cross cut station until I build my work bench. My workbench will have a cross - whatever station built in. I can cross cut with my circular saw, thickness plane or joint with my electric hand plane or router, and whatever else I come across needing. The "king", my miter saw, is leaving the building! It has gone from my most needed and used tool to a space hog I no longer need. I have so many tools and things duplicated or I never used so I am going to try to go "minimalist" within reason in my shop. I only brought with me my a chair, my bed and a folding table for house furniture so I"m building what I need -- farmhouse style! :) I'm looking forward to getting to the point where I pick a project, know what I need and can just set up the tools, cut it out, assemble it and not go through all the hunting for tools and parts and trial-and-error learning. Every piece I make brings me that much closer. Does anyone have any suggestion for an outdoor workbench that can handle the weather CHEAP?
I moved into a new townhouse in the beginning of March and have been procrastinating getting my new shop set up so hard. This was a well-timed upload for me, not to mention the quality of the information. Thanks, Jon! Something that confused me a bit, why is the space to the right of a table saw "dead" as you described? Isn't it possible to crosscut a piece wide enough for the wall to be in the way?
Thanks for the quick tour. I noticed you have what looks to be a better dust collection hood on the miter saw than what comes with that saw. Can you share some info on it and your thoughts on its affectedness?
have you considered moving the dust collection system outside? Build a cabinet or closet on the outside of the house? If possible it also takes care of the noise. I'm trying to do that now for my small shop,
Maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way, but I can't think of any tool that generates dust and isn't already loud. More noise on top of noise, right? I guess it cuts out the few extra seconds of run time after the tool is off. My dust collection is working in the driveway with a slight breeze, though, so what do I know.
I like the auto on/off vacuum switch for my table saw. The delay is annoying on the miter saw. I will probably remove it from my miter saw soon. Also note that if you run a larger dust collector and a table saw on 110, you should get a switch that you plug into two different outlets on different breakers.
My workshop is 18ft x 10ft an previously it was 18ft x 9ft. Your workshop is not desperately small. Many woodworkers are working from much smaller sheds like 10ft x 8ft. I consider you to have a healthy amount of space. Also having a garage door you can open further maximises the potential of your workshop. 😊
Great idea with the planer lifting it up and sliding it onto your table! I have struggled with mine (same unit), which I made a permanent shelf for under my Dewalt table saw on a mobile cart. Great for space savings, absolutely horrible for my back trying to hold large stock a foot off the ground. Thanks for the idea, I’m going to consider a lift for mine when I redesign my shop carts soon! Can’t wait!
Love the video! My 182sqft garage shop setup is based on your videos and I really appreciate your honesty on things you've tried that didn't work out so well. As for dust collection, I've opted for a shopvac/cyclone mounted to the wall with a short run of pipe along the wall. It works well for the 2.5" tools but not so well for the 4" tools. Have you ever considered Oneida's Dust Cobra? I know that it is a bit pricey but the CFM and static pressure might be enough to rule them all.
Peg board! So, it's not just me. My Boy Scout work was in a garage with that awful old time particle peg board with the little bent hooks. You know how that went. The stuff today has got to be better, but I am scarred for life. What a good sensible vid. I am not organized per say(always wanted to say per say). As long as it is in the same place it's been in for the last twenty yrs. I can easily find it. If I organized those things I would spend more time trying to find them.
I out down HF foam tiles and my feet are sooooo much happier at the end of the day, but it’s way too soft for any of my tools to roll on. Going to redo things soon, and maybe make it so I can lift of the foam tiles when needed. Just reall6 like having them wall to wall as well.
I can imagine the dust blown around from your miter saw onto the peg board behind and around it. With humidity it accumulates and can’t b blown off. I had to move the miter saw on a cart and add the usual wings and point it outside as well as a shop vac attached. I’m considering a shroud so it can stay put on a corner but without the shroud I hate using the thing!
You’ve made really great use of your shop. I’ve probably said this before…. But I love your tool names. I name all my tools. Your names are much more fun. My jointer is named Harrison. After Harrison Ford. So I do love the Star Wars references. It started with my bandsaw, Randall. It’s come in handy when one of the other family members asks me where something is. If I say… it’s next to the bandsaw… they dont. Know. But if I say Randall…. they know. LOL. Thanks for providing the links. Some people may get annoyed with that. But I’ve been looking for lights for my shop. And I know how to search Amazon… but there are 1000’s of choices for lights. So… I used your link and ordered them. I’m so excited! I can’t wait. I also love seeing your shop furniture not finished. I have two pieces in my shop that have been made and I put it into use before I added the drawer fronts. LOL.
I love your common sense and practicality. Your shop is waaaaaaay better than mine but I've probably got more space (which considering I'm in a shed in the UK, is pretty surprising), but it feels far more cramped than yours. Now I'm going to have a re-think. I love the padded floor idea. I'm as clumsy as a two year old so that idea alone will save me a lot of grief. Thanks for the videos. I know they're a LOT more work than they look.
I have a 2-car tandem garage, but it’s not a dedicated woodshop as I park two cars in it, store everything we’ve collected over the past 20 years here, including 30 totes of Christmas decorations. Because of this, I’ve had to be very thoughtful where and how I store my tools. I have an assembly table, a cabinet saw, a 14” bandsaw, a miter station, a drill press, full size router table, lumber racks, dust collection system and three shop vacs. I also have a 16’ bank of floor to ceiling cabinets that store many tools, glues, paints, stains, sprayer, etc. In addition I have an “L” shaped workbench, an air compressor, trash can, recycling bins and just about every tool and measuring device you’d find in a large shop. Almost everything is on rollers, except the cabinets, miter station, workbench and sanding station. It sucks having to take out the cars and rolling out the tools I need then putting everything back at the end of the day, but I’ve been doing for so long, it’s goes pretty quickly, but still sucks. I recently got a small cnc and had to remove some drawers from under my assembly table so I had somewhere to keep it. If I can store the number of tools I have in my space along with just about all the normal stuff that typically sits in a garage after 20 years and still able to park two cars in the garage, anyone can make their space work for them. I’m now at a place where I don’t have room for anything other than maybe a screwdriver. So, if I buy a tool, I have to give up something of equal size that takes up the same amount of space. My ceiling is covered with lights, hanging racks and a garage door opener, but I have a 4x8 area open where I’m thinking about installing a hoist and building a platform so I can raise and lower sheet goods to the ceiling, or use it for the cnc. Like I said, you need to be creative.
Yeah garage parkers know what a “small shop” really is. A 200 to 400 square foot dedicated shop is pretty big and honestly enough to do this as a hobby just fine. I think the issue is that some of these guys are trying to set up furniture factories in thier garage as a hobby. To me the appeal is to make things using the tools you would expect a DIYer to have at home, not to buy equipment you need a forklift to move. If it’s your job and you haven’t made enough capital to move to a commercial space yet then fine. But if it’s a hobby let it be a hobby.
I've added 'sort later' plastic bins to my small shop. I toss tools, fasteners, blue tape etc., in them while working on ongoing projects. I actually do, after finishing the projects, sort them out and put everything away in it's correct spot. Nice tour. Looks like a great place to work.
Huh that's an interesting idea. I might have to adapt that
I do the same, shoe size bins that hold different categories of sorts, one for tape and, one for sanding blocks, one for current project tools which gets emptied when project is over.
if he can bring himself to actually do this, it's a great idea. I personally can't. tried it somewhat, and lack the discipline to put things back. Even knowing if I do it at the time, it only takes moments. Often I will wait until it is a huge mess that takes sometimes hours.
Oh I had those.
And then next project would come along and I would wonder where the @$%!@ I put the needle nose pliers or whatever.
@@benoithudson7235 yeah I don't think I would put tools in them, but supplies might be a thing.
I used to be a pegboard guy, but over the years I've changed to enclosed storage like wall hung cabinets and lots of drawers. I did this mainly because of dust getting on everything and the resulting clean up annoyance. The fewer places for dust to settle the better.
Story of my life 😂😂😂 had to do the same cause everything was covered in dust
Very nice, good ideas for a small space. I totally agree that worrying about "optimal work flow" is a waste of time and misdirection of energy for DIY people. Get it working and focus on building some stuff to use your skills! I've built and rebuilt so many shop fixtures that uses up my time, so not that much actual furniture makes it into the house.
Also, don't cheap out on the casters for moving things around. Good quality locking wheels will make moving heavy things much more pleasurable.
I do need help with those plywood offcuts, though. Plywood is so expensive I'm having even more problems throwing the odd shaped pieces out!
Keep up the good work.
I seriously love this video. I love that you are real, that you have a small space, that you don't always finish stuff. I resemble that. :). Thank you.
I love your honesty and transparency about good/bad/ugly, not finishing things, etc.
Sometimes a tool is just fun and that's why you should keep it. I mean, it's a hobby and should be fun! The drill press is one of my favorites. Using a forstner bit to drill holes is just plain fun. Same with my biscuit jointer. It's just satisfying when the biscuits and slots line up. 😊
I have two drill presses so I can run multiple bits and go from one to another. They aren't expensive and I like not having to change them so often.
agreed. and being without a spindle sander, I often use sanding cylinders in mine. DPs are quite multi-functional.
@@NoLumberLeftBehind
I have one dedicated for mortise. The other is for everything else 👍
My best advice is making sure that all safety (and that includes dust collection) is convenient. I lost count of how many times I had forgone safety glasses, dust collectors, respirators, etc because I just didn't want to have to track them down or hook up the hoses.
All of this is solid advice, truly. I have a 2-1/2 car shop, and I have yet to try and optimize for 'work flow.' I keep the stuff I need right at hand, other stuff... I walk for. Helps keep my dad-bod battle more in my favor since I quit cigarettes. Reference you might or might not get: "Leon's getting larger..."
Airplane?
@@jtotheb-ip2hh Of course! We both picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue.
I can relate to this topic pretty well. We live in a rental where I could put together my first workshop in a shed. It's 10x7 feet, and the height is also not too much. It's definitely doable, but needs a lot of logistics. Stuff like a jointer or a cabinet saw are absolutely impossible to fit, no way to store lumber for multiple projects, and projects are pretty size-limited. I work mostly with handheld power tools and a jobsite table saw, those I can take outside the shed if the weather allows. But it's still my shop and that's the greatest thing in it. Thanks for this great video, I'll try to take one or two ideas.
When I got my first bandsaw and drill press, I couldn't believe I'd gone so long without them! (sort of like an outfeed table, Lol). Even a mediocre version of each is a major step up! You noted you'd rather encourage people to build end product before worrying about shop efficiency, but when I saw you thump your chest about the Boom Arm, I sensed a lot of self-satisfaction! Sometimes making cogs is as fun and satisfying as any furniture I've built. Even if I'm the only one who will ever appreciate it!
A bandsaw is probably a better choice for a new woodworker than a table saw, especially if they mostly work with solid wood. Especially with the availability of affordable track saw systems. A table saw eats up so much shop budget and shop real estate, many/most people would benefit from putting its purchase off until a case can be made that they *need* one.
Thank you for the video, and the humor. Keeps things fresh and keeps one's attention! Well done.
I like the layout you have come up with, I haven't got there yet. A couple of thing that I keep in mind is 1) I keep safety glasses at every tool it reminds me to use them 2) from serving on a submarine I've learned to make maximum use of all vertical space and reasonably available overhead space. Thanks for creating and sharing the video.
thanks so much your videos are helping me alot. I'm building a wood shop in my house and just found out that my family was trying to kill me. wood working helps me deal with all the caos that I'm going through. have a great day everyone and try to make someone smile today 😊
Thank you so much for this. Sometimes when I watch woodworking UA-cam channels I feel like I’m failing at this hobby, but you and your content are very inspiring to us all. Thanks for keeping me inspired to make sawdust.
You’re not failing your actually doing it as a HOBBY. when guys setup what is essentially a furniture making factory in thier garage and spend 20k on machines that require a forklift to move they have jumped the shark of woodworking as a hobby. It is now either thier job or they are the least interesting person on the planet since thier entire life and wealth is going to woodworking. Or they are just rich.
But in any case they have nothing to do with us hobbyists and therefore you cannot use thier “success” to determine how well you’re doing since they aren’t even hobbyists anymore.
This isn’t a criticism of what they’re doing at all. I’m just saying that you like to play basketball occasionally and you’re getting depressed watching Lebron.
When you mentioned climate control I was immediately going to recommend getting a Mr. Cool mini-split. I got one very similar to yours several years ago and was the best decision for climate control I've ever made. I figured I'd reached a point where the intense heat of summer and the below zero workarounds (heaters, fans, etc...) that I had my entire life was worth this upgrade. Keep up the great work...the interwebs woodworking community needs more of these to help balance the noise.
With 350k+ subscribers, your garage is doing very well. I love your projects and inspiration that inspire me, in my small space, to build a mostly square plywood shelf for the storage room. It doesn’t totally suck.
Than you. I've been skipping a lot of your competitors videos because of their obsession with 1/1000th of an inch over 10 inch span accuracy. Your solutions are always highly intelligent and your humor is appreciatedl
There is a German UA-cam channel that recommends 3 drills. Not sure if it's their idea but that's where I picked up on it.
1 for pre-drilling
1 for countersinking
1 for screw driving
For a project that needs a million bazillion screws, that saves a lot of time.
So excited for the stop block. I have the red stop block that everyone on UA-cam says is the best ever and frankly it kinda sucks. Can't flip it out of the way, can't conveniently micro adjust. It's a huge pain to get exactly where you need it.
I believe some important distinctions to make as a someone "starts" a small shop is what primary tool they want to use to rip and crosscut, are they going to be using a lot of sheet goods or rough lumber (vs S3/S4S), and do they want to use hand tools more or power tools- then determine whether you need a bandsaw or a table saw. E.g., if your going to use an MFT style setup then a bandsaw might be the way to go. Plenty of VERY well qualified woodworkers that advocate to ditch the table saw and go with a bandsaw (for cost and safety issues). That being said- I use both quite often. Appreciate your content!
I am grateful you shared that the mini split can mount to the ceiling. I was not aware and is the solution to my problems. Also, I love the motorcycle lift idea but I think I will hunt for a slightly larger more stable lift. I have two drills and do often find myself wishing for a third. Great video as always.
thanks for the honesty, I've had my shop 27 years, and keep adjusting and tweak things as I go. I tend to build projects more than jigs but when I do build a jig, why didn't I do that before. a common comment in my head.
Thanks so much for sharing your setup with us! Like you, I am an avid Star Wars fan, and started getting into woodworking over the Pandemic. Bought my first "heavy duty" tool last year with my Ridgid 12" miter saw. But I have a lot of work waiting on me to better organize the garage, so that I can utilize some of it for a shop; I currently do most of my work on my driveway currently. Your setup gave me several good ideas for how I might better utilize space in my garage, so THANK YOU! Looking forward to more of your videos!
Great going with the Mr Cool…my previous shop had a 2 ton unit for ten years and still going today …like your common sense approach to set up!
Yes yes yes!!! I've been putting off buying any flip stop once I saw that you two are working on one. Thank you for the update.
Thanks to you I built an arm for my shopvac too. And honnestly this was by FAR the best thing I did there. The second best thing I did was to build all the furniture the exact same height, my table saw height, so I could have support everywhere in any direction. My shop isn't big enough to get 8f in each direction, so I always end up moving the jobsite saw to the right spot, but then the furnitures help me support it correctly.
I don't have any fancy tools other than the table saw and the sander, but your arm actually greetly helped me because I don't have to move the shopvac anymore. Thus I was able to put some PVC plumbing (the cheap part from central vaccum) to connect it to the shopvac exit. Thus I'm sure that even if the shopvac (and the central vacuum cleaner I have) all lead to outside vent. It's not much, but it's honnest work. It kinda greatly helped the whole air being cleaner and more easy to breath in even when the vacuum cleaner is on.
I like this tour honnestly. I think the main advice, not enough outlined was "take your time improving your shop, you don't need everything from start". Especially since you will probably make bad decisions, so working on, you will see what works or not for you, and will be able to adapt from there on.
That's also why my main workbench is on wheels, and that my DIY hanging cabinets are removable and may be mounted elsewhere, if one day I feel like this will not work anymore. I will just have to put two 2x4 on the wall where I want to hang them, then screw everything and put them here.
Agree across the board. Nice job. For the miter station, peel and stick tape measure has been an awesome addition. Yes, you have to fuss a bit to get the saw just right after returning it to the station after a project, but the ease of sliding the stop, turning the knob to clamp and cutting is AMAZING.
Such great advice of “It doesn’t need to all happen at once”. I am currently working out of a space just about the same dimensions as you and while I am sure it is still not as functional and well organized as it can be, it sure is worlds better than how it looked about a year ago. Great things take time and we often pressure ourselves with deadlines that aren’t existent. Focus on the projects and process!
Honestly, even in a larger space, there's a lot of good information and great ideas here! Right now, I'm kind of in a design phase of my shop space, and this just completely redirected a couple things I was planning on doing, so thank you! Currently, I have a crappy miter saw, an even crappier jobsite table saw, and a 40+ year old drill press that was given to me by a friend over a decade ago. I finally feel like I've become proficient enough with poor-quality tools to justify putting together an actual shop with higher quality tools.
Thanks! I'm just planning a new workshop with about the same size. Liked the boom arm! 16:00
As someone with a small shop that also has to accommodate storage of non-woodworking items, your practical approach rings very true. For example, I don’t have a dedicated outfeed table because it would block traffic flow through the room. Instead I have a portable stand that comes out when I’m breaking down large pieces of wood (which turns out to not be as often as you might think).
If you lifted your main dust collector up to the ceiling you could get more storage under it. It would allow you to have a larger dust bin and storage under the filter or storage under both if you are happy with the dust bin size. Of course you probably would need to customize a stand, but in a one car garage storage is valuable. Just my two cents. I’ve done this with my clear Vue system. I ran my filters side by side and was able to store my shaper under the filters when I was not using them.
You may want to consider moving your dust collector outside. So, unless you are regulated by some HOA pin heads it's pretty straightforward. Build a little shed with some ventilation and poke a hole threw the wall for the hose. A louvred gable vent (or two) works well for ventilation. You'll get some much needed space (i.e. don't sell the sander) and the annoying noise goes away. Anyway, something to chew on. Good luck!
A lot of practical information, especially the comments about what's important to a hobbyist workshop vis a vis a production workshop. Thank you for sharing.
I feel the same way about a lot of the things you mentioned. Also good at being in the middle of to many projects at once. Also: unfinished projects too.
Hey we need that stop block!! Thanks for your honesty and sharing valuable knowledge between jokes had to subscribe. Btw that Mr cool unit look super clean with the installation on ceiling I have a mini split but you had me thinking about getting one for a sec 😂😂😂
Great idea for small shop! I ride dirt bikes and bought one of those lifts way back in the early 2000s, but opt. for the no wheels version. I built a workbench to slide it under. It works great. Its heavy. I will say if you support things (Like a dirt bike) use the metal bar as a stop so you don't tax the hydraulics. They will leak. I use a 2 wheel dolly to move mine around the garage. The dolly kind of just lives under it these days. Really want to get a shed for the bikes and some lumber/ ladder storage so I can set the garage more of a wood shop. Long term is a pass through gate for a trailer, car port to keep them cars out of the hail, building dedicated for the dirt bikes/motorcycles, and turn the 2 car into a full on wood shop. For now... everything on wheels. Its a storage/single car will fit/ motorcycle/ wood shop. Thank fully all the year gear fits in the original well house that is not longer used (well still there, but on city water).
Love your channel, you are so "real". Your humor is outrageous. Nice pups BTW....
Ha, totally agree with the excessive drill/driver comment. I have one drill and one driver and that’s all I’ve ever needed. Great video with very realistic commentary on shop setup.
A good synopsis. Its rooted in reality, and transparency. Thanks for posting.
This is a really dense video. I'll have to watch it about 10 times to absorb all the wisdom. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have limited space and infinite aspirations, so all of these ideas are like gold nuggets.
Same
Great shop. One of the best shops I have ever had in my 60 plus years of woodworking was my one car garage shop.
I really enjoyed your shop tour and no-nonsense approach to everything!
Well done, Sir!
Thank you very much!
You’re hilarious. I truly enjoy your videos. Good advice with humor. Win win. Thanks for all you do.
@@shaynesabala thanks! Much appreciated
I'm in the process of actually designing my super tiny basement shop right now. This video gives me a lot of ideas. Thanks!
Lots of good advice. Thank you! I recently moved my router to my table saw. Some shuffling here and there, but happy with the new layout options it gave me, and little sacraficed so far.
Great video and love your honest , no nonsense approach to shop etiquette. 👍
your comments / thoughts on workflow in a small shop / hobby shop are SPOT ON! well for me at least. On a per-job basis, if I get in an extra 10,000 steps, 215lb me says that isn't a bad thing at all. Maybe there's a niche audience market.. Woodworking for Weight Loss? Lifting Lumber for Mad Gainz? Edge banding for Abs?
Great video with sound advice. As an old timer, I have one suggestion for beginners. Don't fall in love with the tools. They'll break your heart and/or wallet. Focus on the projects you want to build, then how you can build them without the fancy gadgets. In the end, you'll have more to show for your efforts than a shop full of tools you may not use.
I really like your thought on work flow. Thanks for another great video.
I’ve been waiting for this stop block since the first announcement. Can’t wait!
Mr Cool for the win! I installed mine around 8 years ago and it's been flawless since then. The variable speed motor really reduces the operating cost.
As a card carrying member of too many drills anonymous, I can tell you that the primary reason I have so many drills is that every time I end up needing a new battery, I wait for a holiday sale to pick it up, and it ends up being within $5 to 25 to buy the batteries alone or a kit that come with some combination of a drill, driver, & charger. Call me crazy but I just can’t pass up the extra drill & charger for a few bucks more…
It’s a sickness really. 😂
Is 13 routers the start of a problem.😂😂
@@troyqueen9503 sounds like the title of a terrible movie starring Antonio Banderas….
“In a world where nothing makes sense and IKEA passes for fine craftsmanship… a band of brothers shall rise from their garage workshops… this summer… Antonio Banderas is… the thirteenth Router…’”
😂😆😂
Aren’t there a there tools on that holiday sale that also come with batteries? Angle grinders, oscillating saws, anything? I never buy batteries straight either but at some point wouldn’t you spend a little bit more to get a new tool rather than the 17th drill that you don’t beed(
@@Tinkery ROFLMAO! Good one there!
How do I buy you router stop thingy?
the first LSW I watched was on your boom. the next one was on dust collection. lots of great content and inspiring tips. keep 'em coming!
FWIW, I store my sliding miter saw on a french cleat on the wall of my 2-car garage. it's a great tool when needed, and this has been the best storage solution for it since its footprint is excessive. when I need it, it goes either on the floor or on my rolling work bench, depending on the need. great video!
great job as usual.
I have a 20 x 20 two car garage, that even with all the tools, I could get both cars in at night. I got rid of the second car to give me a full bay for the tools.
Keep up the great work.
Love the honesty of this video! Well done
I put a track and winch on my ceiling for lifting heavy stuff. It's over my open space / walkway. Works amazing for picking up and moving heavy stuff. I was even able to lift my 500lb planer!
One fun little idea for you, I mount my tracks on my rollup garage door. There's 3d printable holders that work amazing.
Great video! I'm working in a 10x14 foot space, so I appreciate your tips. For my Dewalt planer, I use a small hydraulic table from HF. Similar to your motorcycle lift, but stable enough for using the planer in place on it.
I honestly think the straight knives give the best finish for the planer, especially if you take care of them, as in, i dont work with pine, i dont run very knotty wood through my jointer and planer. Fyi, i have the helical head for both jointer and planer. I joint my show face and i plane my hidden face, and i stay away from sanding as much as possible. I finish with a no. 4 1/2 and only sand when i need to.
I have a car port, so I had a Tuff Shed built (12x24) to set up a wood shop with the tools I inherited from my dad. It took 5 years to slowly evolve into something very useable. The types of projects you do have a tremendous impact on the utility of your shop. Every few years I wish I had a large assembly table. Out of necessity I’ve had to work around not having one. You have to carefully think through what you want to add and then consider what you should subtract. A shop by is a never finished but nothing to what ever your current project is.
I want to build a few adjustable sawhorses and some 6"x18"x7' torsion tables that lock into them. When I need a large assembly surface I would drop those outside under a canopy and butt them up
Great advice. Your making me think differently about the way I set up my shop. The one my husband and I are building right now. Thanks!❤
Yep the work shop is always changing. after 14 years of peg board, I was thinking about ripping it down for cleats. Now I'm getting the metal peg board because the magnet answered the issues that I'm having
Rockler makes a tube that allows you to pass through a wall for dust collection. My dust collector is on wheels and works outside beside the garage. The benefit has been greatly reduced noise and surface dust collection. I use a remote on the power cord headed outside so I really have no reason to go out and see the dust collector until it’s time to wheel it back into my garage and put it to bed.
I like this video. Puts a bit more reality into the average workshop. My garage is 8.5’ x 17’ (after stud walls and plywood). I’m in the process of making stud walls (finished) then 10cm PIR insulation and plywood walls to go over the PIR and stud work. This is to make the workshop dryer to prevent or at least slow down rust and mould. However I’m not rushing this as I want it to be right and my garage/workshop is approx 20’ from my house. Will add a new circuit and lighting circuit then for the sockets etc. so as you say it’s a project in itself and can take quite a bit of time and money to buy all the materials. Then I can get to saving up and purchasing a table saw, planer and jointer (maybe) + pillar drill and bandsaw. Making the shop is just as much fun as starting to build something!
Great video! Instead of the motorcycle jack, you should consider one of the hydraulic lifting carts from Harbor Freight. It's far more stable (could easily use the planer on the cart), it rolls much easier, plus it's also really handy for many other tasks. I bought one to install a full size water heater in a difficult location by myself, but the fact it raises to my truck's tailgate height makes it super easy to take heavy items out of the truck.
My shop isn't "massive" but it's bigger than a 1 car garage. A separate outbuilding roughly 1000 sf (dedicated 200 amp electrical service, central HVAC, plumbing), and I still put most everything on wheels to move around. Sometimes you just need empty floor space.
This is a great tour. As someone who used to have a social media profile around the same size as yours, I’d definitely say you should let go of shifting your content (or omitting parts of your story) in anticipation of criticism from strangers. You’re obviously thoughtful and reflective about your presence online, that makes your videos pretty great even beyond the initial entertainment value. Will be stealing many of these tips!
whoa - a wild Anil Dash appears!! so happy to see you are doing so well
I'm in Easley. If you want to get rid of that drum sander lmk
Great channel. Keep the great videos coming
Good stuff! Multi drills - it’s very convenient to have one driver per bit type, and a dedicated drill when working, no tool changes. The wrong thing is to buy a bunch of drills though, here’s what you need to do… wait for the combo pack sales, and pick up an impact/battery/charger combo often for the same price as another battery, sell the charger and bag for cheap ($20-30 on FB market), and then you have a new impact and battery for less than the price of the battery. Of note, with makita, the upgraded impact is light years nicer than the black entry level one (although it is serviceable for basic tasks)… so keep that in mind.
I love your content and the delivery is really good too. I have also gotten into woodworking about 6 to 8 months ago and you were one of the first ones I found and have stuck with you since. I still have to wheel all of my tools to the front porch so it's a little cumbersome but I love doing the work. I also have a camera now and hope to be on UA-cam soon, and other platforms as well. Can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the future but rest assured I will watch it. Good luck and stay safe, Happy Building!😁
Great video as always I will purchase when there available to support you. Your video have given me tons of inspiration
Thank you , I’m in a 12x19 single car garage and dust collection is something I have got to work on and soon. It is awful to the point I take my saws outside to use and have to roll them all back in.
Enjoyed watching your thought process behind setting up your highly function workspace! Love your delivery on camera, calm, funny, entertaining, and easy to understand and follow along. Thanks for sharing 👍👍
Thank you sharing all this! really appreciate it.
Those metal pegboards are great. The ultimate hack is putting French cleats on the back. Great for when you are indecisive on where you want them.
Can you tell or show us how you connected your Jorgensen clamps together for panel glue ups. It appears that you have them attached to a metal jig that keeps them evenly separated. Thanks
My shop is in that basement, so hight is limited to 6'6"-7'. Not complaining though I'm really grateful that I have a shop. Thanks for the video, John, fantastic as always.
Wow, I found a current video. I am a lot like you. I have so many projects on my list I don't know how to prioritize them. Prioritizing shop projects, such as my jointer/ripping/tapering jig for my table saw that I did today, get done when I can't do my other projects without them. (let's just say I have started more than one and leave it at that. ;)
I'm now moving into my own apartment and my tools are still scattered hither and yon. I have a 12 x 24 deck on 2nd floor to work from out in the weather. I wheel out my jobsite table saw and carry out my miter saw and two portable workbenches to do my wood working. I'm building a right of blade table saw sled where I have 35 inches from blade to extended table saw fence. My sled will only be about 16 inches wide, but I don't need to add an extended fence to it if it is on the right.
Because I have a miter saw, I haven't had much need for a cross-cut sled, but since most of my boards are generally only about 5 feet, I can cut them on the table saw sled when I'm done or the Kreg cross cut station until I build my work bench.
My workbench will have a cross - whatever station built in. I can cross cut with my circular saw, thickness plane or joint with my electric hand plane or router, and whatever else I come across needing.
The "king", my miter saw, is leaving the building! It has gone from my most needed and used tool to a space hog I no longer need.
I have so many tools and things duplicated or I never used so I am going to try to go "minimalist" within reason in my shop.
I only brought with me my a chair, my bed and a folding table for house furniture so I"m building what I need -- farmhouse style! :) I'm looking forward to getting to the point where I pick a project, know what I need and can just set up the tools, cut it out, assemble it and not go through all the hunting for tools and parts and trial-and-error learning. Every piece I make brings me that much closer.
Does anyone have any suggestion for an outdoor workbench that can handle the weather CHEAP?
I moved into a new townhouse in the beginning of March and have been procrastinating getting my new shop set up so hard. This was a well-timed upload for me, not to mention the quality of the information. Thanks, Jon!
Something that confused me a bit, why is the space to the right of a table saw "dead" as you described? Isn't it possible to crosscut a piece wide enough for the wall to be in the way?
Thanks for the quick tour. I noticed you have what looks to be a better dust collection hood on the miter saw than what comes with that saw. Can you share some info on it and your thoughts on its affectedness?
I don’t exactly have in my small shop too many drills but is nice to have a least 3 to have multiple bits ready for a fast build.
have you considered moving the dust collection system outside? Build a cabinet or closet on the outside of the house? If possible it also takes care of the noise. I'm trying to do that now for my small shop,
I dont have a great spot unfortunately, it would block our walkway to the backyard
Maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way, but I can't think of any tool that generates dust and isn't already loud. More noise on top of noise, right? I guess it cuts out the few extra seconds of run time after the tool is off. My dust collection is working in the driveway with a slight breeze, though, so what do I know.
I like the auto on/off vacuum switch for my table saw. The delay is annoying on the miter saw. I will probably remove it from my miter saw soon. Also note that if you run a larger dust collector and a table saw on 110, you should get a switch that you plug into two different outlets on different breakers.
My workshop is 18ft x 10ft an previously it was 18ft x 9ft. Your workshop is not desperately small. Many woodworkers are working from much smaller sheds like 10ft x 8ft. I consider you to have a healthy amount of space. Also having a garage door you can open further maximises the potential of your workshop. 😊
Great idea with the planer lifting it up and sliding it onto your table! I have struggled with mine (same unit), which I made a permanent shelf for under my Dewalt table saw on a mobile cart. Great for space savings, absolutely horrible for my back trying to hold large stock a foot off the ground. Thanks for the idea, I’m going to consider a lift for mine when I redesign my shop carts soon! Can’t wait!
Love the video! My 182sqft garage shop setup is based on your videos and I really appreciate your honesty on things you've tried that didn't work out so well. As for dust collection, I've opted for a shopvac/cyclone mounted to the wall with a short run of pipe along the wall. It works well for the 2.5" tools but not so well for the 4" tools. Have you ever considered Oneida's Dust Cobra? I know that it is a bit pricey but the CFM and static pressure might be enough to rule them all.
Lot's of great advise for a small shop, I feel this space.
This is the best video of this kind that I've seen
Peg board! So, it's not just me. My Boy Scout work was in a garage with that awful old time particle peg board with the little bent hooks. You know how that went. The stuff today has got to be better, but I am scarred for life. What a good sensible vid. I am not organized per say(always wanted to say per say). As long as it is in the same place it's been in for the last twenty yrs. I can easily find it. If I organized those things I would spend more time trying to find them.
A lot of good use out of a single garage. The only thing I didn't see was storage for sheet goods both full size and off cuts.
I out down HF foam tiles and my feet are sooooo much happier at the end of the day, but it’s way too soft for any of my tools to roll on. Going to redo things soon, and maybe make it so I can lift of the foam tiles when needed. Just reall6 like having them wall to wall as well.
I can imagine the dust blown around from your miter saw onto the peg board behind and around it. With humidity it accumulates and can’t b blown off. I had to move the miter saw on a cart and add the usual wings and point it outside as well as a shop vac attached. I’m considering a shroud so it can stay put on a corner but without the shroud I hate using the thing!
Never been an issue. I upgraded the stock dust chute and it does a great job
I was able to put my compressor and vacuum down in the basement and run lines up to the garage , not only saved a ton of space it’s much quieter
Think about using white plastic laminate. It works great for making notes or quick math. Cleans up fast with a rag and lacquer thinner.
That Mr cool is awesome and your space is great too
You’ve made really great use of your shop. I’ve probably said this before…. But I love your tool names. I name all my tools. Your names are much more fun. My jointer is named Harrison. After Harrison Ford. So I do love the Star Wars references. It started with my bandsaw, Randall. It’s come in handy when one of the other family members asks me where something is. If I say… it’s next to the bandsaw… they dont. Know. But if I say Randall…. they know. LOL.
Thanks for providing the links. Some people may get annoyed with that. But I’ve been looking for lights for my shop. And I know how to search Amazon… but there are 1000’s of choices for lights. So… I used your link and ordered them. I’m so excited! I can’t wait.
I also love seeing your shop furniture not finished. I have two pieces in my shop that have been made and I put it into use before I added the drawer fronts. LOL.
I love your common sense and practicality. Your shop is waaaaaaay better than mine but I've probably got more space (which considering I'm in a shed in the UK, is pretty surprising), but it feels far more cramped than yours. Now I'm going to have a re-think. I love the padded floor idea. I'm as clumsy as a two year old so that idea alone will save me a lot of grief.
Thanks for the videos. I know they're a LOT more work than they look.
Great space usage 💪 What and. Where from are the quick hose connectors?? Please?🙏
I have a 2-car tandem garage, but it’s not a dedicated woodshop as I park two cars in it, store everything we’ve collected over the past 20 years here, including 30 totes of Christmas decorations. Because of this, I’ve had to be very thoughtful where and how I store my tools. I have an assembly table, a cabinet saw, a 14” bandsaw, a miter station, a drill press, full size router table, lumber racks, dust collection system and three shop vacs. I also have a 16’ bank of floor to ceiling cabinets that store many tools, glues, paints, stains, sprayer, etc. In addition I have an “L” shaped workbench, an air compressor, trash can, recycling bins and just about every tool and measuring device you’d find in a large shop. Almost everything is on rollers, except the cabinets, miter station, workbench and sanding station. It sucks having to take out the cars and rolling out the tools I need then putting everything back at the end of the day, but I’ve been doing for so long, it’s goes pretty quickly, but still sucks. I recently got a small cnc and had to remove some drawers from under my assembly table so I had somewhere to keep it. If I can store the number of tools I have in my space along with just about all the normal stuff that typically sits in a garage after 20 years and still able to park two cars in the garage, anyone can make their space work for them. I’m now at a place where I don’t have room for anything other than maybe a screwdriver. So, if I buy a tool, I have to give up something of equal size that takes up the same amount of space. My ceiling is covered with lights, hanging racks and a garage door opener, but I have a 4x8 area open where I’m thinking about installing a hoist and building a platform so I can raise and lower sheet goods to the ceiling, or use it for the cnc. Like I said, you need to be creative.
Yeah garage parkers know what a “small shop” really is. A 200 to 400 square foot dedicated shop is pretty big and honestly enough to do this as a hobby just fine.
I think the issue is that some of these guys are trying to set up furniture factories in thier garage as a hobby.
To me the appeal is to make things using the tools you would expect a DIYer to have at home, not to buy equipment you need a forklift to move.
If it’s your job and you haven’t made enough capital to move to a commercial space yet then fine. But if it’s a hobby let it be a hobby.
Thanks for keeping it real and showing your drawer (lack) of organization - most of ours look that way too.