Reply To: woodworking shop size
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All depends on what you want to do. For someone whose interest was only in woodturning, for example, a small lathe might be the only equipment needed, plus a storage cabinet or two. For someone who would only use 100% hand tools for everything, again, the only space needed might be that for a workbench and some shelves – so in theory an 8ft by 6ft garden shed could easily do.
If you’re wanting a bandsaw, a planer/thicknesser, a mitre saw or table saw, a lathe, a drill press, a router table well, the list goes on, so I’d say the first decision HAS to be, what machinery, if any, do you want to be using / buying?
Once you have that sorted out, get some graph paper, make each square equal one foot (for example), cut out scale sizes for things like a bandsaw and drill press, plus a workbench, plus cabinets, and mess around with them on the graph paper to see what area these take up while allowing a couple of feet of clear space in front of things.
As a very rough guide though, most people seem to manage quite well (as I do) in something the space of a single car garage, about 18ft by 9ft.
Probably the biggest gobbler of space is a table saw, especially if you want to be cutting 8ft by 4ft sheets on it. I went for a track saw instead, that way you only need the area of the board free.