In need of some advice.
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26 June 2014 at 7:55 pm #58891
Hi all, ive been recently getting into woodworking more and more. Thanks to sites like this i have realised it was not such an expensive hobby as i had thought, and so i have decided to get stuck in properly and build myself a workbench and workshop area. The problem i have is probably the same as many, i just dont have enough space. I was thinking of either turning my conservatory or my shed/garage into a “poor mans workshop”. my conservatory is very small though and i would also have to consult/convince the lady of the house lol. I would ideally want to turn my shed into a workshop as it is much bigger and just more convenient tbh, its just im in scotland and didnt know if the weather makes that impossible. So my question is have any of you from a similar place turned thier shed into a workshop?, can it be done?. I was maybe thinking i could insulate the shed somehow to make it work but im just not sure if that would cut it, as i said im a newbie and so i dont really know just how much the weather can effect your wood. Any help would be appreciated
Kyle G.29 June 2014 at 8:15 am #58934That’s a good question. I am waiting for lostartpress.com’s Nicholson bench DVD and plans from Mike Siemesen at schoolofwood.com that comes out this July. I have no room inside my shop for a proper bench due to the attic sloping ceilings. I live in Colorado where we have low humidity so I was going to try a building a bench on my front porch! Its only going to cost 120 or so in wood so I figure I’ll risk it.
Most people I know have a shop in a garage so I don’t see how a shed would be much different. I’ll leave it to other experts here on environmentals and wood. I know you want it to acclimatize to the shop humidity, etc before working. I won’t be leaving projects on my porch but it will be my main work area.
Mike
I am setting up a 12 by 8 foot room as a shop. It is made harder by having three doors and a window, so only one clear wall. It is between the living room and bathroom so that also limits layout – people, including guests, need to be able to safely traverse it! Sounds like that could be larger than your porch, but I feel a lot can be done in a small space.
I’ve certainly seen a number of shop build threads showing situations like you describe on other woodworking sites. Sawmillcreek has a whole section on workshops.
As for cost, I’m on a VERY tight budget and I’m learning to go a piece at a time. I mostly make tools I need, or tools to make tools, and only sometimes actually turn out a project like a piece of small furniture. But I’m learning a lot and having great fun. I joined here so I can start focusing on actual end-result type projects. Look for roadblocks that are slowing you down – usually for me it’s that one tool I keep trying to do without due to expense and end up making everything take longer. I’m no expert, just another somewhat new woodworker who’s also figuring this stuff out.
As for shop size, I don’t think it needs to be nearly as large as you often see online. Most use a corner of their garage but don’t post a bunch of photos on forums about their shop because, well, they only use a corner of their garage! I’ve worked on a normal small office desk for a couple years and am only now finishing up my bench, and I had to make it just 5.5 feet long. I know it will work for the vast majority of what I want to make. For other stuff I’ll put something as an extension, if needed. Power tools take up a lot of space, a ton of money, and make noise and dust (and eat fingers). I was hand tool only until just recently.
I broke down and got a shopsmith off craigslist because it came with a bandsaw and, of course, has a drill press mode. It also came with a planer. People either love them or hate them, but I took it completely apart and found it very easy to tune up in spite of the abuse it suffered in previous owner’s hands, thanks to how very well built they are. For a hand tool oriented woodworker in a small shop, it is a great fit. I won’t use the table saw function, its scary and weakest function – hardly ever, and if I take up woodturning seriously I’ll get a real lathe, but the bandsaw and drill press are great. They last so long that there are many on craigslist, got my setup for less than I’d have paid for separate used bandsaw and drill press – so glad I did.
I know I’m going on here, but last thing – I’d worry about securing the tools in either a shed or porch. Around here it would be a problem, no idea where you are.
Thanks,
FitzhughYou can see from this thread that most of us don’t have big fancy workshops, some space in a garage or shed is pretty much the norm…
19 July 2014 at 12:27 pm #59577I would say that it depends on the type of work you plan to do. I came at woodwork via the American power tool woodworkers and went down the route of obtaining all of the electrical kit I needed over a few years. Though I have a sizeable shop I still struggle for project space because of all the big lumps of plant scattered around. Ask yourself, do you want to take lumps of tree and process them down to square planed boards? If you are happy to use prepared lumber and you come at this through hand tool masters like Paul then you will certainly have enough space in the shed, given you exercise some prudent storage arrangements. As you intend build your bench to fit, I believe you are well set for success.
Lumps of plant. That’s great. I’d guess that the vast majority of hobby woodworkers make due without a proper bench, at least for a few years. I realized I was getting shop envys while back after looking at shop threads on other sites, thinking mine had to look like the fancy, or asst least clean, ones. It clicked that it’s like watching TV… all the women are beautiful and all the men both handsome and rich. I’m neither, and my shop is messy and small. But I love working in it! I’ve gotta go see the thread you linked to…
Wow, now I feel normal. Others with rug on the floor or working in the living room! Luckily the landlord let me pull up the rug in the spare room so I moved a step up in both cases, but at least I can tell the wife I’m not the only person who thinks it is totally normal if not expected to cover the rug with chips and shavings. I’m lucky, when I started doing that I got a shop vac instead of a divorce for Christmas.
22 July 2014 at 5:56 pm #59658After many years of working out of my garage I transitioned to a small 12 x 8 shop 4 years ago. I had originally planned it to be 12 x 12 but the local planning authority ruled that I was encroaching on her garden and the size was reduced accordingly. In hindsight the 12 x 8 space is more than sufficient for most of my hand tool work. It can get a little cool here in Canada so I insulated the floor and walls and ran electrical to allow for a radiant heater. The down side to this setup is that I had to cut my 8 foot workbench to 5 feet, a compromise but quite workable. I’ll post a few photos on the above website to give you an idea of how it works.
22 July 2014 at 11:31 pm #59670I built and used my workbench in the dining room until the neighbours got a bit annoyed at my mortising (Victorian terrace house). By that point I had gotten confident enough to build an office/shop at the bottom of the garden. I bought the cabin and assembled it myself. It’s 10x16ft (3x5m), and it’s split probably 70/30 workshop/office (day job!), so not huge at all. Have a look here for what I built – should probably post some more recent photos but it’s not too different now: https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com/discussions/topic/workshop-build/
In terms of upgrading a shed, do whatever is needed to make it 100% watertight, then you can put up some studs, insulation, and panelling to keep it warmer. The roof will probably be the biggest source of heat loss but you can get particle board backed insulation for that, then put shingles or felt on the top.
Do what you can with what you have. Once you gain confidence and your requirements advance, upgrade as you’re able.
George.
I have worked wood for 35 years, amateur only. I started out wrong. I thought I had to have all the power tools and gadgets, a proper European bench and jigs. I wish I had started out as a hand tool only worker, which is where I am headed now. Veritas has a plan for an “apartment bench.” It might be exactly what you want, but it has ideas that are applicable. The vises are not. I lived in Africa for ten years and watched African craftsmen build good items with only about four tools. I helped me long for better craftsmanship and less tools. Less tools mean less need of more space. You can, if you have to, doo good work in a space not much more than a closet…..see Aldren’s book on hand tools, he has a plan for a closet size bench. Good luck
George
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