Shop layout + floorplan+"Top Shops"

[farmwrench@aol]

I would like ideas on shop floorplans. My farm shop/hobby shop gets cramped ith trying to dedicate space to a 13"south bend, 12"L+D shaper, 4'box and pan, parts washer, grinders, welders, power tools, hand tools and all the spare parts and supplies that a farm shop ends up with. The farm magasines have little more than aircraft hanger size white elephants that look more like an indoor exersise yard designed to keep you running from end to end. Any book recomdations for an all purpose shop will be gladly accepted. What do you think of a "Top Shops" contest of the best planned and equiped shops. Here is a chance to brag or relive a mistake.


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[toff]

Hello,
Whatever your plan ends up, Be sure to have a roll-around. At work these are 30"to 36"wide x 48" x 32" high tables on industrial strength casters 4" or larger 300# load each.Some of them have locking casters. These tables are made from 4"x4" and two by four's and are bolted together after deck screws are used for rough assembly
They have a 1" thick shelf about 8" above the floor, and two of the casters at the handle end swivel. The top is of 1" particle board with FORMICA the bearers of the top are extended about 8" to allow a dowel to be placed through them as a push handle. There is no set plan, and we have other sizes. Mine also has a vise on the side. ( I often do machine repair and it is very handy.) The sky is the limit, and what ever you build will get the tool box, incoming plate and material, parts, or whatever from where they are to where they are needed. Good portable work bench too!
toff

[artificer in metal]

If you can weld, make your tableframe from angle iron. They may outlast your shop!

[Ron LaDow]

Farmwrench,
I'm not sure what you're doing in the shop, but mine is used for HP engine work. I yield convenience to keep grit away from an assembly area.
I wish I had room for a cart. Real estate in San Francisco is too expensive to have that much room. I'm considering some sort of ceiling-mount trolley to move stuff.
Ron LaDow

[halfnut]

Farmwrench,

Know what you are going through, I used to have a large building, it was so large everything got stored in it. Froze to death in winter.

Have smaller shop now, not that small, 36x60.

My suggestion, and one I am working on myself is a place, a room in shop that can be heated and cooled. I am going to box in a 20x20 area and put in my most used tools.

But what are my most used tools, that is the question. Some are going to have to stay in big part. Was cleaning and moving things today and uncovered a lathe, well almost a lathe, it's about 6x18 of unknown vintage and origin, cute, think I will paint it red and put on bookshelf. It followed me home about 10 years ago for $40.00, gave about $30.00 too much for it, it had slept outside too long.

I think I will keep welding equipment in big part, power hacksaw and chopsaw also. Will include vertical bandsaw that I am in process of rebuilding in small area, was looking for smaller but I found a nice 24" rockwell.

You call yourself farmwrench, where are you from, I am from Jasper, MO in the heart of farmland USA. Ran a blacksmith-welding-machineshop working on a lot of farmer work for 10 years.

[farmwrench@aol]

I will make this short since I keep getting kicked offline. I am from Western New York, In THE SNOW BELT south of buffalo. We make the bills games look nice compared to the weather we have. My shop is the end of an old chicken barn that last had 10,000 chickens in it 30 years ago. The end was used for sorting the eggs and has a bathroom, hot water,and heat as well as a 10x15 room that was a cooler for the eggs, and a 10 ft door in the middle of the 40' end wall of the building the problem isthat the depth into the barn is only 16'. not enough to get cars into. The lathe is in the egg coooler, with pesticides as I can close it off for the winter (for oder). Keep things in work center clusters and keep clean stuff clean and dirt makes away. I keeep as much as I can on homemade shelves or heavy things on pallets. in another room that I just added to keep maple syurip equipment and parts in (20x30).

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[halfnut]

My shop consolidation is coming along, have ceiling on and insulated, got the 20 joists up by myself, was easy once I got the tecnique down, using a band saw as a pivot point. Some of wall has sheeting, ran out of insulation tonight, will get more before work. I now have provision for up to 6 lights, I put 3 plug ins in ceiling, I can arrange 4ft shop lights to my hearts content.

But how to arrange things, my vert. bandsaw will have to go in front of door, might want to do some resaw work sometime. I can work about 12 ft with mill where it is. Might have to move Hendy if I want to run long stock through headstock.

Room wound up 20x21 ft. looks big enough.