new woodcarving shop? any ideas?

[carverswoodshop]

hi folks, i going to finally make a shop here at the farm that i can carve my heart away, and also teach, and put some of my collection into,,,,,, i have a shed shop going in that is 24 x 12 any idea for a good layout for this shop? i had a shop long ago, and being a woodcarver for 28 years i never had a shop just for this,,, a corner or on side of the farm but not a shop by itself, so any ideas for a layout would be great, thanks for your help, arleen

YouTube - carverswoodshop's Channel
twitter carverswoodshop
carverswoodshop@yahoo.com

[chuckbolton]

i would make a scale model plan on a piece of paper of the layout of the building, walls, interior features-- walls, toilet, breaker box and outlet boxes and switches. then make scale cutouts of the equipment you will want to have, saws, workbenches, chairs etc. and move them around until you are satisfied with the layout. dont forget to include your windows and doors in the building. this will help you to prevent mistakes in the final application-- dont forget to make the doors wide enough to bring in wood and equipment. i think at least 4 foot.

[carverswoodshop]

thanks, good idea

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

May need to add outlets, lights, HVAC, plumbing etc. Take all that into consideration while in the planning stage.

Dave

[Robert Cahill]

I am not much of a planner and when I did my little shop I didnt stop to think of the wood I would be cutting. Often time when cutting say a six foot board I had to move a lot of stuff to allow for the swing of the board.

[shade_skyhi]

my opinion would be build a table top all around the perimeter with shelves scattered through out and any table saws, or anything that can be set up in the middle i would put casters on and store underneath table top until said is needed and a small ice box, small microwave a coffee pot and a cot in a corner because this madness in makeing wood art and toothpicks will cause you to forget you have a wife,kids and a home this way you have all you need and if you need to take 5 you dont have far to go,lol have a good one........al

[carverswoodshop]

thank so much folks for your input, arleen

[Claude]

When it doubt, do a search on Norm's workshop. He has everything from lots of storage to built-in dust collection, to every tool known to mankind.

Claude

[cgm]

Mark Akers has a shop where he teaches. I would contact him for ideas. Allen Goodman visited Gene Webb on a youtube video that show the shop he teaches in. There is a thread on here where people have pictures of there shop.
Carl

[Dan S]

I have a few suggestions,
1. There is a good book titled "Setting Up Shop". it has a lot of good information.
2. Think about what you are going to be doing and what you might like to do later. If you can plan ahead you only have to build it once.
3. If you are going to power carve look into dust control. Also dust control for any power equipment you may buy. Breathing that stuff long term is bad for you.
4. Light is vital for carving. Try to place your bench next to a large window. Preferably one with a nice view. If you can't do natural light think carefully about light placement. Can you do skylights?
5. flooring, If you are going to be doing a lot of standing, doing so on concrete is bad for your back and legs. There are lots of options.
6. think about where you can place your tools for easy access. If you are going to put them on a wall, be sure that your bench is not so wide that you can't reach them.
7. You always need more power outlets. Also, will you need 220 V? If so, where to place it?
8. Think about climate control. It may be OK where you are, but my garage is over 110 in the summer. Heat and A/C are nice.
9. Take time to really think about your bench(s). If built too low or high they can affect you for years. Also they need to be sturdy enough to handle a lot of pounding.
10. If you are going to teach, will you need carving stations for students? If so, what do they need to look like? How much room do they need? Do you need a center area for demonstrations. Does you main bench need to be centrally located for demonstrations?
11. Can you place your power tools on wheels to allow them to be pushed out of the way when not in use?
12. Think about storage and access to books etc.

Well that's probably more than you wanted to hear. I hope your shop really turns out well. some photos so I can stare enviously at them!

Dan