building a workshop building

[NBC]

hi all,

i'm at the point of trying to plan to build a workshop at the bottom of the garden,

i'm thinking that i should be able to get away with 16 x 20 feet in size,

all i will need to house in the future is a medium sized lathe (60" between centres max, but more likely 40") and maybe a bridgeport mill (probably a short bed one) a decent sized workbench (can get a fami one with the tool cabinets as legs) and probably some shelving, and a proper stand for the frame jig, would you go with a mobile stand ?

is this feasible for a workshop that size ? i may never end up with a mill, i reckon i can do most stuff with a lathe, not really much into milling dropouts etc up, would have them cnc'd locally if i needed

what do you guys do as far as wall coverings go ? i was planning to build largely from 6x2 and 3/4" ply for the structure, insulated with rockwool or fibreglass, all of which aren't particularly resistant to burning !

any suggestions or advice will be much appreciated

thanks

NBC

[fortyfour]

My own shop is 20' x22'. If I lost 4' in any direction, I would begin to feel cramped.

But for structure, insulation, build out methodology, layout, heating etc. go over to the website Garage Journal. There is a giant wealth of info there and many willing to share their thoughts.

[Will Neide]

If you have any "re-source" or "habitat for humanity" type stores around, I would check them out for lumber and items on the cheap.

[sam]

do not underestimate the floor space needed for those machines, on top of having work space for yourself in front of the machine you need room on all sides, for mainanence, electronics, etc. you can cramp them in but to be more proper you should be able to walk around them and bend over, etc. Are you doing stuff besides bikes, 60" between centers is pretty big. a lathe that size 60" needs like 12x6 space and even 40 between centers is pretty good sized, and a bridgeport 6x6 minimum.

[NBC]

was looking at a DSG that's 42" between centres, but the overall dimensions are not so far different to a 50" between centres colchester triumph,
i'm in to church bells and having a decent sized bed length comes in awesome when it comes down to turning ductile cast iron clappers down in diameter / length :) (a 60" lathe for the work i used to do is considered small, used to have a 160" one with somewhere about 24" swing)

the mill would only ever be something i'd get if i had enough space, and even then i could cut tubes on a lathe if it was set up properly, so that'd pretty well do away with the need for a mill...

Fami - Storage Systems
these workbenches look awesome, i know a few companies with the tool cabinets alone from them, some of them are best part of 50 years old and still work great, seems like quite a good use of space, can get wider boxes too, with way way more draws (like probably 14) however i know they do cost quite alot, so that's something for later !

do you guys use any flame retardant paints inside just in case ?

NBC

[steve garro]

IMG_1524.JPGI built my own shop from the hole up before I was crippled.

It's 18x30' and I would have GLADLY built it bigger, but it's penciled right into the county setback codes - keep that in mind.

Garage doors come in 16' & 18' FYI and are mandatory, IMO.

Shelves are junk collectors........I am gradually tearing them out + do not underestimate the distance around a machine to operate it safely.

A+ on recycled materials, if you look at my shop the big windows are doors from a strip mall - I sawsall-ed the aluminum frames off & layed them up in the block, and then firred them out.

$10 ea.

Also the corrugated metal roof holds back ample insulation, and is reflective.

You need 220

With doing everything myself with two friends & making it all from block, building the roof from scratch, and the metal roof & electrical I built it all for around 14K
- Garro.

[NBC]

thanks steve

in england the max area you can build an outbuilding is 30 square metres unless you obtain planning permission, which turns out to be a very lengthy and costly thing to do, hence putting a limit on it, that's pretty well as large as i can get

i believe i'm going to be limited to 2.5m (8'3" ish) total building height, which i will have to check out, unless i'm 1m inside the land perimiter, where it can be 4m with a pitched roof, though seems like a waste of land

you guys over there have 220v, we have 415v 50 cycles 3 phase, which i can get, though only when i get the lathe / tig welder

how do you guys tend to mount your frame jig ? mobile or fixed to the floor ?

thanks

NBC

[Will Neide]

how do you guys tend to mount your frame jig ? mobile or fixed to the floor ?

thanks

NBC

I would think with limited space you'd want to be as flexible as possible with your space. Bolting that thing down to the floor seems like a bad idea and unnecessary.

[abbeyQ]

Build it as big as your lot and codes will allow, you can thank me later. Other things to consider, lots of light, lots of power, you really can't have too much of either. Plus it's a hell of a lot easier to do it now than it will be to add it later. Not sure if it's worth putting air lines in the wall or attic but it's something to think about. Might as well pour a pad off the corner for a compressor while you're at it. A covered porch would be nice for storage as well. Gravel base and a roof extension works well enough. Some of that extra space could certainly collect clutter but I'd rather have room to store random shit than feel like I had to purge on a quarterly basis only to buy some of it twice. My ideal shop would have a closed off 'clean space' as well. Something to do office crap, take photos and make coffee.

[Mike Mcdermid]

thanks steve

in england the max area you can build an outbuilding is 30 square metres unless you obtain planning permission, which turns out to be a very lengthy and costly thing to do, hence putting a limit on it, that's pretty well as large as i can get

i believe i'm going to be limited to 2.5m (8'3" ish) total building height, which i will have to check out, unless i'm 1m inside the land perimiter, where it can be 4m with a pitched roof, though seems like a waste of land

you guys over there have 220v, we have 415v 50 cycles 3 phase, which i can get, though only when i get the lathe / tig welder

how do you guys tend to mount your frame jig ? mobile or fixed to the floor ?

thanks

NBC

rent a unit

or shipping containers ...i really like shipping containers google shipping container workshop and remember because they arent permanent

this guy has a good handle on it ...lol

GC_shipping-container-workshop.jpg

or move to canada<-------------------best option of the three

[P K]

My 20' x 30' garage cost 16K from one of those "tuff-shed" type builders. Installed in 3 days, they poured the slab, quality construction but no sheetrock. Highly recommend doing this over building yourself, hope they have these companies in the UK.

My mill (and my old lathe) had manuals fortunately, with min. floorspace layouts. But if not, getting full travel on your mill bed is all thats really needed for the mill. Put your tailstock at the wall for your lathe, leaving the spindle open (not blocked).

I don't have 3-phase, so I put my converter on a wheeled cart that be used on either machine (or leave the building if needed)

I put casters on most of the stuff in my garage if it doesn't need to stay put, helps a lot.

[fortyfour]

Also do not skimp on proper insulation (floor / slab included) and a means to heat the space. Living in NH, and the winters I have to endure, heating and insulation was not an afterthought. I sit comfortably at 60-65* and I the work is that much more enjoyable as well as safe. My windows were free from my wife's uncle when he replaced a bunch due to snow damage, and the insulation which did all 4 walls (ceiling was purchased) came from a local timber frame business who I am friends with. Think about access to the shop for bringing machines in/out of the space. The original doors to my shop were giant, so I reduced them to 8x10 opening with a set of insulated in-swing carriage doors I built myself (in-swing because I have to deal with a lot of snow in the winter):





And +1 on the space needed for work flow around machines, benches etc. Consider elbow room. For electrical needs, I consulted with a friend who was an electrician and he made sure we ran all the proper wiring to handle the loads as well as the distance from the source up at the house. Link to my shop build out set on flickr for anyone interested.

[cement shoes]

My shop is 21' x 9.5' with a standard overhead garage door at one end and a man door at the back. Here's a semi-recent picture:

8529126589_75c2653a6c_c.jpg

The center pedestal now houses a fork blade bender and a Park bench stand too. Drill press has been moved and lathe occupies its spot/ Work bench and toolbox are reversed and I've added wall cabinets and some pegboard. It is tight. Your proposed 16' dimension would be a god send in my eyes. What I do have is an upstairs. If you can swing that 1 meter offset to take advantage of the extra height, I would do it. With the small space, you have to utilize vertical space. My surface table, additional cabinet/shelving and space to hang a couple of bikes are not shown in this photo. Also, all of my benches have storage underneath since that would otherwise become dead space.

[Craig Ryan]

Insulate. 220. fire rated wall board.

[RCP FAB]

My last space was 16x35. The 16 foot with starting to get very tight as I added equipment. Minus the "office" space (I had 2 desks and some shelving in the front area) my "work" space was probably close to 16x25.

This picture was when I started to move, the shelving was all broken down, and a good amount of stuff was boxed up.

[steve garro]

I have to add that I do have a separate office space as well.
- Garro.