Shopsmith Forums

Good morning,

Thanks in advance for the help, it is appreciated.

I am nearing retirement and have a small shed (10' x 12') that I can set up as a workshop. I have been looking at the MkVII as a potential answer as to how to maximize the utility of such a small space. Has anyone set up a shop in this kind of space? If so, I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions as to how best to arrange things. I haven't wired the space yet, so I can do just about anything on that front. I have a 4 ft door on one of the 12 foot walls, other than that, its just a big rectangle.

Thanks

Pat

I am new to Shopsmith and have a one car garage that I will convert to a shop once I get home from Afghanistan. I posted a similar question and have gotten lots of great advice. take a look here and maybe it will help

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=13127

Take the time to wire multiple outlets on all the walls so that you can plug in at various locations. Two make sure you put in enough power, i.e. a large service panel. Place outlets up high on the walls so you don't have to bend over to plug in items. run a heavy duty shelf along one wall to hold SPT's not in use. And add lights and then add more lights.

Hi Pat,

Welcome to the ShopSmith forum. The SS is definitely a great way to maximize your options in a small shop.

My shop is a little larger than yours, at about 11'x16' inside dimension. I have a laser engraver that is about 40"x55", a CNC router that is about 30"x72", a ~1983 ShopSmith 500, a Harbor Freight dust collector, a floor standing drill press, a 24"x48" work cart, and a lunch box planer on a stand, plus the other typical stuff that takes up at least some floor space; definitely a full building. To maximize the space, I found having everything on good rollers is CRITICAL for me so that I can easily rearrange stuff; I especially like the Woodcraft orange locking casters for anything I can use them on--lock a couple and whatever they're attached to isn't going to move. Also, minimizing material movement has aided tremendously; I use the EurekaZone tracksaw system for nearly all my cutting and some routing, since the boards don't move during cuts, I only need space for the board plus room enough for me to move the saw/router. I added "wings" to my work cart that I can raise up when needed and put down when done. One wing has a router table, the other will have a better tracksaw cross cut system; both sides match the main bench height so there is no problem with material support/interference. I do break down sheet goods in my driveway under the carport as it is easier than trying to carry to my back yard. Last fall I added a couple rows of wire shelves along one wall and another row high along the opposite wall for storage misc. tools and supplies; I've also put up pegboard along much of the upper walls, inside the studs, that aren't blocked by shelves. I also use the tops of the rafters for storage and also have some Harbor Freight hangars on the sides to hold the saw tracks and other long stuff.

I use the ShopSmith for its traditional roles of lathe, bandsaw, horizontal drilling, and disc sanding; I also have the jointer SPT, although rarely have used it thus far (but likely will for a project I have in mind sometime in the future). I've also used it non-traditionally for some other projects, such as wood polishing using buffing wheels/balls and tapping a bunch of holes in 80/20 aluminum extrusion (I used the sanding disk to turn the spindle which had a tap in a chuck on the opposite end; saved a ton of time and literal pain). I don't use the SS for table saw; like a significant number of folks, I don't feel comfortable/safe with the 500's setup (and I haven't had a need since getting the track saw system), although the 520 and Mk VII have a much better table system. Even if I had room and money for individual traditional tools, the horizontal boring has been such a help to me that I'd have a hard time completely replacing the SS.

I'm presently using a couple 4' fluorescent shop light fixtures, hung above the rafters, for most of my lighting, with a couple clamp-on and one permanent bulb lights as needed for localized lighting. I'd like to replace the tube fluorescents in the near future with high lumen LED bulbs to reduce heat and be able to better direct to the area in which I'm working.

Don't forget heat and/or cooling as necessary. I have a small window 120V A/C unit that keeps the temperature about 10 degrees lower than outside air and a Big Buddy propane heater that raises by 20-30 degrees. I still need to do a lot more sealing & insulating to the shed and I think those numbers will be much better, especially in the typical Oklahoma wind.

Power wise, I have two 15A circuits that run to the shed and am able to single task pretty well and do some lightweight double tasks with judicious balancing of heavy drawing tools, especially during startup. For instance, I can run the A/C along with the CNC or laser, but have to turn something off to also run the dust collector. My ShopSmith can get a little cranky at startup if it is in the 40's or below and has gone through periods where it, by itself, would trip the circuit breaker at startup on first use even with no load; the Mk VII PowerPro shouldn't have that problem.

I hope this has helped. Good luck and keep us posted and if you do get a SS make sure you become a regular here.

Roy

Hi Pat,

I am still a newbie after a couple of years of woodworking. My current shop is in a 13'x9' corner of the basement. I find being able to shuffle my gear around is critical. That is why most of us with small shops have everything we can on lockable wheels.

One resource I found when researching shop planning was worrying about work flow...we can skip that section:D Everything in our shop is withing a step or two. The counter to this is that everything needs a place that it calls home. I don't have this under control and it is driving me crazy trying to clean up and looking for tools, etc.

I am wondering what kind of projects you want to make. A big factor in being able to enjoy working in a small space is not trying to tackle too big a task. I break down sheets in the garage, not in the shop. I think doing something like yard furniture, benches and potting tables and the like would be too big to be enjoyable if done inside a 10x12 shed. Cutting boards, small boxes, birdhouses, turned items, and craft items....not a problem. I have cut-down 8' boards, takes planning and just not as much fun as just puttering around with easier to handle stock, at least for me.

I recently got a second SS MKV M510 and if I ever get my act together I will move the shop to a large room in the basement allowing me to work on about anything that will go up the stairs (or live in the man-cave:D )

Good luck with your retirement. I love it.

Welcome to our forum. Lots of great info here on ShopSmith and woodworking in general.

Can you make a 10' x 12' shop work? I'd say it depends. My shop is 12 x 14 in the basement of our house. But I've expanded some... I often cut sheet goods to size in the garage, store most of my wood there, and do lots of finishing there 6-8 months of the year. And I've been known to use the lower level family room to do assembly. When I work with stock 8' or longer, say when making a bed or futon - it can be pretty crowded. But for smaller projects it's no problem. Also it kind of depends on how many projects you have going.

ShopSmith makes a great machine but using one is not like have a building full of stand alone equipment. It takes some learning and getting used to.

Good luck with your retirement.

If you have head room, I'd go with retractible outlets hanging from the ceiling. And if you've got a decent size air compressor (upright kind), same goes for air hoses. And beaucoup lighting.

Other than that, a big factor in my design would be the ability to pull the SS outside and work outside to the shed on nice days. And move freely in and out of the shed (i.e. no ramps, trip hazards, etc.) to get tools, use the workbench, those sorts of things.

Two very important points concerning shop size:

1) No shop is big enough and 2) Always refer to rule #1. My shop size is very similar to what you're proposing and it's not large enough for long (4') cuts. You really need to take into account the outfeed side of the table saw. That, plus any other tools you either have or plan to purchase, will shrink the size of your shop footprint.

BPR

A couple of small shops I have seen was set up so the door and a large window was opposite from each other so longer lumber could be handle with the Shopsmith in the middle between the two openings. You may want to think about using 2 3' doors for a 6' opening to handle plywood sheets with the Shopsmith still inside the shop. A long extended roof outside over the door will allow it to be open when it rains. I have a 8' concrete slab in front of my shop door so I can bring the Shopsmith outside if the space is needed.

i'm having a 10 x 16 barn type shed put in so that i can utilize the extra headroom as a loft for wood and jig stowage. i like the carport type idea too for some cheap workspace square footage...i'm not running AC to it yet so the covered outside work will be more pleasant in texas for sure