Shopsmith Forums

My wife and I are building a new home and I have the good fortune to be able to design a shop from scratch. The room will be 29' x 21'. I'm looking for recommendations on design and layout features. I plan to have a 220 outlet installed in the floor in the middle of the room to maximize flexibility for the Shopsmith. Other thoughts? Dust collection considerations? Other power considerations? Resources you recommend for workshop design? Thanks!

As mentioned recently, I would make sure there were a few overhead electrical outlets.

fquail wrote:My wife and I are building a new home and I have the good fortune to be able to design a shop from scratch. The room will be 29' x 21'. I'm looking for recommendations on design and layout features. I plan to have a 220 outlet installed in the floor in the middle of the room to maximize flexibility for the Shopsmith. Other thoughts? Dust collection considerations? Other power considerations? Resources you recommend for workshop design? Thanks!

Water for sure. Lots of outlets. They are cheap to install and you never know when you will need one. I have quad outlets installed almost every where. That eliminates having to unplug something to plug something else in. The largest cyclone dust collector you can afford. That will probably be 220, but you have already planned for that. You won't regret spending the money. No shop vacs or cheap Harbor freight dust collectors. At least one ceiling mounted air filter. I have two Powermatic 1200 CFM filters in my 30' X 40' shop.

Water and electrical need to be added at construction but some of the other things can be added later if budget is a concern.

fquail wrote:My wife and I are building a new home and I have the good fortune to be able to design a shop from scratch. The room will be 29' x 21'. I'm looking for recommendations on design and layout features. I plan to have a 220 outlet installed in the floor in the middle of the room to maximize flexibility for the Shopsmith. Other thoughts? Dust collection considerations? Other power considerations? Resources you recommend for workshop design? Thanks!

The size of the work area (29' x 21') is a very important specification BUT where are the windows and doors and what sort of lighting will there be.

Remember, while the Shopsmith occupies no more space than a bicycle, you want to pay close attention to the area around that bicycle. You need unobstructed space around the machine (infeed and outfeed clearance).

I really like the idea of power outlets in the floor but where to put them.

We could get into a lot of discussion on dust collection but what you need is something that is adequate for what you are going to be doing. Dust collectors and shopvacs do well in small shops.

dusty wrote:

fquail wrote:My wife and I are building a new home and I have the good fortune to be able to design a shop from scratch. The room will be 29' x 21'. I'm looking for recommendations on design and layout features. I plan to have a 220 outlet installed in the floor in the middle of the room to maximize flexibility for the Shopsmith. Other thoughts? Dust collection considerations? Other power considerations? Resources you recommend for workshop design? Thanks!

The size of the work area (29' x 21') is a very important specification BUT where are the windows and doors and what sort of lighting will there be.

Remember, while the Shopsmith occupies no more space than a bicycle, you want to pay close attention to the area around that bicycle. You need unobstructed space around the machine (infeed and outfeed clearance).

I really like the idea of power outlets in the floor but where to put them.

We could get into a lot of discussion on dust collection but what you need is something that is adequate for what you are going to be doing. Dust collectors and shopvacs do well in small shops.

Absolutely. Well said!

storage ? shelves ,racks and bins for lumber, a clean area is nice for finish work. cabinets for power tools , racks for hand tools and clamps , storage for blades and sharpeners and hand tools , cabinets for drill and router bits,a glue up bench ,,,,,and then ,,,a 20x40 work shop with layout benches with vice,,bench dogs and heat , big door to open and let fresh air in , big air compressor with air lines and oilers through the shop ,, lots of electric and air cleaners like said above . if that dont work a good shop vac and a leaf blower ! lol

Personally,,, JMO no outlets in the floor , they can become fire hazards and plugged up with dirt ,,,water and electric may not be a good combination .?

I’m in the process of redoing my shop as well. Mine is 20x66 and it still isn’t big enough!


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If you said 20'x66' and it still is not big enough....

Back to electricity. It looks like the Shopsmith (Mark V) and the SS dust collector do not require 220V outlets; just 110 with at least 25 amp. I'm not very "electrical fluent," so do I really need a 220 outlet in the workshop, or just ensure the circuits have sufficient amperage?

I agree to go ceiling outlets for center of room and wall (about 3-4' high) around the shop. Use the 4 outlet versions in my opinion with multiple circuits. I strongly suggest a sub panel just for the shop outlets.

220v? A must for at least the center of the room and maybe 1 on the perimeter. Why? Power pro can use it, higher hp table saws can, and its minimal cost when putting the whole room together "just in case". I wish I had a second in my garage.

Storage, i suggest French cleats around the room when you need space. U love to rearrange and build shop storage. By using a permanent French cleat system you can build your own storage options and rearrange as needed. Again maybe only 3' and higher. Plus if you don't like the look of unused French cleat you can always use them to hang drywall sections over unused sections using the French cleat system top make it look cleaner.

As for dust collection you could go max out your shop with in floor ports around the room using 4" pipes controlled by gates. However if you only plan on using a shopsmith it's way overkill and I would just keep it nearby running like normal.

You may also want to consider a closet room to house the dust collector and air compressor while insulating that small closet. That can allow you to run them both as needed without a loud noise.

For my opinion, I when designing I would just go for 220v and 110v on the ceiling above the center, another 110v ceiling on the edge for a air purifier, and 110v around the perimeter with 1 extra 220v on the perimeter as well. All controlled by a dedicated subpanel. The rest of the shop would be handled later post construction (unless you go full dust collection in ground and walls). For now focus on what can't be done outside construction.