The Best Layout For A Woodworking Shop

ian clarke

Choosing the best layout for your woodworking shop will ensure an efficient operation, which will result in greater productivity and enhance the safety of the work space. 

So here are my tips for a safe and productive workshop…..

Positioning Your Saw

I hope that you have the luxury of fitting out a completely new woodworking workshop. as remodelling an existing one can cost time and money.

Naturally the layout of your equipment depends on the type of work you are carrying out. Allow sufficient clearance around machines, such as your table saw, for the handling of large sheets of ply and long stock.

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Smooth workflow around the shop is also essential to improve efficiency and to ensure work is carried out safely.

A table saw is a key piece of woodworking equipment. Placing it in the centre of the shop provides maximum flexibility for panel sawing, ripping and the cross cutting of long boards.

If you work with large sheets of ply you could build an extension to the saw table. Make sure that you have plenty of space on the left hand side of the fence.

You can gain some extra space by aligning the table saw diagonally. Alternatively you could face the machine towards the access door to give more room and enable you to wheel or drag the machine outside to saw exceptionally large pieces.

Centric table saws can have a router, spindle sander or shaper on the table. Alternatively you can build a router into the extension table of the table saw, which is great for saving space.

A Word Of Warning

Every type of saw……circular, jig or bench…can be extremely dangerous in inexperienced hands. In particular bench saws can cause serious injury, including amputation, if used incorrectly.

Here are the chilling statistics……

Table saws accounted for up to 67.000 injuries in the US each year……and up to 15% of those injuries involved amputation.

You should either take instruction from an experienced woodworker or take an evening class in woodworking before attempting to use a table saw.

Positioning A Jointer and Planer

A jointer or planer is often used in conjunction with the saw table, so it should be placed closest to the saw on the right hand side of the extension table,

The planer is then positioned close to the jointer so the alignment of these tools gives your shop a long axis.

Layout for a Single Garage

Layout for a Single Garage

Nowadays all items of workshop equipment are available in both static and portable versions. So, in the layout above, the portable planer is stored under the mitre or table saw. The latter is also portable and can be positioned in the centre of the garage once the car has been moved.

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