Setting Up Shop

the cart in one picture and scrollsaw in the other are crooked...…..guess my OCD just kicked in!! Seriously, looking good Matt!!!!
 
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  • #22
the cart in one picture and scrollsaw in the other are crooked...…..guess my OCD just kicked in!! Seriously, looking good Matt!!!!

The scroll saw was intentionally placed that way. :sarcastic: If I put it in that corner between the dust collector and the shelves, putting it at and angle will allow me better access to it.
 
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  • #23
I forgot to add that one of my biggest challenges/annoyances in figuring out tool placement is the floor drain located in the exact center of the garage. I need to make sure that my tool placement allows access to it so I can occasionally pour some water down it so the trap doesn't dry out. Plus the floor slopes toward it, especially in the 2 feet around it.

I envision using a lot of leveling feet and shims. Certainly more than I've had to use in the past!
 
The scroll saw was intentionally placed that way. :sarcastic: If I put it in that corner between the dust collector and the shelves, putting it at and angle will allow me better access to it.

I figured, just had to type something!!!!
 
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  • #27
If all goes according to plan, I will get to spend the first half of the day Friday in the shop, plus a good portion of Saturday. Am hoping to have layout figured out enough to get stuff in place and not really have to move it again.
 
looks like a project, I plan to build mine in the spring. Rite now I have the bare necessities in my garage, if I want to do something I have to back out the tractor or the car then spread my stuff out so I can work. I will be watching your progress I'm especially interested in your dust collection system, I had one in the old shop that worked poorly hope to do better this time. :popcorn:
 
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  • #29
I'm especially interested in your dust collection system

I'll be sure to share some details when I put it back together. Summary of it is that it's a Harbor Freight dust collector that all I have left of it is the motor and the impeller housing. I've upgraded the impeller to a larger one. I added on the Dust Deputy cyclone separator. And I added on a 0.5 micron pleated filter instead of the awful filter bag - and put a clean out on the bottom end of the filter, which has been nice for cleaning out the fine dust that accumulates on that end or the couple of times I've not realized my bin was full and I ended up filling up (and having to clean out) the whole system. It has worked very well for me.

Setting up the DC will hopefully happen about the end of March or early April. I need to run wiring first, but before I run wiring I need to finalize where everything is going to go. I have someone who is going to help me wire the garage up toward the end of March.
 
I have a jet 1.5 hp 110/220 volt dust collector. I probably should have bought a bigger one but at the time I did not want to run 220 power for a bigger unit. In the old shop I cobbled it together with mostly used metal furnace duct and probably was loosing vacuum due to the old pipe. The entire system was 4" and I think I should have run some 6" main duct. My blast gates were all horizontal and they bothered about sticking often requiring a sharp smack with a mallet to move them, I guess vertical mounting is a better way. I think I will use all pvc pipe in the new shop, I read conflicting information about pvc and static electricity so I'm not sure weather grounding is necessary or not. I also have a really good commercial shop vac that I am thinking of installing like you would a central vac with 2" ridged pipe and several outlets. I'm considering installing the dust collector outside shop in a attached storage shed to cut down on dust and noise, the down side being that it will probably exhaust a lot of valuable heat in the winter. The big dust maker is the planer, I often plane 200 or more bdft of lumber in a session which can generate several garbage cans of shavings. I am considering putting the planer on a mobile base so I can roll it outside and let the chips fall where they may when I do a large quanity. Looking forward to seeing yours and hearing ideas .
 
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  • #31
Dave, I did all PVC runs in my previous shop, with some flex hose at the ends to hook into machines. Granted I only used a total of about 25 feet of 4" PVC for the runs, but I had no problems using PVC (and did not ground it - shh, don't tell anyone - some thing that's a recipe for an instant explosion, when it's not...) and I am doing the same in the new shop. In fact, I saved all my fittings so I wouldn't have to buy so much in setting up the new shop because the fittings are the most expensive part of doing the line runs.
 
I think you are right grounding is not necessary. Really no different than hooking a belt sander to a shop vac, something I do all the time.
 
I think you are right grounding is not necessary. Really no different than hooking a belt sander to a shop vac, something I do all the time.
It's funny you mention that about the shop vac, mine zaps me everytime I use it:sarcastic::nodice:
 
It's funny you mention that about the shop vac, mine zaps me everytime I use it:sarcastic::nodice:
I have done a lot or reading about grounding dust collection systems and I think the biggest reason to ground is the nuisance static electricity shocks. It is apparently nearly impossible to get conditions that would cause a dust explosion in a common home shop dust collection system. A bigger danger is a spark from a saw or sander that gets sucked up with the dust that can smolder in the sawdust bin for days before it ignites. Emptying the dust collector daily all but eliminates this hazard.
 
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  • #35
I've been sick all week. Finally starting to feel a little better, but still no energy. I'm missing out on two things I wanted to do this weekend - go to The Woodworking Show down in Milwaukee and take advantage of a few nicer days to get in the shop.

But, hey, at least in my boredom I can push and move machines around on paper. So I played with the layout some more and think I've settled on what will be it. It leaves all the machines I want to be accessible set up and ready to use with very little that will need to be pulled out from somewhere to use. The open spot on the bottom, between the tool box and the landing, is where my boys' workbench will go.

Layout 3.webp
 
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  • #36
One of the things I'm aiming for in my shop layout is to minimize having to set up or take down machines and push them into a corner or up against a wall for storage, pulling them out and having to set them up all over again when I want to use them. That got old very quickly in my previous shop space and took lots of time, time that I would prefer to spend otherwise.
 
One of the things I'm aiming for in my shop layout is to minimize having to set up or take down machines and push them into a corner or up against a wall for storage, pulling them out and having to set them up all over again when I want to use them. That got old very quickly in my previous shop space and took lots of time, time that I would prefer to spend otherwise.

Got to agree with you there. I'm going to use quite a few mobile bases this time to make repositioning tools a few inches to get clearance easy. My jointer is one that takes very little room for most projects but the ocasional 8 foot board takes 16 feet. A little extra dust collector hose and a mobile base will make a small move easy.
 
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  • #38
It's been more than two weeks since I last did something in the shop. But I was sick and it was cold. Still not 100%, but an doing pretty good now and got into the shop tonight. And lost track of time.

I moved machines around again - now most things are in the general location that they'll end up in once I'm done setting up shop. Things will move again during the process of setting up shop, but it's nice to have things in roughly the spot they will end up.

I then put together the second set of shelves, since I knew I would have space for it and knew where it was going to go. I then proceeded to start emptying some boxes and totes and loading up the shelves.

It looks like a disaster right now, but here's where I'm currently at. Still so much to do, but it feels good to be making some progress.

5.webp

6.webp

7.webp
 
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  • #39
And here is the point where I grumble about needing a functioning shop to be able to get this shop set up and functional.

I have lots of stuff that still needs a home - lots of boxes and totes that need to get emptied. I plan to build some shelves to put stuff away on (that I will eventually add doors to to make them cupboards). I need functional tools to build the shelves. At the very least, I need a table saw up and running. The Unisaw is out - I won't have 220 power in the shop for at least a few more weeks.

So I figured I'd get my Sprunger 8" table saw finally set up. Trying to align it and gave up for the night. Blade is 3/32" out of alignment and I can't get it any closer than that. So I get to disassemble the saw and figure that out next...
 
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