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As much as I hate it, I will be moving my entire shop this summer as I make my 10th move in 13 years (OUCH!). When I moved here I wasn't building guitars yet so I got really lucky having a heated 4-car garage I could use as a shop.

Now that I'm a couple guitars wiser, what are some essential things you couldn't live without for your shop? I'll assume plenty of sq. footage and a heated workspace are a given. If you had to do it all over again, what would your priorities be in the shop?

Thanks!

John

Room...I am just starting but I have already accumulated a ton of stuff. Oh yeah, and good ventilation and dust collection. I am using a small 2nd bedroom so all of the above is in short supply.

Where are you moving to, John?

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I would suggest a wooden floor. I have a pretty spacious work shop (36' x 38') with a concrete floor. After spending 12-14 hours on your feet all day the concrete really has taken a toll on my feet, legs and back. I have those rubber mats in front of all my machines and work benches but it's still demanding on the body. My wood room has a raised and insulated [wood] floor that is much easier on the feet.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

Hi John,
Well, whatever space you think you'll need, make it a LOT more. It seems like the more I get into this, the more space I need and want. If you get into buying your own lumber to process into sets, then your storage requirements will go up dramatically.

I currently have three areas of my basement, a 11x19 section, a 14x12' section, and a 9x11 room for wood storage/spraying. It's nowhere near enough. One of the worst things is the low ceiling height. The worst thing is that there's no room for a cnc router.

I have plans to eventually either move or build an attached workshop onto the house which will house a big huge bandsaw and a cnc. I plan to do cnc work for others as part of my business, so I need a lot more space.

Check out also Bruce's electrical requirements suggestions on this site. Very helpful.

Tim's flooring suggestion is a good one.

Some other things I would recommend are:

1. Really good lighting.
2. An Oneida dust collector.

I'll add to this if I can think of stuff, when I'm not at work....

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

John I agree with Tim about the floor. My legs and feet ache at the end of the day. Wood floor is the best. Also climate control. You need to be able to control humidity at least in part of the shop. Good lighting is also a must.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Good question? As many times as I've moved, I've never been able to guess right so far. If I were a bettin' man, I'd guess Colorado or Washington DC. I'd love CO for the golfing and scenery, but DC would be nice also for the boating and because it's close (within 500 miles) of family. I've never been closer than 800 miles to home so it makes traveling with 3 young ones tough. Either way there are some definite shop considerations for both locations:

     C-Springs - dry weather, LOTS of spruce ha,ha,
     DC - definitly limited space, more humidity

I should know within the next month or so, which is why I'm waiting before I start my next 3 guitars.

Cheers!

John

Electricity - plagues me at my current location ( no pun). I think that and Dust containment /removal are amongst the most important. Can't operate without current. Can't live with dust in your lungs ( not very long anyway).

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

John, Move to Florida...Buy my house and I will sell it to you with all the shop equipment. Turnkey operation. No charge for all the dust either.

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

John, one thing to think about if you are building some sort of shop or renovating something into a shop: you can NEVER have enough outlets. I put an outlet every other stud in my shop and wish I had more. They are super cheap (around a buck if you get the good ones) and it's a whole lot easier to do it before you have to rip up walls. Paul

[QUOTE=Dave-SKG] John, Move to Florida...Buy my house and I will sell it to you with all the shop equipment. Turnkey operation. No charge for all the dust either.[/QUOTE]
John, think carefully about this.... You'll probably have to absorb Dave's liability, too--which means future medical bills for a coughing hacking luthier with a lung full of dust. Consult your insurance agent first.

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com