Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello,
Didn't know where the best place to put this post would be, so I am putting in the cnc section as that is where I usually post. i am getting ready to build a shop to replace my 1 car garage/ crappy tin shed I currently use. My cnc mill will stay in the garage for the best climate control, and it would be a big pain to get it into the back yard into the shop (bigger gate, more concrete work, and I would have to put a garage door on the shop rather than regular doors.) I have decided to go the Tuff shed route, as it allows a lot of design flexibility, and will go up fast. Once up I can do the wiring, interior finishing etc. After checking the local building code and talking to 2 different people at the city (2 different answers of course) I will be able to do a 12x20 or 12x24 shop. I am laying it out on graph paper to try and maximize the layout, but I am looking for any tips anyone may have, or even things that really bug you about your shop you wish you could change. Perhaps any books or articles that have been useful to you regarding layout, wiring, dust collection, lighting, windows and doors, anything.
Thanks for your thoughts
Evan

I had a 16x20 wood frame peir&beam shop built a couple of years ago. As i did not want a shed lookig building i had functional french doors put in in the front and back. To cut a long board or sheet plywood I open the door and feed it out the door.
The other thing i did that i really like was put a couple of electrical drops from the ceiling in the center. I also ran tubing for air drops but haven't hooked that up yet.
16x20 is pretty tight for me. 12x20 will be really tight. I know about city requirements as i had to jump through lots of hoops to get mine approved.
Eddie

what kind/size of cnc machine do you have? is it an actual cnc machining center? a small table top machine?, or some sort of gantry router?, or other?

Eddie,
Thanks for the tips, I remember my grandfather had garage doors on each end of his shop.
Arie,
I have a atrump knee mill with a centroid control.

I am going to try and get down to the city office today and get a definitive answer on setbacks,etc

ok that makes it easier. give yourself some room to swing the ram about should you need to and consider bolting down to the floor. over here on the left coast cal-osha requires a min 3 ft distance around the machine and the switchbox.

Rather than graph paper....lay it out with your cad software. Once you measure your basic gear you can rearrange at will to optimize your space.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

+1

You can even draw a rough top view of yourself with a working zone around you to make sure you've left enough room to operate comfortably. A friend of mine made 3D cardboard models of his space and machines so he could visualize things better.

Figure out how to hang all your flat templates on a bar similar to clothes in a closet. This will save a ton of room.

Hello,
Thanks to everyone for the ideas. I went down to the city building offices yesterday, and they were extremely helpful. 2 different people came out to talk to me, and they printed out an aerial view of my property to make sure we were talking about the right place. They gave me all the specs for what I can build, and I can basically build a 16x19 building (I am a few inches to short to do 20, I will measure again). Next step is to head back to tuff shed and finalize which style of building, and start getting pricing together.
Evan

i don't know how concerned you are with the longevity or accuracy of your mill, but you might want to pour a relatively thick slab for it.

Arie,
The mill is going to stay in my garage. Everything else will go in the new shop. Trying to move it would be a pain, along with having to put a much larger gate to the back yard. Also this eliminates having to put a garage door on the shop, which would really only be used once to get the machine in. Everything else can go thru a regular door.

Hello to everyone,
I managed to squeeze 17x19 feet into my allotted space, so I will have approx. 300 square feet of shop. I have signed off on the drawings and they are off to the permit office. I have decided on a concrete guy, so once the permit is ok'd I will be ready to go. I have already ordered doors and windows. I was able to find a company who makes a fiberglass french door 8 feet tall, so I will have a 6x8 opening when I need to move large things in and out, and just use the one side for everyday use. I got jeld wen soundmaster windows (2 different thickness panes to help reduce sound transmission both in and out) so the shop will have better windows than my house does. Is anyone using a mini split for heating and cooling in their shop or home? If so I would be curious what brand you decided on.