Official Luthiers Forum!

At my day job in repairs I've been working in a small space for a long time. Basically we converted a small room in the store to the be the shop and it's worked fine. But business has grown to the point where we need to expand to keep up with the demand as well as the tooling that's part of it.

I'm wanting to get some input on ways to save space and make the most of the limited square footage that is available, my shop is not a square room and has some angles to it that make certain things difficult but not impossible.

So, share your space saving tips and tricks, I'm all ears for ideas

Best space saving tip I've got, large shop or small shop, is overhead/underbench storage.

You only have so many square feet, but a shelf or hanger up in the rafters / joists, or under a bench / table, lets you 'multiply' that space.

Some of my semi large tools are on carts with rollers.
I keep them all bunched together and roll out the tool I am using.
Smaller tools like scroll saw and disk sander I keep on a shelf until needed.
I keep all of my hand tools in a large tool chest. This keeps my workbench clear of clutter.
My table saw takes up a lot of space considering I only use it for rip cuts. I don’t have a solution for it yet.

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My StewMac buffer took up a lot of space, so now it swings down from the ceiling.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Think in 3 dimensions. I used to "layer" my walls - flat stuff in the back on short hooks, smaller parts out front on long hooks. Large, bulky items up high, heavy stuff down low. Lots of shelves. Deep shelves up high, shallow shelves down low. Leave room in the middle of the room for movement. We don't move our bodies (or move work items) down low or up high. Think of the free and open space inside of your shop as shaped like a wooden barrel.... Fill the "voids" as it were with tools and supplies. Leave the middle for work.

Did I make any sense?

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I'm in the same boat. My bandsaw and milling machine are stationary, but everything else is on rollers. My tablesaw double duties as an assembly/setup bench. I have a big silicone mat that I put on top of the table and also have a plywood top with T tracks that fastens into my miter slots to fasten it firmly to the table. I fasten my side bender, neck jig and other things to this. It really works well for me.

Dave

Yes that makes sense.

I'm talking with the store owner about renovating a bit more to free up some space. A standing drill press would be nice but that may have to come later.