Workshop Layout / Design

[Foxtail]

Hi all!

I'm aware that the workshop question seems to pop up quite regularly on this forum but there a few specifics that I hope some of you might be able to help me with.

I am in the process of setting up a new framing workshop. I am also fairly new to framing. For the last 6 months, whilst i've been learning the practical side of the trade, I have had my equipment (Morso F, Excalibur 5000, M3 Underpinner, fletcher 2200 and a small workbench) into a small garage. My new workshop is 20ft by 19ft.

I have seen a few examples of good workshops that have 'island' style workbenches with space allocated underneath for mount board storage and plan chest. As I am on a tight budget I plan on building my own rather than spending loads on a pre made one. With this in mind, could any of you help me out with the design? Dimensions, materials, etc?

Also, I have seen a few examples of benches made specifically for placing a mount cutter at an angle as opposed to laying flat on a workbench. Could any of you advise the benefits of having the mount cutter positioned like this?

If there are any other pearls of wisdom any of you could offer with regards to practical layout designs, glass and moulding storage, various shelving and anything else I might need, your help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[Jamesnkr]

>> With this in mind, could any of you help me out with the design? Dimensions, materials, etc?

A few lengths of unwanted 4x2 from inside some stud walling I demolished a few years ago (never throw anything away... ask at the local demolition site) plus I had some workbench tops (similar source) but you could take free bits of formica-coated chipboard from IKEA (they have a box of unbuilt broken wardrobes outside their stores) and you have a free bench (plus a few screws). I built mine quite a bit higher than a kitchen unit would be. Firstly I'm quite tall and find kitchen units a bit on the low side; secondly it was built to fit mountboard underneath.

[Foxtail]

Excellent, thank you Jamesnkr. Good idea!

[22rabbits]

if its a damp arean (cold at night) you could do what i done and make a box for the mount board. Iv only had a few weeks but it seems like a good idea for perventing the warping of the board in the night with temp drops.

mine is made of one standard MDF sheet 18mm and the lid and base are the same size so when its on and pushed down it applies pressure and creates a vacumm. just make sure to have good handles attached before doing a test fit and the vacumm means you wont get the lid back off without strong handles.

[Whitewater Gallery]

We are in a cellar which was damp when we moved in (especially when a pipe went upstairs and flooded us with 6 inches of water!) but we run an electric radiator on tickover 24 hours a day for 6 months of the winter and a dehumidifier all year and no damp at all now.

[David]

For the benches I have used a system by Dexion. It's made up of different corner pieces which are joined by square metal tubes which are cut to what ever length you want. It comes as a kit and you hammer it together, simple and quick to assemble. These were then topped with chip board or Formica.

It's a great system you can customise it to whatever size and height you want, I still have a couple of benches which are over twenty years old and still good.

The main benches I designed around a standard 4x8 sheet of board.


David.

[IFGL]

Wow is Dexion still made, all our old stores were made from it, very good stuff, I had forgotten it exists.

[prospero]

You can do a lot with a load of 3x2 and 2x2 timber, sheets of 19mm MDF or chipboard. Plus a few screws.

Good thinking on the island bench. That space lends itself very nicely. Bench in the centre and equipment around the walls. Most folks can only manage a peninsular.

[Whitewater Gallery]

I am no expert but I think you have a good space to one or two people to work in, but might be a bit cramped if you are trying to do large volumes. We are similar in size, about 16 x 22 feet, but I do feel a bit crowded when we get 3 people in there. Partly as it might be of interest, but also I said sometime ago that I would show Prospero our under the counter heatpress, here are a couple of panoramic photos (opportunity to play with the new phone!).

With lid up

aIMG_0133.jpg (318.6 KiB) Viewed 6603 times

[Graysalchemy]

I felt cramped this week with 3 in my workshop.........

All 2500 sqft

One thing I have always had is distinct areas working around the workshop from goods in cutting and jointing frames, cutting glass and back to mount cutting and assembly. That way you can minimise dirt from dirtier operations and if you have more than one framer you can keep out of each others way and not trip over one another.

[Steve N]

Place all your machines around the space on the floor where you think they will fit and be used, bear in mind workflow, then measure and mark out on the floor with chalk where your benches will be, walk around with sheets of mount card, glass , backing board, to see if you have to bend them to get around
Materials I used was 4x4 for legs/uprights of benches, 4x2 for horizontal supports (tops and shelves under benches) 18mm chipboard for the tops, 6mm ply for shelves

we have a main island benches 1 is 8ft x 4ft the other is 4x4ft, ones other with 18mm ply 8ftx4t for the CMC,these are all in a row down the center of the workshop, all have storage underneath

[Whitewater Gallery]

I think the size of room should be OK for all the equipment that you need. In our workshop we have along the 3.5m wall a storage bench for finished work with general storage under and beside this a 44" Canon printer. Along the 5m end wall we have the Morso with racks above either side to store mouldings and under on the left a 1.2m roll of bubble wrap hung under the shelf and on the right a mount board storage cart. In the end alcove is a 10 drawer plan chest on which sits the Gunnar CMC (we strengthen the top) with, much to Sarah's horror, the pc on a shelf in an alcove on the right hand side of the machine, followed by another wall mounted desk with a Mac driving a 24" HP printer which is along the next wall to the Excalibur 5000 (fits under the ceiling by about 1cm!) with storage behind it for up to 30 sheets of Truvue glass. The Excaliber is mounted on the ceiling about 6" off the wall as it saved moving the pipes that run behind it, but it also created the useful glass storage space. We then have the entrance to the room and between this and the storage shelf is an area for the glass offcuts.

We were lucky when we took over the building the landlord had no use for the 3 large 3.6m long by 1m wide and 2m high wooden shelf units which we cannibalised to make the 4 benches in the centre of the room and the storage unit to the side. The only downside to these is that the members are all made with 4"x2" so the shelves take up quite a bit of space and restrict space. The upside is it is very strong so was not a problem when I had to sleep the night on the benches to get up every hour to switch a pump on and off to stop us being flooded in the storms 2 years ago!

[Whitewater Gallery]

Almost forgot, the compressor fits exactly into the space in the alcove under the PC for the CMC, and the Cassesse is over the 2 benches across from the PC desk. The arms of the Cassesse swing back so we can raise the lid on the bench to get to the Hotpress HPG360.

[Foxtail]

Thanks for all this advice everyone!

Some really useful information here!

[Jamesnkr]

If you've a rectangular island bench then make it wide enough for your mount cutter. Mine isn't (because - and I regret it - I bought a 60" mount cutter).

And make sure you have an electrical supply to the bench without having to use an extension cable that you will trip over.