Popular Woodworking 2006-10 № 157, страница 40

area, again, the larger, unrestricted space offered by an outbuilding makes that division a simple matter of preplanning.

Outbuildings also give you the chance to move some of the space-intensive and noisy shop equipment outside. Compressors and dust collectors make noise and take up valuable space. Adding a small "mechanical room" to the outside of an outbuilding

moves the noise farther away and leaves the interior space available for working. Again, this is a rare option in a basement or attached garage shop.

As you may have intuited while reading this list of wonderful things available in an outbuilding, it's usually the most expensive of the three options. Beyond the cost of the building itself (if you need to build) there are the concerns of adding water, electrical service

Some stand-alone workshops serve as a place to work and a place to show. Doug Matthews' shop was built to visually fit into the surrounding rural landscape. On the lower level Doug restores and repairs antique furniture, while the upper level of the building houses a showroom for displaying and selling antiques.

and heat to the structure. While you may not need a bathroom, a slop sink is an important feature. Your basement or garage shop is only steps away from a water source.

And, of course, adding a subfloor, skylights and all the windows you'd prefer will increase the costs associated with your new shop. But, you will be paying for the chance to set up shop exactly the way you want it - and that's a very happy thing.

What's Your Choice?

While we all may have a dream shop in our heads, only a lucky few will have the chance to set up shop the exact way they would prefer. Most of us will make the best of the space we have available, and there's nothing wrong with that. In fact that's what this seven-part series is all about: Helping you make the most of the space you have available.

We'll look closely at providing the best lighting and power options and the best locations for your machinery to make work flow smoothly, and we'll also look at organizing your hand tools and small power tools for maximum efficiency. At the end of the series we'll tackle the topic of dust collection, then look at the best workbenches and workstations to finish out your fantasy shop.

Whether you're dealing with a low overhead and cracked, sloping concrete floor, sharing your shop space with both the Powermatic and the Pontiac, or have achieved woodworking nirvana (a dedicated pre-planned woodshop), there are tricks and concepts that we'll pass along to make it the most comfortable and efficient shop possible. PW

Woodworker Charles Caswell built a two-car garage shop at the end of his driveway. The shop offers natural lighting via the open ceiling and skylights, as well as general lighting for less sunny days. The space offers ample room for the European-style combination table saw/jointer with sliding table. The shop's straightforward layout and comfortable, uncluttered work conditions make it a model of efficiency.

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