Workshop Layout

[Dave Staudte (rhymms with "Howdy") NB Guitar Repair (New Braunfels, TX)]

When I laid out my shop in CA I literally used a piece of graph paper using one square as one square foot and drew the perimeter of space. I then cut out different colors of Post It Notes with the same footprint as my machines, benches, cabinets, et. with the same 1 square foot size as the graph paper and labeled them. Then I just moved them all around on the graph paper until I was satisfied.

[Rossella Bottone Liuteria Bottone]

Great idea! I’ll try that, thanks.

[Danny West West Guitarworks]

I’ve been in a 200 sq foot shop for the past 6 years and really only seemed to get the most out of it in the past year or so. The one thing that freed up the most space was getting an overhead rack to store guitars in. I have a bench/front counter right as you walk in the door and I specifically designed it as a barrier to keep the customer from walking around my shop. It also has shelves underneath it where I can store 4 guitars as I’m working on them. Behind that I have another bench (my main setup bench) and against the wall behind that is another bench top placed across two rolling tool chests. I keep all my sanders and bandsaw on that bench with the shop vac nearby. I have one more bench against a wall that my 3D printer lives on as well as a couple vises. If you ever pop on to the loothalong I’d be happy to give you a virtual tour!

[Rossella Bottone Liuteria Bottone]

Hi Danny,

Thanks for sharing! I was considering the overhead storage for guitars and the “bench as a barrier” too. It would be great to see your workshop. I’ll let you know when I can join the loothalong. Thanks!

[Stephen Martin Atelier Guitar Repair]

I’m currently exclusively working out of my home shop, which is only 80 sq ft. It slowly gets more efficient in here. The biggest space saver was getting all cases shelved vertically along 1 wall. Every shelf I put up helps to organize and keep my benches and floor (relatively) clear (2 benches + neck jig on post is max capacity). Belt sander, drill press etc. are down below in a crawl space (the extra space needed for power tools).

[Rossella Bottone Liuteria Bottone]

Hi Stephen, thanks for reply! Would you share a couple of pictures of the guitar storage space or any other detail by any chance? No pressure if you prefer not to!

[Rick Liftig luthier wannabe… slowly gettinthere]

Rosella – like many of the others, my basement shop space is limited. Maybe 200 sq ft total (125 ft workable). In that space I have a bandsaw, a drill press, two benches and tools\storage on most walls. A small, sturdy stand alternately hosts my sharpening station or a belt sander. Our house’s utility room, which contains the furnace, water heater, gas meter and electrical panel, takes up 75 square feet of it. It’s an inefficient space, but I make it work.

Two things have bugged me: ventilation\dust (which I have eased with a portable HEPA filter) and ceiling height. It seems no matter how careful I try to be, I routinely whack the headstock of the guitar on the ceiling (there’s a large heating duct adjacent to a supporting column\beam down the center), or on one of the many corners in the room. Bugs the heck out of me; I almost want to add padding all around the room. (OTOH, as I consider it, maybe a padded cell would be a very appropriate room for most luthiers) Seriously, if you can manage it, try to establish a zone free of any objects\ corners around and above your bench.

IMO, the workbench comes first in any shop design, then work around that space. Make sure that all stationary power tools have clear space around them so they can be used safely. Place storage on the walls or on shelving units and figure out items that can be swapped in and out (like my sharpening station\belt sander). A lot of the design evolves over time, but the basic elements – the bench and the stationary tools will likely stay in the same place by necessity.

There is one other issue which I have not figured out: the force of gravity seems to be much higher in my basement than in the rest of the house. Tools and workpieces often fall to the ground or roll off the bench when I am not looking; it always seems to happen at the most critical juncture when all I can do is watch in disgust. What’s that all about?

• This reply was modified 2 months, 1 week ago by  Rick Liftig luthier wannabe… slowly gettinthere.

[Rossella Bottone Liuteria Bottone]

Thanks for sharing your workshop set up and your experience, Rick!

[Paul M]

I bought a way big CNC and that was mostly a mistake. The capacity is cool but it takes up so much of my floor space. I use it in ways I didn’t really think I would. I could definitely get by with a smaller machine.

I re-arranged my shop a year or so ago. I also traded someone for a bunch of big cheapish tool boxes. They sucked up a lot of mess.

The biggest problem in a one room shop is dust. Total problem all the time. I luckily have 3 big windows, so when it gets bad I open them and use a mini leafblower to blow it all out on the unsuspecting pedestrians 5 floors down. But my life would be a lot nicer with a separate machine room.

[Rossella Bottone Liuteria Bottone]

Thanks for sharing your experience, Paul!