Hi everybody, my husband would really like to set up a woodworking shop but we have very little space. We can dedicate about half an 8x10 room to it-- a room in a house that we are renting, which has nice hardwood floors. Yikes. So. I am wondering if anybody here has a very small shop and if so, do you have some recommendations for small-space versions of things like table saws (he really would like to have a table saw) and workbenches? Also, anybody know off-hand what we can put down to protect our floors? Portable, foldable etc. is what we're going for... thanks!!
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Posted 2 years ago #
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My son has a portion of his room set up for his woodworking tools. We too have hardwood floors, and put down the interlocking dense foam square mats found in home improvment stores. His are grey, which works with his home decor, but they come in a variety of colors and sizes, and are very reasonably priced.
We picked up some sturdy cabinet bases from the Ikea as-is section which serve well as a work bench base and to store the tools. They too were very inexpensive --- I think $6 each.
My son is still in high school, so his shop is by no means extensive, but he does have a scroll saw mounted on one of the cabinets, and he has space to bring a mitre saw or other fairly large piece in for use when needed. He has a shop vac mounted in his closet, and the rule is he has to keep the area clean. I still want to work on better lighting for him, and he would like a better solution to storage of his wood, but overall, it's a nice solution for him.
RST
Posted 2 years ago # -
i am thinking you should put a new surface on top of the floor to protect it.
perhaps something like those rolled textured soft surfaces they use in gyms and such they are kinda tough.Posted 2 years ago # -
I was in the position of having a woodworking shop in a rented townhouse just after I got married.
The interlocking grey tiles are a very good idea, and I used those for a while, but it didn't work out for me because they are so hard to clean sawdust from between the interlocking mats, and also because it is soft, the sheets of wood, and the tools end up tearing it up quickly. I ended up just buying a sheet of vinyl flooring. Cut it to about the right size, and rolled it out. I didn't glue it down or do any installation, other than placing it on the ground. When we moved, I rolled it up and tossed it out.
As far as a small space version of a table saw, they do make portable 10 inch table saws, but I don't recommend them. A very good quality table saw takes up a little more space, but ends up eliminating the need for many other tools. It is the best multi-tasker in the workshop. I bought a cheap 10 inch portable saw at first, and it burned out. My father (also a carpenter) gave me his 15 year old table saw that was of much higher quality, and I have had it for 9 years now.
When you compare, say, a craftsman 10 inch portable table saw that sells for about 300 dollars to the craftsman professional 10 inch contractor table saw that sells for 550 dollars, it is easy (for me, at least) to see that since the contractor saw can also be used as a workbench (the folding legs on the portable saw will break if used this way), will last for decades instead of years, and has more features that once you learn them eliminate the need for other saws actually ends up saving money in the long run.
Of course, this assumes that he is going to be doing this for a few decades.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Thanks for the help, everybody! He ended up getting a portable table saw which he is using to build a work-bench, at which point he is going to integrate the saw into the bench in some way that makes absolutely no sense to me yet (eek). He built a workbench with plenty of storage in it, which will eliminate some shelving, and the bench will go where the shelves did. I think it's going to work out well!
Posted 2 years ago # -
We have an old wooden storage bin that my husband's grandfather made. It is on castors and has a flip lid. A tray inside slides across some simple wooden slats and holds smaller tools. Larger items fit down inside the box. It's all about the size of a small coffee table. The beauty of this item is storage, a low surface to work from and the ability to sit on it for other tasks. It rolls under the bottom shelf of the garage storage and is super convenient to access.
As someone who treasured her workshop in a previous home, I am curious to see pictures of how you finally organized this bedroom workshop inside the house!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Neat topic! RST, how wonderful that your son likes to spend time building and being creative!
Posted 2 years ago #
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