Shop dilemma.

[rcmadness]

Need some help deciding on a new shop. I currently use 1/2 of a 2 car garage for my equipment and my wife thinks I need a regular shop with air conditioning and such. I already have a 40 x 50' concrete floor shop but I do not want to put my precision equipment in the really dusty environment. (it is connected to her horse and goat barn and the west Texas dust covers everything in the barn in a very short time.) The main barn 40x50 houses my welding equipment, tractor, lawn mower and many other things.

I have enough room in the afore mentioned barn to build a 12 x 20 fully inclosed work room with AC and all the fixings but I am concerned it wont be big enough in the long run. Trying to seal up the whole barn to the point that dust is kept out will be nearly impossible.
Now for the question:
I cant decide whether to keep my stuff in my 1/2 of the garage or go ahead and build a 12x20 or wait and try to build a bigger shop. (I really like the ease of walking out in the garage to my stuff rather than walking down to the barn.)

I know I am lucky to be stuck with such a problem, things were so much easier when I didn't have much and was happy with just about anything. Now I we have our kids grown and we can do more.

Added June 15th. (Everyone has been great helping decide on things so lets have some fun) Please answer this question.

(I am looking for simple conveniences. not necessarily equipment or high cost items)

If I were building a new shop I would make sure it had ............?

 

[ksouers]

Welcome to HMEM, rcmadness.

I see this is your first post. How bout telling us a little about yourself and your shop. What equipment do you have? What do you plan to get?

I'd be very happy in a 12x20 shop. Mine is an 8x9 foot corner of a slightly over sized two car garage with two lathes -- a 7x12 and a HF 9x20, a mini-mill, two tool chests and some stock and cabinets, no air conditioning and propane heat. It's quite cramped. A Powermatic knee mill sits outside in the garage. Oh, and there's a Sherline lathe tucked away in a corner.

 

[Maryak]

rcmadness,

Welcome to our forum. wEc1

Best Regards
Bob

 

[Twmaster]

rcmadness...

Welcome to our madness! I'm also in a small one car garage. Space is at a premium for sure. One thing I can say is no matter how much space you have you'll always end up needing more. Go for the biggest space you can.

And yea, the horse barn is a bad idea. We here in OK get a lot of the same narsty dust.

 

[rcmadness]

Sounds like we have the same stuff minus the knee mill.
I currently have a 7x10 lathe, Sherline lathe, Mini Mill, bench mount drill press, floor mount drill press, bench grinder x 2, two bench belt sanders, 2 Craftsman rolling tool boxes (one mechanic tools and one machine tools),

In the barn I have a torch, plasma cutter, 3 welding machines, 60 gallon compressor, cut off saw, band saw, table saw,etc and more power tools than I can count. I have been collecting a while.

I started tinkering as a hobby machinist when I lived in California. I set up the mill and lathe in my garage to support my G Scale train and RC Airplane habit. Both of those hobbies have went to the wayside but the machining has stuck with me ever since. I even dabbled in minor gun smithing for my friends. I have built a couple dozen simple engines over the past 9 years and given most of them away to people who saw them in my office and expressed serious interest in metal work. I have a couple of oscillators left and 1 over head valve engine that I build with out any plans that seems to keep the engineers at bay when they come buy my office. They can't figure out how a guy with no college education could build something like that. I aways tell them it all started with a 3" long piece of Aluminum pipe (cylinder) and the will to make something that had some unique movement, it just kind of fell together one piece at a time. (note, it does not compare to most of the engines guys build on this site, its pretty crude compared to the works of art on here.)

I build stuff just for fun, my job deals with supervising a large number of people and dealing with HR type problems. When I set down at the lathe or mill the problems I encounter are typically simple and straight forward. There are no "underlying issues", it always the same, operator error and I know how to deal with that. ;D


I started not to post my question because I believed most would see it as shameless to ask such a question when most folks struggle with very little space. I have been there and done that most of my 46 years on this earth and my kids got grown and started there own life and I realized heck I can do better or more now that some of the load has been taken off.

I have added a picture of the area that I am thinking of putting the new shop. The wife's goats are checking it out for me. I can basically build in the whole area where the table is from the left wall over to the door you see in the back. That equals the 12x20 area.

 

[rcmadness]

TWMaster, I grew up in Wilson and Ardmore Oklahoma, went to some college in Ada and spent 14 years working in Duncan Oklahoma. We left I 2000 to go where they sent my check which was Bakersfield CA. 3 yrs, 8 months, 3 days, 8hrs and 45 minutes later we moved to West Texas. I thought I knew dust but nothing like what we found in Midland.

I would almost bet you a paycheck you could put a brand new 1 quart sealed Mason jar in our living room and within a week it would have 1/4" of dust in it. This stuff is so fine it penetrates anything. My wife is a clean freak and she dusts constantly.

Glad to be a member of this board and thanks for all the "welcomes"

 

[Twmaster]

Heh. Ok, you win. We get the same dust. You know that. You just get more of it! Afterall, everything's bigger in Texas!

Welcome aboard, let's see some pics of those engines!

 

[rcmadness]

I must agree it is the same dust that you get in Oklahoma, its just well traveled and tired when it gets there. I see Lubbock Texas about 4 times a year, once when we go Christmas shopping and the other 3 times are when it blows by in dust storms. ;D

Sorry, I just couldn't resist. Next time we can discuss how flat it is.

 

[1Kenny]

Welcome rcmadness,

That looks like a good area for your shop. I like to be able to look outside when working. In the desert of southern Nevada I use a weed blower to clean the shop, of course thats after I clean up with the shop vac. Those have been the better two tools to recaptuer the items that were lost on the floor. In the summer the best place to work is in front of the AC.

Kenny

 

[Blogwitch]

There is an easy solution, get rid of the four legged creatures and move to a less dusty place.

But joking aside, if you are going to build in there, you are basically going to have to have the shop sealed and slightly pressurised, just to keep the dust out. If any of that dust gets into your machines, it will wear them away in no time, it would be like pouring sandblast material all over them.

I don't think an extractor would work, as the dust is most probably a lot heavier than air in a still environment, so an extractor can't suck it out, as it won't be airborne.

A well filtered small fan blowing inwards would be enough to keep the dust out of there, but it would need to run 24/7/365.


Bogs

 

[fcheslop]

That is defiantly a serious dust problem.We used to have to build emergency clean rooms in dirty factories and we used polly tunnels and a filtered air supply to give the room a positive pressure only of a few milli bar but they were very effective despite there simplicity.A small gap was always left between the poly tunnel and floor all the way round the room . Best of luck

 

[Captain Jerry]

I cant decide whether to keep my stuff in my 1/2 of the garage or go ahead and build a 12x20 or wait and try to build a bigger shop. (I really like the ease of walking out in the garage to my stuff rather than walking down to the barn.)

A thought to keep in mind here. If its a little inconvenient to get to your shop, people won't be interrupting you with minor request. Its about 1/4 mile to my shop so I don't get bothered much. On the other hand, I don't disappear into the shop after dinner. My wife appreciates that.

The only interruptions I get are from the dog, and only when a thunderstorm blows up. I have to drive her home where she can hide under the bed.

Jerry

 

[Stan]

I don't think it makes any difference where the shop is, the dust problem remains the same. Building inside an existing building does get you one additional layer of dust control.

For a home (hobby) shop I think a 12' x 20' is more than adequate for your tools. You are in the fortunate position of being able to store stuff outside the shop but still inside the main building. In addition, with metal stock out in the main shop, you would be doing sawing, welding, grinding etc away from your machine tools.

If you build a building within a building with framed walls, insulation and vapor barrier on all walls and ceiling, the only possible place for dust to enter is the door. If you really want to be paranoid, you can have a pressurized entryway between double doors. Your air conditioner will provide all the air exchange you need and will require good filters.

 

[justlesh]

Well welcome aboard! Sounds like you are blessed with a fine woman willing to sacrifice some of her room for your hobbie. I'm also a supervisor, tool and die dept for a large corparation. I totally understand the peace and quite of running machines, I have absolutely learned I hate paperwork and I'm bluecollar thru and thru. Our household is also empty nesters in our mid 40's and loving the freedom.
As for the shop your planning, with that size of equipment the 12x20 would prolly suffice, but I have found growth is inevitable. You might design it with ease of potiential growth. As for the dust problem I don't have a clue. Thats another area in which I have been blessed.
My problems now revolve around how big of mini barn to build to get the mower and bikes out of my 24x30 shop so I can buy more equipment.
Les

 

[Tin Falcon]

Setting up 240 ft^2 in an existing building should be fantastic. I remember talking to the late great Rudy Kouhoupt about shop size . He had a 96 square foot 8 x 12 shed in his back yard for a shop . The reason for this size is most jurisdictions in the US temporary buildings under 100 square foot are not regulated so no building permit no inspections and most important no additional property tax.
But I expect Rudy did shop stuff in the house as well considering model engineering was his life and he was not married.
BYW my shop is about 11 x 14 attached to the house plus basement space and the band saw in a detached garage
storage area.
Tin

 

[techonehundred]

TWMaster, I grew up in Wilson and Ardmore Oklahoma, went to some college in Ada and spent 14 years working in Duncan Oklahoma. We left I 2000 to go where they sent my check which was Bakersfield CA. 3 yrs, 8 months, 3 days, 8hrs and 45 minutes later we moved to West Texas. I thought I knew dust but nothing like what we found in Midland.

Then I doubt that you have ever heard of Fox, or Ratliff City, Ok. That is where I grew up.

 

[rcmadness]

Thanks for all the replies guys, you have got me thinking on several different issues that I had not thought. I will probably start the shop this weekend if possible. I did some checking on prices of wood, sheet rock, door (36"), AC, insulation, wiring, etc.

Right now I am at about $800 with the AC. By the way did you guys know the Lowe's and Home Depot may not be your lowest prices in town. I was shocked when I priced the stuff at a small lumber yard and the only thing more expensive compared to Lowe's or HD was the door and they were only $3 more.

So much for discount lumber yards.

 

[Tin Falcon]

I too have experienced the Texas dust showing up in OK. I went to US Army basic and tech school at fort Sill OK. I remember looking out the window one day at school to a pink sky . I do not mean a pink sunset but the whole sky,. The instructor explained to me about the Texas dust, that evening it rained, mud drops.
Tin

 

[rcmadness]

Techonehundred- Lets see if I can ring a bell here.
Marie Dunn Tax services
Dale Tivis Trucking
Johnston Crane service. (RC)
Graham, Tatum, Mountain Lake.
School on the east side of the road, fire station on the west.

 

[techonehundred]

Techonehundred- Lets see if I can ring a bell here.
Marie Dunn Tax services
Dale Tivis Trucking
Johnston Crane service. (RC)
Graham, Tatum, Mountain Lake.
School on the east side of the road, fire station on the west.

Ok, I don't want to steal the whole topic here, but those bring up a lot of memories. I grew up just west of Deans Well serv. and Worked for 8 years for Ray Clour. Graduated with C D Tivis. So it sounds like you may have gotten your hands oily a time or two.

Anthony