Workshop Layout: Making Your Space Work
A good workshop layout isn’t about fancy equipment – it’s about not wasting time walking around and having space to actually work.
Start With What You Have
Measure the space. Every inch matters in a small shop. Draw it out on paper or use free software like SketchUp. Mark windows, doors, electrical outlets, and anything you can’t move.
The Work Triangle
Most projects move through three zones: material storage → cutting/milling → assembly. Put these in logical sequence so you’re not carrying heavy boards across the shop repeatedly.
Big Machines First
Place your biggest, heaviest tools first. Table saw, planer, jointer – whatever you have. These need space around them for material infeed and outfeed. A table saw cutting 8-foot boards needs 8 feet of clear space both in front and behind.
Put them where you won’t regret it. Moving a 500-pound cabinet saw later is miserable.
Work Flow
Rough lumber comes in, gets cut to rough size, gets milled flat and square, gets jointed, gets assembled, gets finished. Your layout should roughly follow this flow.
Most shops: lumber storage near the entry, milling area in the middle, assembly bench toward the back, finishing in a separate or vented area.
Workbench Placement
The bench is your most-used surface. Put it where you have light – near a window if possible. Leave space to walk around at least three sides. Don’t shove it against a wall if you can help it.
Mobile Bases
If space is tight, put tools on wheels. Roll them out when needed, roll them back when not. Not ideal for precision work (vibration) but better than not having room.
Electrical Reality
You need circuits where your tools are. Running extension cords across the floor is annoying and unsafe. Plan electrical before bolting things down.
Dust Collection
Your dust collector needs to reach your machines. Central dust collection with a pipe system is ideal. A shop vac on wheels that you move around works for smaller shops. Plan for this or you’ll hate using your shop.
Keep Adjusting
Your first layout won’t be perfect. Use the shop for real projects, notice what annoys you, move things. Layout is a process, not a one-time decision.
