The Rural

Designing a DIY workshop at home: What you'll need

Designing a DIY workshop at home: What you'll need
Designing a DIY workshop at home: What you'll need

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Typically, a woodworking shop will have a storage area for your raw materials, a workbench, tool storage, power tools and machines area, and a finishing area.

It is important to have plenty of space between the bench and the wall when working with long, wide boards and panels to keep you safe and protected when you are working on different projects.

In order to organise your workshop, you must first identify what you will need from your workshop from one day to the next.

Start by deciding on the best location for your workshop. Any room of the house or garage can be used as a workshop, but the basement or garage is typically the best location in most homes.

A workshop should be designed for future expansion, as the chances are that your existing facility will become too crowded and soon you will need more space.

Creating a workshop involves many factors, such as storage, lighting, ventilation, power requirements, and noise reduction, which all need to be considered carefully to ensure that you have a home workshop that will meet your needs moving forward.

Let's take a look at just some of the things that you will need to create a DIY workshop at home.

Dust Collection

It is critical to design a workshop to be dust-collection-efficient. Unless you use only hand tools, most power tools and powered sanding operations create airborne dust that is easily inhaled. Most airborne dust can be eliminated by collecting it at the source.

The collection of dust is a key component of woodworking. Machines generate dust and shavings when preparing and cutting timber. By not removing the dust at the source, it becomes airborne and infiltrates your lungs which can lead to health complications down the line, especially when working with wood for long periods of time.

Electrical and lighting

Make sure your workshop is well-lit and has a functioning electrical system. Traditionally, sub-panels would act as energy distribution systems for medium-sized workshops.

The best lighting for a workshop is always natural lighting, such as sunlight. Place your workstations or machines so that the sun's rays do not shine directly into your eyes. Keep in mind that reflected light is beneficial for any workshop, so the whiter the ceiling and walls are, the better the light reflection will be.

Storage planning

Storage is an essential component of a workshop. Without the right storage in place, tools will be left on workbenches or other surfaces.

Designing a workshop that compartmentalises and organises tools for easy access is always a good idea.

Hanging cotton rope baskets and a tool cabinet is an option, and most tool cabinets are designed with a low profile so as not to extend too far out into the workshop. A workshop cabinet keeps dust from accumulating on metal tools as well.

It's worth noting that high humidity levels in a workshop setting can cause dust on tools to stick to metals.

Rusting and tarnishing are caused by dust attracting moisture over time, so be sure to take this into account when designing your space.

Remember that timber should be easily accessible, and it must have access to adequate ventilation as wood needs to have air flowing around it to maintain moisture balance.

Finalise your workshop design get to work

In many cases, a layout is best finalised after some time in the shop. Some tasks, such as those which require a lot of machinery, might benefit from creating a work triangle that represents the types of machinery you use most often.

Workbenches and hand tool cabinets become more important when you use hand tools a lot, and the location of the workbench is crucial to having access in all directions.

Once you have finalised the layout of your DIY workshop, you will be ready to get started on your first projects with confidence.