Home Shop Machining/Setup

Setting up a Home Machine Shop

Rarely does a Home Shop Machinist have a dream shop, a shop purpose-built for machining. Shops are typically built in re-purposed outbuilding, in garages, or in basements. Everything is about compromise. Rarely will you find a Home Shop Machinist that has enough space... plans always seem to outstrip whatever space is available. Some home shops are impeccably neat while others are buried in stuff. All share the same need for workflow and space utilisation.

Dealing With Limited Space

The idea is to have a single larger space in the middle surrounded by stuff. Then, divide up the work between sides. If you want to do workflow A, shove all the wheeled stuff over to the B side, or vice versa. Don't put big machines on wheels expecting to move them every day, put smaller equipment and storage on wheels.

General goals:

Logically configured work zones, so you don't constantly need stuff from the other side of the shop.
The tools you use the most should be at the ready, not packed away. And, vice versa.
As big an open area as possible so you can set something out on the floor if you have to.
As much as possible, the only thing at bench height should be benches or machine surfaces, all the way around the perimeter of the shop.
Storage should be above or below bench height, or on wheels.
Storage shelves should have solid doors, doors that you can hang tools off of. Put tools you use the most there.
Do the doors right and you can hang tools off both the outside and inside of them.
Little machines, like bench grinders, can be put on wheeled carts.
Wheeled machine carts, with a little thought, can be spun around such that they support multiple machines.
Wheeled machine carts should have the most used machine the one that typically faces out.
Run power to these wheeled carts with extension cords suspended from the wall with a loop, so the cart doesn't roll over it.
Wheeled machine carts should be set up such that they roll under storage mounted on the walls.
The main bench with the big vise should be bolted down or very, very heavy.
Consider flip up/down benches for extra work surfaces, especially if you have clutter issues (It's hard to pile stuff on a bench that's vertical).

The idea is, when you walk into your shop, it should be a big empty space surrounded by stuff, near floor to ceiling. What you do most, and especially the bench, will be what you just walk up to and start working. If you need some particular machine that is not immediately accessible, then you roll it or the cabinet beside it out. The place you stand for bigger machines is either the middle of the room or is a space otherwise occupied by a cabinet on wheel. If you need to use that machine, you move the cabinet.