New Shop

[GaryB]

I've been lurking and reading here for several weeks. Today I registered so I could ask some questions.

I am in the process of moving out of the basement and setting up a new shop and trading in my hacksaw, files and emory cloth for a grinder and some better equipment.

My question is, if you guys were starting over today, what would you do differently in your shops? Safety is my primary concern. I'll be using the stock removal method for making knives so carbon monoxide won't be a concern, but grinding dust will be. Right now, I have a 12'x16' outbuilding to work with. I have run a 100 amp service to it so I hope I have enough juice to run everything I need. In your opinions, what would be your ideal set up for a new shop (air filtration, dust collection, work bench sizes, heat source, etc...)?

You guys have a great forum. I appreciate you sharing your wisdom and experience.

[Ray Rogers]

First of all, Welcome to the Newbies Forum!

Second, I think your question is too big to answer. I recently built a new shop so I went through similar questions to what you must be asking yourself right now. The answers , at least in my case, have been large and complex. The easiest way to explain is for you to go to www.rayrogers.com/shoptour.htm and see for yourself. You'll see pages and pages of answers to that question and I imagine most other guys would have about the same amount to say on the subject - and most of them would have different solutions to the same problems. The best advice I could give would be go to the member's websites and look at their shops, then decide what's best for you. The major industry magazines also have shoptours that are worth seeing.

BTW, 100 amp service should be plenty...

[GaryB]

Awesome shop you have there Ray. If I had that much room, I'd probably just throw a bed back in the storeage room and live there!

[mike koller]

Sorry if this a repeat of what may be on Ray's site...

I work out of basically the same size shop as you well:
If at all possible keep the dirty work on one side of the shop (grinders,drill press,...), make sure all electrical boxes are sealed well (can make for an interesting light show and hazard),give yourself adequate room to work around your grinder and buffer.

Heat source: I use one of the oil filled electric heaters that look like like the old radiator type heaters, because the is less potential of them shortly out from metal dust.



Hope this helps and welcome to the CKD.

[Ray Rogers]

Glad you found something useful in the shop tour Gary. Yes, I do have a reasonable amount of room now but my last shop was 14 x 20 and it had all the same stuff in it plus a little more. Before that, my shop was 8x8 and still had the same drill press, grinder, metal saw, scroll saw, lathe, and CNC mill as well as all the necessary hand tools - but it was a very tricky packaging problem!

Just goes to show you that you can make knives anywhere if you really want too and no matter how big your shop gets you will eventually fill it up....