Awrksmokey Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 Hello, my parents are renovating the garage and they have agreed to build out a 7x12 foot extension on the side for me to build a shop! There would be a wall between the shop area and the garage area. I’ve started to draw and plan out what the shop would look like. I have this drawing so far. Are there any major issues i’ve missed? I currently have a propane forge but i’m thinking of switching to anthracite. Tell me if you can’t read something, my handwriting is pretty bad. Thanks! edit: the floor will probably be concrete or dirt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 Put the forge next to the door so it can be rolled outside when in use. You avoid the fumes and can work in the daylight. Vise on the welding table should be next to the anvil because that is where it will be used the most. If you can put the grinder table on wheels, you can move it to the door area or outside and reduce the grinding dust as well as work in the daylight. Draw up a 7 x 12 foot area in the yard and get cardboard boxes about the right size to represent the tools and tables. Work with (inside) that set up a while to see if anything needs repositioned. You can cut long stock into 10 foot sections, but can you use a 10 foot section in a 7 foot width building? No. You will either have to utilize the door and put part of it outside in order to cut it into a long length you can use or a length needed for the project. You can hang 10 foot sections on a wall or from the ceiling for storage, IF they are strong enough to hold the weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awrksmokey Posted February 8, 2020 Author Share Posted February 8, 2020 Thanks for the advice! I drew up a revised plan, hopefully with everything fixed. The vise will be portable so the idea is that i would cut up bigger stock outside, and then work with it indoors. I can probably also make the grinder have wheels so i can bring it outside if need be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 8, 2020 Share Posted February 8, 2020 Yeah, that looks better. It's hard to beat having a vise solidly mounted to a bench. If you put it close to the door and make a helper for outside you'll be able to cut any lengths from a 20' stick. By "helper" I mean a stand the same height as the vise, you can store it out of the way but it's hard to beat a good helper. Unless I have lots of room I like shelves and storage on a short wall away from my general work space. 7' is pretty narrow already, you don't want to thin it down more do you? Taking 2' off 12' isn't so painful or limiting. I try to never put the forge in a corner, it makes it too hard to heat away from the ends of longer pieces. However, if the forge is in front of the door or you make a pass through next to it corners aren't a problem. It's going to be a nice shop. Too small of course all our shops are too small, mine is 30' x 40' and was getting crowded before the roof was on. give yourself plenty of outlets and lights. You can always turn lights off if you wand it dim but you can't make it brighter than you have lights for. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awrksmokey Posted February 8, 2020 Author Share Posted February 8, 2020 I'm thinking of making one of those adjustable height helpers, I've been needing one for a while. I'll move the shelves to the back for sure, hopefully I'll be able to keep that wall nice and neat. I'll probably be able to move forge away from the corner to be able to use the back space. Thank you for the advice! I will be sure to put LOTS of lights in there. I'm pretty psyched about getting my own space! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 Remember one thing, we're just making suggestions this is going to be your shop. Don't think you should do anything we think of as good, what works for me may not work for you. If you don't like how one of our suggestions work don't be shy tell us why, you won't hurt out feelings and we get to learn something. Yes? The ONLY time I'd like to see you just take our word for it is if it's a safety issue. Double check do some research but we aren't going to steer you wrong on safety. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awrksmokey Posted February 9, 2020 Author Share Posted February 9, 2020 Will do. I guess I'll have to try the space out and see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 9, 2020 Share Posted February 9, 2020 Join the club little Brother. Try and see and failure analysis is the name of the game. Part of making failure analysis work for you is your notebook and sketch pad. Just because what you tried this time was an abysmal failure doesn't mean it won't be the golden key for another project. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 10, 2020 Share Posted February 10, 2020 Have you laid it out on the ground and checked if those positionings will actually work? Can you put rolling barn doors along the side to gain space ventilation during the summer? We really need to know what you plan to forge to guess if that set up will work---bottle openers and key rings take a lot less space than garden gates and chandeliers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awrksmokey Posted April 6, 2020 Author Share Posted April 6, 2020 Some good news and some bad news. The good news is that it's been upped to a 7x20 foot space! That's a lot more then I was initially thinking and I'm super stoked. I took your advice and laid a bit of it out in the actual space to see what it would be like, and most of it works nicely. The rolling barn doors thing is likely gonna be a yes. The bad news is coronavirus. I'm not sure when we will be able to build it. Hopefully later this summer, but honestly with the fact it's unlikely I'm even going back to school, I'm not sure when its going to be. On 2/10/2020 at 12:19 PM, ThomasPowers said: We really need to know what you plan to forge to guess if that set up will work---bottle openers and key rings take a lot less space than garden gates and chandeliers! I really want to learn to make hammers and blacksmithing tools, like ethan harty, mark ling, and some other tool makers i've seen here. Not exclusively, but they seem like a lot of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awrksmokey Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 A hole has been dug!! today the frame will be built and i think it’s going to move pretty quickly from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Wow that's some digging! (Reminds me of a Chas Addams cartoon where a fellow is digging a suspiciously sized hole and his wife is asking "isn't that awfully deep for the gladiolas?") I guess the frost line is pretty deep in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awrksmokey Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 yup, yesterday it dug out 5 feet deep. i could stand in it and it almost was higher then my head, kind of crazy! it was surprisingly warm yesterday so the ground melted enough for digging to be easier. the concrete was poured so hopefully it’ll set enough today to be able to build some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 When I had my shop pad poured the contractor told me that the local soil was rated for direct pour, no topsoil here in the desert! The perimeter trenches were fairly shallow too as we don't get much in the frost heave line out here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 5'? Wow, i think we only need 3' here. My dog died right after moving into my house. The neighbors wactched me build a box, dig a hole and bury him. They never actually seen me put the dog in the box and i did not get done till late at night. So i told the old lady to lay low for a while and not be seen... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awrksmokey Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 hahah yeah i was surprised it was supposed to be that deep aswell. here’s the recent progress: (that’s my dad inside the door frame. it’s going up really quickly!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 That'll be a great space for hammer and tool making. What are your (current) plans for the floor? DIrt? concrete? I'm setting up a similar sized space (8x16) to replace the leaky covered patio I work on, figuring out drainage in the new space. Looking forward to seeing your new shop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Why differences in location make such a big difference! Drainage is not so much an issue for me. I have sand/gravel/clay floors and open eves and never had a drainage issue; but then our rain is often forecast in hundredths of an inch---a 3 inch rain out here is one where the raindrops in the dust are 3 inches apart! Dust is more of an issue; I've been thinking of getting a backpack blower to dust the shop on regular intervals. My shop is currently in two 20'x30' sections, one with a concrete floor---the clean shop; and the other with the sand/gravel/clay mix (from the local arroyo) in the "dirty shop". I like storage but try to have the shelves so everything is "one deep" . I'm at the "If you can't see it you don't own it stage of life.) I'd like to add on a carport for some of the things like coal storage and the big "RR" coal forge to have more room for when my powerhammer comes on line but my electrician told me to wait till the power gets run underground to the shop before adding on. My biggest suggestion for your new shop is to not CO poison yourself! Feels so good to be *inside* during the winter; but the ventilation is MANDATORY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awrksmokey Posted January 3, 2021 Author Share Posted January 3, 2021 Michael- the floor is going to be concrete, but i’m not so sure about drainage or how to deal with it ThomasPowers- Me and my dad did do a bit of research and currently we have plants to put 250 cubit foot per minute exhaust and 400 cfm incoming air. if i did the math right it’s 9 air exchanges per hour. the space is 1500 cubic it feet, but we are still not super sure if those are the right numbers. is there something else you’d reccomend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 Will you be using that when it's 15 degF and you want to forge? Do you plan to have a heat exchanger? I'm not an HVAC guy; I've just had friends who had narrow escapes from CO poisoning---like staggered out of a shop and passed out in the snow escapes! I guess I am lucky as I get headaches and notice CO effects earlier than a lot of my friends. I remember being at a SOFA demo once and a rain storm blew up so they closed the sliding doors a lot and I started to react; and SOFA is chock full of experienced smiths! This is why I went with 10' walls and open gables and two 10' by 10' roll up doors on opposing walls along the way the breeze usually flows; fortunately I live in a warmer area than Mass and so can live with what temps we get, although we are about 4700' in altitude... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 Just my opinion here but shouldnt the pad have been poured before the walls went up? Looking at your property i do not think drainage will be much of an issue. Looks like a pretty good slope to a quick drop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awrksmokey Posted January 3, 2021 Author Share Posted January 3, 2021 ThomasPowers- it'll be used year around, so I'll be freezing but at least I'll be out of the snow and wind. My dad is mainly worried about CO poisoning too and I think I'm going to put a detector on my wall just in case. I don't want to be affected by it especially after those stories lol, it sounds painful. BillyBones- I'm don't really know, but it will be poured tomorrow. It is a pretty substantial slope so most of the water that forms around it will just go into my neighbors yard hahah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awrksmokey Posted January 5, 2021 Author Share Posted January 5, 2021 concrete’s down and drying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pault17 Posted January 9, 2021 Share Posted January 9, 2021 coming from someone who works in a small part of the garage, that looks beautifully enviable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Is there going to be a breaker box in the shop? I put one in after the 2nd time i tripped a breaker then had to go in the house, down in the basement, in the dark corner of the basement and try and figure out which one it was. Then after flipping the wrong breaker, going through the house and resetting all the clocks. (you would think i would mark the breaker, but oh no, like normal have to do it the hard way) I did have an electrician help, well i mostly watched while he did it. Since then i have not tripped any breakers either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.