Regardless of whether your workshop is housed in the basement of your home, a garage, a shed, or just your utility room, it should be both a convenient spot to put all your tools and materials, and it should be a comfortable place to work. Your basic workshop needs plenty of space for the safe use of any stationary power tools, like your table saw.
It should also have enough well directed lighting, providing a well-lit and safe working environment. Finally, a workbench is essential, one with a decent sized top at a comfortable working height. One of the tools that should be top of your list is a bench vice. This is essential for clamping your working materials safely. Choose a vice that opens to at least 4 inches and is easily adjustable.
Another consideration is if you intend storing and using solvents and paints. Make sure the area is well ventilated and you have a fire extinguisher on standby.
You need enough electricity for your needs without overloading the power supply. Make a few calculations on how much you'll need. Include all power tools and lights. If you don't have enough capacity, add an extra circuit. If you don't know what you're doing, make use of a local electrician.
Use a spare wall or two for storing your tools. A peg board allows for the most versatile storage solution. You can hang a multitude of different tools, have easy access, and it's a doddle to clean up. When it comes to shelving, you can never have enough. Choose deep shelves with enough storage capacity for all your power tools, buckets, paints, and boxes. You can buy ready made shelving units, or make them one of your first projects. Start as you mean to go on.
If you are going to place your workshop indoors, it might be a good idea to take the other occupants into consideration. Your family can be spared the loud whirring and drilling that you are bound to make by using hollow tiles on any connecting walls. Also, to keep dust and dirt from getting into your home every time you open the workshop door, add a door sweep to the base. A wet and dry vacuum cleaner, although not essential, will save you a lot of time and hassle, both around the workshop and with your partner. Many modern power tools come with an attachment letting you connect the vacuum hose, sucking waste directly into an awaiting receptacle.
Using your space wisely and making sure it's safe should be your fundamental concerns. A home carpentry workshop is easy to set-up and run once you do a little bit of forward thinking, avoiding a lot of future hassle and headaches. All you have to do now is dream up the ideas that are going to keep the fruits of your labour coming out of the door.
