Setting Up a Small Woodworking Shop

Every woodworker would like to have more workshop space. A large space is nice for many reasons, but you actually don't need a large space to set up an effective shop.

In order to demonstrate, we set up a complete woodworking shop in one corner of a typical two car garage. This workshop includes all the key tools necessary to tackle a wide variety of woodworking projects and still allows two cars to park in the garage. Take a video tour of this shop and learn several tips to consider when setting up your workshop.

Most of us would workers dream of having a larger workshop, but the truth of the matter is you can do effective woodworking in a pretty small space. Today, we're going to show you how we set up a workshop in just part of a two car garage and we even left room for the cars and some additional storage.

It's roughly 11 by 11 and it has enough tools in it that you can build almost any kind of woodworking project. Plus, there's room to park a car while you're working. The key is we keep everything we can mobile so that when we're done, we can park the second car.

Let's start with the core of most shops, the table saw. We opted for a portable jobsite saw that folds up and we can put it against the wall. It's useful and really efficient.

Next, every workshop needs a router table, and this is the Rockler convertible benchtop router table. Don't let its small size fool you. It has all of the features of the full size router table, plus it folds up against the wall when we're done.

Another key to working in a small space is flexibility. For example, by mounting this Triton spindle sander to a baseplate here, we can mount it in the table. Now, you have two tools in the footprint of one, it's perfect.

Almost everybody will also want a sliding miter saw. We put ours on a rolling shop stand so that you can use it here in the shop or if you have longer pieces, you can roll it out into the driveway.

Dust collection is critical in any woodworking shop, but especially so in a small shop, but you don't need a huge dust collection system. We've used a shop vacuum. It's connected to a dust separator. The separator pulls out chips and other big debris that keeps your shop vacuum from filling up more quickly and keeps the filter cleaner longer. In addition to the separator, there is a flexiport hose which allows us to connect to almost any tool in the whole top shop.

Every workshop needs a workbench, but ideally in a small space, even the workbench should be mobile. Attach a set of workbench casters from Rockler and you can move the bench to where we need it. When we set it down, it is rock solid.

You also can't have too many clamps and hanging them on the wall is super efficient.

Also, we have this wall-mounted power station that has task lighting, USB charger, and a place to set your phone.

Bright, even lighting makes your time in the shop safer, more efficient, and so much more pleasant. In the shop seen in the video we used 5,000 lumen led lights ganged together and it makes all the difference.

Finally, one of our favorite fixtures in a small shop setting is the ceiling track. This track and curtain allow us to do a couple of things. First, it contains dust and debris from filling the other side of the garage. Secondly, an extra track hangs right over the benches where we can make use of hooks and other hanging track accessories.