| My present shop, when complete, will be housed in the two car garage attached to our newly built house. There are obviously many locations a woodworker could use for a shop but this seemed the most likely for me. In fact part of the reason we chose the house plan was the double garage.
This decision wasn't made because it was the easiest place to put it. This is actually my sixth shop in nearly twenty years. I started out using my Dad's shop, a one car garage. One wall was taken up with a rather large radial arm saw bench and a small woodpile. Every other nook and cranny was filled with the usual garage storage mess. At that time the radial arm saw was his only stationary machine, so at least we had some open space on the floor. As stationary equipment became more affordable and easier to find though, his shop became overly cluttered and he spent more time moving equipment than woodworking. Even he moved to a place where he could have a 25 by 30 foot shop.
My first shop away from home was in the basement of our rented house. This didn't last long. Ask my wife. We found out soon enough that the sawdust generated spread throughout the whole house faster than a tablesaw can kick a board back into your ribs. This was long before the New Yankee Workshop came on, and long before you could buy affordable dust collection equipment. Many people have successfully managed to cope with this problem, but being a rented house, I was sent out to the garage.
My second shop, an extra large one car garage, was insulated, had a non-functioning furnace, unfortunately, but was fairly comfortable. One of the previous occupants was kind enough to furnish benches around two sides and ample storage shelves. My collection of hand tools and my contractor's table saw fit nicely into the space.
Early on in my third shop, we had to move out of the other house, I realized that built in counter-like benches weren't enough. This shop was a small two car garage (no insulation or heat, unfortunately – and in Canada that can be a big problem) so there was plenty of extra room. At the same time my skills were growing, so my need for more stationary equipment also grew. After the New Yankee Workshop aired, I built myself a duplicate of the workbench from the second episode (which I still use). That was the first real cabinet bench I had seen. These things are few and far between in rural Northern Alberta.
At this time my appetite for woodworking information really began to explode and I started accumulating a rather impressive library of books and tapes. I spent several happy years in that shop, until the blasted owner of the house sold it and we had to move. The next few months saw my tools in storage in my Dad's shop while I started a new career in teaching. We were house-sitting for my parents while they spent the winter in Florida. This gave me a lot of time for re-evaluating my shop layout, and purchasing some new tools – including my Unisaw and a proper dust collector.
The next house we bought. This way nobody could push us out. We selected a house very carefully and I ended up with a heated, insulated, pre-wired two car garage. All I had to do was move my tools in and go to work. The next few years provided many happy hours of diversion in my shop.
When we moved to the United States, the tools stayed in storage for a while, then I moved into an 1100 square foot industrial space. Although I had the machinery to more than fill it, it is not an ideal setup. Many woodworkers dream of more space. Well, I have had it. Let me sum up the experience in one question. Have you ever had to keep 1100 square feet of woodworking space clean? It seems I spent more time cleaning than woodworking. In addition to this, the more space you have, the more duct work and airlines you need. You have to factor in travel time when you want to work on a project. You also have insurance hassles and extra utility bills.
For me, I prefer having the shop close to home – in the yard if I can help it. I also need a more manageable space. The result is that I am quite happy with a two car garage. I have learned to pare down my tool needs (you don't need every tool in the book to make things), and If I encounter space problems, I just have to be a little more creative.
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