On 6/15/2010 1:54 PM, Dave wrote:
Hello:

I've always been interested in woodworking since 7th grade when I took
shop, but I've never had the time, money or space to get into the
hobby. But now that I'm in my mid 30's, own a house and some land, and
have some disposable income that She lets me spend I am finally going
to get started.

I live in the burbs, on a 110 X 60 plot, in a house with no garage or
basement. The old shed I had was tiny, barely enough to get the lawn
mower inside, but this weekend I am getting a brand new 12 X 12 shed
from Shedsusa.com. I opted for the Gambrel roof for extra storage, and
the heavy duty flooring. Style is classic, with the 40 inch doors in
the front.

So, my question to you wise people is this: How much work can I get in
this shed? Will I have enough room to do any work?

Also, should I wire the inside with electrical cable? I was imagining
putting in a light switch and some outlets around the shed, an dmaybe
putting in an outlet into the work bench I am going to build. I can't
legally run a circuit to the shed, so the best i would be able to do
is drag a 12/3 extension cord to the shed and plug it into a jack to
power the shed.

Has anyone else done something like this before that has any
experiences they want to share?

Thanks,
Dave

The one thing you did not mention is air conditioning/heating. This
will determine a lot. If you live in a climate where 5.5 months you will
need air conditioning and 5.5 month you will need heating, that would
require that most anything you do would have to be done in the closed
building If you will need air and/or heating I would insulate the walls
and roof to make all areas of the building comfortable.

If you are in an area where you can work outside, I would have large
(double garage door) opening to a patio so you could roll your saw,
workbench, or whatever out into the area. The large door would make
access to this open area easily and part of the workspace. Instead of a
roll up door you may consider a one piece door the could be raised part
way to form an awning. Don't forget power outlets that are convenient to
the patio.

When you said you were going to have the building wired, I assume that
means the building will be hard wire to at least the house 110 system.
With 12 foot walls I would have at least two outlets per wall, with
amperage sufficient to run all of the power equipment you may want.
These outlets maybe multi outlet boxes rather than the standard two plug
units, power strips would be another possibility. I would also have
good lighting in the upper part of the building. If you don't you will
wish you had. You can never have to many outlets, and once the base
wiring is in you can expand the outlets yourself if you have the
amperage in the original outlet. You may also want a breaker box in for
the building.

I would also have outside doors to the upper level so you can put long
pieces of material into the area. Sort of like the doors in a barn to
access the hayloft. If you want to get fancy you could go completely
with the barn concept and have a means to attach a pulley in the very
top of the overhang. I would have pull down stairs into that area for
all weather easy access. With the outside doors you could put bicycles
up there in the off season, and maybe your lawn mower or other small
lawn equipment.

I may have one fixed workbench, but would consider a couple on
workbenches on wheels that could do double duty as extensions on your
table saw. Having them on wheels will give you maximum flexibility in
using your space. Mine has been mobile for some years and I don't know
if I could go back to a fixed work bench. For some projects the bench
ends up "L" shaped with the saw so the pieces I am working of are at my
right hand, other times in a similar configuration to the left. I have
all of my small power tools mounted to 2X10's so I can store the unit
and can firmly clamp it to the table saw or work bench when I am using
it. All that is except a small drill press which is use quite frequently.

I would have cabinets built into the movable work benches for the
frequently used small tools, and extensive cabinets up stairs for the
less frequently used tools, parts, and other "junk" you will inevitably
collect.

We are thinking of moving and I don't have any idea what the new house
may have in the way of garages or outbuilding so I have been working on
things I would like if I had to build a new small workshop,