The new woodworking shed will be a series of – hopefully many – blog posts. As described in my “Woodworking beginner challenges” part at the end of the welcome page, my current shed is very small. 2,8 meters times 1,5 meters (Or 9.18 feet times 4.92 feet) to be precise. I’ve described it in a previous post “My (work-) shed and tools“. There you can also read about the challenges.
“You don’t need a large space to do woodworking”
When talking about woodworking spaces, I know lots of people will say “You can do a lot in a small space. You don’t need a big space.”
That’s definitely true. Depending of course what you want to do! For example, if you just want to do small wood carving or woodturning, then yes. But if you want to do some larger carpentry, then no. Currently, my tools are quite often on the dining table. Or the miter saw is in the entry room. Therefore I need to invest in space. As I said before: Don’t waste money on stuff you don’t need, until you are sure, that you will need in constantly.
So in this blog post, I want to very briefly describe, what is my current situation, my plan and requirements on building my new woodworking shed situation as well as the pros and cons.
The current situation
I have already mentioned my current shed and the problems in various previous posts. And I explained that I plan to build my new woodworking shed, near or next to the current one. But you don’t really know much more.
So here it is:
Adjacent to my place is a driveway, which leads to my current work shed. And it is most of the year absolutely unused. As you can see in the picture, right now there is just a plastic tarp. (That’s just my bicycle, a wood chopping block, and some extra firewood. The firewood I got just recently. And as I don’t have more space in the firewood storage, I store it there.)
I measured the possible maximum area. And I believe, I can get a good 2.5 to 3 meters times 5.5 meters out of it. ( That’s around 8.2 feet times 18 feet).
Attached or “mobile”
Previously I have mentioned that I thought, that I could just extend the current shed. But I have also explained the difficulties in the earlier posts. Therefore, my current plan is to follow Laura Kamps idea to make it mobile. She has made a tiny house. And I
Pros and cons
Cons:
- It will be not as sturdy as a stationary solution. And I have to make it strong enough to be transported.
- Somebody could steal the whole shed
- The energy efficiency and safety will be problematic – Keeping certain tools and batteries dry and safe.
- Due to its “mobility”-aspect, I have to construct it in a way, that it can be really transported. So mostly width and height. (Lane width, and bridge height)
- I have to modify it, that it fits in with the surrounding buildings.
Pros:
- I don’t have to watch out for building regulations or get any permit
- Drain- and water pipes, as well as electricity lines in the ground, are not a problem
- Later on, I can add modules to it. Therefore extending as my needs grow.
- It can be moved and even sold off, if necessary.
To counter the cons
I hope that a lot of the cons can be dealt with using the following counter measures:
- Transport: Extra strong frame. Maybe even steal enforced. (I know a few welders and steelworkers.)
- Anti-theft: I may plan to anchor it into the ground or the actual current shed, or surround it by structures (Like a small terrace) to make it more secure. Also adding a GPS tracking could be an option.
- Energy efficiency: I’ll try to improve this by using extra insulation.
- Mobility restrictions: I’ve to build it to wide load and high load specifications. Or find a way to keep the structure modular.
Features of the new woodworking shed
First and foremost is, of course, is the space: Reason for this is, that I would like to have a “stationary” table– and miter saw. And there have been so many, many, many times where I would have needed features of a woodworking bench, that I think of building a small one. So I can fasten workpieces or camp them down. And have a sturdy build platform. Also, a router station is something I would need in future projects. (Again: There were already various occasions, where a router would be been a great asset.)
With those machines of course comes dust! Therefore a dust collection system is on the “ToDo list”. I hope I can install that somehow on the outside to save space.
The new woodworking shed 2.0
There are of course other things like a planer, belt or disc sander as well as a lathe, that would be extremely helpful. But these I would only buy or build if I really see a continuous need.
Going off the rails with the new woodworking shed
Another key requirement of the new woodworking shed is, that it has to have a large door. This is to load wood pieces or to get larger projects out of the shop. It could be literally opening an entire side of the shed! Who knows? One idea could be a wall that literally can be lifted upwards to create an extra roof or open a wall like two large wings for an outside space.
Help needed!
If you have ANY ideas, tips or can provide material or know even about a decommissioned trailer or cargo container, which could be used to create the new woodworking shed, please let me know. I deeply appreciate it.