Putting a woodworking shop in a smaller space. After putting it off for years, I finally started to redo my garage shop 6 months ago. It started with the construction of a large shelving unit and getting rid of a lot of unused junk. This opened up the space needed. I do have the luxury of a three car garage, but I like to pull a vehicle into it. The picture makes it look larger than it is.

Putting the wood shop into the smaller section worked out well. It is just a couple steps to each power tool. I use a shop vac for dust collection. Having a smaller area allows stretching a hose to a tool without moving the vac. This was wasting a lot of my time previously. I made stands for all my big tools. It is great not having to set up tools to use them. If it is hard to use the shop, I will put it off.

Here are some things that I have found useful in my shop:

Using a cyclone dust collector before my shop vac keeps the filter bag clean and suction strong. I haven’t had to change a bag in years. The Oneida Dust Deputy is the one I use.

Using rubber mats from Harbor Freight to stand on for long periods helps stop my knees and hips from aching. Especially when sanding for long periods

Putting a sheet of wood siding on the wall lets me put a screw anywhere to hang stuff. Very useful. Drywall is too fragile to hang tools from.

LED light fixtures are bright and use half the power of florescent. A pull string switch is a must for me. I can just turn on the ones needed.

Have a table the same height as the table saw so it can be used both as an out feed and assembly table. 

Put everything on wheels so rearranging is easy.

Build a shelving unit sized to take totes for organization.

Make flip tables to fit two tools into one space. I have a thickness planer and spindle sander mounted on one.