How To Build a Space-Saving Workshop

When Chicago-based industrial designer Stefani Bachetti’s office relocated, the new address was only a few blocks away from her old workshop. However, she lost easy access to her large space with table saws, assembly benches, and drill presses. She decided if she could no longer go to that shop, she’d convert her brick-walled one-car garage to a workspace for small-scale furniture projects.

Being in the Windy City, Bachetti’s garage must pull double duty, storing both her tools and her car in the wintertime. The layout for her shop needed some problem-solving. It can be challenging to make a functional space in such a small footprint, but as This Old House general contractor Tom Silva showed her, it’s entirely possible with the right planning and tools.

Assessing Your Space

Before diving into the workshop setup, it’s essential to evaluate your available area. Silva took thorough measurements of Bachetti’s garage and considered all of these factors:

• Available square footage
• Ceiling height
• Electrical outlets and capacity
• Natural light sources
• Ventilation options

How Do You Design a Space Saving Workshop Layout?

Silva’s solution for Bachetti focused on mobility. “Stefani has a long, narrow space, so we made the big tools easy to move around, letting her squeeze her car in,” he explains. He added a folding stand to a table saw she had placed on a workbench under the window, where it was too high to use comfortably. The saw was moved to one of the front walls, and in front of it, Silva built a Murphy table that folds up and out of the way.

“The new bench is lower, about 32 inches off the ground, making it more comfortable when sanding or using hand tools,” Silva says. “But it also works as an outfeed support that prevents plywood or long boards you’re cutting on the table saw from falling down.”

Making Efficient Storage

A wall-mounted pegboard is an economical way to keep frequently used tools close at hand and off the floor. Even the smallest workshops can benefit from them.

Silva first helped Bachetti hang a 2×8-foot strip of pegboard against the wall on a frame of 2x4s. “It was tucked behind the workbench, so you couldn’t access the lower part of the pegboard,” he says. 

Installing Soft Floors

2-square-foot foam floor mats are soft to keep your feet and back happy during long shop hours. They also stop dropped tools from damaging the concrete floor. Since the tiles interlock, you can remove them to make room for a car in the wintertime and put them back together in the summer.

Adding Ventilation

Silva fitted the top of a metal box fan with two threaded hooks. They attach to two more hooks on a 2×4 stretcher that spans the window. This allows Bachetti to pull in fresh air when it’s warmer outside and blow out sawdust and fumes during projects.

Building a Murphy Table Frame

Use 2x4s to your planned measurements for the Murphy table frame, and fasten everything together with deck screws. Two more 2x4s across the width add stability.

Next, cut legs from 2x4s to about 31 1/2 inches, so the table’s height is just below the saw. Screw on utility hinges to the legs and the blocking between the frame and first joist.

Attaching the Frame to the Wall

Add three evenly spaced hinges to the back of the frame, then screw the other leaves to a 2×4 cleat. While you hold the frame 3/4 inch under the finished height, support the cleat and drill five pilot holes. Fasten the frame to the wall with masonry screws.

Topping the Frame with Plywood

Silva sizes the frame to support a two-piece top with easy-to-transport 2×4-foot sections of 3/4-inch plywood. Lay down the first piece, then pull it away from the wall to make a 6-inch overhang. You can use this surface for clamping.

Attaching the First Section

Countersink pilot holes in the first piece of plywood so the screwheads don’t damage chisels and circular saw blades. Fasten screws through the top into the frame.

Adding the Second Section

Measure the distance between the first piece of plywood and the wall, and cut a second piece with a circular or table saw to fill the void. Position the second piece of plywood, drill countersink holes, and fasten it down with screws.

Adding a Latch

Fold the table up and mount a gate latch’s striker arm to a wood spacer that extends just beyond the frame front. Fasten the spacer to the top’s underside next to the frame. Slip the latch behind the arm so it catches. Then, drill pilot holes and attach masonry screws to secure.

“The new bench is lower, about 32 inches off the ground,” says Silva. “That makes it more comfortable when sanding or using hand tools. But it also works as an outfeed support that prevents plywood or long boards you’re cutting on the table from falling down.”

To save more floor space, Tom suggested a sliding miter saw with an articulating arm instead of rails that stick out in the back. The saw’s design lets Bachetti make crosscuts in boards up to 14 inches wide with the saw resting up against the wall. Its wheeled stand has outriggers to support long boards or lengths of molding, is easy to move around, and folds to store flat against the wall.

The Finished Product

Once the new bench and table are mounted, the new setup is ready for Bechetti’s first big project. “I made about 50 linear feet of oak open shelving,” she reports. The woodshop worked so well for her that it could be bad news for her car. “It’s really dropped off my radar…It’s only good for getting lumber and then coming home.”