The Smallest Workshop in the World

Been a woodworking enthusiast is not enough especially if you don’t have a place to work and you leave in an apartment court.

In my case not only this was the issue but also I had no budget and space for big machines, so I came up to do the impossible for me.

 

I leave in Nicosia - Cyprus and woodworking it’s not at its best here. The woodworking accessories they sell here are very basic and everything is mostly oriented on the cabinet makers. Even a simple miter track I need to import from UK or USA, most of my things are from there, as for wood... Oak - Beech - Swedish pine - low quality plywood - cheep-boards and MDF that’s mostly all you can get and there price is ridiculously high.

Everything was design by using Google Sketch-up which I believe it has been proven to be a valuable tool to woodworkers.
The sketch-up general view image shows the whole idea in detail. Also I will provide detail photos of the whole project built.

So at my open air parking space which I have in my building there’s a small storage room with dimensions a bit more than 5X5 feet (1.6X1.6 meters). In that space I decided to keep my workshop and work openly in my parking area.

The problem is that you can spread things around in that parking space but everything has to be stored and locked safely when you are done as well as to clean to area.
Fortunately my neighbors had no problem with me doing so, but I am also been careful running the power tools only at selected hours.

Step 1: My Multi Power-Tool Bench

I decided to build a multi power-tool bench 59X20 inches (1.5X 0.5 meters) which will fit into my storage room and hold simple hand tools that will allow me to build any woodworking project I want.  Made out of 2X4” and 2X2” for the body, plywood for the sides and an 3/4 MDF top laminated with Formica for better strength.

The tool bench holds 5 major tools, drill press, sander, jigsaw, circular saw, router with a lift device and the possibility for a lathe (later addition).
It also has a vice, 5 small drawers (one for each tool’s small accessories), under storage space, and 8 electrical sockets with wiring. The bench sits on 5 casters with stoppers so that it can easily roll into and out of the storage room.

You will also noticed that there is an angle cut on the bench design, that was done so that it will allow me some space to pass through into my storage room even when the bench is inside it.

Comments

[davidsweeney]

The only think I can add is to mount the drill press table as far back out of the way as possible facing the rear, bolted down securely. Then reverse the column to bring the head the front, leaving clear path underneath.

[bvsmanya]

best workshop with maximum utilities.

[tctaylor1031]

Absolutely brilliant!

[nreed4]

How much would it cost the average joe to build one of the carts with the lathe and other machines.

[nreed4]

Also, could you use a washing machine motor for the lathe? Could you turn metal with it?

[gkpap]

Στέλλιο καλημέρα,

Ελπίζω να μιλάς και να γράφεις ελληνικά.
If you do speak and write please let me know.
I am a beginner woodworker enthusiast,and i have many questions to make.about all wood-projects you have made.
Hope to have enough time.

gkpap

[BillBiker]

I just wanted to say this is soooo innovative and should receive an award or atleast an instructable honorable mention!!!! Great job and like NutZilla said you ought to make an eBook or video of this!!! Awesome job on the "wubicle" (wood workshop cubicle) :) .

[NutZilla]

Hi. I'm a beginner woodworking enthusiast, and this is what I've been wishing to have. I'm so happy to find your sharing and it made me to sign-up just to comment. I really think you should (and I hope you will) write a complete and detailed tutorial of building this bench, maybe an e-book. I think there will be many people who are willing to buy the e-book, I know I definitely will. I also wish for demonstrations of using all the features you have in this great bench, like what can you do with this bench. Because I'm a total beginner and there's so many features that I don't understand yet. Great inspiration!

[steliart]

Thank you for the comments and visiting. Glad to help if are any questions in the future.

[rapidprototyping]

I've been interested in woodworking all my life your home built shop is great eye candy for woodshop builders everywhere. I use old door and two saw horses then place my table saw,router,lathe scroll saw on the door. my storage shop is same size yours i bought minature lathe it had disc sander scroll saw and lathe as one the motor was two speed low or high but it burned out. i then decided to disassemble it and replace conutator with v belt pully cut away housing to make room for pully belt drove this off motor with v belt
a router motor speed contoler with will work with right motors. great instructable
interesting visually !!!

[steliart]

Late reply sorry :)
As they say in woodworking... What ever works for you is right for you!
Thanks for visiting and your comments

[wagon173]

Dude! Seriously, the amount of awesome that is pumping through your veins would be a fatal dose to us mortals! It really makes me sad that I didn't have some sort of closet workshop after all those years of living in the barracks! Though I learned my way around a dremel pretty good! Thanks for the ideas, bro!

[steliart]

Thanks for the nice words, glad to be of help

[togo1919]

You're an inspiration! Great stuff!

[steliart]

Thanks for visiting and comment.

[Barcode80]

Do you by chance have the google sketchup file for the fence you made? I'm trying to source some ideas for mine!

[steliart]

Is this was a prototype I didn't do very accurate designs for it, but one idea I can give you is to have double fence handles connected with a dowel to keep them from moving left to right.

[doug1074]

Simply brilliant!

[steliart]

Thank you for visiting and the coment

[Bill WW]

Nice job, Stelios.

You have included an original feature I have never seen on a crosscut sled, the acryllic safety shield.

I plan to submit an Instructable for a crosscut sled of my own design, and will reference your original idea as an optional feature.

Thanks
Bill

[steliart]

Thanks Bill, I'm sure this is not an original idea, I have seen it somewhere and I just included this feature.
What will be practically nice (as I discover working with this feature, I had this idea) it's to have a hinge attached to the acrylic so that you can easily lift it when needed, and let gravity hold it down, as there are few times the acrylic is in your way and you might not need it :)

[SantaB]

Here are links to the cabinet I created after seeing this project.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c67.0.403.403/p403x403/644023_10152145776240360_631744993_n.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/c67.0.403.403/p403x403/384251_10152145779940360_901748415_n.jpg

I wish the pictures got bigger when you clicked on them or there where instructions on the things you used for hanging your tools on the doors, but for now the inspiration is enough. Thanks! :-)

[steliart]

Thank you for the pictures, it looks nice :)

[park47]

Thanks...It's a Dream Shop. I got'ta have one,follow your guide.. :)

[steliart]

Thank you all for your kind words.

[gyamotab]

The best instructables I saw. I'm following your path! Some ideas for improving can be found at http://woodgears.ca. Is there a way to get the sketchup file for the bench?

[depotdevoid]

This is a very nice setup!  My workshop is bigger than that, but it's in the same room as the washer and dryer, as well as a lot of general storage.  I think I could put some of your ideas to use in my shop to better utilize the space, thanks!

[gyamotab]

Same case at home :) Steliart is the best! My plan is to built roughly the same bench and maybe add a kind of CNC.

[steliart]

 Thank you very musch

[clemilsonccs]

Congratulations! Very good ideas for small workspaces.

[Data643]

You could try a router lift like this one. It seems that it would be a lot easier to use. Very cool shop setup you have, though.

[chaitanya.vedak]

Thanks "Data643" for giving the link to the Site. the Videos are so Self-Explanatory, and the end Product is pretty awesome. And also in the Second video, he made a Slot using a simple machine, which was also made out of Plywood. if i am not mistaken, most of his shop is made of machines that he built himself. Kudos to that guy, and thanks to you again for the redirect.

[steliart]

Data643. Thank you for visiting and for your link suggestion.
I am aware of that jig/router lift idea; I have even design couple of ideas/designs based on it. The router I am using is not a fixed base one but a plunge type and the idea was that you may need to easily take it out and do some hand work with it. That was the logic behind it at that time. As to the easiness of using a scissor car jack (a good one), believe me it’s so easy and accurate that you want believe it unless you try it.
But yes, your point is very good and I am sure that someone will implement that on such a multi bench.
Thank you for your input.

[anoma]

very good , i like your idea tool storage cabinet,thank you

[steliart]

Thank you, but is not originally my idea, it is just a modified version of the original idea :)

[Lectric Wizard]

Very well thought out !!! I may have to steal a few ideas... It looks like it's going to turn into a robot at any time (Transformers...) . Also had to be comment #365. GREAT STUFF CHEERS!

[steliart]

Thanks, glad you liked it

[The Rambler]

This is 100% brilliant.

[steliart]

Thanks for visiting

[Pfarmkid]

are you from the north side or the south side of Cyprus or is that just a stupid question?