Using a Work Triangle

Similar to the appliances in your kitchen, a woodworker should arrange their tools in such a pattern that allows them to be more efficient and more comfortable with their process. George Vondriska likes to call this woodworking technique, a work triangle, or an imaginary grid that you should set up in your workshop to make moving from one step of a woodworking project to another easier and more instinctual.

3 Responses to “Using a Work Triangle”

1. Michael January 14th, 2021

   I’m about to start planning my first dedicated backyard workshop. Are there any apps (besides SketchUp) that I can use to create my ideal floor plan? I’d like to be able to enter the dimensions of the building (about 12’x20’, if everything goes well) and then ‘drag and drop’ machinery and other fixtures into the floor plan. Any product that comes to mind?

   Reply

   • Customer Service January 15th, 2021

     Hi Michael. Grizzly used to have a good one. It looks like it is currently unavailable while they do some updates to it.
     https://www.grizzly.com/user/shop-planner
     Thanks
     Paul
     Woodworkers Guild of America

     Reply

2. Jay October 6th, 2020

   This is kind of how you might arrange the furniture in your house. It really depends on so many factors that there may be little choice. Some of these are the required space for operation, location of required electrical outlets (and their capacity), lighting, ventilation, doors and windows, the availability of heat/cooling and plumbing, and storage issues. My shop is 40×60 with an 18 foot height ceiling, but there’s an RV in the middle of it, old furniture, etc. Prior to that, I had my shop in a two-car garage, which for a lot of people is their only option. In my shop, nothing is centrally located. That means that I’m on my feet a lot and do a lot of walking, which helps keep my weight down. I would say that having nothing centrally located does not significantly reduce my productivity.

   Reply