Thinking about setting up a general-purpose lab and workshop space. The goal is a hybrid area that can handle chemistry, electronics, woodworking, and light fabrication without turning into a complete disaster. Obviously, layout, safety, and workflow need to be considered, but there are a lot of ways to approach it.
Some key design issues:
>How to separate clean (lab) and dirty (shop) areas without making everything a pain to access?
>Best ways to handle ventilation, dust collection, and chemical safety without overengineering it?
>Power distribution, plumbing, compressed air, and networking—what actually matters and what’s overkill?
>Storage and organization for tools, chemicals, and materials—what works long-term?
>Modularity and future expansion—how to avoid boxing yourself in?
Been using Laboratory Design by H.S. Coleman as a starting point, but more book recommendations would be great. If you’ve built or worked in a similar space, what worked, what didn’t, and what would you do differently?
Post layouts, setups, must-have features, or horror stories of bad lab/shop design. Let’s make this a solid resource for anyone trying to set up a functional space.

>>2906925 (OP)
>that can handle chemistry, electronics, woodworking, and light fabrication without turning into a complete disaster
Doing all of that in the same space is how you turn it into a disaster.

>>2906925 (OP)
i can see all of those working together as long as you keep chemistry separate

>>2906942
chemistry could just be a fume hood, which you should have unless you do very safe stuff, that is pretty self isolated, again depends on what he wants to do

i'm sort of in the same boat as you, OP, except i've already set it up as well as i think i can but the issue is that it's inside my house in a disused room downstairs in the corner of the house because i have nowhere else to do it

i mainly do carbon fibre part production (vacuum resin infusion), pattern production, fiberglass mould making, sanding and everything associated with that, other than part trimming, which i do in my backyard
i had to think long and hard how i needed to set everything up and it wasn't easy, especially since i did that when i was still in the early stages of learning and quickly started to outgrow my original setup

what really helped me to figure it out was drawing a 2D plan of the room and going through every possible configuration in accordance to my requirements and what i had to work with - i might be able to help if you posted a plan or something of your workshop floor area, your budget, what equipment you have, just basically everything that is or is going to be in the workshop

why are some workplaces called workshops and other labs

>>2907168
Science=Lab
Engineering/manufacturing=workshop

>>2907182
chemistry involves engineering you could be manufacturing chemicals
theres EE labs and 3d printing labs lol

>>2907193
It's just a linguistic rule of thumb anon. I also meant mechanical engineering and "physical" manufacturing like a fab shop.

>>2907168
>>2907289
In most cases "laboratory" implies a facility for experimentation, research, testing, etc. whether it's chemistry or biology or acoustics or optics or whatever...not so much production beyond the scale necessary to do those experiments. A paint shop and a paint lab are two different concepts even as they share materials and equipment.

With that in mind a true lab will usually have two main concerns- fire/ environmental safety because of a heightened risk of unanticipated results if a test or experiment goes wrong, and maintaining controlled conditions to prevent contamination and corruption of test results.
Obviously woodworking in the same area can complicate the latter, but at the same time properly thought out cleaning, ventilation, fire suppression equipment and contingency planning for the lab part can probably encompass both the needs of the lab *and* the wood shop or at least be integrated with it in a way that reinforces both rather than being a compromise.

For that reason I'd treat it more like a lab with a wood shop in it than vice versa and really focus on ventilation/ dust collection as one integrated system. Make surfaces as cleanable as possible throughout like a commercial kitchen rather than trying to have a clean lab corner inside a less finished space, invest in adequate storage that actually seals, and so on

>>2907342
Forgot to add- one thing that can really help when you need a space to do messy/wet/greasy/dusty work sometimes but also need very clean conditions sometimes is to integrate things like easily swapped or replaced protective panels, rubber table pads, multi layer peel away protective films

https://tearoffproducts.com/

and fixtures/ materials like picrel...

I've worked in a bunch of places that did fab work plus fine finishing that required scrupulous cleanliness or where stray ink or paint or chemicals might wreck materials that contact them and that stuff more than pays for the initial cost and effort to use it, and can make working a joy rather than endlessly stressful.

>>2907342
This anon fucks.

>>2907342
just keep a separated clean room and a dirt room, it would be a mess if not. Or a fumehood as said here >>2907139

i am curious, i have seen workshops that mix several different jobs but no chemistry, and always there is some machines processes that could be used by several hobbies
but chemistry? other than using a drill press as a centrifuge i dont see much sharing of equipment

>>2906925 (OP)
Woodworking and chemistry won't mix.
Your air and everything will be covered in dust.

I remember looking into making a lab when I was messing with mushroom cultures. Honestly if you can't afford a laminar flow or fume hood it's not worth pursuing. Shit is expensive if you actually want a lab enviroment to work properly as a sterile enviroment

>>2909998
what about just preparing everything, going out using uv lights and then everything should be sterile anyway

>>2906925 (OP)
> How to separate clean (lab) and dirty (shop) areas without making everything a pain to access?
Separate rooms/buildings. Both metal and wood workshops will end up covered in dust and it's not a good idea to mix metal and wood dust either.

>Best ways to handle ventilation, dust collection, and chemical safety without overengineering it?
Large 3 phase shop vac system with HVAC piping for wood work. Metal depends on what you're doing. Fore lathe/drill press/lathe and the occasional angle grinder, windows and maybe a ventilation fan are sufficient. If you're an aspiring blacksmith you may need more than that. Chemistry is going to require a separate ventilation system of course.

>Power distribution, plumbing, compressed air, and networking—what actually matters and what’s overkill
Power: at least two dedicated single phase circuits for each of the 3 work areas (light and small power tools). Enough 3 phase outlets (each with its own breaker of course) for heavy machinery such as lathes or big table saws. Separate RCDs for at least whichever work areas involve working with liquids, electrical/electronic repair areas and the rest. If you have just one RCD a ground fault in one work area is going to take out all the others needlessly.

Plumbing: whatever your chemical lab requires in terms of special plumbing, especially drains (not connected to sewer mains at all, filtered, regular). Washbasin and shitter in a common area.

Compressed air: centralized. I.e. powerful compressor, and either one large pressure vessel or multiple smaller ones connected to each other if you're in a locale that requires inspections for large pressure vessels. Run plumbing to all work areas from there. Might not be a bad idea to have multiple outlets since running air hoses across the entire room can suck, even with auto reeling spools. Do get at least one sufficiently large auto reeling spool for each work area.

1/2

>>2913667
Networking: Cat.6a or better everywhere, terminated in a central, non-dusty location. If you want Wifi, CCTV or abuse the structured cabling for non-ethernet purposes (HDMI extenders, analog phones, etc.) plan dedicated outlets for these. Put a 19" rack in that place for the network equipment. 12U is an ok size for most people, but depending on how crazy you want to go on networking you may go with a larger one right away. Use keystone modules and a keystone panel for terminating on the rack side and leave service loops just in case you need to relocate or re-terminate at some stage. You probably won't need fiber, but if you do, pre-terminated is cheaper and quicker to install. Just use a garden hose holder for the excess length if you can only get a length with way too much slack.

Storage and organization: open shelves with labeled, stackable bins is best if you can get away with that. For chemicals you may need all sorts of fire proof, corrosion resistant cabinets and separate ones at that. That can take up a lot of floor space. If seasonal cold/heat is a factor you may need a heated/air conditioned storage location. That does not apply to just the lab chemicals either - lots of paints and glues won't take kindly to freezing either. The most efficient way to store long wood and metal stock is cantilever arms mounted to a wall. Don't cheap out on the number of arms/rails for hanging them even if they're rated for long spans in terms of weight. You never know when you've got a bunch of short pieces that won't fit on a long span.

Modularity and future expansion: spacious cable trays/race ways for all cabling, concrete floors everywhere, wide doorways and low thresholds (so you can reach anywhere in the building with a pallet truck). If you really want to splurge, run some dry plumbing in addition to the compressed air/water/drain pipes. Bonus points for the high pressure plumbing being gas rated. A loading dock may not be a bad idea either.

(2/2)

>>2913668
Thank you so much. This in insanely through and touched on a lot of things a novice like myself wouldn't have thought of. I do want versatility as I have a lot of thing I want to learn and do and it isn't a space dedicated to any singular role.

>>2913667
>>2913668
thanls.
there is not enough talk on how to organize shit, at least where i live, the solution for everyone is like dont have stuff, hobbies, just go to bar

>>2913667
>Might not be a bad idea to have multiple outlets since running air hoses across the entire room can suck
Be sure to have a ball valve before every outlet's quick lock connector. Quick lock connectors tend to leak. Have more ball valves sprinkled liberally throughout the system so you can depressurize sections for maintenance. The lowest point of the system should have a ball wave with no connector after it (maybe a screw on cap/plug to protect it from dust). That way you can drain the moisture that will eventually accumulate in the system.

>>2906925 (OP)
how do you guys deal with labeling? or how do you actually organize stuff and i mean how do chose locations, no what hardware do you use any specific system do you use?

>>2919553
>how do you guys deal with labeling?
Used to use duct tape and felt tip pen, nowadays I use Brother label printers (the ones that take cassettes of label tapes). 12mm tape is the best trade off between legibility and amount of characters fitting on it.

>or how do you actually organize stuff and i mean how do chose locations, no what hardware do you use any specific system do you use?
Usually I try to keep like with like. I.e. in the van I've got the drill and drill bits in the same box that also holds hammer, screws and bolt anchors. In the workshop screws, nuts and bolts all go on the same shelf. Same for woodworking tools and metalworking tools - both have their dedicated shelves/corners/cabinets. The chainsaw goes in a big plastic tub with all the other lumber harvesting gear, insulated screw drivers go on the insulated screwdriver rack, non-insulated ones on the other. Electronics materials go on shelves in the attic because that's the driest part of the workshop. Also, do avoid storing anything on the ground the like the fucking plague. You will run out of room surprisingly quickly. Shelves and cabinets are quite the force multiplier. As for shelves: consider building your own. Having extra deep (I use 60cm) shelves with lots of clearance between the shelf boards lets you use big boxes and tubs (the cheap black ones for mixing mortar) for storing shit on a shelf.

Where to find cheap glassware

Check out this guy's videos, I bet you'll enjoy them
He's a machinist first, but lots of good ideas floating around

Dan Gelbart Workshop Tour HD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWPYoE1SNnA

Best separation I ever saw for a grinding room (angle grinders, belt grinders, pedestal grinders) simply a wood framed/gyprock room with an automatic sliding door that would open when you walked up to it. The room could have extraction to keep the air pressure inside negative. That would stop dust floating out into the cleaner areas. Keeps the sound isolated somewhat too.

Bumping for interest.
What do you guys do about CDA and DI water facilities?

I just found out by experience that the 0.1mg/m3 oil is definitely not clean enough if you don't want to leave oil stains on very clean surfaces. I'm using an SMC AMD-series filter. I'm gonna slap an additional AME series filter to take it down to .01 mg/m3. Hopefully that's enough

I need some DI water to stop buying the distilled from the store. Has anyone here installed a system?


>>2913667
Wish I had enough space for all this stuff. Do you have any tips on the equipment needed for halfway-decent networking? Mostly I want to connect shop equipment to LAN, but not let the shop equipment access the internet directly. (Looking at you bambu printer)

>>2922221
could you just use a distiller twice?
as far i know that is what is used in many biology labs

>>2906925 (OP)
Not sure why you'd need to do all four of those in the same facility, but with that said, it's doable.
I'd honestly do a "wing" setup, with each wing handling the following groups: General utility, workshop, electronics and light fab, chemistry (and its own dedicated utilities), and then whatever you're doing for a breakroom, office, etc. type of area.

>>2924216
yeah it just needs a way to contain airborne contaminants, the better way is just different rooms

Do you guys have a preferred dust filtering system? i mostly mean airborne dust, but i could use sugestions on dust collection systems
shit like the diy models from here https://housefresh.com/air-purifiers/ , are those a good idea?