Calculator
Garage Shop Layout Calculator
A one-car garage (12 x 20 ft clear) holds a hybrid table saw, bandsaw, cyclone collector, drill press, 6 ft bench and compressor when no car is inside, and about one machine when a sedan is parked in it. A two-car 24 x 24 holds the same seven machines and still parks a sedan. The calculator packs your machine list around the vehicle and the overhead door, keeps operator room in front of each machine, and tells you what to leave out.
Layout and what fitsUpdates as you type
7 of 7 machines fit
- Garage
- 22 x 22 ft (484 sq ft)
- Vehicles inside
- 1 (99 sq ft)
- Machine footprint
- 57 sq ft
- Floor left over
- 328 sq ft, about 68 percent of the bay
- Left out
- nothing
- Circuits
- 5 (0 at 240 V), subpanel about 60 A
- 8 ft stock at the hybrid table saw
- needs about 15 ft clear; the bay gives 22 ft with the car out, 22 ft with it in
One workable arrangement, not the only one. Each machine keeps its operator zone (dashed orange) clear of other machines. Numbered key: 1 Hybrid table saw (64 x 41 in) / 2 14 in bandsaw (25 x 18 in) / 3 Cyclone dust collector (44 x 28 in) / 4 15 in benchtop drill press (20 x 12 in) / 5 20 gallon compressor (28 x 20 in) / 6 6 ft workbench (72 x 24 in) / 7 Steel shelving unit (60 x 24 in). Machine sizes are listing figures where we have them and planning allowances where we do not.
Gear that makes a small bay work
Matched to this result.
Prices change often; the button shows today's price on Amazon.
Both ways to buy: Amazon and direct from Grizzly
Each card shows an Amazon pick and a Grizzly Industrial pick for the same job, with one line on when to choose which.
Hybrid table saw for a 120V garage
Both are 10 in saws in the 1-3/4 to 2 HP class. Pick Amazon for the SawStop contractor saw; pick Grizzly for an enclosed cabinet hybrid you can order direct and wire for 120V or 240V.
14 in bandsaw
Both are 14 in, 1 HP saws that run on 120V. The Grizzly saw is the established cast-iron-table pick; the Amazon pick is dual-voltage and ships to your door.
Cyclone dust collector for a one-man shop
The Grizzly G0860 is a two-stage cyclone on 120V with a 1 micron canister; the Amazon pick is a bag-style 1 HP machine. The cyclone costs more and keeps the filter clean far longer.
Prices change often and Grizzly runs sales, so the buttons show current prices.
How the layout is packed
The calculator places machines one at a time against the walls, largest and most important first, and keeps a 24 to 30 in operator zone in front of each floor machine. Two zones may share the same aisle, but no machine may sit inside another machine's zone. A 24 in strip in front of the overhead door stays empty so the door and a dolly can clear, and a parked vehicle carries a 30 in walk-around on each side and 18 in at each end. The result is one workable arrangement, not the only one.
Machine sizes are listing figures where we have them (for example the Grizzly G1023RL cabinet saw at 66 x 47 in overall, the G0771Z hybrid at 64 x 40.5 in and the G0555 bandsaw at 24.5 x 17.5 in) and labelled planning allowances where we do not.
Why a parked car changes everything
A mid-size sedan is about 16 ft long, so in a 20 ft deep one-car bay it leaves 4 ft: 12 in for the door gap and 3 ft behind the nose. That strip holds a bandsaw or a shelf, not a table saw. Add a second bay and the car costs you a lane, not the whole garage: the layouts section shows each garage size with and without a vehicle.
The stock lane test
A table saw is only useful if the board has somewhere to go. For 8 ft stock the calculator measures the clear run through the saw in both directions and compares it with the length you need (the saw's depth plus about 1.5 times the stock). When the answer is short, the fix is a mobile base and rolling the saw out when the car is gone: the mobile base calculator sizes it.
Get the garage shop planning checklist
One printable page: measure the bay, count the circuits, list the machines, check the floor. Plus a few short emails, then a couple a month at most.
Unsubscribe anytime. You can also just read the checklist on this site.More garage shop calculators
- Space left with a car
- Workshop amps and subpanel
- 240V circuit sizing
- 240V outlet install cost
- Voltage drop and cords
- Compressor CFM
- Dust collector and duct size
- Garage heater BTU
- Mini-split BTU
- Shop lighting
- Air filtration ACH
- Workbench height and depth
- Workbench size for a garage
- Mobile base sizing
- Shop budget planner
Frequently asked questions
Can I fit a table saw in a one-car garage with a car in it?
Not with a sedan 16 ft long in a 12 x 20 ft bay: only about 3 ft remains behind the bumper. A jobsite or open-stand saw that rolls out when the car leaves is the workable answer, and the calculator will show you whether it parks anywhere at all.
What does the dashed orange area on the plan mean?
It is the operator zone, the space you stand in to run that machine. Zones can overlap each other because two machines can share an aisle, but a zone may never cover another machine or a parked vehicle.
Are the machine sizes accurate?
Where a size comes from a manufacturer listing we use it exactly. Where it does not, the plan uses a planning allowance for that kind of machine and says so. Always check your own machine's footprint, including fence rails and extension wings.
This page is researched guidance, not professional electrical, engineering or safety advice. Circuits, loads and clearances depend on your house, your service and your town: have a licensed electrician confirm any wiring, and check local code and each manufacturer's manual before you act.
