Re: Plywood
Cases for your gear and dust collection for your tools.
I did a major addition to my house about 5 years ago so I could have a nice heated, dedicated shop. The gear lives in the garage next to the shop (16' garage door between that usually stays open) and stays relatively dust free. Simple dust covers and/or plastic work fine as long as the dust isn't actively blown around.
I've had no problems doing small electronics projects in this environment - I brush off the workbench, dig out my tools, and go to town. I've debated about building a little electronics nook in my house, but haven't done any significant enough work to warrant that, yet and it's a pain in the butt hauling the gear to be fixed up and down stairs.
Dust collection is critical. Not sure what kind of tools you have, but you may want to look at the Festool stuff that's been designed with dust collection in mind. I have their track saw, and it's revolutionized how I work with sheet goods. Their miter saw has really great dust collection, and I'm told their routers do, too. I have their orbital/rotary sander and the dust collection is incredible. I used to hate sanding; now it's no big deal.
For christmas I'm asking for a table saw guard with built-in dust collection, as that's currently my biggest offender.
