Garage or Basement for the shop? But with a twist!

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Ok. I could use some sage advice. My wife and I just bought a new home. We close here in the next few days. But the funding all came thru! Nice.

It had a 3 car extra deep garage. Which is cool. I thought about setting up the lathe's out there. But I live in Utah. And the cold during the winter and the heat during the summer put a real damper on my enjoyment of turning. What can I say I guess I am a bit of a cream puff when it comes to temperature. When it is 90+ degrees outside I just don't enjoy doing anything at all! When it is < 32 degrees I have a similar problem.

So I am trying to decide where to put a shop and how to do it.

Option #1:
I figured I could build a "wall" in the garage blocking off the 3rd bay. This would be mostly a "dust barrier" to keep things in the garage cleaner. Had real trouble with that in the tiny garage of the last house. Plus it adds tool rack space, a backer to push shelves up against, etc... If I do it I had planned plywood walls rather than sheetrock for the ease of mounting things on it.

The problem with this option is the lack of temp control. Even with insulated walls and door it is going to leak air and be hard to heat and cool. Has anyone used a window unit successfully with a lathe? I fear the sawdust would clog up it's weak little filter screen pretty quickly.


Option #2:
The new home has a finished basement. There are more bedrooms than we need now or possibly ever in the future. :) So I was thinking about pulling up the carpet in one and turning the 12'x13' room into my shop.

The advantage here is that it is nicely temp controlled by the house. The problem in my mind would be the dust and debris from turning. It was pretty bad before. Oh you know noise just occured to me as well. The lathe isn't that noisy really but inside the house it could get magnified. Then there is the bandsaw I would want too.


Now in both cases I have an as yet unused 2-bag DC from Harbor Freight that will be going into use. I have plans to make a Thein Baffle/Separator for it in either location. I am wondering if you can use it on all the time to suck up the shavings that come off of the lathe or if it is better to just doing while doing things that would create dust.


I have no idea which is better. I can see some of the pro's and con's of both approachs. I really only do woodturning so I thought I would ask here.

Anyone have any experience/advice/thoughts they would be willing to share?

Thanks,
Joshua

[Todd Trebuna]

I had the same choice and decided to go with Garage. My wife was alot happier and peace ensued in our home. Not ideal but definitely better than an angry wife, sweeping all the time. ;)

[Greg Just]

Joshua:

I live in Minnesota and it gets really cold here so the garage was never an option. However, my 13x20 basement workshop gets cool too, but it is really nice in the summer. I can pretty much control the dust to the rest of the finished basement, but I manage to get a lot of woodchips stuck to my shoes and tend to make a mess of the carpet. The other big problem is getting everything downstairs. Normally I have to disassemble the larger tools and take them down on a dolly. I do have a window, so I get some natural light which is nice. My dream shop (next house) will be to have a much larger shop on ground level with easy access to the driveway. If I were in your position, I would opt for the basement as you would be unhappy more than half the year in the garage.

[Ryan Baker]

I would think the garage would be preferable, if for no other reason than you will be making a lot more noise than you think (especially with the dust collector ... and an air compressor ...). You should be able to climate control the garage without too much trouble. (Put a furnace filter in front of the AC inlet.) The garage is also a lot easier for getting tools and materials in and out.

Whichever you pick, have fun setting up the new shop. Sounds good either way.

[David Walser]

Joshua,

Unless your basement has better access than most, hauling materials up and down the stairs into the basement will get old real fast. With a lathe, you won't be lugging around a 4'x8' sheet of plywood all that often, but even carrying down a log to be rounded on your bandsaw would be no fun. Besides, if you're like me, you'll be tempted to use the inside stairs rather than tramp around through the snow to the back of the house. You have a great wife, but even the greatest of women have been known to object to having mud tracked across their newly cleaned carpet.

As far as the garage goes, I don't think I'd completely wall off the third bay. Instead, I'd be very tempted to invest in one of those floor-to-ceiling accordion doors that they use in schools and some churches to temporarily wall off sections of large rooms. I have what is essentially a single car (detached) garage as my shop. I'm always wishing I could spread out for just a moment or two. It sure would be nice to have the option to back the cars out of the garage and have access to all that floor space for an hour or two some Saturday.

While the accordion doors are expensive, a shower curtain will serve to keep the cars (relatively) clean for a year or two.

Good luck!

[Jack Tyree]

I've worked in a crude basement shop and my current "garage" shop, and would recommend the garage shop. My shop now is on the end of an addition, and it's 20 X 20 so there's enough room though. I installed a large window type A/C unit in the wall and it works wonderfully. I'm not sure but I think it's a 20,000 btu unit, and it's a little overkill for the space so that's good. I'm like you, I don't like to sweat in the summer or freeze in the winter. As far as the unit getting clogged up with dust - I've had no problems at all. I hang a piece of burlap over the filter and if I'm creating a lot of dust I just spray it with the water mister I use on my wetstones. I don't have any dust collector at all and no filter either and it's never been a problem. You might look into some of the new units that heat and cool both, don't know if they're real expensive or not but they can installed in the wall too, so you don't need to lose any window space.

[Marc Himes]

Joshua, I live in Northern Michigan (20 Miles west of Steve S) I have a shop attached to my house in between my car garage and my truck garage. It gets cold in the winter so I have a small gas heater mounted on the ceiling. I don't have to worry about the heat very much so I can't help you there, but having a little wood stove in my shop to burn my scraps would be a pleasing way to provide heat and get rid of all the scraps. If your AC unit would have an air intake out side the shop I would think it would be OK. I would not want my shop in the basement due to the dust problems. Now a certain turner 20 miles east of me has his shop in the basement and it works fine for him. His shop is wonderfully clean. Mine is not. To each his own. Where ever it is, do it well and make it your dream come true. Now is your chance to get a first rate dust collection and air filtration system while you are at it.

Good Luck

Marc Himes

[John Fricke]

I have a wonderful wife......she lets me buy most any tool I want, but there is no way on god's green earth she would let me haul buggy, mold infested logs into the house. The cost of heating/cooling the garage space is a small price to pay to keep mama happy.

[Burt Alcantara]

I'm in the basement. Was no choice. Garage, tho 2 car, we use it to store stuff we have yet to unpack after 5 years.

Disadvantage:
Low ceiling: 82." Problematic for lighting and ceiling mounted ducting but great for ceiling outlets and putting hooks in to hang things. Luckly, I'm 67" so I don't have to stoop.

Disadvantage: Lugging tools and wood into the shop. Think that's bad. Lugging it out is worse. This will make you more mindful of buying and selling tools. I moved my Nova 1624 and my 3520B into the shop by myself. Had some help with my 19" bandsaw and table saw. If you have tight corners, make a dummy tool and practice moving it. I did this with my bandsaw and developed techniques so I can move anything into the shop

Climate: A little too cool in summer, a little to warm in winter. That, because the furnace and fan ducting are closest to me. Worst part is moving air dries out wood too quickly but I cope.

Dust: A problem anywhere you have wood meeting an abrasive, be it a gouge, saw blade, sandpaper, plane, etc. Shavings are solved with big broom and big dust pan. You need a good dust collector and air filter. I started off with a JVC but got rid of it because I was always banging my head on it. I may bite the bullet and get the Jet which is currently on sale at Woodcraft and wear a helmet when I'm in the shop.

My DC is a 5hp CV1400 ClearVue. It captures all of the sanding dust but not the dust that comes off the gouge. And, believe me, dust comes off the gouge. I'm planning on adding two more ducts on the turner side to try and capture that stuff that blows to the sides.

Noise: there are a lot of ways to soundproof anything. The lathe does not make much noise. UFOs make noise especially if accompanied by turner comments. Besides a planer, the DC is the most offensive. If you are not well insulated for sound, you can build a variety of baffles, rooms, etc. With all the fuss about entertainment centers, soundproofing has made tremendous strides in abating the ultra loud noise some people demand from their media. I have looked fairly deep into this issue. Don't attach a DC to a wall!

Privacy: being in the basement is like your own cave. Chances are, people will not bother you when you are in the cave. You won't get interrupted everytime the doorbell rings. If you have a door, mount a red light outside when you are in the shop with an ominous sign: "Warning: Dangerous Procedures Underway. Keep Out!"

Line the shop with cabinets that are convenient to you, not the garage.

It is your space and your space alone!

Burt

[Roger Wilson]

I've had two basement shops and been happy with both.

The big advantage is that you've got a constant temp of around 55 to 60 degrees all year round (for free), with a pretty steady humidity level. Thus you can leave glue ups over night and don't have to worry about glue and finishes freezing.

Yes there can be a noise and dust issue (basement specific) but that can be worked with. Yes the ceiling height may not be ideal and getting things into and out of the basement is a consideration, but the temperature issue out weighs all those.

[Richard Madison]

Joshua,
Am currently in my fourth shop in 29 years, and each one has had a "built-in" window/wall unit for heating and cooling. They have all been quite satisfactory in 100F summer and rare 32F winter with relatively modest operating cost. Granted these were purpose built shops with good to excellent insulation which helps minimize heating and cooling expense. Given your choice I would opt for garage to avoid stair climbing and hauling heavy stuff. I use an extra A/C filter in front of my regular A/C filter to help keep the coil clean, and clean both frequently.

[Joseph M Lary]

My shop is in the Garage I have been putting in insulation & covering the walls with OSB . Going to get a small wood stove to heat it this the winter for some reason I have a lot of scrap wood , In the summer I get up early and turn some project ,take a nap when it gets hot .

[David Drickhamer]

First off, congrats on the house.
I like everything about having a shop in the garage. Like you say, lots of room and don't have to worry about dust and noise. I think you either need to find a way to control the temp year around or have a summer shop and a winter shop.:D
Dave

[Bernie Weishapl]

Joshua I would pick the garage. I have a Sunheat Quartz heater and I go out and turn it on about a 1/2 hr before I want to start turning. It will warm it up to about 63 or 64 deg on the coldest days and I can work in shirt sleeves. I use a window A/C I think about 15,000 btu and my shop is 14 X 20. Keeps it fairly comfortable. I only run either when I am in the shop so that saves a lot. You could get one of the A/C units that give either heat or cold but found the heater to be more effecient. My younger brother has his shop in the basement and his wife is not a happy camper so much that she told him to add a gagage onto the house.:D

[Gary Herrmann]

I'm in the basement. Never had a garage shop, so I don't have any comparison. I have to be careful about the wood I bring in to avoid critters. But, the basement is unfinished and I've taken over a lot of it. :D

I blocked off the vents so no dust upstairs. No complaints on the noise, but I know the dc is loud. Working on a solution for that.

[Steve Frederick]

I say do both!:D:D
My addictions have grown to include a 2-1/2 stall garage (for custom teardrop and boat building) and half of the basement (turning, photo set-up).
I hibernate in the basement when I'm not working on a commission in the big shop.
LOML says she's OK with the arrangement, since I built her a carport!

[Jim Kountz]

Well I prefer a detached shop if at all possible but my next choice would have to be the garage. If you partition it off like you were talking about it should be easy to heat and cool. I use a window unit in my 24x32 shop and it does just fine. The difference is I blow out the filter EVERYDAY. I dont miss a single day if I can help it. Its the first thing I do when I go out there in the mornings or whenever I get there. Takes about 1 minute tops. As far as heat there are many options that should give you excellent results without costing an arm and a leg.
All the noise, dust and BUGS in the house doesnt sound good to me.

[Steve Busey]

I think you're missing the third option: building a custom 50'x30' fully insulated "Garage Majal" out-building. ;)

But in your case, I'd probably opt for the garage. The 13'x12' basement room seems awfully cramped to me, and any finishing you do could draw fumes throughout the house.

However, if you volunteer to park your vehicle outside, you could potentially expand a garage shop to TWO bays!

(personally, I have part of a walk in unfinished basement for a shop, so that made the basement option easy)

[Robert Parrish]

I have a detached 3+ garage that I built a wall between the 1 and 2 car bay. This allowed me to still park a car and tractor and have a nice space for my shop. Living in Florida I had to air condition the shop. I use the 1 car bay for a spray booth when needed.

[Dave Schell]

I like the garage option for two simple reasons. 1. On a nice day, it's great to open up that big door and feel a part of the outdoors. 2. If the shop gets dusty, I just take out the leaf blower and blow it all out the big door. Can't do either of those things in a basement. Save the basement for the big entertainment center :-)

[Prashun Patel]

I'm in the basement bkz I have a 2car garage.

I vote for garage. Hauling stuff in and out is always an issue in the basement. So is dust.

Get yrself a powerful space heater and your garage will be a fine shop. It probably has a higher ceiling than yr basement too, which you'll come to appreciate in a shop.

Plus, it's easier to bust out the back wall and expand the garage than it is the basement - which of course is what's gonna happen in a few months ;)

I would counsel one thing though: the 3rd bay of garages is often used as a shed; so you'll lose that ability. So plan for where you'll store your kids' bikes, lawnmower, and patio furniture...

[Rob Cunningham]

I'd go with the garage. Insulate the walls and ceiling well and get a source of heat and AC. I have baseboard heat and a window AC unit and am comfortable. As others said, you can open the garage door on nice days.

[Bruce McElhaney]

I live in western Michigan and I'd say go with the garage. Did you ever try to get a lathe in or out of a basement? Not fun! Plus the dust and noise thing? However, walkout basements might offer a better set up. My "Studio" ;-) is in the outside 2 bays of a 4 car garage. It's insulated and has OSB panels on the walls. A small overhead gas heater keeps it warm in the winter and fans cool it in the hottest part of the summer. I've been looking into a small wood stove. Enough Firewood would not be a problem. The concrete floor can get a bit cold so I use comfort mats by the lathe, and workbench. That helps year around. But you'd probably need to use those in a basement shop too. If you do use the garage, I'd suggest at least using epoxy paint for the floors while it's empty, that will help make for a neat and clean shop.

[Steve Busey]

I've been looking into a small wood stove.

I wonder how many do this, because frankly, it scares me. There's a guy at church that investigates industrial explosions, and he says a bunch of them involve airborne dust. I'd be real leery of having a wood stove, or even a gas heater, in the shop, especially during a big sanding session.

[John Fricke]

My family ran a grain elevator for many years. The old style gaineries were notorious for their grain dust explosions. The concentration of dust required to be explosive is higher than what will support human life. If you have a heavy enough concentration of airborne dust to explode all it would take to ignite is the small arc created by worn out brushes in your electric drill. IMHO I don't see dust explosions as a topic of concern for a hobby shop.

[Frank Kobilsek]

Josh
I vote for the garage. I live in northern Illinois and it get both cold and hot. I had a Hot Dawg gas heater installed a couple winters ago. I keep it set on 45 when I am not in the sop and crank it up to 70 when its time to work. Sales Pitch - 45 degrees of heat will keep you wife's car warm and dry in the winter. (Let's face it you vehicle won't be in the garage because your shop and pile of wood is where it would go)

Everybody keeps bring up dust. The real challenge of a basement shop is hualing out shaving. A couple weeks ago I rough turned a big walnut bowl about 19", even taking one 10" core, I generated (9) 30 gallon garbage cans of shavings. I can't imagine carrying shavings from the basement.

The only time I don't like the shop in the garage is summer late evening. About 9:00 in peak bug season as soon as it gets dark every bug in the section sees my bright lights and needs to do an inspection of whatever it is that I'm working on.
Frank

[doug young]

Joshua, I just did a search in the workshop using the words garage basement and there were tons of threads discussing the advantages and disadvantages. I just use one bay of the 3 car garage. Drywall on the side nearest my wifes 2 bays and pegboard on the shop side. Since you are going in from the start you have the option of really optimizing you dust collection and tool locations. I used to have a tablesaw in mine but that kind of tipped the scales on workable space. Like you I am mostly woodturning so traded the saw for dust collection and have been happy. Enjoy the dreaming process. doug

my set up
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=101483&highlight=garage

[Steve Sawyer]

Joshua - you have entirely too many conflicting opinions here, and I'm not going to help much.

Been in the basement of a ranch house for several years. Planer. Jointer. DC with chip collector. Bandsaw. Tablesaw (no lathe though). The noise is intermittent - it's only the jointer and planer that get run for more than a few minutes at a time - and no one in the family has complained, other than my son whose xBox setup is just outside the door to the shop in the finished are of the basement (actually, it's all finished...)

The DC and my fastidious habits keep the mess to a minimum. You have to walk through my shop to get to the basement bathroom and the laundry area, so there is a lot of traffic through the shop. The biggest problem is the chips that get scattered around from jointing and planing operations, probably similar to what you get with turning, but sweeping up after every operation keeps the stuff that gets tracked out of the shop to a minimum.

Yes, getting the equipment down the stairs is a bit of a challenge. Coming in from the garage requires a 90 degree turn to get pointed down the stairs. The worst was the Jet table saw that had to come in through the front door, through the living room, kitchen then straight down the stairs.

I really wouldn't trade my basement shop for an unheated garage. The only alternative I would voluntarily opt for would be a heated attached shed or garage. Besides the tempurature and humidity control, the advantage of an easily accesible work area is that I can do something productive in five or ten minutes - put tools away, mix up some shellac, set up the TS for a rip, mark out some mortises etc. If you have to get the room up to temp, put on your macintosh and muklucks to do any work in the shop, you really need bigger blocks of time which are sometimes hard to find with a family.