Need help for my Basement

[Johnnyy Johnson]

I have a 14 X 40 building for my shop and a 21 X21 building for project lumber storage. I would like to move my machines to the my basement to get a cement floor for my machines. My wife is against it because of the dust, I have several dust collectors. How many of you have your shop in the basement and how do you deal with the dust to keep piece? It not like I am runnig a production shop ...just a hobby...please help with the dust issue.

Bottom Line, Do you have a shop in your basement???

Thanks
JJ

[Johnnyy Johnson]

If you shop is in your basement...how do you deal with the dust and her mouth????

[Bill LaPointe]

My shop has been in the basement for years. LOML never complains about dust. Finishing is a different story. No matter how creative you get you still can get strong solvent odors. LOML is not allowed to store anything in the basement. I didn't complain about the cost of the house or the style, but the basement belongs to me. If wife uses the basement with you, she will surely complain about the dust.:):)

[Dave MacArthur]

Johnnyy--
1. If you already have a shop building, I would never move it to my basement.
2. Cement floor is not necessarily better. In some climates it can attract moisture and cause rust.Many people with a shop aspire to a wooden floor for softer on the feet, and if they can have it raised to run elec and DC underneath, so much to the better.
3. Dust control in a basement is difficult, and without good DC you can end up sending the fine dust (fines), which does all the health damage, upstairs for your family to breath. To avoid this can require a significant investment in dust control, and I personally would not want any sort of "bag" DC as there is a risk of them just being dust-pumps for the fines and pushing them through the poor filter and back into the air. I would run a cyclone exhausting first outside, and then through a good filter.
4. A lot of DC issues for basements depends on your HVAC system, you may have issues with exhausting outside (if you have gas heating downstairs, CO pullback is an issue). Many folks find that their dust is taken up into the system and pumped upstairs to fall out on everything, your HVAC intakes and config will determine this.
5. There are about 500 threads in the "Workshops" forum dealing with Dust Control, and another 50 dealing with basement workshops, every possible ramification of a shop in the garage and setting up DC for it is probably well covered there. I recommend you do a SEARCH on only the Workshop forum, which will allow you to get immediate responses to your question without having to wait for inputs.
6. There was a thread this week about "how many of you have shops in your basement vs. garage vs. detached", it even has a poll on it, there are some good responses there you might be interested in. Here it is:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=140700

The links below are all to threads about "Basement shop vs. garage shop?" and Dust collection in basement shops.
Good luck.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1428972
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1072737
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=779299
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=56049
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=19417
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=30805
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=130360
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7748
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=56049
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=19417
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=130360
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=59151
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=52111

[Rod Sheridan]

Dust collection at the source is the key to having a basement shop.

I have an Oneida cyclone, and always use overarm dust collection for the tablesaw.

I don't have a router, I have a shaper which is easier to collect the dust from.

I use a random orbital sander connected to my cyclone, with other blast gates open to generate enough air flow.

Regards, Rod.

[Peter Quinn]

My shop is in a basement Johnny, and dust is not the biggest problem. I live in an older house that is naturally more dusty than a new home. If you have an older home and use a decent dust collector, and router with DC, and Festool sanders, and a dust eater on the ceiling, its not a major issue. Plus the old plaster coughs up dust, as do the cat and the kids. Who knows where the dust is coming from. Plus dust SETTLES DOWN, not up, so the floor of the shop is sometimes coated with a slight powder, but the shop vac makes short work of this. If you live in a newer home, dust will have a heck of a time traveling through the plywood sub floor, but it can go up the HVAC system if you don't stop it.

The biggest problems are the humidity, the noise, and getting materials in/projects out. I can't run certain machines at night without waking the children, the dehumidifier cost nearly $2000 but does its job well, and dragging in sheet goods is trying. Plus with a ceiling height of 7'4", I can't make 8' pieces very easily! On the bright side I never get complaints from neighbors about the noise as I am 6' under ground with 12" thick concrete walls, so they hear nothing.

Basement would not be my first choice if I had options, but in my case it was the only choice. It will work better when the kids are a little older, and its a great quiet place for hand work at night.

[John Shuk]

I have a basement shop. Given the choice it would be on ground level and separate. No doubt about it.

[Gary Herrmann]

While I would love to have a stand alone shop, that will probably never happen. My shop has always been in the basement.

I closed and taped off all the ducts in the basement with aluminum tape. Put a good sweep on the door to the basement. Combined with a dust collector and air filters has resulted in no complaints from SWMBO.

[Neal Clayton]

that might not be such a good idea. the HVAC ducts down there are blowing in there to dry up moisture. so you prolly wanna open up at least one.