Turning in Basement or Garage?

[Eric Jacobson]

Anyone turn in their basement? How does that work for you?

I'm going through the whole garage vs. basement dilemma, shopping for my new house. I found a place with a one-bay garage and a walk-in basement. I'm leaning towards setting up lathe and shop in basement this time because I'm tired of fighting rust and temperature swings (old shop was in garage). If so, I'll miss wheeling my mustard monster outside into the fresh air. What stuff am I going to need for comfortable basement turning?

- dust filter
- air filter
- drywall off the forced air furnace to protect against dust flowing into house.
- good lights

...or should I just insulate the garage and install heat/AC? That seems like more work/$.

Thanks

[Michael Armstrong]

I turn in my basement shop. It's the only location available to me. Just because we get snow here my wife seems to think that our car should be kept in the garage and not my tools - go figure!
I have a dust collector and air filter but it is really difficult to keep the dust out of the rest of the house. The other problem is that no matter how hard I try I seem to track shavings around.
Michael

[Steve Schlumpf]

Eric - my shop is in the basement and I can only wish it was a walk-in! Had to carry all my equipment down narrow stairs and then assemble! Nice thing about a basement shop is it does help with temperature and humidity issues. It can be super hot outside and I can turn in comfort - or have a raging snowstorm and I can still turn!

I have a Jet 650 dust collector, a couple of shop vacs and vacuums (my basement is carpeted!!) that helps keep things clean. I use the DC for finishing work and for rough outs - just scoop up the green shavings and carry them out in a plastic 35 gallon trash container.

I do all my finishing on my tablesaw, storage of blanks on built-in shelves, photo tent on tablesaw out-feed table and the list goes on... In short, a basement works quite well, you just pay a little more attention to controlling the shavings!

[Greg Just]

Eric:

My shop is in the basement as this is the only place in my current house that I could have one. It's not the best setup, but I make it work. The area is about 12x18 and what makes it bad are the stairs. It is very difficult to get any large piece of machinery down there and I hate to see the day it all has to come out. Hauling wood up and down is difficult at times too, but I use a dolly a lot to take the trash cans of wood chips out to the mulch pile. I do have one egress window that provides natural light, but more would be better. I have 6 4 foot fluorescent light fixtures plus lights on the major tools. Dust tends to get into the rest of the basement so I have to vacuum that frequently. I chose not to have heat added as an air duct return would have been required and that would have introduced a lot of dust into the furnace system. The temp stays pretty constant in there all year long. It is comfortable in the hot summer months. The next owner can easily add heat as the air supply ducts are there.

After I retire, the plan is to sell this house and build a new one and it will include a new shop on the ground level

[Craig D Erickson]

I have my shop in my basement as well. I have insulated between all joists and put a bathroom fan in to vent to the outside. This creates just enough air flowing into the shop to keep the dust from entering the rest of the house.

[philip labre]

What you have listed is what you would need for a basement. I have my shop in the basement because my garage is unheated. My basement is a walkout so I have a set of double steel service doors in the shop to bring things in and out and for visitors to use. The floor is heated, which is nice, but you can't bolt the lathe down in case I hit a tube. I insulated the walls and used exterior doors on the inside for sound proofing and dust control, but did nothing to the ceiling. Wife works swing shift and sleeps fine on the other end of the house. I also sheeted the interior of the shop with some discount T111 siding painted white, which works great for putting in nails or screws to hang light stuff. I used CHEAP fluorescent lights and they hum terribly, so spend the cash on good ones. Although, the hum lets me know when I left the lights on and a little Metallica drowns them out. My next shop investment needs to be cabinetry because open shelving collects a LOT of dust on everything. The only drawback is the chips I drag around the house when I forget to blow myself off. I haven't bought a smock because I think it would be too warm for me.

[Ken Hill]

I started out in my basement but finally got everything out in my shop. Dust and tracking chips everywhere were the two main issues. Now that I have a large DC and Jet air handler I could easily go back and be comfy. My shop is 30 x 60 but I only have 1/2 of it dedicated to wood and its seperated by a garage door. It has AC and a pellet stove albiet the pellet stove just doesnt do the job when it gets really cold. I may install a woodstove this fall instead.

Plan it out, protect yourself and family from the dust (most important IMO) and get to turning!

[Brian Libby]

I have a Rikon Mini in my basement and the PM3520 in one bay of the garage.
The basement works fine if you have good dust control. One plus for the basement is that it already is heated - no extra expense.

[wes murphy]

I seems to be one of the few to use my garage as my shop. I did have my machinery in the basement, but due to the configuration I was limited to a verfy small space which i quickly outgrew. Dust and shavings were a problem down there but it sure was convienant. I heavily insulated and wired my garage last year, but my wife has limited to one side. I finally got a small propane construction heater for heat in the winter. There are times I wished I were back in the basement because the weather does control my turning at times.

[John Keeton]

Eric, I am blessed with a stand alone shop building, so I have not had to make this decision. But, I think there may be other considerations. You are young, so the constant stairs would not be an issue. At 62, but in good health, they aren't for me yet either, but will be in a few years I suspect.

Some questions that might be pertinent - what is your location and how does that play into the heat/AC issue? Do you turn large blanks on your PM, and would it be burdensome to tote those downstairs? How do you dispose of your debris, and would being in the garage be more convenient for that? Is your furnace/heat pump in the basement? Is there an open flame anywhere in the basement (pilot light)? This would be a concern with some finishing materials, etc. Where do you store your blanks?

Having a walkout basement may change some of the considerations, depending on conditions, etc.

Whatever you do, there will be tradeoffs. I enjoy my shop being in the mid 50* in the winter, and I don't mind the summer temps with air moving. If I could reasonably obtain those conditions in my garage, then the other factors may weigh heavily in that direction.

Lot to consider!! Good luck with the house hunting.

[David E Keller]

I just renovated a two car garage into my man cave, and I couldn't be happier. I did insulate and add a heat/air unit after turning in the space without those features for two years... I can't imagine ever working in an unconditioned space again. Dust collection is still an essential feature regardless of the location of the workspace. Good luck on whatever you decide.

[Rich Aldrich]

Eric,

I have stand alone building for my shop. The heating system is an outdoor wood boiler that heats my house and my shop.

I think a shop in a walk out basement would be a really nice arrangement. Dust collection is definitely necessary as my first attempt at a shop was in my basement. Your dust collector could be in an insulated closet to cut down on noise. I would also recommend a good cyclone over the bag type dust collectors, but this is my preference no matter what type of shop you have. The air filter is a very good idea as well.

Steve Schlumpf has a real nice arrangement in his basement for a shop. The only thing that could make his better is if it was a walkout basement.

[Keith E Byrd]

Eric, I have my shop in the basement and fortunately a wife that doesn't get too upset over the dust- she knows I try! I have the equpt you mentionsed DC, Air filter haning on the ceiling. The climate control is nice if not mandatory! I put insultation in all the joists etc to seal the shop off as much as possible. I also have a walkout with double doors to the shop.

[Tim Thiebaut]

I have a basement shop also, I have owned my home for almost 25 years and the shop has been down there the entire time. I did wall off the furnace and give it a dedicated room of its own, I have a good dust collection system...and my own heat vent that comes right in to the shop, makes it very nice and comfortably warm in the winter. And in the summer it is naturaly cooler down there then any where else in the house...the garage is like an oven in the summer, and frozen in the winter. I do wish it was a walk in like yours, but it works just fine.

[Reed Gray]

It isn't difficult to insulate the garage, walls and ceiling. I found out it was only pennies more to have an insulation company do it for me. I replaced the insulated garage door with a framed in door and wall, and an oil radiator keeps it comfy. This is my computer room, and storage for finished product. It would be easier to set up a small enclosed shed outside to house the dust collector and compressor, than if you were in a basement. My first shop was in a down stairs basement. I rebuilt the stairs to make them more sturdy and wider, but it was still a pain to get things in and out. A day light basement could be much easier, especially if you could drive up to it.

robo hippy

[Richard Jones]

My shop is in the basement. Dust collector, air filter, shop vac, etc. You're still probably going to get some stuff upstairs, but you might do that wherever your shop is. I turn green stuff behind a couple of blue tarps set up like a shower curtain. Works well to trap shavings into one area. Like others here, I just collect them in a 35 gal can and dump them outside.

My ductwork is in the basement, and I've got a supply cut into the main line, but no return, to cut down on the dust upstairs. I'm sure some gets up there, but it's really not an issue. Really nice to have a bit of heat and especially the a/c. I have a 32'x32' shed outside that houses our cars and assorted junk, but I am loathe to turn it into a shop: $$, no bathroom, no heat, no a/c, gotta walk outside, etc. I'm spoiled. Lighting isn't a big deal, a couple of fluorescents for normal stuff, a couple of task lights clipped somewhere about your lathe. REALLY have to be particular how you finish something, fumes will go where dust won't..... plus the potential fire hazard.

Rich

[Tom Hintz]

I use my attached garage for my shop and it has worked out well. It is insulated and I installed insulated steel overhead doors so temperature control is pretty good. I like this because I can separate the dust from the living areas. my old shop was in the basement and no matter what I did I kept finding fine sawdust building up at air intakes for the furnace and such and that is a big no-no. I had a separate stud/drywalled wall with a weatherstripped door but it still got out. The garage just works out better for me. I should also say that I am in Concord NC having left the Wisconsin winters far behind.

[Phil Harris]

I recently visited one of the mentors of the Nor-Cal Woodturners club and he had a nifty answer to some of the drawbacks to using a half of a two car garage. In the back corner of the garage he built a small shop just for his lathe, it's only about 6 feet by 8 feet, and all he has in it is the lathe, tool storage, sanding tools and storage, a sharpening setup, a mini lathe (used mostly for buffing), and basically all he needs for turning. His work table and bandsaw and dust collector are all in the front part of that side of the garage. So? he has plenty of room and everything handy for all of his turning needs, the DC is outside of the little shop, the curlies and all the problem stuff are contained in the shop, and it only takes a small space heater and a small window type air conditioner to keep it comfortable. Winters are mild in Sacramento, summers are not! I'm in the planning stages for my own shop in my garage and sooner or later I'm going to setup my lathe the same way.

Phil

25 minutes or so from David DeCristoforo, but if the wind direction changes I may be moving.

[Eric Jacobson]

Okay, this makes me think a walk-in basement, with a waterproof lifetime guarantee, may not be such a bad thing. We've got it narrowed down to a house with either that, or another, less expensive house, where I could save up and build a big garage in the back yard. Not sure what to do in the meantime though. I live in Atlanta, so the heat gets rough for 3 months and the cold is not awful. ...Sigh. I guess we'll have to pick our house based on other criteria.

Thanks for all the feedback and keep it coming if you have more.

[Harry Robinette]

Eric
My shop is in the basement with a walkout 6 years ago it took us 10 months to find a house we liked and had a walkout so I know what you mean.The big thing are,
Good side=heat,cooling,water,controllable moisture / Bad side=dust,ceiling hight,light...dust=Dust collector ambient air cleaner,ceiling hight= oops,lights=color control high lumen .I really like mine and I can see very well and have no more dust up stairs then anyone else. Good luck

[Russell Eaton]

Eric I also have a basement shop. I live a little south of Atlanta, and the temperature is comfortable most of the time. On real hot days I use a fan. I have a dust collector and the dust stays in the basement for the most part. I am blessed with the option to build a shop at some point, but will wait a few years and then pull the trigger. The fumes from the lacquer and other finishes are noticeable sometime but not too bad.

[Mike Peace]

Eric, I have a walkout basement shop with DC, Jet Air Filtration unit and a separate HVAC unit for the basement. It sure is convenient to pop in and out of the shop for small periods of time. I would hate to lose the use of my two car garage for cars. I get a little dust in the rest of the basement but manageable.

Russell, I enjoyed your demo Sat at GWA.

[Alan Zenreich]

My shop is in two basement rooms... under my dining room and office (filled with computers and other electronic toys), so I have dust collectors and air filters in each of the shop rooms. So far, the dust collection and filtration has kept the dust from finding its way into our living and working spaces.

One nice thing... my bride has gotten into turning and has her own lathe. So she's getting pretty comfortable amongst the woodshavings and even vacuums the shop floor from time to time.

I've got a lot of stuff/tools/toys packed into a small area, and my ceilings are only 6'3" in the shop. It helps to be 'vertically challenged', and we're quite happy with the way our little shop has taken over most of the basement.

[Roger Wilson]

I've had two basement workshops and they definitely have major advantages over a garage. Pluses and cons:
--They are the same temperature (55-60 degrees) all year long. So glue, paint, finishes don't freeze and get ruined, and you can glue things up and leave them without having to remember to turn on the heat.
--The constant humidity is good for storing/stabilizing wood.
--Regardless of the weather all you have to do is walk down to the basement. A walkout basement is nice because it's easy to get larger items in and out.
--The constant temperature means no initial costs and no ongoing costs for heating/cooling, just move the equipment in.
--Just as in a garage you probably will have to install more overhead lighting and outlets
--There can be a problem with dust if you've got the furnace and forced air ducts in the same area.

Good Luck.

[John Hart]

My shop used to be in the basement. 64 square feet of bliss. My problem was, I needed to anchor the lathe table so it wouldn't shake so much with big off-balance chunks. So I anchored it to the wall.
Every time I turned something funky....Stuff fell off the walls upstairs. :)

Now that I'm in a separate building, my family likes me a little more. Not much more....but a little.

[Prashun Patel]

I turn in my basement. A lathe (IMHO) is ideal for the basement. With a dust collector and ambient air cleaner, you can capture everything. I also use a zip curtain that helps with containment.

The lathe is quiet and the lumber is small and manageable up and down steps.

Plus, since you have a walkout basement things will be that much easier.

[Tim Rinehart]

Eric,
So many pros/cons...hmmm.
I have an outside shop, it's 16x28, brick veneered and in the shade of many trees. What that means, is I have very minor needs for using an A/C except the very hottest days in Charlotte...that's done with a small window unit. Heat has typically been addressed with a small kerosene heater till this past winter when I finally buckled down for a 5KW electric heater. Works well and no more kerosene smell.
My shop...er studio...has a wood floor (heavily framed..no bouncy bouncy) which makes working on it all day not nearly so tiring as standing on concrete....however, I occassionally wish I had the stability of concrete for those 'extra big' out of balance rough outs...but that's not that often.
Having a separate building for all the 'flammables' is nice, as I keep that stuff away from our home. Also...while I store most of my wood outside, there's considerable wood inside as well...not all kiln dried, ergo...some have little critters still. While I don't want them in my shop and take some actions to mitigate by keeping things cleaned up...I definitely don't want them setting up shop in our home. Separate shop helps address that.
Access is good, as would be a garage or walk out basement. Also...I can open all the windows on a nice day, or when I want extra ventilation.
Lastly...if you've not narrowed down a site, consider one with woods behind you where you can return shavings from whence they came! The other benefits of a heavily wooded site are access to free wood when it falls!
Good luck, let us know what you decide!

[Jim Heikes]

I started out in my 2 car garage many years ago but added an addition last year to add 50% more space. The logistics to work in a basement space would personally drive me nuts. Bring in and taking out materials and equipment which requires going up and down stairs just doesn't work for me.

[Steve Campbell]

I also have my shop in the basement. I am lucky my old house has high basement ceilings. I have a totally sealed gas furnace. I also have hot water heat so I don't have ducts to collect dust. I have a dust collector and air filter down there. My only problem is it gets humid down there in the summer. I live here alone so I don't have to worry about what kind of noise I make.
I have three rooms down there but only one of them is heated so the other two are just for cold storage. Was always going to make one into a finishing room but never got around to it.

Steve

[Lee Koepke]

I have a daylight basement shop just west of ATL .... a few weeks in the winter its cold ... a few weeks in summer its hot. Close the overhead door in winter (plus small heater) and open the door in summer with a fan seems to work for me. I am working on getting my recently acquired dust collector up and running, but need some electrical help.

I like the basement for three reasons: 1. I like to park my truck in the garage 2. my wife likes to park her jeep in the garage, and 3. I can hide in the entire basement .. its all mine !!!!!!!