Workshop Set Up Question

[ChrisLBren]

Hey Group,

 

Some of you know we just bought a new house with a finished basement (kids playroom with a bathroom and bedroom for our nanny) and a locked door which goes to storage area and partially finished basement for this area of the house.  Our house has a basement 50 percent below grade and the walls nearest the finished heated basement are dry walled (code for our city) - the other walls outer walls are insulated above ground and not finished. Im not sure if I want to breathe it or spread saw dust around here.  Then again Im not an expert.  

 

Is this a suitable setting for a workshop without drywalling the rest of the basement - Ive attached photos.  I'd do it myself but there are several pipes and fixtures directly mounted on the studs - which will make this tough unless I hire someone (which may be my best choice).  The other option is I mount the work bench in the garage - bring the heavy duty tools up there as I need them for milling and lock them up from the kids (not ideal) - and use a lighter work desk and chair in my office upstairs.  

 

Your thoughts and advice are appreciated - a bit bummed - my fathers day gifts were two new work benches and a wheeled storage unit for my tools - which is not ideal now.  

Edited June 18, 2015 by ChrisLBren

[edmay]

Hello Chris,Just a thought,If your winter climate is wet,damp, a moisture problem could effect your modeling woods etc,check the quality of your windows,ie single/double pane,fully insulate .Your basement is half way there already,A small area for painting (dust free)closed off (plastic),if your using power tools this area has also to be required to be dust free, there is dust removal systems that connect ,that's not to expensive, then out of the room. A good system of lighting,plug outlets,a chair and a stool at different heights ,also easier on the back to change . A floor covering at the modeling area that can make it easy to find dropped pieces as you know many are very small,a place to display plans,a usable sink,magnifying lamp ,music,, I used to manage big kitchens at one point in my life,were tool etc were used by many staff so the motto being "put things back were you got it from"to prevent clutter and accidents" the most used ones in a central area to lesson travel. A not easy task is to keep the room temp as even as possible, on the lighter side,1 sofa for pondering,2 a refrigerater(for beer) to help ponder problems,snacks etc,. Enjoy your new home and modeling,ps do not forget to ask permission from the Admiral,ha ha,Edwin

[mtaylor]

Chris,

 

I agree with Edwin.  As far as the drywall and anything else that needs done, find an independent who will do the work you can't do or won't attempt.  Drywall isn't hard, just a pain in the neck...  Actually find a couple of them.  Talk to them, pick their brains and see about looking at some of their finished projects.  You should be able to get some ideas on what you can do and what they need to do.

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

The main advantage of a garage it is easy to bring the big tools.

But  I prefer the basement, it is easier to control a stable temperature all year. 

In your case it would depend first can you bring  every tool in the basement.

For the Hardinge lathe a Hiab was use to bring it at the good level,so for every tool there is a solution.

At your place I would choose without hesitation the basement and install a suspended ceiling especially to pass all the wiring easily.

Installing  drywall is an easy job. 

You are not sure if you want to breathe it or spread saw dust in the basement, it is effectively a disadvantage, there are air cleaning systems but even with this  there are some dust going up and your wife will not like it.

Even with that disadvantage there are more advantages in the basement.

In the garage the floor  will probably be left unfinished and always be cold.

Even if it is the same surface in the basement for the floor, you have more choices to finish it etc etc...

[druxey]

In the Chicago area, you will need to frame, insulate, vapour barrier and drywall the perimeter for sure. You are probably right in calling in a qualified contractor to do all this properly. I have a laminate floor over a cushioned insulating barrier on concrete and this has worked well for me.

 

I do some sawing, etc. in the basement: a shop vac and suitable hook-ups to machine tools are necessary (see Lee Valley). In addition I have a ceiling mounted fine dust filtration system. No complaints from my Admiral.

[robnbill]

My shop is in my basement. It actually is buried deep in the basement. We have a walk out basement, but the only place the shop could be is in the front of the basement. Because of this, when we installed it, I put in two over sized dust control systems. I have a large 3.5HP cyclone that handles dust down to .5 microns. The cyclone is piped to each of the major tools as well as floor sweeps.

 

Then I have two air handlers that are suspended from the ceiling at either end of the shop. These recycle air through filter material so pull dust created by sanding or thrown from the blades and did not go through the cyclone. I still make a lot of dust, but it does seem to keep most of it from circulating into the rest of the house.

[Jaager]

For the basement - first -make sure that it does not leak.

I had a house in Kentucky where the basement was sited in mid summer during a drought.  Turns out that for six months of the year it was 2-3 feet below the water table.  Nothing but heart ache.

 

Ideal - have a powerful shopvac - in a distant location - sound insulated from the rest of the house and where you work, vented to the outside,  wired so that you can easily turn On/Off  -  a Great Dane sized dog house close to the house - you just need the 4 inch ducting and  12 ga Romex thru the wall.   Be nice if the 4 inch ducting could run between the floor joists and not thru them.  Works for solvent vapors as well as saw dust.

[ChrisLBren]

Hey Everyone,

 

Thanks for the ideas - our basement is does not leak so far (we've had a lot of rain in Chicago) and it stays relatively cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  There is also double paned glass on the windows.  

 

I think I need about 300 square feet of drywall - the tricky thing is dealing with the pipes and wires that protrude -so Id rather hire a professional - shouldnt be more than 550 dollars or so.  

 

Dust filtration is a priority for sure.

[ChrisLBren]

Is this what you guys are talking about as far as dust filtration ?

 

http://jdstools.com/product/air-tech-hp-2/

[druxey]

Please, if you are extracting solvent vapour, you MUST have a sparkless fan motor!

[AON]

My workshop is in the basement.

It was an unfinished area.

New wiring, insulation, vapour barrier, drywall, painting walls and floor a light bright colour, lighting, heating/cooling ducting over head, drop in ceiling tiles (I doubled up on mine in an attempt at noise abatement to the upstairs)

 

I am always concerned with finishing a basement and then having flooding issues or outer concrete walls cracking and water finding its way to the insulation and floor.

 

To me a basement is a basement.... but others seem to be living in theirs!

Edited June 18, 2015 by AON

[Modeler12]

One  thought about your first picture and the 'plumbing' on the studs.

Is it possible to add a firring strip of wood on top of the studs so that the pipes are hidden? That way you could sheet-rock over them and have a wall to work from.

I noticed in your third picture that copper pipes are coming through the wall and that could have been prevented the same way.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Modeler12

[ChrisLBren]

Good question - I've got a contractor visiting to give me an estimate. I'm just wondering can I leave the ceiling as is - for now if I get a dust collection system ? Obviously I've got a lot of expenses right now between the new house and the twins.

[ChrisLBren]

Actually Ive got a ton of wall space down there - I just want to have a safe environment to work in good lighting, benches for my tools, a desk to work on, and dust collection Is the priority so I can start modeling again.

[ChrisLBren]

Oh and I should add i will be milling pre dimensioned (for the most part) lumber from Crown Timberyard for exact sizes with a Jim Brynes thickness sander, and the rest of his tools to scratch build along with a Preac saw and Delta Scroll Saw. No painting (other than acrylics) and Tung Oil Finish.

[Landlocked123]

Hi Chris,

 

I lived in Highland Park for about 10 years in the 80s/90s and the one thing that no one who's ever lived in Chicagoland forgets is the winter temperatures.

 

I now live in Connecticut and my workshop is in sort of a wing off the main basement. You absolutely have to find a way to heat the workshop space. I try to use an electric heater but it's just not up to the job. In the winter, I wear a sweater, sweatshirt, and cap. The problem is that I get so caught up in my work, I pay no attention to how cold I'm getting. My wife thinks I come close to hypothermia. I'll work until my hands freeze up, come upstairs and then shiver for half an hour.

 

It may not be as bad since you're adjacent to a heated space, but my guess it would be easier to deal with it now than later.

 

Best,

John

[AON]

My ceiling of my original (less than half size) work shop was unfinished and was fine... I was quite content.

 

The new expanded workshop has drop ceiling tiles as I mentioned earlier and it makes the room much brighter and a very much happier place, honestly.

I couldn't believe the difference and would never go back

[robnbill]

Is this what you guys are talking about as far as dust filtration ?

 

http://jdstools.com/product/air-tech-hp-2/

That is an air handler. There are a number of manufacturers who all look basically the same. It is just a box with filters and a large fan to move the air through them. These type handle the dust that gets in the air. They do not take the place of your dust collector that would connect to the individual tools.

 

The drop ceiling will be porous to the dust so some dust will migrate up through the ceiling and possibly into the spaces above it. I had the sheetrockers sheetrock that as well. I built the studs out for the shop but had the electrical contractor and sheetrocking guys do their stuff. That way it was also up to code. We insulated the outer walls and it makes a huge difference in temperature. I know because the network closet is also off the shop and it is not insulated and it get's cold in winter.

Edited June 18, 2015 by robnbill

[Jaager]

An easy solution to insulating the poured concrete half wall under the windows - get a few sheets of 4 x 8 x 2inch foam insulating sheets (pink or blue) and use construction adhesive to attach it to the concrete.  The 2 inch was readily available in central KY, but here in Norfolk 1  inch seems to be it. 

[Altduck]

Chris,

 

What a wonderful space to work with!  Just setting up your shop should be lots of fun, before you even start to use it.

 

I don't see much in the way of power and lighting but it looks like the main panel is in the far corner, so it'll be easy.  Before you enclose the remaining walls, you might want to run some 110VAC power around the walls and perhaps in the ceiling for drops out in the middle of the room.  Also, lighting of course.  I moved into a house with a smaller available shop space some years ago and it had minimal P&L as well.  I put in power outlets every 4 feet + or - along the walls, and about 4 ft above the floor so they would be above any benches I might install.  And I alternated the outlets so adjacent ones were not on the same breaker.  And - the ceiling lights I added are on their own circuit so if I ever amp out a tool circuit, the lights stay on.  If there aren't enough breaker slots in the panel, you can add a shop sub-panel.  That's what I had to do. 

 

You might start by sketching and designing the final ultimate plan, and what activities and equipment will go where, and what the power, ventilation, separation from other activities, etc. will be needed.  Then estimate the costs and priorities for each portion of the work so you can do it in a logical order when you choose to.  This way, when you can add something, it fits into the master plan.

 

Congratulations on your new home, shop and growing family,

 

Richard

[ChrisLBren]

Thanks for the feedback everyone - I had a contractor visit today and he gave me some ideas.  I think Im going to wall off both the area of the furnaces and the water heaters/storage area on the other side and just use the middle as my workshop which is actually large enough.  Im going to run some more boxes along the walls for power that will  then be dry walled and install lighting in the ceiling along with a box for a dust retrieval system.  It will cut down my dry wall cost and  maximize the useable space and seal everything else off.  

Edited June 21, 2015 by ChrisLBren

[Landlubber Mike]

Hey Chris, congrats on the move, new place, and of course the growing family

 

I set up my workshop in my basement.  It's in the unfinished room where my HVAC and water heater are.  No windows, about 20% is above grade, and concrete floors.  I use two Harbor Freight workbenches placed back to back for a workbench "island," and have a Fein shop vac.  I have the Byrnes suite of tools, a sherline mill and lathe and a Dewalt scroll saw that sits on a stand separately.

 

I had a lot of similar concerns on dust collection, lighting, the proximity to the HVAC unit, etc.  Since I'm not ripping big boards or anything, and my modeling is very slow, I'm not really making all that much sawdust and got comfortable putting the workshop in that room.  I use the shop vac regularly, and hung one of those dust filtration devices similar to the one you linked to from the joists in the ceiling.  Mine is a Rikon from Woodcraft which I got when it went on a good sale.  The nice thing about the Rikon is that you can set it to run on a timer, so that it continues to run for an hour or longer after I leave the room.  If I was doing any heavier work, I likely would have found a different place to put my workshop given that the room is enclosed and contains the HVAC unit (even though the air intake to the HVAC is from outside the room).  That being said, I don't spend all my time on my builds in that room.  I usually spend most of my time working on the model or various assemblies for it in my living room.

 

Other than that, I added overhead fluorescent lighting over the workbenches and a few of those cushy standing mats around the workbenches (they actually make a big difference to your comfort if you are standing!).  I am envious of people with nicer workshops with TVs, windows and finished walls and the like (though, working with power tools, it's probably better for me at this stage to not have any distractions).  Until my kids move out, which won't be for a couple of decades, that's not really an option for me at this moment.  Maybe if I didn't have twins the second time around, but not much I can do now

 

Let us know what you decide!

Edited June 24, 2015 by Landlubber Mike