The man's been gettin' me down

[Jason Hatlelid]

Hey Creekers,

I live in one of those managed sprawling apartment developments where most of us get our own one car garage. I've had my shop setup since I moved in, and I've been doing quite a bit of work in there, running a noisy direct drive table saw, quite a loud router, miter saw, jigsaw, etc., for a few months now.

Amazingly, I hadn't received any calls from the management until I began to rip some 8/4 hard maple with my puny benchtop saw and it blew out the fuse breaker on the circuit I was using, which just happened to power all the garage doors in my building. I suppose they weren't too happy about that, because I got a call the next day telling me I wasn't supposed to use the power in the garage like that.

Well, no problem, I just ran an extension cord across the hall into my apartment and plugged into my circuit.

Now, in general, all my neighbors have been coming by while I'm working and visiting with me. They're all real interested in what I'm doing and I've asked them all if I'm being too loud and none of them have cared.

Except, now, I've received a complaint, and management is basically not willing to compromise an inch and is insiting I remove my workshop. I am right in the middle of building a Cherry Dresser with beautiful figured Bubinga panels and wenge inlays. I just upgraded to a used (but awesome) contractor belt drive (quieter) table saw. I have put in too much money to stop!

*sigh* but they started quoting the rules as spelled out in the lease to me. I have to be able to fit a car in my garage. Well, hey, no problem... I deisgned all of my workbenches to be fold-away. The table saw is on casters. In about a half hour I had my car back in there.

Problem #2 from management, I cannot use their power in the garage and I cannot run a cord across the hall to my apartment because it's a liability hazard for them--someone could trip. Well, I figure... they always have these carpet cleaning vans coming around stringing their hoses and power cords across the hallways... aren't those the same kinds of hazards? Why should they get away with it and not me? Can't i put a carpet or a piece of hardboard over the cord to build a ramp up and over it and thus no longer make it a tripping hazard?

The only other problem I have to deal with is the "nuisence" factor. But my friends tell me they can't even hear my table saw from within my own apartment, which simply has a hall corridor separating it from the garage. The really loud machines are the router and miter saw. I know I can do without those for the most part & use hand tools for the rest.

The management company clearly stated to me that if they got another coimplaint from a neighbor they would send me a letter and ask me to move out.

I can't give up my hobby!

I was thinking about writing a letter to everyone in my building and explaining the situation and trying to be reasonable with them. Seeing if I could maybe confine my saw use to a period between 10am and 1pm during the weekdays, presuably when they'd all be at work and not bothered by the noice anyway (I admit I HAVE been working in the evenings around dinner time on the week days just after I get off work myself).

Does anybody think this is a good idea? I hesitate to go as far as knocking on doors... some people might be put off by direct confrontation, right?

I really don't know, but I am determined to find a happy solution to the problem.

Does anybody have any ideas or thoughts?

Really appreciate it.

-Jason Hatlelid

[Mike Heidrick]

First - Welcome.

Second - Move.

If not Second -Third - 100% Hand tools.

No offense, but why on earth would you take up power tool wood working where you live?

Fourth - Seek out a community shop.

Fifth - rent shop space in a warehouse designed for shop space.

Sixth - buy land and build a shop.

[Jason White]

I think you should move.

Jason

Hey Creekers,

I live in one of those managed sprawling apartment developments where most of us get our own one car garage. I've had my shop setup since I moved in, and I've been doing quite a bit of work in there, running a noisy direct drive table saw, quite a loud router, miter saw, jigsaw, etc., for a few months now.

Amazingly, I hadn't received any calls from the management until I began to rip some 8/4 hard maple with my puny benchtop saw and it blew out the fuse breaker on the circuit I was using, which just happened to power all the garage doors in my building. I suppose they weren't too happy about that, because I got a call the next day telling me I wasn't supposed to use the power in the garage like that.

Well, no problem, I just ran an extension cord across the hall into my apartment and plugged into my circuit.

Now, in general, all my neighbors have been coming by while I'm working and visiting with me. They're all real interested in what I'm doing and I've asked them all if I'm being too loud and none of them have cared.

Except, now, I've received a complaint, and management is basically not willing to compromise an inch and is insiting I remove my workshop. I am right in the middle of building a Cherry Dresser with beautiful figured Bubinga panels and wenge inlays. I just upgraded to a used (but awesome) contractor belt drive (quieter) table saw. I have put in too much money to stop!

*sigh* but they started quoting the rules as spelled out in the lease to me. I have to be able to fit a car in my garage. Well, hey, no problem... I deisgned all of my workbenches to be fold-away. The table saw is on casters. In about a half hour I had my car back in there.

Problem #2 from management, I cannot use their power in the garage and I cannot run a cord across the hall to my apartment because it's a liability hazard for them--someone could trip. Well, I figure... they always have these carpet cleaning vans coming around stringing their hoses and power cords across the hallways... aren't those the same kinds of hazards? Why should they get away with it and not me? Can't i put a carpet or a piece of hardboard over the cord to build a ramp up and over it and thus no longer make it a tripping hazard?

The only other problem I have to deal with is the "nuisence" factor. But my friends tell me they can't even hear my table saw from within my own apartment, which simply has a hall corridor separating it from the garage. The really loud machines are the router and miter saw. I know I can do without those for the most part & use hand tools for the rest.

The management company clearly stated to me that if they got another coimplaint from a neighbor they would send me a letter and ask me to move out.

I can't give up my hobby!

I was thinking about writing a letter to everyone in my building and explaining the situation and trying to be reasonable with them. Seeing if I could maybe confine my saw use to a period between 10am and 1pm during the weekdays, presuably when they'd all be at work and not bothered by the noice anyway (I admit I HAVE been working in the evenings around dinner time on the week days just after I get off work myself).

Does anybody think this is a good idea? I hesitate to go as far as knocking on doors... some people might be put off by direct confrontation, right?

I really don't know, but I am determined to find a happy solution to the problem.

Does anybody have any ideas or thoughts?

Really appreciate it.

-Jason Hatlelid

[ROY DICK]

Move and next time check before you sign a lease.
Most apartments don't allow that type of thing.

Roy

[Rick Hubbard]

Hi Jason


Reading about your predicament makes me think about an innovative solution I saw for a similar problem encountered by military personnel back in the late 60’s.

While in transit between permanent duty assignments I was stationed at Fort Lewis Washington for a few weeks. There I became acquainted with a permanent duty guy who invited me out to his “shop” somewhere off post. What I saw was pretty intriguing: two retired GI’s had built 10 (or 12) adjoining “shops” (roughly 12X20) that they rented out to woodworkers. The setup was kind of like the little self-storage facilities you see these days. The “shops” were arranged in a U shape with two groups of 5 (or 6) of the units facing and a large common area they called the “paint shed” at the closed end of the U. The open end of the you was enclosed with a chain-link fence with a drive-through gate.

I was only there one time but I thought it was a heck of a deal for folks who lived in a situation where they couldn’t have their own shop. I wonder if anybody in your area might have a similar set up?

For the sake of pure nostalgia, I may as well mention that the rent on these shops was a princely $22 per month. Also, as a matter of note, I might as well point out that the real center of attention at this place (at least the day I was there) was a tarp in the paint shed that covered a full pallet of Schlitz beer that could be had for 15 cents a can. Also, Marijuana was $7 a lid, but the music was free.

Rick

[Denny Rice]

Check your local High school in your hometown. After I graduated H.S. and could not afford my own wood shop, the local H.S. offered a wood shop class as a night school class for adults. I know this idea might limit you on the number of hours you can work at your craft, but usually you can buy the lumber you need to finish your project at very reduced prices since most H.S. buy rough 1" stock.The last class I ever took was very reasonable and it met 3 day a week. Just a thought.

[Mark Fogleman]

Tough situation! Sorry to hear this. Had you just sawn a few 2X4s or screwed a box together that's one thing or somehow been able to do it in the closed garage maybe. But a full blown project with sawdust flying around that might cause Cancer and sharp spinning steel blades ready to come off and cut somebody's head off (see how a nervous (crazy?) neighbor might think about your hobby?) probably violates some clause in your lease that prevents you from doing something that creates a nuisance or prevents access or some other legal mumbo jumbo. They got you by the short ones and I would beg for space from a friend's shop to finish this project. Time to switch to something you can do inside like stamp collecting or pen turning or start using hand tools with the door closed. We had an apartment with 2 bathrooms when we were first starting out 35 years ago. I commandeered the 2nd unused bathroom. Took a few pieces of 3/4 ply and 2X4s, removed the spigots and made a nice covers over the tub and sink for work benches. We were in an end unit and I worked nights so no noise issues. But I mostly used handtools, Mattel Powershop (don't laugh... it worked great for small turning/disc sanding and scrollsawing projects), shopvac, drill, jigsaw and a sander were my only power tools. Made some nice small projects and RC planes.

[David Schmaus]

I feel your pain. It sounds like something I would of tried in my early 20's. Everyone has given good advise. If you really like woodworking and do not want to go 100% hand tools you should move.

On a different note... The "man" is not getting you down. A business is protecting its assets.... Now step up, weigh your options and make an educated decision.

[Prashun Patel]

I think you've been lucky all this while.

If you really want to do this, then I think you'd need to get a petition to define 'acceptable working hours', and then you'd need to get the bylaws amended.

As for the power issue, that can't be solved with a petition. You'd need to talk to the landlord about adding a dedicated power line in the garage - that you'd pay for. To incentivize him, you can offer to pay (in $$ or in kind) for something else that requires maintenance/repair.

Basically, you need to do some homework on the law, and then try to work with your landlord to be flexible where permissible.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I can see them asking you not to run an extension cord across the hall, but I doubt they have any standing to tell you what you can plug in to the garage outlets.

[Bruce Page]

Even if you get total buy in from the other tenets you will always be at the mercy of your landlord. I agree with the others, it’s time to move. Look for a house to rent in an older neighborhood (less covenant restrictions), and be done with it.

Welcome to SMC

[Mitchell Andrus]

I'd tell you to stop if I were in charge, you are on private property that is not your own. Now that they know about what you're doing they are responsible if you have a kick-back that hits an old lady walking in the driveway. Woodworking in inherently dangerous and everyone knows it.

The carpet cleaners have their own insurance and likely have named the owners as 'named insured'. If their insurance goes up one penny you'll pay the increase, guaranteed.
.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Yea, they can. If he's overloaded once, he can do it again. That's a fire hazard and no judge, tenancy or otherwise, will turn that around.
.

[Wayne Sparkman]

Adding to Heidrick's post above:

Seventh: Post pics of that cherry dresser! And you don't have to wait till its finished necessarily.

[Rick Prosser]

Jason, you are just not in a good position on this. Even if you spent a lot of time and effort into petitions, agreements, understandings, etc - it would only take one complaint or concern to put you on the street.

If you want to live there, then you need to find another option to continue your hobby. There were some good suggestions posted on places that you might be able to use/rent. Maybe a woodworking club in the area could help out? Rather than forcing the issue with the landlord, put the effort into an off site solution.

Good luck and welcome to the Creek!