Small basement - layout ideas please

[Dan Karachio]

I have a small basement shop, about 600 square feet with a big old pillar right in the middle and other basement storage items to deal with plus a furnace and water heater. In effect, it isn't as much space as you think. For a while it has worked well for me, but I am in a rut. This year I got a planer and a jointer. The planer is a lunch box on a cart, the jointer is a 6" also on wheels. Up until now I rolled them out when needed, but I need them all the time! I want them up and ready to go full time, but space is cramped and they are competing space wise with a miter saw + stand that is also used all the time.

So many of you have interesting ideas, clever solutions and experience. More than likely I could pick up some clever thing from one or many of you and figure this out. So, I guess the question here is how are some of you dealing with space limitations and more specifically how do you have set up your TS, miter saw, planer, jointer all with DC?

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I see that it has been about a week with no replies. So, I'll give it a shot.

I have a basement shop, and here are some generic thoughts...

1. A central dust collection system is very nice. It eliminates rolling the dust collector around and fumbling with the flex hose;

2. Put everything on castors. I recommend decent quality castors in which all four castors swivel. Most machines stay put by their own weight, but buy castors that are double locking (wheel rotation and swivel lock);

3. Combining tools together are another way to compress things. For instance, jointer/planer combinations machine, or a router table in the side extension of a tablesaw;

4. Flip-stop machinery stands seem nice too. You can rotate a tool without lifting it. Also, try to make your own machinery stands so you cn add storage capability to them;

5. Hopefully there is a basement window for a small exhaust fan. Make sure there is make-up so you don't reverse the draft on your heating equipment;

6. If you have bare block or cast concrete walls, consider sealing them. It also make things brighter;

7. A small dehumidifyer is great to keep the tools clean;

8. Lots of 48" flourescent shop lights on a couple of switches so you can turn areas off that you're not using. Lots of lighting eliminates shadows and also brightens your surroundings for a more pleasurable environment;

9. Store small items in wall cabinets and shelves. Wall cabinets are nice for dust control. Leave the precious floor space only for the machinery;

10. Use the space between ceiling joists (if the shop has an unfinished ceiling) to store sandpaper, tape, etc.

-Jeff

[Kent A Bathurst]

Dan -

The attachment is the layout of my basement shop. You would need to understand in-town Atlanta basement construction techniques of the 20's - full-height basements are not all that common. Plus - they generally did not see the need to make the basement floor space the full size of the house. In fact, they would often excavate an area, and leave a lot of area partially excavated or not excavated at all - just that good ol' Georgia red clay. Then, at that time (or more likely - at some later date) this dirt would be surrounded by cinder block walls and capped with concrete. Almost seems like right angles were frowned on. Plus - support columns everywhere.

Anyway - the crosshatched areas in the pdf are encapsulated dirt, with the surfaces from 3 to 5 feet above floor level.

I don't know that there are any tricks in my layout that will help you specifically - more like maybe some ideas. There is roughly 3' around all 4 sides of the primary bench. You will note the location of the planer - I often have it rolled out of the way (by the DC). However, with the TS outfeed folded down, I can leave the planer out in the open, until I'm done with it or until it gets in my way (or, more likely, in "someone else's" way). My planer is a 15" Delta. If I had a lunch-box type, I would probably look at mounting it on the CMS table, so that the CMS infeed-outfeed would work for the planer also. Then, when cutting long boards on the CMS, I could just feed them through the planer throat. Or, I would look into putting the planer on some industrial-sterioid-strength wheels and tracks, and push it back out of the way, then bring it in-line and lock it down with a couple De-sta-co toggle clamps.

The jointer is a bit inconvenient, but there was no choice in the matter - no room on the other side of the stairs, and there is a long-long open line-of-fire for the boards. It is on wheels also, but I don't think I've ever moved it.

My back bench and my workbench were built to be the same height as the TS - I can lay down an 8' ply sheet spanning them for infeed to the TS. The TS is also on wheels - once every couple years I have to rotate it a bit to put long pieces across it (typically for a cut near the middle of a ply panel) - PITA, but very infrequent. Also - notice that the BS is positioned to take advantage of one of the "berms" - I built a nice outfeed table behind the BS. If there was a full wall there, I'd be screwed.

Under the stairs - filled with shelves, shop vac, and TS blade drawers. Under the CMS - wood storage racks and shop vac for dust. I built the table so it is a clear span the entire length - works nice. Back bench - I had the laundry room built when we moved in, and I sheathed the wall behind the bench with 1/2" plywood - filled-filled-filled with clamps, hand tools, clamps, sandpaper storage gizmo, and clamps. Under both benches - filled with drawers.

I have 8' clear to the joists - except the HVAC insulated pipes run everywhere. Above the TS is a JDS air filtration unit. As Jeffery correctly noted - the place is filled with flourescent lights - I spent the money to get the higher-grade fixtures that are dead quiet - I hated the buzzing in previous shop. The lights are on 3 separate switches -main area, over CMS, over BS + DP. I still want more lights.

Don't forget to build a wine storage closet - mine will hold about 30 cases fully loaded

Good Luck !! You gotta play the cards you were dealt

[Zach England]

I'd kill for that kind of space. Here you can see how I have crammed some of my stuff in a much smaller shelf basement. In tight spaces hand tools are your friend.

[Jeff Fagen]

I too have a basement shop but WOW! Zach you shure are creative.

[Zach England]

I don't know about creative--it's just the space I have. I keep the benchtop tools on the shelf around the perimeter and move them to the workbench or even carry them outside when I need to work on something larger. I can't get 4x8 sheet goods down there, so anytime I need those I have to break them down outside with a circular saw. I just have to recognize the limitations of my space and work within them. I do have some larger pieces I want to build soon and that is going to be a challenge since they will have to be assembled and finished somewhere else. Fortunately I also have a greenhouse that I can utilize. That basement is only a little more than half the footprint of the house (itself only something like 800 SF) and eventually I'd like to dig out the other half. That space is also shared with a washer and dryer, furnace and water heater.

[Dan Karachio]

Hi Everyone,

I thought this thread was dead on arrival and just now saw there were some replies. Thanks for the advice, diagrams and images. There are ALWAYS new ideas out there, so thanks again. I have been pretty successful in reorganizing my shop. I learned a few things. While the computer might be helpful or making a scale layout and little cut outs for each tool is probably more time efficient, there is simply no replacement for just moving it all around and seeing what works. I have solved my issue of getting the planer and jointer up so I can use them "on demand" (vs rolling them out and hooking them up to the DC - a real pain), but if/when I get a bandsaw, it is going to be interesting. My lighting is good, dust collection working well and even though my ceilings are about 6' 7" I am enjoying the place. Kent, I envy not only your wine, but your bathroom. However, here is a suggestion. Build a nice first or second floor laundry and claim that massive area for more shop! Your wife will love you even more AND the entire basement will be all yours!

[Kent A Bathurst]

Zach wins the "press on regardless" award.

mid-1920's bungalow. No place upstairs for a laundry. The basement already IS all mine - SWMBO is a gourmet cook, and a pro-level garden design, install + maint talent. She has the kitchen for cooking, and she has the entire outside. I have the kitchen for dishwashing, and the entire basement - including Saturday Is Laundry Day responsibilities. I would much rather wash her laundry than eat my cooking - trust me - you would agree.

Basement came with the bath. I agree - it is great to have that close. The wine closet was the first project after the move from Mich - had to get that stuff enclosed, in a controlled environment. It is rarely full-full, but there is a fair amount of stuff that has been collected over many years - classic Catch-22: I've got it, but now the value has risen tremendously (if you could even find it - doubtful), and I am really not in the habit of drinking $200/bottle wine, so I don't want to drink it, but I have it, and someday it has to be drunk, but I don't want to dirnk stuff that valuable........the atom blaster points both ways.

[Zach England]

Zach wins the "press on regardless" award.

What would you say if I told you that basement was once home to almost 20 chickens?

[Ben Bonif]

What would you say if I told you that basement was once home to almost 20 chickens?

That mighta been even more creative!

The Double Award being sent tonight to you. Hope you got a dolly to get it down there as it's a BIG SUCKA

Creative use of every spare inch Zach .... mean that literally to

[Dan Karachio]

Hey, would chickens eat sawdust from the floor? If so, well you might have something there!

Kent, I envy you even more. I have no problem doing the laundry and I would do it better (I fold things asap vs leaving them in the dryer for days), BUT my wife is extremely territorial over it all. Her mom is the same. Very funny.

[Kent A Bathurst]

What would you say if I told you that basement was once home to almost 20 chickens?

Zach - I'm going to have to start calling you "Sir".

You eat them chickens so you'd have room for the shop? Good trade-off, IMO.

[Kent A Bathurst]

.........I have no problem doing the laundry and I would do it better.....

I can only hope that you are clever enough to never say stuff like that out loud around the house. You don't want to rearrange the shop to make room for the cot.

[Callan Campbell]

I'd kill for that kind of space. Here you can see how I have crammed some of my stuff in a much smaller shelf basement. In tight spaces hand tools are your friend.

OK Zach... I NOW feel spacious with my existing shop space!!! Thanks for making me feel better about all my stuff, you have me beat by a long shot. Seriously though, work carefully while you're in there, it looks like tight quarters for sure.

[Michael MacDonald]

chickens or no, I think the flat panel TV really helps a small space.

I would have replied to this thread had I seen it earlier, but have been analog almost all week.

I have a small space in Chicago. Odd shape. Pillar right in the middle and BIG furnace and water heater as wedged in as they could get. I suppose it would be worse. My biggest challenge has been to figure out how to position the TS so I get the most usage out of it for long rips and cross-cutting long pieces. As it is, if I need to go beyond 65 inches or so for either cut, I have to jack the TS up on the casters and angle it. I have been able to live with this.

As I have been adding tools, I have been looking more at benchtop... a drill press on a rolling cart. A DW735 that I can store out of the way and lug out on the bench when needed. I just saw the Rigid jointer go down in price in my area, but I think I need to hold back. My intention is to get a benchtop jointer, and am still mulling the grizz vs. a no-name.

A bandsaw and miter saw are currently out of the question, which is disappointing. If I eventually do that, it will only be because I make some space out of more efficient storage or building a smaller work bench. I have some plans cooking to do that soon.

I have been doing some big glue-ups lately, and I find I have to do some work outside the space. Last night I was gluing up some small storage cabinets, and I must have knocked myself or knocked over something a dozen times as I ran around the unit getting the clamps all in place... it is a pain to have limited space--everything seems to go slower.

It is a little depressing to walk in each evening, but once I get all the lights on and get to work, contentment sets in.

Some pics attached...