Woodworking Shop in Basement?

[Ken Louis]

We're hoping to purchase a home with a 3-car garage to house our two vehicles and my woodworking gear. To keep all our options open (due to limited availability of homes with 3-car garages in our area), I've given some thought to looking at homes with 2-car garages and possibly trying to setup my woodworking gear in the basement.

I have a few questions/concerns with this option. Please bear with me, because I've spent little time up north and basements are a new thing to me. From my perspective, I see two immediate issues: 1) how to get my 325 lb. 10" table saw and 350 lb. 17" bandsaw safely down (and up, at some point) the typical basement staircase. And, 2) the effectiveness of a 2hp dust collector dealing with dust issues in an enclosed basement area--especially when I use my Performax 22-44 drum sander (notorious for tons of fine dust).

Other issues that I should be concerned about?

Thoughts and opinions? Thank you!

P.S. I've also considered building a detached workshop, but that's a remote option at this time due to very restrictive building codes.

[Chris Studley]

It is fairly common to see "Walk-out" basement in my area, Not sure what may/may not be common in your area. these generally have entrance to the basement levelwith little or no stairs. Just another item to consider...

[Stew Hagerty]

I'm setup in our 3-car garage. However, if I needed to put my shop in a basement, I would either want a "walk-out" as Chris mentioned or at least have a "Bilko Door" (at least that is what everyone called them when I lived upstate in NY). It's one of those exterior basement access doors. They used to be made of wood but nowadays they're made from steel. They're typically 4'-6' wide which makes ins and outs much easier. A walk-out basement will typically have a patio door of some kind, usually leading to an outdoor patio.

I take up approximately half of our 3-car garage. We used to have 2 cars, but usually parked one outside most of the time anyway just to make getting in and out easier. I was going to put in an 18' door but we had to reduce the footprint of the home by a couple feet to fit it onto our lot. We built on a cul-de-sac so we have a wedge shaped lot and the garage just had to shrink a bit to fit.

Anyway, since I got sick (I became disabled in 2008) and can no longer drive, we only have the one vehicle. Here is an overview of my shop:

Shop - 01 Overview.jpgShop - 02 Table Saw View.jpg

[Brian Tymchak]

Hi Ken,

I moved my large power tools to my basement shop in components strapped to an appliance cart. Now, being a basement shop, I didn't buy the largest machines - a contractor style TS, a 14" BS, a 6"x56" jointer. Not sure this is a winning strategy for you with a 17" BS and I'm assuming a heavier cabinet-style TS. I've read some posts here that others added bracing under their stairs to help support the heavy weights of the tools + 1 or 2 people. I didn't have to do that as it was just me and the ~125 lbs of tool on a cart. I've also read that someone set up a come-along system to slowly move the tools down the stairs.

Regarding the DC, plan on getting an air cleaner as well. It made a world of difference in getting the fine stuff out of the air, and thus not up the stairs...

[Carl Beckett]

I have had my shop in a basement a few times over the years. You can get the machines in and out.... Sometimes requires a little disassembly. Ceiling height has always been an issue for me. And handling sheet goods on a regular basis (break down in the driveway if possible).

Heck, one time I put my relatively heavy street bike in a basement. (tricky to get in and out)

The way I look at it, is that it's great to have a shop space. Of any kind.

[Val Kosmider]

I just moved from a 'no exterior access' basement workshop.

You have read sufficient above about getting machinery in and out. That pretty much says it all. Just remember that all lumber and materials must go through the same path. It can get a little narly moving a 4x8 sheet through the house, or getting long planks around the corners to get them down the stairs. A straight run of stairs is obviously desirable. You learn to break things down as much as possible before moving them: cut sheet goods in the garage to rough dimensions; disassemble machinery down to manageable components.

Dust: Do everything you you can to mitigate it. Collector; filter; expernal ventilation if possible.

Noise: everything you do will resonate up through the floors, and through the ventilation ducts if you have hot air. Once again, you have to work hard to keep the noise level appropriate/tolerable for the folks upstairs.

Smells: When you paint, stain, finish projects those scents seem tend to linger for a long time in an enclosed space. Do everything you can to mitigate this problem. Either get outside ventilation, or perhaps use the garage area temporarily for painting and finishing.

Those are the major issues. Maybe the overhead height is not what you would wish, but you just have to deal with it.

I worked in a basement shop for many years and it didn't really impede my efforts other than trying to be considerate of those above/around you as regards smells, noise and dust.

[Andy Fox]

I just moved down to my 430 sq ft basement shop after moving to a different house. The basement doesn't have an exterior door. I had mostly been in the attached 2 car garage until now. The garage seemed to be always too cold, too hot, too buggy, or too junky to work comfortably and efficiently. Those problems can certainly be fixed, but the basement just worked out better for me overall. I like having my own dedicated shop space which is always a perfect 64-68 degrees. It's nice to be able to just go down there and work for 1-2 hours without having to rearrange things or wait for it to heat up first.

I have tools like a 10" contractor's table saw, 6" jointer, floor model drill press, and a hefty 14" bandsaw. (The bandsaw stayed in the garage this time because it's in need of a broken part, but I've moved it down and up out of the basement at the old house.) I moved my shop down to my basement myself over two days this past weekend, with only a little help from my wife lifting off the drill press head and sliding the 6'x24" workbench top down the stairs. I took the larger and heavier machines apart, and used a dolly some. I carried the drill press head and the jointer bed down the stairs because neither of those could be strapped onto the dolly securely. The full drill press was way too unstable to get down the stairs on a dolly by myself.

I'm planning to finish sealing off the workshop area soon, and I'll install a 200-400 cfm bathroom vent fan to keep dust and light finishing fumes (no spraying) from getting to the rest of the house.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Ken
I been in my daylight basement shop for 20 years, and love it. Best part is I can be in my shop and working in under 10 seconds. If going basement, over garage, look for as much ceiling height as you can get. Eight feet is still very limiting. Tom

[Michael W. Clark]

Ken,
I have a basement shop too. I would second the comments about the walk-out, makes life much better.

I would also add that, if possible, add some ventilation (exhaust air). Even oil finishes can create a lot of fumes. I generally finish outside or in the garage. I recently experimented with wiping a water based poly in the shop. It actually worked pretty good, but took a lot of coats to get minimal build.

[Wade Lippman]

I am on my second walkout basement shop. The first had sliding glass doors and access was tough on some things. The new one has French doors and is oh so much better. So my recommendation is it get a walkout basement with French doors.

I am sure you can thoroughly dismantle your equipment and get it down basement stairs, but you won't be getting a big project back up. And lumber will be a bear.

I know many people have garage workshops and do perfectly well in them, but one year I put my lathe in the garage because there was no room in the basement. A lot of the time it was too hot or too cold to work comfortably, and it rusted like crazy over the winter. So based on my experience I would advise against that.

2hp is plenty for a 16/32; don't know about the 22/44.

[Ken Louis]

Wow, I want to thank everybody for all the awesome replies! I definitely feel like I have much better feel for what I'm getting into.

I think a certain reality has sunk in about the actual dynamics of moving equipment, wood, and projects, through the inside of a house in order to access the basement. A walkout basement seems the only solution to this issue. However, in this area, a walk-out basement, like a 3-car garage, is going to be tough find. But, I continue to remain optimistic that something will come up.

Several of you brought up very good points about possible humidity and temperature issues in a garage environment. Didn't realize how spoiled I've been using the garage in my current home in the dry, desert southwest. In 10 years, never had to take any special precautions to prevent any rust or corrosion. However, we're moving to a very humid, rust prone mid-west locale. So, this potential corrosion issue, which wasn't on my radar previously--is now. I'm getting the impression a basement may provide better equipment protection and a more comfortable work environment (temperature-wise); however, there's still the dust, smell, and noise issues everyone mentioned.

For me, it appears it's not an ideal situation either way--basement or garage. In the end, our final decision will probably be dictated more by availability in the local real estate market than anything else.

In any case, I do want to pass on a big thanks to everyone for taking time out of your busy day to share all this valuable knowledge and experience with me--much appreciated!

[Eric DeSilva]

Don't let people scare you too much. I've got a large basement shop and the only exterior access is one of those stairwells that have a tiny landing. I've managed to get a full size Unisaw, a 15" Grizzly planer, and a 14" Laguna SUV (larger than most 14" bandsaws) down there. I am lucky in that I've got a 9' ceiling in the basement, which is handy. I sealed the area off from other basement areas and dust hasn't been a problem. Nice thing, as someone mentioned, is that it takes 10 seconds to be working, and it is nicely heated and air conditioned for year round use (unlike the metal shop in garage, which is only useable 3 seasons).

[Stew Hagerty]

Several of you brought up very good points about possible humidity and temperature issues in a garage environment. Didn't realize how spoiled I've been using the garage in my current home in the dry, desert southwest. In 10 years, never had to take any special precautions to prevent any rust or corrosion. However, we're moving to a very humid, rust prone mid-west locale. So, this potential corrosion issue, which wasn't on my radar previously--is now. I'm getting the impression a basement may provide better equipment protection and a more comfortable work environment (temperature-wise); however, there's still the dust, smell, and noise issues everyone mentioned.

Ken,

I live in the Midwest; NE Indiana specifically. Around here the soil is heavy clay. Most newer homes, except for higher end ones, do not have basements because they are difficult (read > expensive) to keep dry. My garage is attached and, like I already said, 3-car. It is also fully insulated and drywalled. I have 2" thick foam-core garage doors. My garage environment is quite dry and, even with no dedicated heating system, the temperature never goes below 60 degrees inside. Now, in the middle of the summer, for about 2 months usually, it does get too hot for me but my medical condition includes a neurological problems that have played havoc with my internal thermostat so that I can not stand temperatures above 75 degrees. So, when it is too hot outside I just go out in the morning before it heats up or put on a movie instead. Even so, I have not noticed the temp inside go past the low 80's.

I keep my house set on 66-67 during the day and 62 at night year round. My wife is used to it, but my family members refer to our house as "the igloo". I've been thinking of putting in a small mini-split unit out there. They're fairly reasonabe in price, and it should be just enough to cool it down for me.

Like others have said, many woodworkers use their basements for their shop space. A lot of people work in a two-car garage. You can always put wheels on everything and simply move the car(s) out of the way when you're ready to work. Or, if you have the room on your lot, you can add on that 3rd garage stall. My point is, where there is the will, there is always a way. And this is absolutely the right place for advice on setting up your shop wherever you end up.

[Kevin Guarnotta]

You can always add heat to your garage, and in the summer it can be nice to open the garage doors for lots of fresh air.

I'd try to find a house with a garage, or a lot large enough to build a garage. I've got a 3 car garage. It was a mess, so I set up shop in my basement to begin with-that did not work well. Then again I had really low ceilings. But even doing small projects was difficult. I don't really see much advantage to a basement-except it is quicker/easier to get to. And lots of disadvantages - harder to get tools and materials into and out of, harder to work on materials as your head height is sure to be lower.

[Eric DeSilva]

The counterweight to that is that every garage shop I've seen has also been home to a lot of other stuff--like spouse's car, beach stuff, car tools... I have a basement wood shop that is dedicated to wood. Every time I want to use any of the metal shop gear in the garage, seems like I have to move the jog stroller, relocate the bin from the back of the car that got put on the welding table, relocate a bunch of boxes that ended up in my way... It is nice being able to close the door to my basement wood shop with projects in progress and have no fear that anyone will go in there...