Where do you turn - house, shop, ???

[Ken Frohnert]

I have a small shop 12x20 with a older lathe that I mess around with from time to time. With winter coming here in PA the free standing workshop gets a bit chilly.
I am thinking about finding a mini-lathe - like the basic Rockler and setting it up inside the house in our finished basement. The carpet is old and I am getting ready to put down some
ceramic tile so I thought working on learning turning over the winter in the warm house might be nice vs working in the cold shop. I thought if I did small projects pens, ornaments bottle stoppers
it may not get to out of hand. What do you think?

Where do you guys turn?
Do any of you turn in the house?
What can I do to make it work or should I just tuff it out the the shop?

[Russell Neyman]

In almost every case I know, woodturners work in a shop, garage, or basement. It's just too messy to try indoors.

If I can be so bold as to expand your question-- what the community like where you turn? Always wondered how many turners lived in metropolitan areas versus rural. My hunch is this isn't a craft done in big cities, but I could be surprised.

[Ken Frohnert]

Russ,

I am a country mouse in Central PA.

[Brad Barnhart]

Good afternoon, Mr. Ken! I started out in an 8' x 10' room in our basement 15 years ago. I was driving truck OTR at that time, & was gone ALOT, so there was no need for an abundance of space. Time went on, tools were bought, I was forced to retire from trucking due to health conditions, & finally got to the point I could no longer handle the stairs to the shop. So, we made the executive decision to start looking for a small, but affordable shop. Our neighbors had a retired beauty shop that'd been sitting empty for some years, & they offered it to us. My work space is about 260 sq Ft. I've got two lathes, 3 scroll saws, a table saw, band saw, sanders, router table, RAS, jointer & planer, drill press, & numerous hand, electric, & air tools all organized in this space. And wood storage in the back room, with the compressor. And a 4' x 4' project table in the middle of it all. The building is central heated, & has a window a/c. We've been there two years this month. I don't have much for dust control except a dust mask, & windows. My big tools, including one of my lathes, are on casters. I spend 10 - 12 hours a day in my shop, sometimes just to enjoy the peace & quiet. When I had my shop in our basement, I didn't have much for dust control, either. An open window, & a dust mask. If you're considering moving to your basement, three major things I would take into consideration for the room you plan to call your room. Ventilation, lighting, & access to electricity. One more critical consideration Would be the ability to keep dust from the rest of the house. My apologies for the ramble. Just my .02. Enjoy the day, Sir!

[Don Bunce]

I don't see any reason you couldn't use a mini lathe inside. A dust collection system would be a good idea.

Maybe something like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4oKfxD-Dzk

[Paul Williams]

My band saw is in the garage and my lathe is in a room in the finished basement. You won't see piles of chips around my lathe although I am not a neatness freak. I do have to sweep up every time I stop turning and on a large project several times while turning. Before leaving the area I also run a shop vac over the horizontal surfaces including the floor. I have a home made dust collector for the fine dust. I run it while turning and leave it on for a while after I quit. My lathe is a Delta Midi so nothing over 12 inches. I have thought about building a shop in one of the garages. It would have to be heated and probably air conditioned.

[Dale Bonertz]

I don't know what you have for available electricity or what the overall construction is on your shop. I use one of these in my 10' x 30' shop and it is pretty cheap. ProFusion Heat Industrial Fan-Forced Heater — 5,600 Watts, 19,000 BTU, 240 Volt, Model# PH936 . Now my shop is insulated but I think if you turned this on when working in your shop it would keep you comfortable. Mine has done a great job for 3 years. May be better to keep peace in the house than turning in the finished basement.

[Thom Sturgill]

When I started turning I lived in a rental and my daughter lived across the street with her in-laws. They let me use half of the garage for woodworking and my mini was set up there. The house I rented did not have a garage, but a carport. However a covered patio had been enclosed and had separate A/C via a window unit. When I bought my jet 1642 it was set up there.

Five years ago we bought a house that had an 800sf shop building with a 12' high roof. My wife describes the place as a shop with detached house.

[Barry McFadden]

I have an unfinished basement so I finished 1/3 of it for my "shop". It has paneling and a cushion floor and plenty of electrical outlets and light fixtures. I have my lathe,
12" Radial arm saw, 16" scroll saw, 12" band saw , 13" planer , bench top drill press and various power tools in it as well. I use a shop vac for dust control. When I'm sanding on the lathe I close the door to the rest of the basement and I really don't have a problem with dust in the rest of the house.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Ken, my shop is located in my basement and to top that off - it is carpeted! Where I live (south shore of Lake Superior, upper peninsula of Michigan) we have long winters and that is putting it mildly. My basement shop allows me to turn no matter what the weather and I don't have to pay a separate electric bill or snowplow just to get to my shop! People freak when they find out the shop is carpeted. Well, the advantage is that I can stand a lot longer on a carpeted surface than I can on concrete - plus I do not worry about the weather! I have a couple of vacuums that I use to keep the shop clean and prefer having my shop remain easy access rather than snowshoeing to the other side of the yard... and for what? Do what is convenient for you!!

[daryl moses]

My shop is just 20 steps from my back door. It's too small [ 20X20] but I plan on adding on this Spring. Built it myself out of lumber that I harvested on my own land. It's not heated per say but I do use a portable propane heater from time to time. I do most of my woodworking during the warmer months. Dust collection is no problem, I just blow everything out into the "holler" behind the shop.

[Mark Greenbaum]

If you're already turning out in an out building that has power, get a mini-split heating & cooling unit installed for the cost of a good mini lathe. Warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. I would have followed that route for my engraving shop, but my new house has a dedicated hobby room with heat and air. Sadly my wood turning and saws are in the garage unheated, but should be tolerable, I hope.

[Marvin Hasenak]

At home my shop is in my garage, at our place in Ruidoso, New Mexico the other shop is a 8x16 portable shed. If the weather is nice in Ruidoso, I move to the deck, which is 12x12. I also do metal lathe work, so if I want, I can take the Taig inside and work at the kitchen table, no messy sanding dust just awful sharp pieces of brass or aluminum. You definitely learn to clean up VERY good after an inside session.

[Jon Nuckles]

I rent space in an "artists building" for my shop now, but when I first started woodworking I used the carpeted finished basement of my home. Not ideal, but it worked ok at the time.

[Len Mullin]

I have two workshops set up, one is in the basement of our house and the other is a separate building. It is 16'x24' with ten foot ceiling, the one in the house is in a room that is unfinished. There is no door on the entrance of the room, but there is a doorway. Still, there isn't much clean-up required outside the room due to my woodworking. I do have a dust collector in the room, and it stays on when any work is being done.
Len