Recommendations on what to do next for my tiny workshop in the basement

[Matthew Bennett DC]

Hello everyone,

This is my very first post and I am excited to be here. I hope this post is in the correct section. Long story short, I just bought a house with a huge and empty basement (almost 900sq ft) so I am starting to build a workshop to satisfy my thrist for building things with my hands.

So far, I have acquired two major power tools, table saw and bench drill from craigslist and they are very well maintained and useful for a beginner like me. Unfortunately, I am not sure which tool to acquire next for the workshop that would that will help me the most while developing useful skills. Here's my list of tools I plan to acquire in the next few months so. what I would love is your recommendations on which steps I shold take to make my workshop functional and operational so I can start building.

1. Lathe
2. Grinder (to sharpen tools)
3. Router (want to build my own router table)
4. Planer
5. Jointer
6. Dust Collection
7. Proper light fixtures (only have two single light blubs)

Granted, it will take me up to a year to acquire everything to make my basement a fully functional workshop that I can make bowls, cabinets, doors, furniture, picture frames, vases, et cetera. FYI, I am not in this to make money but to enjoy the experience and make my house the envy of the neighborhood.

Anyway, enjoy the pic of my workshop and I look forward to being on the forum.

20171202_083041.jpg

Matt

[George Bokros]

You might want to consider putting everything or almost everything on wheels. My shop is in the basement and it is small too. I pout everything but my floor model drill press on wheels. I can move things easily when needed.

[Steve Eure]

Having everything mobile would be my plan too. Also if you are getting into turning, a band saw is a good tool to have. Something along the line that would resaw at least 12" if budget allows.

[Rush Paul]

Hi Matthew, welcome to the forum! I'm also in the process of setting up a basement workshop, but in a much smaller amount of space. FWIW, my first consideration was that the rest of the house will be sharing the same air as the workshop, so whatever dust I create will travel everywhere in the house. So, my choice has been to first set up a good dust collection system. I'm concerned about the fine dust particles that float in the air, get caught up in clothing, and are a hazard to our health. So, some serious dust collection that will capture dust at the source and pull the micro-particles out of the air is a top priority for setting up my shop and I'm working on that installation now.

Next steps will be to get my saw operational (a radial arm saw for me) and then a good solid work bench. Woven in between is lighting. I've found the current generation of LED strip shop lights to be excellent and moderately priced, like this one from Home Depot. It works well mounted up between my floor joists with the diffuser screen just at the bottom edge of the joist - light dispersion is good, output at 4,000 lumens is great.

Enjoy your shop!
Rush

[Matthew Bennett DC]

You might want to consider putting everything or almost everything on wheels. My shop is in the basement and it is small too. I pout everything but my floor model drill press on wheels. I can move things easily when needed.

Actually, the picture only shows less than half of the basement so I dont really need to move tools around. In fact, I probably have enough space for everything I want on the list plus several more tools such as a CNC, laser, et cetera. With this said, I already have the table saw on wheels because I often need to move it around so I will have enough room to cut long pieces.

Last week, I worked on the table saw to make some crude picture frames and the entire basement was totally filled up with smoke and floating dust. Of course, I was wearing a fancy mask so my lungs were ok but my girlfriend was pissed. So, I think you guys have convinced me to put dust collection on the top of my list before doing anything else.

Also, I have laundry set up in the open on the other side of the basement which is why my girlfriend was pissed due to dust getting into the washer/dryer. So.... dust collection before I can cut any wood.

Oh by the way, is there a way to do spelling check before posting?

Matt

[Jacques Gagnon]

Matthew,

Congratulations on the purchase of the house and be aware that woodworking can easily become addictive !

There will be a wide range of comments and suggestions stemming from your post. A few questions come to mind in terms of planning your shop and subsequent purchases. They include, but are not limited to:

- will you be keeping the full basement devoted to woodworking or do you need space for other functions (storage; laundry; family room)? What will be the expected final size and layout?
- how much flexibility do you have in terms of electrical system - you will likely need dedicated 120 and 240 volt circuits over time?
- what kind of "toy" budget (I said earlier this is an addictive activity) is at your disposal (do you have easy access to good quality used equipment or will you have - or prefer - to purchase new)?
- will you want individual machines / stations (ie individual table saw; jointer; planer; etc) or will you consider multi-function machines (there is no right or wrong answer; just preferences)

As many people will likely mention, one of the (if not "the") first steps in my mind is dust collection (particularly given that you are working "inside" the house).

I believe this is the start of what will be an interesting journey for you and a no less interesting thread!

Regards,

Jacques

[Julie Moriarty]

Welcome to SMC, Matt! Looks like you have a great place for a workshop, and a door at the basement level to boot. Nice!

For workshop ideas you should check out the sticky http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ease-post-pics! That should get the creative juices flowing!

The first tool that really changed my woodworking life was a decent table saw. I went from a B&D 8" portable to a 10" Delta contractors TS. If there was funds for a cabinet saw, I'd have gone that route. But that was some 25 years ago and that old contractors saw is still going strong.

My next step was a table-mounted router. I installed it in one wing of the TS and while the fence has gone through upgrades, the router and lift are still serving me well.

The next big game changer was a decent band saw. I went with an 18" Jet and my only regret is that I didn't anticipate wanting a larger resaw capacity. Some 14" bandsaws today have a resaw capacity 30% more than my 18".

But the most important "tool" in my workshop turned out to be a REAL workbench. After I had it set up I wondered why it took me so long to buy one. I made drawers and filled them with hand tools. And that's when I found woodworking a real pleasure.

[Mike Kreinhop]

But the most important "tool" in my workshop turned out to be a REAL workbench. After I had it set up I wondered why it took me so long to buy one. I made drawers and filled them with hand tools. And that's when I found woodworking a real pleasure.

That is a really nice workbench! Where did you buy it and was it already assembled or did you put it together in your shop? I am looking to buy rather than make, but the bench can't be completely assembled, else it wouldn't fit down my basement stairs.

[Jim Becker]

That is a really nice workbench! Where did you buy it and was it already assembled or did you put it together in your shop? I am looking to buy rather than make, but the bench can't be completely assembled, else it wouldn't fit down my basement stairs.

A real, sturdy workbench is a good thing to have and it can be built modular...and even be able to be broken down later...if you do things right. One thing I mentioned in my MFT height retrofit thread in GW&PS is that I wish that my heavy workbench top had the same, regular dog hole pattern that my Festool MFT does and if I were doing it again, that's what I'd provide for. For a small shop, height adjustability is potentially a really good thing for many reasons...I don't know if the Adjust-A-Bench setup is available in your geography, but if not, building a height adjustable bench isn't a terrible idea.

[Ray Newman]

Agree with what Bryan Lisowski's post #8. I would also add floor to ceiling storage cabinets in the laundry room.

Since you have a roommate, consider boundaries as to what goes in the shop and what it is utilized for. Far too many times I have seen and heard woodworkers lament that the were squeezed out of their shops because the wife, significant other, children, etc., used it for "their own thing", hobby, sports storage.

[Julie Moriarty]

That is a really nice workbench! Where did you buy it and was it already assembled or did you put it together in your shop? I am looking to buy rather than make, but the bench can't be completely assembled, else it wouldn't fit down my basement stairs.

Hi Mike,

I bought the bench from Highland Hardwood. The top comes as one piece and the legs are assembled. I too had to get it down into my basement and did it with the help of a friend. The bench is made by Hoffman & Hammer and that particular style is called the All-Round.

[Mike Kreinhop]

Hi Mike,

I bought the bench from Highland Hardwood. The top comes as one piece and the legs are assembled. I too had to get it down into my basement and did it with the help of a friend. The bench is made by Hoffman & Hammer and that particular style is called the All-Round.

Thank you, Julie! The Hoffman & Hammer factory is less than two hours from where I live, so I might be making a trip to see them soon. I sent an email to H&H asking if they sell direct or through distributors. The version you have, minus the extra cabinets, is about $975 without VAT or delivery.

[Prashun Patel]

Proper dust collection is a must. I personally would invest in at least a shop vac and a mobile dust collector 4" with a good filter bag. I would not use your table saw in the house without at least a small dust collector attached. The shop vac will handle your router table and sander.

I would make a router table next, but a quick and dirty one. A lifetime router table can be an investment in money and it is not advisable to build one with or without bells and whistles until you understand what bells and whistles you need. Going Q&D will allow you to assess that. I did it that way (fixed base router bolted to plywood), then ultimately went to an Incra set up with a lift, so caveat emptor: I am prejudiced that my journey was the right one

[Bryan Lisowski]

Jointer and planer would be next in my opinion. If you don't have

[Matthew Bennett DC]

Thank you guys for your wonderful feedback and I agree with pretty much everything you have said.

First step is to get a dust collection system then build a sturdy workbench. From there, I'll start acquire slightly used tools over several months. Heh, more toys to play with.

Matt