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

[Bryan Lisowski]

I'm going to add to my brief post from earlier, build the GF a laundry room, otherwise this could be a short hobby. Even just being a GF, the saying happy wife happy life still applies.

[Tony Pisano]

Lots of good suggestions above. Scale cutouts of machine tools is good for planning. I started with a table saw and then bandsaw, drill press, with joiner, belt sanders, portable thickness planer, shaper and lathe thrown in the mix at various points over the years. My advice would be start with a few basics and see what you become interested in making, and acquire the tools necessary to serve those needs. Those interests may change over time. Mine have ranged from toys to bandsaw boxes to windchimes to beekeeping equipment, and back to toys.if you are anything like me, you will acquire at least 4 routers.

I talked to two different young women today at the exhibit I work at. One inherited her mom's circular saw, jigsaw, and drill and recently made a chair. The other one had a picture of a nice bookcase she made using similar tools.

[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.

[Matthew Bennett DC]

Hi everyone and happy Monday,

Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback and pics. It really helped me figure out the next step to take which is to get a dust collection system. However, after a long discussion with my girlfriend, I must hold off until I finish my current project which is overwhelming right now.

I plan to post a new thread in the off-topic group about the current project later today but I will attach a teaser pic here.

Once the project is done, hopefully within a few weeks then I can invest my energy building up my workshop.

Matt

[Jacques Gagnon]

... rehearsing high school geometry concepts?

[Matthew Bennett DC]

Ha, I remember saying in high school that I would never need to use geometry in real life. Oops...

... rehearsing high school geometry concepts?

[Bill Graham]

If you think 900 square feet is tiny, then come visit my micro 250 square feet shop.

When I designed my shop space in the finished basement, it was built around the dust collection system. I don't want anything leaving the shop and getting into the rest of the house. The Minimax SC2 saw is already in place and operational, but I haven't started on the miter saw cabinet or workbench yet.

My thoughts exactly, since when did a shop the size of a 3-car garage become "tiny"?

I have you beat though, I have 260 sft. in my basement shop

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Tiny? 900 sqr foot? Are you kidding, no?

Mine is 104 sqr foot... my limited English cannot find a word to quality its size... 😁

[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.

[Frank Necaise]

I have a basement shop and just finished my workbench. I continue to fight dust collection and clean up. My next big tool buy will be a new band saw with good re-saw capability. Good luck as you expand.

[Gary Breckenridge]

If it were me I would spend some time online window shopping. Figure out what you want to make and the tools you will need. Then figure out the cost of each item.
Consider price and versatility. Rank the items in terms of need and then start buying your way down the list.

[Mike Kreinhop]

My Sjöbergs Elite 2000 workbench arrived this afternoon. The workbench arrived in two cartons and the cabinet insert was in a third carton. I moved everything to the basement except for the worktop, and assembled the frame. The frame went together in about ten minutes. The uprights are already assembled, so it was a simple matter of gluing the dowels into the stringers, attach then to the uprights, and install the four bolts and captive nuts. I didn't glue the dowels into the uprights in case I want to disassemble it.

I waited for a friend to arrive so we could take the worktop down the stairs. It weighs at least 200 pounds and was not fun to move. The uprights have one large dowel each that mates with the front edge of the worktop and gravity does the rest. The worktop is not fastened to the uprights and the only connection are the two large dowels. The worktop was pre-assembled with the two vices, but the front vice can be moved to the other side of the table for a right-hand configuration.

The optional cabinet is a flat pack design and rests snugly between the uprights and stringers. There are four cleats (on the cable duct) that attach to the top of the cabinet and lock it into place between the top stringers. Unfortunately, there is no mention of this in the workbench instructions, and I didn't see it until I started assembling the cabinet. I have to wait until later this week for my friend to come back so we can lift the worktop off, screw in the cleats, and put the worktop back on.

Overall, I am very happy with this workbench. It came with four 1-inch bench dogs, but there are other clamps available separately. I have to figure out where the bench will eventually be, as I have to shuffle some of my equipment around. The flexible hose and power cable to the left of the bench go to the Minimax SC2. To the right of the bench is a Jet JSG-96 disc/belt sander that will be moved to a new space.

[Jim Becker]

That's a really nice looking bench, Mike! Congrats!