• Scam Alert. Members are reminded to NOT send money to buy anything. Don't buy things remote and have it shipped - go get it yourself, pay in person, and take your equipment with you. Scammers have burned people on this forum. Urgency, secrecy, excuses, selling for friend, newish members, FUD, are RED FLAGS. A video conference call is not adequate assurance. Face to face interactions are required. Please report suspicions to the forum admins. Stay Safe - anyone can get scammed.

Finished Basement Workshop?

A

architect

Super User
Any folks here have a small setup in their finished basement? My single garage is tiny and I want to make use of the basement until I can figure out building a workshop/shed in my backyard in the near-distance future. The basement is pretty empty with drywall with some cheap laminate wood flooring that I'd like to keep relatively nice if I want to convert the basement back to a living space. Should I just lay down some plywood on the floor and around the walls?

I'm thinking of just putting a small drill press and -maybe- a bench top mill down here, doing only simple metal work that won't leave too big a mess. Maybe in the basement is where I will figure things out and test things. I'll leave the messier stuff for the garage where the bigger mill and lathes are. Any woodworking I'll leave in the garage as I do not like the idea of wood dust indoors, even if it's contained in the basement. How do folks typically clean up metal bits? Will a shopvac do or will the metal shards ruin them?

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
My "shop" is in 2 separate buildings; one insulated with a bit of heat and the other a glorified wood shed with no heat. Running back and forth for tools gets stale real quick; neither is big enough told all the tools for all the machines so I've ended up with 2 of a lot of stuff. Painful!

I use a small Rigid vac to clean up; has held up for a couple years eating steel and Al off the machines. As far as the tiny bits go, wifey had laid down the law; a complete change of clothes or no supper. Includes socks with twinkling stars
 
Small ShopVac is my go to, and I spend more time cleaning up than machining. Curtain screens surrounding machines helps contain the mess. I've done that in the past when running fly cutters.
 
Yes, the dream is one big shop in the backyard! But I need to figure out zoning and by laws to see what I can do and will try to build it myself, which realistically will be ~2+ years out from now. I can imagine it being a pain to run between my garage and basement, but that is what I'm forced to and just happy I have the space at all. At least I have a interior door to the garage but the stairs will be annoying after a few times though!

Yes, my family is quite picky so I need to keep this basement relatively clean. Full clean up everyday, unlike the garage where I can afford to leave messes lying around.
 
architect said:
Yes, the dream is one big shop in the backyard! But I need to figure out zoning and by laws to see what I can do and will try to build it myself, which realistically will be ~2+ years out from now. I can imagine it being a pain to run between my garage and basement, but that is what I'm forced to and just happy I have the space at all. At least I have a interior door to the garage but the stairs will be annoying after a few times though!

Yes, my family is quite picky so I need to keep this basement relatively clean. Full clean up everyday, unlike the garage where I can afford to leave messes lying around.
Click to expand...

My shop is an extension of the laundry room so you can imagine what I'm up against:rolleyes:
 
I have a few wood tools in the basement. 14" bandsaw, scroll saw, miter saw, and wood lathe. If I bring anymore down there she might start to notice :D.

Not sure I'd want any metal stuff in my house though unless my house was layed out a bit different and I could totally partition it off from the rest of the space. Same deal really for wood. I'd love to setup my wood tools down there permanently, but it IS pretty dusty and our basement is all open at the moment. Metal tools are all out in the attached single car garage.
 
Very topical...I've been considering the same thing. I have a two car garage that is pretty well laid out but with parking two vehicles in there regularly it's limited in how much I can fit.

So I've been thinking when I finish the basement in the coming years, I make one room a second workshop. It would definitely not be for the metal working or wood working since that mess is not easy to contain, but would be more a room for tinkering on stuff. Have a desktop for CAD, 3d printer, electronics bench, set of most hand tools for fixing the little appliances or oddball whatnots, some storage for materials/parts, place to keep portable tools (like mitre saws, table saw, shop vac, etc.), and some other things I'm sure I haven't thought of.

This would free up a bit of space in the garage too for maybe one more stationary tool (ie. a mill) and let me have a slightly more comfortable work space for some quick things. Winter sucks, even though I have a natural gas heater and the garage is insulated, for the 15 minute task heating it doesn't make sense, so indoors would be ideal.
 
architect said:
Any folks here have a small setup in their finished basement? My single garage is tiny and I want to make use of the basement until I can figure out building a workshop/shed in my backyard in the near-distance future. The basement is pretty empty with drywall with some cheap laminate wood flooring that I'd like to keep relatively nice if I want to convert the basement back to a living space. Should I just lay down some plywood on the floor and around the walls?

I'm thinking of just putting a small drill press and -maybe- a bench top mill down here, doing only simple metal work that won't leave too big a mess. Maybe in the basement is where I will figure things out and test things. I'll leave the messier stuff for the garage where the bigger mill and lathes are. Any woodworking I'll leave in the garage as I do not like the idea of wood dust indoors, even if it's contained in the basement. How do folks typically clean up metal bits? Will a shopvac do or will the metal shards ruin them?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Those PA metal sweepers are a godsend if you work with steel, and essential if you have pets so you don't track shavings into the living areas where they can get embedded into our four footed friends' pads. Even the smaller one they sell does a great job. Or you can make your own.
 
YYCHM said:
You would have to bring that little detail up:oops: I'll never forget the look on @Dabbler 's face when he saw that LOL...

I have been ripping it out sq ft by sq ft though:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Awww. I LOVE shag carpeting and you put a smile on my face when I saw it. I was secretly hoping you were starting a retro movement in floor coverings.
 
CalgaryPT said:
Those PA metal sweepers are a godsend if you work with steel, and essential if you have pets so you don't track shavings into the living areas where they can get embedded into our four footed friends' pads. Even the smaller one they sell does a great job. Or you can make your own.
Click to expand...
This is why I’m on top of metal chips all over my floor , vet bills are expensive and it’s just not worth putting pets thru the pain n’ suffering
 
I sectioned off, and walled one corner of my basement for light woodworking and assembly and disassembly of jobs. The room is 12'x12'. It has one double window to let light in. I sealed the concrete floor, then added 1" thick rigid insulation, taped all the seams, put 3/4" T&G plywood on top, drove concrete screws through to prevent the plywood from shifting, then put 3/4" thick 3'x4' rubber mats down. If you're going to be standing all day, take care of your feet and back. The walls which share the exterior are insulated and with moisture barrier. I attached 3/4" plywood to all the walls so I can easily attach anything to them. Heavy stuff gets attached to the studs. I ran 1/2" EMT conduit on the wall surfaces with plenty of 20amp outlets. I have 6 fluorescent fixtures (12- 4' tubes). (I do a lot of small intricate operations, so I need plenty of light.) NB. I have no shag carpeting :D
 
Gearhead88 said:
This is why I’m on top of metal chips all over my floor , vet bills are expensive and it’s just not worth putting pets thru the pain n’ suffering
Click to expand...
Good for you. I have had a piece of wire wheel stuck in my foot for 20 years*. No one can get it out. I've found and removed multiple other pieces myself, but even the docs can't get the last one out. I'd rather die than know I inflicted pain on my best friend.

1646784286879.webp


( *Note to self: Pant cuffs go OVER work boots...not in them. Duh. )
 
I was thinking the wood in the basement was worst than metal due to the dust? But then again I'm not going to have a full out table saw ripping a bunch of boards none stop. I figured the metal work is better at least the metal bits will stay on the ground to vacuum up instead of clogging my home HVAC system. I figure it may be a nice work/lounge area too with a TV setup. Winter sucks in the garage and I really do not like being there during the frosty times.

I'm thinking similarly in that the basement with have the computer still and for tinkering and assembly and less processing of materials. The drill press and small mill would just be for simple stuff. I'm lucky in that the major large room is split off from the rest of the basement, but I still want to keep it pretty clear again because it's HVAC is connected together throughout the house.
 
architect said:
I was thinking the wood in the basement was worst than metal due to the dust? But then again I'm not going to have a full out table saw ripping a bunch of boards none stop. I figured the metal work is better at least the metal bits will stay on the ground to vacuum up instead of clogging my home HVAC system. I figure it may be a nice work/lounge area too with a TV setup. Winter sucks in the garage and I really do not like being there during the frosty times.

I'm thinking similarly in that the basement with have the computer still and for tinkering and assembly and less processing of materials. The drill press and small mill would just be for simple stuff. I'm lucky in that the major large room is split off from the rest of the basement, but I still want to keep it pretty clear again because it's HVAC is connected together throughout the house.
Click to expand...
Dust collection and air filtration can help with the wood stuff indoors if you really want to make a go with it indoors.
 
Same here as the other guys for my basement shop, just me and the dog though and he doesn't come into the basement much. Far more dangerous stuff foe my little buddy to get into around the farm than in the shop. Did have a friend stop by with a small mill job, he got a steel sliver in the foot so now i warn guys to bring street shoes in the winter if they are coming down to the shop. Small shop vac and a floor sweeper magnet helps a lot.
 
CalgaryPT said:
Good for you. I have had a piece of wire wheel stuck in my foot for 20 years*. No one can get it out. I've found and removed multiple other pieces myself, but even the docs can't get the last one out. I'd rather die than know I inflicted pain on my best friend.

View attachment 21791

( *Note to self: Pant cuffs go OVER work boots...not in them. Duh. )
Click to expand...
That looks like a Porty.
 
I have both magnetic sweeps the cheaper one works but the self releasing one works like a dream.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top