Basement Workshop setup.....need input !!

[Wolfpacker]

I am going to use part of my basement for a workshop and could use input from anyone having a shop about the same size or in a basement. The area is 30' 10" x 31' 3", just over 900 sf and with a height of 94" as is without a ceiling. There are no electrical outlets or lighting in that area now except for two overhead light bulbs. There are 3 four inch steel support poles in the center of the area and two more that will end up inside of a wall I plan to build to make the 4th side of the workshop. I have just added a 30K BTU natural gas space heater near the future walll and it doesn't warm it up very fast, but I believe it will after building the wall. There are 3 windows, 2 on the north wall and one on the west wall. I have 3 places where radon mitigation pipes go from the floor up to the joists and across the shop space and a sewer exit pipe also that will dictate placement of equipment to a small degree.

I plan to paint the concrete block walls white, add a ceiling of some type and paint it white if it's not already.

I have the following equipment now: 10" table saw, 6" belt/disc sander, 14" bandsaw, 15" drill press, 12" sliding compound mitre saw, 6.5" jointer/planer, and a small router table. I plan to add a 12" planer, dust collector system, a workbench/assembly table and possibly a small/medium sized lathe. I may find other equipment later as well, so need to keep some space open for that possibility.

I would like to know from the voice of experience what a good layout would be. I thought about adding a wall to enclose the 3 steel poles, which would be just over 12' and put the SCMS on one side with side extensions, but that would be dividing the workshop into two rooms. I also am debating whether to have the electrical outlets drop from the ceiling or mount along the wall or some of both. I figure I'll add LED lighting of some style, but don't know how much I'll need.

I'm attaching my layout of the room w/o equipment and some photos of the area. Any suggestions on layout, electrical, lighting, etc. would be most appreciated.

Thanks folks !

 

[Henry W]

I don't have specific advice for layout, except to advise searching here on NCWW for other threads about shop layout. There are plenty of good ideas to be mined there. I don't want to rewrite all the things I have learned from those threads.

Also, consider noise mitigation - I expect there is living space above this (CAVERNOUS) space (no I am not jealous, I am not jealous) - and the router, planer, TS, shop vac etc all make some considerable noise. You could be a hand tool guy except you listed a bunch of power tools. So mitigating noise transfer - and dust control - would be my primary concerns in a basement shop. You have enough space not to be too concerned about optimizing layout.

So electrical service, dust control, and noise abatement are your primary hurdles - methinks at least.

 

[Wolfpacker]

Also, consider noise mitigation

Yes, that's a good point. There is already double faced insulation up there. It's just the two of us and I don't plan to be working in the shop while anyone is trying to sleep. That end of the basement is under the bedroom wing, so hopefully the wife will understand she has to hear some noise in order for me to build the "stuff" she wants for the house. If I do decide to put up a ceiling surface, it should also reduce the noise transmission.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

My last shop was in a basement. I was fortunate that we built the house, and I was able to design the basement w/ a shop in mind. Here are a few of my thoughts:

I strongly agree w/ Henry. Noise and dust control are going to be a major concern. Unless you're a bachelor and live alone. When you think about dust control, don't forget you will have to get the dust container up the stairs, through the house, and find somewhere to dump it.

W/ only 2 bulbs hanging from the ceiling, it sounds like electrical will be another major concern. In building the house I mentioned above, I had the electrician install an auxiliary service panel in the basement, just for my shop use. You might consider having an electrician do the same for you in that wall you are planning on building. It will be money well spent.

I don't know what you like to build, but if it's furniture think about how you're going to move it around in the shop, and ultimately get it upstairs. This is definitely something to consider for your layout. There are horror stories among those of us who have built a large project just to find we couldn't get it out of the shop, or into the house. :no:

If I think of anything else I'll try to add it.

 

[Wolfpacker]

My last shop was in a basement. I was fortunate that we built the house, and I was able to design the basement w/ a shop in mind. Here are a few of my thoughts:

I strongly agree w/ Henry. Noise and dust control are going to be a major concern. Unless you're a bachelor and live alone. When you think about dust control, don't forget you will have to get the dust container up the stairs, through the house, and find somewhere to dump it.

W/ only 2 bulbs hanging from the ceiling, it sounds like electrical will be another major concern. In building the house I mentioned above, I had the electrician install an auxiliary service panel in the basement, just for my shop use. You might consider having an electrician do the same for you in that wall you are planning on building. It will be money well spent.

I don't know what you like to build, but if it's furniture think about how you're going to move it around in the shop, and ultimately get it upstairs. This is definitely something to consider for your layout. There are horror stories among those of us who have built a large project just to find we couldn't get it out of the shop, or into the house. :no:

If I think of anything else I'll try to add it.

The basement is a walkout basement and has a sliding glass door to a patio. In the wall I plan to build, I will include a double door for equipment and my projects to enter/exit the workshop. The sliding glass door may get upgraded to french doors. I was kidding the radon guy that I was just going to tap into his pvc pipe system for my dust collection as he had to upgrade the fan to a super powerful one to pull air from the 7 suction points he installed. Standing on my deck, it sounds like you can hear a jet in the distance preparing to taxi, but it's the radon fan. I'd have sawdust all over my roof and yard if I did that though.

I agree that a sub panel that feeds the shop would be the best way to go. My main panel is outdoors and there are two subpanels in the basement, but on the opposite end of the basement. I have lots of spare breakers as they used to feed the ceiling heat that was originally in the house. It has all been disconnected and the breakers are just sitting there with no wires on them. I'm guessing I'll end up with a grid of LED light fixtures for the shop....haven't looked at any yet. I need lots of light in my aging years.

I have never built anything large, but your comment reminds me of Gibbs on NCIS with the boat in his basement he's been working on for 10 years or so.

Thanks for the input.

 

[JohnnyR]

I'd consider an insulated wall against the cinder block. Besides insulation you'll be wanting to hang cabinets, tools, jigs etc. etc. and cinder block is not friendly to that. You could build a run of cabinets holding your SCMS between the posts spanning both sides without building a wall but it could be a problem re dust control. Given the height issue, make sure that you can bring in sheet goods easily to a spot where you can cut it down. That said, can't have enough light or electrical outlets. Use ceiling drops only where absolutely necessary.

 

[Hmerkle]

The basement is a walkout basement and has a sliding glass door to a patio. In the wall I plan to build, I will include a double door for equipment and my projects to enter/exit the workshop. The sliding glass door may get upgraded to french doors. I was kidding the radon guy that I was just going to tap into his pvc pipe system for my dust collection as he had to upgrade the fan to a super powerful one to pull air from the 7 suction points he installed. Standing on my deck, it sounds like you can hear a jet in the distance preparing to taxi, but it's the radon fan. I'd have sawdust all over my roof and yard if I did that though.

I agree that a sub panel that feeds the shop would be the best way to go. My main panel is outdoors and there are two subpanels in the basement, but on the opposite end of the basement. I have lots of spare breakers as they used to feed the ceiling heat that was originally in the house. It has all been disconnected and the breakers are just sitting there with no wires on them. I'm guessing I'll end up with a grid of LED light fixtures for the shop....haven't looked at any yet. I need lots of light in my aging years.

I have never built anything large, but your comment reminds me of Gibbs on NCIS with the boat in his basement he's been working on for 10 years or so.

Thanks for the input.

Remember to keep your lights separate from (ALL) other items, in case of a circuit breaker trip - you don't want to be in the dark!

 

[Mark Johnson]

You have a great space to work with. I have a basement shop that has recently been set up. I certainly would put a ceiling in yours for both dust and noise control. Mine is sheet rock, but you could use a dropped ceiling in the space I see with yours. I placed my dust collection system as close as possible to the exit doors, and divided my shop (no walls) into three sections: all major equipment in one area so the DC runs are as short as possible; an assembly area with a table to be able to break down plywood as well; and an area for wood storage, finishing and hand work. My ceiling supports are boxed in, but that is not necessary. Leaving the walls out allows room to rearrange things easily. In my shop, the outfeed of the table saw, infeed of the bandsaw, and outfeed of the planer all share the same space. That allows those major tools to be close together and duct work runs to be short. I bought lights thru Amazon and bought 5000k lights. They are perhaps too harsh so 4000k may be better, but I expect this is an individual preference. In my 1200 sq ft space I have 16 fixtures. There are a couple of dark spots, but the rest is pretty good. I put lights over the infeed side of all the equipment to avoid shadows there where I really need to see. Hope it all goes well!

 

[KenOfCary]

I have a basement shop now and the previous one was also.

I strongly recommend rather than painting the block wall that you build a 2x4 wall in front of it and insulate that. That will help not only with the heating and cooling but will give you a place to run wiring and hang cabinets and storage units easily.

I used Dricore R insulated subflooring for the flooring - It comes in 2'x2' T&G interlocking sheets and provides a little bit of insulation but a lot of cushioning for your knees and ankles on that concrete floor. Might save a dropped tool as well. It will cost about $2 / sqft and is easy to install - just a floating sub-floor. I painted it gray and left it except in the office area where I install a click-lock laminated finished floor over it.

There should be some pictures in my gallery in a sub-folder here:

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?cat=3066

On the new site the link has changed to this one:

https://ncwoodworker.net/forums/index.php?media/albums/newshop.2126/

I built a chase around one of those support poles that was not inside a wall. That gave me another place to run wiring and put equipment up against.

Another tip. Put the Dust collector near the walk-out door so it can be easily emptied. In the first shop I originally made the mistake of putting the DC in the back corner of the shop and would spill dust all the way across the shop trying to empty or clean it. It's now right beside my walk-out garage door.

Let me know if you have any questions or would like to come visit sometime - it's beautiful up here in the spring.

 

[Jeff]

Two members have recently converted basement space to workshops: Jeremy Scuteri and Ken (kenofcary).

They'll probably chime into the conversation with their suggestions or you could email/PM them.

 

[JimD]

With less than 8 foot ceiling height (and stuff hanging down below that) I would worry about putting in a ceiling. I need height to manipulate things I make. I had 8'6" in my former shop and only have 8' now and I notice the difference. If you put up a ceiling, I would seriously consider screwing it directly to the joists to loose as little room as possible. I would put battens over the joints so it can be removed fairly easily if you need to get to something. My former shop was a garage with finished space above so I needed 5/8 fire rated drywall on the ceiling. So I screwed it up there and put battens over the seams instead of taping them. I only took a piece down once but it worked nicely.

My current and former shop have had a long wall for a bench with my cross cutting tools on them and a flip stop fence. I repeated this arrangement because I like it. I use a CMS + RAS, yours would be sliding CMS. I put drawers in the bench for other tools. I have my table saw and a outfeed/assembly table behind it out in the middle of the shop. Drill press and other tools are against the walls but rolled out when necessary. DC is going in a corner.

I like tools (and tables) on wheels. My space is much smaller, 14x24, and I have to move things around to get work done. I rarely move the SawStop PCS but I can. Most of the tools are on totally locking casters. I have most things at 38 inch height. That way wood can pass over other tools and/or they can be infeed or outfeed support. My long wall with the cross cutting bench also has the router table against it along with the planner/mortiser (flip cart). I pull the planner out for longer pieces because it is not at 38 inch height.

My long bench is at 30 inch height with the tools shimmed up to 38 inches. That way I can replace a tool without altering the bench.

 

[cpw]

I have a basement workshop and had to start from almost as bare-bones as you are. My shop is long and about half the length is only 9-feet wide. Less than 8' overhead clearance as well.

I had an existing stud wall between the shop and a finished room, which I insulated and hung 7/16" OSB so I could put a nail or screw anywhere. The other walls are still cinder block. Painted all the walls the brightest white I could get in 5 gal. buckets to reflect the most light. I also added more insulation between the joists, mostly for noise mitigation, and it really helped. When I am down there working the machines can be heard, but it's not distracting or annoying.

When I had the shop wired I had the electrician hang 4-outlet boxes from the joists down the center, all on the same circuit, with a light switch at the entrance to the shop space. Then I bought a bunch of 4-foot hanging T-8 fluorescent shop lights so I could move and adjust my lighting as my layout changed over time. Basically, I can move any light anywhere else in the shop with a step stool, a couple screws or nails, and about 5-minutes. I use "daylight" balanced tubes (5000ºK). These days I'd be checking into daylight balanced LEDs.

One thing I would do now that I did not when I set up is heavy-duty vulcanized rubber flooring. I started a recent thread asking about this and a lot of the guys used horse stall mats, but in doing research there are several companies that sell it in rolls. It is frequently used in exercise facilities, which is where I got the idea. From what I read, if you get the 1/4" or 3/8" it provides good cushion for your feet, legs, and back (and possibly a dropped tool), but you can still roll mobile equipment on it easily, and it won't compact appreciably underneath heavy equipment, which is why it is popular in gyms.

I have a bunch of foam mats scattered around where I stand most, but they can be a pain. Sometimes I trip on them and it makes it hard to move equipment, especially my shop vac.

As far as layout goes, I have come to believe that is something each person has to figure out for themselves because it all depends on how you work. If you process rough lumber you are probably better off grouping lumber storage, a chop saw, a jointer, and a planer in close proximity to reduce steps while you do that, for example.

I recently watched the shop tour below, hosted by Jay Bates, where he had helped Wayne rearrange and group equipment in the center to eliminated the dead space and they freed up a bunch of room. Jay starts talking specifically about that at 14:45. Jay has also done several videos over the years talking about how his shop layout has changed as he's changed equipment and learned.

[video]https://youtu.be/CT77qCeakYY[/video]

My 2¢.
I hope this helps.

Charles

 

[Berta]

I would not cover the poles. Use them beside tools. Run the wire down them. Easy access for electricity. Do some insulation. You are going to have a nice area.

 

[drw]

I recently built my shop in a basement area that is about 850 sq ft. Prior to getting started, I was in the same quandary as you "what to do?" I asked a fellow woodworker, who is a contractor in his professional life, to look at my area and suggest how I should approach renovating it into a shop. I ended up studding up the walls. This allowed me to insulate the walls and to run electric lines (110/220). As the walls went up, I put a plastic liner between the existing concrete walls and the studs; even though I have a dehumidifier that comes on at preset moisture levels (I have it set at 45%), I am sure it doesn't run nearly as frequently as it would if I didn't have the walls lined. At the suggestion of another woodworker, I installed a drop ceiling, which was another good move. Not only can I run lines, pipes, etc. above the ceiling, it was also of tremendous value with installing lighting. I installed 14 LED drop in light fixtures and the light level is wonderful! While I did not have any ductwork to contend with I had a few plumbing pipes which I enclosed in chases or hid above the drop ceiling. I also have two steel poles in mid shop. I thought about encasing the poles in sheetrock, but the only advantage for me would be the ease of installing electric outlets. However, since the poles were not a big obstacle, but could be if I added the extra bulk by encasing them in sheetrock, I elected not to. I added three outlets (110/220) along the chases above the poles and I am very glad that I did. Also, I installed an 18,000 BTU Mitsubishi mini-split, which does a very nice job of heating and cooling the shop and I instaleld a sink with hot/cold water (the sump pump was already there).

I hope these random experiences and thoughts are helpful.

All in all, I have been very happy with the shop and all of the advice I was given! I did all the of the work except, sheetrock, HVAC installation and plumbing. I did get a building permit from the town of Holly Springs and successfully met their requirements.

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

Hi Brent. As Jeff stated above, I recently built a basement shop. Here are the threads that I was able to find. It's a lot of work, especially if you are doing it by yourself. Good luck! :icon_thum



Beginning of Shop Build: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60118

Electrical - Sub Panel Install: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60559

Running Electrical / Painting Concrete / Hanging Drywall / General Update: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=61206

Drywall Mud: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=61579

Subfloor Options: https://ncwoodworker.net/forums/index.php?threads/basement-subfloor-questions.61035/

Floor: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=62263

Lots and lots of shop lights: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=62173

Trying to keep my sanity: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=62682

Dust Collection: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=63218

Installing the Dust Collector: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=63764

No Mini Split Permit for Me: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=62903

Sink & Dehumidifier: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=65113

First Time Using Finishing Room: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=65018

First Project in the New Shop: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?t=64290

 

[McRabbet]

Brent,

I built my shop in my basement and like yours, I had exposed block walls, exposed ductwork and limited ceiling height. Like KenofCary, I waterproofed the block walls and added a 2x4 stud wall that I insulated to better hold heat/cool since it was in unconditioned space. I did my own wiring (to code) and added 2 x 4 foot fluorescent fixtures (four T-8 bulbs each) on 3-way switches at each end of each shop room (I have two rooms; one 15 x 25 and one 10 by 30). Fortunately, I have a high crawl space under my shop for my dust collection equipment and runs.

Since I live in Hendersonville, I'd be happy to come over to lend my advice on layout and future wiring needs; just send me a PM. By the way, there is a good shop layout planner available for free from Grizzly Tools at this link.

Rob Payne

 

[Bas]

I have a basement shop as well, but fortunately with high ceilings. I would recommend studding the walls as well. It gives you a place to run electrical, provides insulation (which also provides some humidity control), sound blocking, and it's easier to hang stuff on drywall/ OSB than cinderblock.
I used surface mount conduit for my shop, which was a LOT of work to install, not to mention expensive. In retrospect, it would have been faster to cut a trench in the existing drywall, run the Romex, then patch everything up.
A ceiling is also a great idea, not just to keep the dust contained/ out of the insulation, but it's also something you can paint white. Basement shops need a lot of light.
Your shop is probably too small to divide into separate rooms. I'd build a wooden box around the poles so you can mount things (dust collection pipes, outlet boxes etc.) but not build any walls.
The biggest impact to the temperature in the shop will be a floor. I went with laminate, which was cheap, looks good, and provides great insulation. But if I had to do it all over again, I'd go with either dricore or strip oak flooring. The laminate is showing some wear after 10 years. Between a floor and wall insulation, the heat from your dust collector and power tools will be sufficient to heat your shop.

 

[TENdriver]

Initially I wasn’t thinking I would have much to add to the discussion. But I will piggyback/echo a few items.

Put your lights (as many lights as you can get) on multiple circuits. A total blackout with a tablesaw running isn’t a good thing. I don’t share heavy loads on lighting circuits, but mine aren’t absolutely isolated either. They probably will be isolated if I ever upgrade electrical.

Noise and dust. I am constantly avoiding them for my own benefit as well as for the boss upstairs. Even if the head boss upstairs gave her okay for noise and dust, the four legged royalty wouldn’t support it. I keep all power sanding and mess producing planers up in the garage.

Ceiling height. My basement is at least 9 foot and I wish it were higher. I am unwilling to lose even a fraction of an inch on ceiling height. An 8-foot board usually seems to need more than 9-feet of headroom. I have broken a few lights and fixtures.

Besides your drill press, your tools don’t seem to be oversized or overweight. Why not keep them portable and put them all on mobile bases? I have some higher quality mobile bases and they’ve been great. Makes any evolving changes to configuration or modifying work flow much simpler and handier. Realistically, any configuration you start with, you’ll probably want to change at some point.

Stud walls, don’t really have any and wish I had all of them. They would also be a great place to run some more electrical, which I really don’t have enough of.

Finally, hand tools. Sounds like you’re principally using power tools. Not sure what you’re building, I don’t do kitchen cabinets, mini production lines or 40 wooden raised panel doors I concentrate on hand made furniture and various smalls. I probably wouldn’t change much in my life, but if I could go back, I would buy the very best bandsaw and power mortiser I could get. Everything else I would concentrate on using hand tools. Suddenly, dust collection and noise are an altogether different issue. Electrical (besides lights and HVAC) is different. Several years ago a very good friend all but begged me to try hand tools. Too bad I didn’t listen. They are a great fit for what I do.

BTW, the power mortiser is a noise thing. I like chopping mortises by hand, but it’s crazy noisy and agitates anyone forced to listen to it. I’m young enough that I even tried mortising while sitting on the concrete floor. The noise/vibration just gets transmitted through the structure. My Powermatic mortiser is whisper quiet and kind of fun to use as well.

 

[bobsmodels]

Over the last 40 years I have had 3 basement shops and now a separate building. Lots of great ideas for you to consider in the posts. Let me add just a couple of thoughts. You did not mention where your hot water heater was located, but you did mention a space heater. Open flame plus sawdust do not mix so when planning make sure you account for some kind of isolation. In each of my cases I built walls around flame generating equipment. Make sure you have fire detectors or at least heat sensor detectors. Sounds like you have easy exit access. I am guessing stairs up to the main house. As you arrange the shop be aware of how you would exit from any given area in case of fire. At each exit point, the doors / stairs have a large, not those little ones, fire extinguishers. Always have fire extinguishers near the exit door because you want to have access to them on the way out.

A number of posts mentioned making sure the lights stay on in a power outage from a tool ie separate circuits. Another thing to consider is you really do not want a power tool to stop and then start right back up in a matter of seconds if you have an external power outage. Make sure your major tools shut off and do not come back on. Many larger tools have magnetic starters so it is not a problem, power goes off, tool stays off even if power comes on. If you are going to have an electrician do your wiring you might enquire about having anything you are feeding material into set up to cut out. Since my current shop was built as a shop only building, my entire shop is set up such that if there is a power glitch all tools drop out. I hit a reset button and power is restored.

I am a bit of a safety nut, but if starting from scratch it is easier to incorporate ideas.

Have fun

Bob

 

[KenOfCary]

Since the basement can get very dark quickly in a power failure, I installed some emergency lighting in the shop. It is extremely cheap and simple now with LED's and LIon batteries. It makes sure that I can see the way out once the power goes out.

On the equipment that doesn't recycle and could start back up unexpectedly after a power failure / restart I've added some plugs that prevent a restart after a power failure. They require the equipment to be power cycled before it can be re-used. These are mainly connected to my band saws as they don't have internal safeguards for this.

My Table Saw and other equipment (planer and jointer) will not continue to run if the power is cycled off and on, but some things like band saws are prone to start back up once the power comes back on, which could be problematic.