Author Topic: Thoughts on Workshop Location  (Read 3559 times)

Offline propforward

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1656
  • MN, USA
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #15 on: January 06, 2022, 04:05:02 PM »


Happiness is a warm shop though.


Oh yes. And a cool shop in summer. I installed "thru the wall" AC units in each piece of my shop. Must surely be a necessity in Arizona? I think I can get by in Minnesota without the A/C in the shop - I don't run them all that much - but I must imagine that in Az it's a must have in summer.
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

Offline crueby

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18554
  • Rochester NY
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #16 on: January 06, 2022, 04:34:25 PM »
My shop is in a back corner room of the house on the ground floor. Very nice to have it heated and in the house, for popping back and forth to work on things as the mood hits. Yes, chips can get tracked out, a doormat helps with that. Fine for my small lathe/mill that dont need concrete support pads, would not work well for a big floor mill and such.

Offline Flyboy Jim

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2002
  • Independence, Oregon
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #17 on: January 06, 2022, 05:20:06 PM »
My shop is in a back corner room of the house on the ground floor. Very nice to have it heated and in the house, for popping back and forth to work on things as the mood hits. Yes, chips can get tracked out, a doormat helps with that. Fine for my small lathe/mill that dont need concrete support pads, would not work well for a big floor mill and such.

Score one for the Sherlines!   :whoohoo:

Jim
Sherline 4400 Lathe
Sherline 5400 Mill
"You can do small things on big machines, but you can do small things on small machines".

Offline crueby

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18554
  • Rochester NY
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #18 on: January 06, 2022, 05:45:24 PM »
My shop is in a back corner room of the house on the ground floor. Very nice to have it heated and in the house, for popping back and forth to work on things as the mood hits. Yes, chips can get tracked out, a doormat helps with that. Fine for my small lathe/mill that dont need concrete support pads, would not work well for a big floor mill and such.

Score one for the Sherlines!   :whoohoo:

Jim
Absolutely! No time waiting for warm weather or shed heaters to warm up, just pop back any time during the day and knock out a part.
 :cheers:

Offline propforward

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1656
  • MN, USA
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #19 on: January 06, 2022, 05:54:01 PM »
My shop is in a back corner room of the house on the ground floor. Very nice to have it heated and in the house, for popping back and forth to work on things as the mood hits. Yes, chips can get tracked out, a doormat helps with that.

Or even keeping a pair of shoes in the shop specifically for the shop. Change into them at the door, and they never leave the shop - no tracking of oil or chips.

All the practicalities can be managed with a bit of thought.

I like talking about shops. Sometimes I think my shop is actually the hobby, and that the stuff I do in it is just an excuse to have the shop in the first place.

 :thinking:
« Last Edit: January 06, 2022, 05:57:22 PM by propforward »
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

Offline crueby

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18554
  • Rochester NY
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #20 on: January 06, 2022, 05:59:20 PM »
My shop is in a back corner room of the house on the ground floor. Very nice to have it heated and in the house, for popping back and forth to work on things as the mood hits. Yes, chips can get tracked out, a doormat helps with that.

Or even keeping a pair of shoes in the shop specifically for the shop. Change into them at the door, and they never leave the shop - no tracking of oil or chips.

All the practicalities can be managed with a bit of thought.
Also the bathroom is right next door to that shop room, handy for degreasing parts and/or hands when done in the shop...  Before setting up a shop in a basement, check the humidity levels in summer weather, dont want everything rusting. The first year in the house I had stored some tools in the basement, not realizing how much moisture the concrete gave out at first. Since then its fine down there, have carving station down there now.

Offline FKreider

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 42
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #21 on: January 07, 2022, 01:06:00 AM »
Rather large basement shop here. Bathroom fans installed above things that make smoke or smell take care of that. Insulation in the ceiling/floor joists cut down on the noise transmission tremendously. My 7.5 air compressor is under the dining room and is on 24/7. When it cycles you can tell its on but it is quieter than the dishwasher. The chip problem varies tremendously with the type of shoe you are wearing, some are chip magnets, some don't pick up much of anything. Great incentive to keep the floor clean! Consistent temperature is a huge plus for keeping rust at bay and super convenient to work. It's a great incentive to go do a little something on a whim without the project of getting dressed up, slogging through the rain, cranking up the heat, sweating you butt off etc. I can't imagine having to walk outside every time I need to do something. Bob

These are all of the exact reasons I've been thinking in our next house the basement shop will be the way to go. Luckily since I'm in New England almost all houses built in the last 20ish years have nice tall basement ceilings - the trick will be finding one that has walk-out access (fairly common but still adds a specific requirement to the house must-have list.) I'm not going to try and get my 14" lathe and CNC knee mill down any stairs.
-Frank K.

Offline FKreider

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 42
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #22 on: January 07, 2022, 01:10:49 AM »

Having done this twice, once in and once out, I think the biggest problem with a basement shop is getting the machines in/out. I now occupy two bays of a three car garage in Arizona. Infinitely easier to install/remove machines.

What is the access to your basement? How large are our machines?


My house was built in 1950, the basement ceiling is barely 6' tall and heating and piping is below that height in many spots. I've got a Kent USA knee mill and 14" cabinet lathe - literally impossible to have these machines in the basement of this house.

I brought the topic up because we are considering moving sometime in the next 1-3 years and wanted to hear other folks opinions.
-Frank K.

Offline TonyM

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 22
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #23 on: January 07, 2022, 07:07:03 AM »
The problem when you are retired is there is not much time to go play as you thought there was going to be   :wallbang:

Jo
Isn't that the truth. :old:

Offline Laurentic

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 309
  • Nr Yeovil, Somerset, England
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #24 on: January 07, 2022, 09:32:23 AM »
The problem when you are retired is there is not much time to go play as you thought there was going to be   :wallbang:

Jo
Isn't that the truth. :old:

Tell me about it - far too busy these days to go to work anymore,

Chris  :DrinkPint:

Offline bobh

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 30
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #25 on: January 07, 2022, 02:44:46 PM »
FKreider We built this house. I had the basement poured with 9' walls and wide double doors put in. The extra height added almost nothing to the cost. I had to dig a ramp down to the doors but installed good drainage so no water problems. The radial drill press and the big mill are both over 5,000 lbs so access isn't a problem. I grew up in a house with a wet basement so I went kind of nuts on waterproofing. Bob

Offline Brian Rupnow

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7573
  • Barrie, Ontario Canada
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #26 on: January 07, 2022, 09:26:31 PM »
If I had to go out in the cold to get to my shop, I'd find a different hobby. I'm very fortunate that my house is set up so that you go up an outside  set of steps to get to the main floor and entrance door, and yet coming into my garage or office there are no stairs, just open the door and walk in. I have 8 foot ceilings in my office, shop and bathroom, and a door from my office going out into the garage which is very handy for moving machinery in or out. My office, bathroom and shop are all heated by my houses central heating. My family room, fireplace, and television are in the far end of our house, where my wife hangs out. Noise isn't really and issue, but if I do something stinky my wife shouts at me to close the door which connects my office to the main floor via a inside staircase.---Brian

Offline propforward

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1656
  • MN, USA
Re: Thoughts on Workshop Location
« Reply #27 on: January 08, 2022, 12:19:17 PM »
At one time I used to have to drive an hour to get to my shop. It never put me off going there, consequently the 100 foot walk doesn't matter to me in the slightest. That's a personal thing though - I don't comprehend why a one to two hundred foot walk is off putting to some but that's unimportant.

I suspect that having the shop integrated into the house, especially in the basement, significantly cuts down on heating costs. My shop is heated and ready to go at all times - that whole waiting a few hours for it to get ready thing won't work for me at all right now- but it's not cheap and I have to plan for it all year. It's cheaper than my solidworks yearly license though, which gives it some context I suppose.

The big plus about a standalone shed is that it is relatively easy to create a large space. That can be both a positive and a negative. Often times working with the space you have forces you to just work with what you really need.

Ramblings aside, I look forward to pictures of FKreiders new shop in the fullness of time.

For myself I'm fortunate to have what I have, but I also expect to downsize to a smaller house with some sort of attached / basement shop at some point, but hopefully that's a long way off yet.
Stuart

Forging ahead regardless.

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal