How To Setup A Wood Shop In A Basement

A basement is not the most convenient of locations for a wood shop. Nor is it the most functional. But for many people that is the only option available. So let’s talk about how we can make the best of the situation.

1. Let’s start with talking about dust and noise. A basement typically does not have very good ventilation. Therefore, saw dust is an inherent problem. We can minimise the dust in a few different ways.
   Consider putting in an exhaust fan in an available opening to the outside. The only problem with this is that if you throw all the dust outside you will still be messing up your own house or upsetting the neighbours. So a better option is to get the basement woodshop filled with an air cleaner and to use a dust collection system with all your power tools.

   These 2 things working in tandem will take care of most of the dust in the air. Another thing you can do to minimise dust is to minimise the use of power tools. Hand tools make much less dust. Of course, you must wear personal protection against dust as well like a mask meant for wood working.
    

2. Noise from a basement wood shop also needs to be dealt with. Sounds tends to resonate and amplify in a basement. The noise from a single power tool in the basement can sound pretty loud in the rest of the house.

   The best way to deal with noise is to insulate the wood shop, especially the doors and the windows. But insulating the walls and the ceiling also makes a world of different. You can also minimise the usage of  noisy power tools.
    

3. Working in a basement requires a little more attention to the project you are working on. To begin with buy small sized lumber or cut the lumber to smaller size before carrying it down to the basement. Your back will thank you for it, you will have much less trouble getting it in place and you will rule out getting stuck outright in the stairway.
    
4. Choose your projects wisely. The assembled piece should fit the exit from the basement, which most commonly opens out from a staircase. Otherwise have plans to assemble it once you bring it out of the basement.
    
5. Alongside dust, a basement tends to get damp, especially if you live in that kind of location. You need a de-humidifier to be running at all times. This is well worth the cost because humidity is the single most influential factor that plays favour with wood stability. Humidity makes the wood move, warp, bend and twist. You want to avoid this happening to your valuable wood stock.

All this might seem like a lot of work, and it is. But for many, basement is the most convenient and reachable available space for a wood shop. The money you will save from picking up another space for your wood shop can be saved for setting up the basement. 

And as we have mentioned in our post ‘wood shop in an apartment’, you don’t have to let the space and the location deter you from starting a wood working business from home.

There are many crafts you can make and many kinds of wood working businesses that you can start. Even having the support of your family helps. You can adjust your working hours to when it is of a least bother to other members of the household, such as when the children are away to school.