Building a workshop in my basement?

Sorry to hear about that.

Well, lots of people have workshops in basements, but not all equipment can be run in the basement. Some machines are too large (like mills), some could produce undesirable fumes etc.

But, we all have to use what we have.

Also note that welding should be done in a fire safe manner. All kinds of welding safety booklets watrn against having flammables near the welder, which is hard to do if all you have is a small basement room.

Flammables are not merely combustible liquids, they could be paper, etc etc.

I keep my welder in my garage, at least there is enough space to stay farther from combustibles than in a small room.

Drilling is okay, I drill in the basement too and no one notices. (with a drill press)

Grinding is somewhat worse, chop saw is way too loud.

Sure, I do not think that dust would be a big source of mess in the house.

Give fire safety another thought. You should be fine, maybe place the noisier tools like chop saw, in your garage. I would not weld in my basement.

Also, when welding alloys and such, fumes from metals may be an issue since they would stay in the house. I am not knowledgeable about it, but I recommend that you verify that issue.

"Ignoramus12686" wrote: (clip) Grinding is somewhat worse, chop saw is way too loud. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ NOTE: It is possible to start a fire with the stream of sparks from a grinder. I once actually set fire to the shop coat I was WEARING. Also, plan your work so you never finish welding and then close up and leave the shop. It is possible for sparks to fall somewhere and start a smouldering fire.

I'd suggest finding a new house in an area where there are no restrictions. Tell your real estate agent that this is a requirement. The more people who do this (as I did) the more chance the developers building these crappy overcrowded developments and creating the restrictions might get a clue that not everyone wants that crap.

This is also one of the problems contributing to all the lard-ass children with zero physical skills. All these crappy developments provide no room for kids to actually run around and get exercise and develop physical skills. I grew up on a few heavily wooded acres with a stream running through.

I hopped around the rocks and climbed the trees and whatnot. I see far too many kids whose sole outdoor activity options are a swing in a 20' square yard and the early years, before they could potentially go to an area park on their own are the most critical years for developing these skills.

Pete C.

Yeppers, I burned a hole in my pants once with a angle grinder.

I would definitely recommend to keep all grinding equipment in the garage. Too much fine dust, sparks, noise etc.

While did the same thing as you suggested -- found a big enough house and avoided any developments with covenants -- not everyone can afford that.

Of course not, but they should try if not for shop space then for the sake of any children to help keep them from becoming physically-retarded lard-asses. Children who do not have opportunities to run around and climb and do activities that develop mechanical and spatial skills really do end up physically-retarded. I've seen it and it's scary.

I suppose this isn't a problem for producing compliant worker drones though...

Pete C.

It is very scary. TV also plays a major role.

Well, it is definitely not a problem for producing gullible consumers...

Before we get totally sidetracked with "the downfall of western civilization" :-) let me ask a few more questions...

For one, the garage is just not an option because my cars are in there (it would take hours to explain how anal I am about cars) and even if I had them covered I would be literally like 6" away from a most-likely-flammable car cover running power tools...

I guess my big question at this point is, is there no one here that welds in their basement? I have never heard that there are toxic fumes that are produced when tig welding... if I can't weld in the basement, then everything else doesn't really matter...

thanks, Jeff

Can you take your car out of the garage while you do your grinding?

there is a guy in sci.engr.joining.welding who welds in his kitchen. It is possible. I do not think that there is any harm in tig welding steel. I am not so sure if the same can be said about welding all other metals.

Loud: chop saw, cheap air compressors, air tools, import angle grinders. Quiet: bandsaw, old piston air compressor with input filter & belted to run slower, some electric grinders.

Metal chips tend to stick to rubber-soled shoes and rugs.

I do all my welding and a lot of my louder, messier metalworking out in the driveway. My biker/truck driver/construction worker neighbors haven't complained yet.

Jim W

The main thing I am hoping to do is to satisfy my "car cravings" during the

I will be welding mild steel, stainless and aluminum using pure argon as the shielding gas. If limited to these materials, does anybody know for sure if there are any toxic concerns?

Thanks, Jeff

I did, some years ago.

ALL welding and brazing processes produce fumes. TIG is certainly far less fumerous than stick or fluxcore wirefeed, but when metal is hot enough to melt there will be fumes and vapors. The manuals that come with welders all emphasize good ventilation as mandatory. That is by no means to say that welding can't or shouldn't be done indoors, merely that adequate ventilation is necessary if you do.

I made an upflow exhaust hood over my welding table, vented to outdoors thru a dryer vent. The trick is to get a blower that is acceptably quiet. The squirrelcage blower out of a small furnace is pretty quiet when run at low speed. Small blowers that move enough air to do any good are noisy because they have to run fast to move any air. Blower speed = blower noise.

Can you find a place to store one of the cars in the winter so you have some space to work in the garage?

FWIW, I do all my metalworking (milling, turning, drilling, sawing, grinding, sanding, TIG welding) in my 11' x 17' garage next to my current covered project car. While it may not be optimal, I've had no problems setting anything on fire or damaging the car. Having said that, (and assuming that you're comfortable with the chip production) the things I would feel comfortable doing in the basement would be using the mill, lathe, drill press and TIG welder. Everything else is loud, although you could save that work for a time when no one's around or sleeping. The loudest machine in my shop is the compressor, but I've got a cheap unit. A nicer compressor would be quieter and may be acceptable. I wouldn't MIG or stick weld in my basement.

You WILL get chips in the house. It's damn near impossible to keep your clothes, shoes, etc. completely free of them. I track them in from the garage despite my best efforts - not a lot of them, but enough for me to look sheepish when my wife reaches down and picks one up off of the kitchen floor...

I would think it advisable to vent the room if possible. In order for family members not to wrinkle their noses at the smells (lubricating oil, argon, brake clean, etc...) wafting their way upstairs, I'd try to run at least one vent to the outside. I don't know your house, but I'm assuming that's not a big deal to do... I'd paint the floor to minimize dust and ease clean up. Keep it clean and you'll be fine.

Peter

Ah come one guys, he doesn't WANT to use the garage.

I have welded in a basement, only to fabricate some steel shelving. TIG welding might not be too bad as far as toxicity, but no welding is odorless. Trust me, with no ducting you will smell it upstairs in your living area. I also have a "thing" about compressed gas cylinders in the house, even though they may be inert.

I think this is a great opportunity to find a shop, garage, or studio space to rent. Because I don't think you or your family will be happy with what you end up with, even if you do convince yourself and her that it is safe, which I don't think it is.

Grinding is filthy, chop saws are filthy - both cut by disintegrating themselves into nasty tiny particles of abrasive which you can never sweep up clean enough to be able to avoid tracking them into the house. You can't really use dust collection systems because they are designed for sawdust, not sparks.

I would look around for a fellow metalworker - here in Austin, TX, I have seen a number of $200 spaces for rent on Craig's List, and in fact I am looking at one this weekend. There are also a lot of racers in town that are looking to share garage space. Lastly, there are a couple of storage space places that allow for car work in their spaces - call around and ask.

Good Luck!

But is welding in the basement really an option? I don't think so, so its time to consider alternatives.

He doesn't drive the cars in the winter so find a place to store them and use the garage as a workshop.

I have that, and there is no substitute for a shop at home. I have a nice 25x40 steel shop with all the tools and machines that will fit, along with 2 race cars and storage areas for the trailers etc. It's

But what you might consider is off-site storage of your collector cars, unless they are works-in-progress. that would likely be cheaper than shop space.