Future Shop planning

[Jim Fox]

Even though I live in a nice new house with an 1800sqft basement, it probably won't be able to accomodate a basement shop. Especially with the future room layout, needs, etc.....

Soooooo, what about the garagae? I want to get a nice saw, probably a sturdy contractor grade saw, but can I make it portable and still be sturdy? I'd be parking cars in 2 of the 3 stalls of the garage, and a lot of kids junk in the 3rd.

I looked at plans on WoodMagazine.com/shops and seen some neat ideas. So I guess I only have two concerns, portability/mobility and effects on equipment in garage?

I'd like to be able to put things away in the garage, cause I'm not leaving cars out in the winter (live in snow belt of Michigan). Will saw, router, etc be sturdy enough if mobile?

How will the changes in weather affect equipment? We go from 90°+ and 90%+ humidity in summer, to damn cold and snowy in winter. It is a tight garage, so no elements sneak in.

Do you think this is something I can do?

Thanks,

Jim Fox

[karl in pa]

My basement shop is less than 500 sq. ft. and works okay. True, I don't have a large TS but it works for me. I don't see why you won't be able to fit a shop into your basement.
You should get a dehumidifier for the shop whether you are in the basement or your garage. Yeah it adds to the electric bill but so does everything else in the house. It'll really reduce the amount of rust forming on any of your tools and reduces the chances of molds and mildews growing and thriving and eventually giving you a nasty sinus infection. I turn mine on in April and don't turn it off until late November/early December. I live in NE PA and that is the humidity season.
My suggestion is to use the garage for storage and the basement for the shop. If you are going to add rooms down there be sure to leave about 800 - 1000 sq. ft. for yourself. My basement is not only my shop but my refuge for when I'm in the'doghouse'. Make your doghouse spacious and pleasant.

Enjoy!

k

[Ron Clingaman]

I live in Traverse City and my shop is in my garage. I have all of my machines, except my radial arm saw, on mobile bases, so I can move everything out of the way when I MUST put the car inside. In reality, the car stays outside, but the mobile bases are still great to move whatever machine I need to the center of the room easily. I have covers from HTC to help protect the machines from moisture/rust. I use Johnson's Furniture Wax on the metal surfaces also. The shop (why even call it a garage?) is insulated and heated, so it is comfortable in the winter. We don't make it to 90dg very often up here, but the humidity is high in the summer. I just keep up with the rust as it starts to form. The only area I've had any problem is the base of the drill press, but it is down where the moisture is worst.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Ron Clingaman

[Fred Hargis]

My cars shared the garage with my tools for years before I was able to seperate them. Everything I had (TS, RAS, BS, Jointer) was on wheels. The downsides were the time it took to set up (about 45 minutes, depending on what I was doing), and dust on the vehicles. I installed a DC that was plumbed in but had machine disconnects, and a shop made air filter that eliminated about 80% of the dust problem. Because most garage floors aren't level to accomodate drainage, I adjusted mt tools tools to set level in a certain spot, and then marked the floor with a permanaent marker so I could get them leveled and stable fairly quickly. I did have problems with rust, and spent considerable time treating my tool surfaces with "Top-Cote" (spelling?) a product that really worked well...I've heard paste wax is just as good as long as it doesn't contain silicon. Good luck and work safely....