can I manage dust in my basement?

**Bada Bing** · 10-29-2006, 09:38 PM

Hi, Everyone:

Last year, my first with woodworking, I kept the portable table saw and other power tools out of my basement, from a concern about dust in the house--and near a furnace, no less. That turned out to mean no woodworking in the winter, because everything was in a frigid garage for months on end . This year I'm thinking of sealing off a portion of my unfinished basement to create a shop space. Let me be clear, I am concerned about inhaled dust and also dust into the furnace, and I see that these are quite separate issues.

I could do a space about 12'x18 without much trouble, although there is one duct for the forced air there, Could I use a filter on that, or seal it off, and then use plastic sheeting around the floorspace? I once read somewhere about how home remodelers use plastic sheeting in doorways to contain dust when they're tearing out drywall and sanding. Of course, I'd need to deal with exposed overhead basement joists, which are uneven. Then I might use one of those recirculating filtering things--I saw one by Jet at Menards--to catch what my HEPA equipped Craftsman shop-vac doesn't get. Has anyone got a better on-the-cheap idea, or some plan about how to do such a thing? Or does it seem foolish?

I could wear a dust mask too, for safety's sake.... Please!

David

**TDHofstetter** · 10-29-2006, 10:17 PM

You can surely seal off part of the basement with sheet plastic. If you're really REALLY careful, you can even split it & staple it up on both sides of each joist... but that does take a careful eye. Simpler, usually, to stuff some fiberglass batting in the joist spaces. Used fiberglass, even, if you're on a wicked budget. Nice to tack up a single strip of strapping across there, both to hold the top of the plastic film in place and to hold the fiberglass in place.

You can also put cast-off carpeting under your "door", sweeping the carpet back into the shop when your dust-laden boots have filled it enough.

That should keep you goin' in the winter months. I gotta' warn you, though, that if the basement shop doesn't have enough light in it, it CAN feel kinda' oppressive. Be SURE to supply yourself with plenty of light! If you use fluorescents, alternate cool-white tubes with Kitchen & Bath tubes - that gives you a better spectrum, easier on the eyes & the better to match color.

...and wipe off the dang tubes once in a while... they'll get REALLY dusty with a little time.

-- Tim --

Veni, vidi, vici
I came, I saw, I hammered.

:)

**cabinetman** · 10-30-2006, 10:32 AM

You need to incorporate a good dust collection system, that doesn't make dust as it collects it. If you can get enough "fresh" air, sealing yourself in you should be OK. All too often, the dust mask is removed too soon. That stuff can linger in the air for a while. Evaluate your "air in" and "air out" ratio, or in simple terms is there air in and out. This is important if you will be using any toxic or "environmentally unfriendly" chemicals.
:)
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"I'M NEVER WRONG - BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT"

**sbamberger** · 10-30-2006, 11:11 AM

My woodshop is in my garage right with my furnace. The furnace is new so filtering is probably good. I use a dust collector with all of my machines, a homemade downdraft table when I power sand, and a ceiling-mounted air filter. Dust in the house has been negligible.

Steve

**Bada Bing** · 10-30-2006, 03:25 PM

Thanks for the great tipgs, guys--hadn't thought much about air in, DC, or light!

For air in-out only window in that portion of the basement is a window well opening. And there is an overhead register which I think is not a return but a forced-air-in opening. If I do succeed in getting a near airtight space, then the air in-out becomes an obvious issue. Maybe the window well is an answer: I did once see a DC website that said the only really proper way to manage dust is to blow it outside. RIght now, all I have is a big shop vac with a HEPA filter. I've heard those overhead recirculating filters can work pretty well on suspended dust.

This isn't going to be a small job, I see! Thanks for these tips!

**Malcolm** · 10-30-2006, 07:14 PM

I have a similar setup in my basement shop. An exhaust fan in the window should be enough to draw the dust to the outside. At the least it should move it in that direction away from the furnace. Your furnace really should not be drawing air from the basement anyway.

**brent** · 11-01-2006, 11:33 PM

I am getting ready to set up a temp. shop in my basement. The first thing I am going to do is build a wall around the HVAC and water heater. It will have a door to access them and a vent with a good filter over it to let in or out whatever air is needed.