Oh sure, you only think you'd get the entire basement!!!! I get a little corner of an unfinished basement. SWMBO wants it finished and we are currently in negotiation on how much of it I get for the shop!!!
If you ever do move, make sure you get a basement with at least 9' ceilings.
ah, the art of compromise! :)
Dave
I'm HOPING I'd get the whole basement! :) Having discussed it at length with SWMBO, it appears I would snag the entire basement if we ever move to a house similar to the one we spent several days looking at in KS. The ceilings were 9'. I wouldn't want less if I plan on putting a shop into one. Lower than that would be a deal breaker.
Dave
My suggestion, do NOT strive for a basement workshop. Invariable, it's difficult to move supplies in an out of the basement, even if the stairway is in the garage. If you have the laundry facilities in the basement, dust (even with a good dust collector) will prove to be an insurmountable problem. The noise from power tools, especially pneumatic nailers, can generate enormous complaints from the rest of the family. But the biggie, from my experience is finishing procedures. Varnishes, even the new latex paints, still have an odors that will invariable seep to the rest of the home and only then will you find out that every single person in your household has asthma, bronchial or acute respiratory failure, and if you open up one more can, you will be charged under the domestic violence laws.
Where in Kansas? James, north central Kansas.
I live in good ole Humid Houston and my wife brings her rained on car into the garage all the time. Rust is not a problem. I use TopCote on the machined surfaces of the large tools. Condensation will be your biggest rust problem. If you have no condensation on your tools you should have little to no rust. Condensation will occur when you have a fast temperature change. Don't let the temperature change quickly and you should not have any condensation.
The AC is the problem. He should either leave the AC on or off to help prevent the rust. Its the drastic temperature change that causes moisture in the air to condense on his tools.
Thanks for the info, James.
Hmmm...I have an attached garage that I do HVLP spraying. I sometimes smell a bit of the sprayed product inside the house, but it isn't objectionable often or bad enough to be concerned. I would be concerned if spraying inside a basement would worsen the problem.
I'd only get a walk-out basement for ease of bringing in supplies and taking out projects. No way I'd consider just stairs!
"Family" is just me and the missus. (Besides visitors--but I'd skip the woodworking if someone's visiting for a few days)
The house we considered has a laundry room behind the garage, on the main floor. Beats hauling laundry up and down the basement stairs.
My wife's computer/sewing room's right next to the shop. She has said the shop noise doesn't intrude. Plus, she knows what it's like to live with a shop right under her bedroom, during a previous "life". I was watching PBS last night--60's music--while she was sleeping soundly beside me in the bedroom. Lights and TV noise don't wake her up. The neighbors fricking barking dogs do (wake her), but they have all recently gotten barking collars, which WORK, thank God!
I'm concerned about the humidity level (with a/c from the central unit) in a basement, even barring a water seepage problem in the basement. Do you know the humidity level of your basement and of the main living quarters? I know it can get pretty humid in the midwest. I spent 3 years in MO. Is a basement always going to be inherently more humid than the upper stories, even with an a/c register always open in the basement?
oh, our washer and drier are in my garage shop and I've yet to see a problem. What EXACTLY is the problem with the laundry being done in the shop area? Our drier vents outside. I don't like it when hot water is being used in the washer if I'm about to do finishing, but other than that, the 2 functions have coexisted fine ever since I started woodworking in the shop.
Lenexa or vicinity.
Dave
Leave the car outside until its dry?
Garaging wet vehicles is one of the biggest causes of rust...
Think of a cold winter day. While it is true that inside air and outside air are eventually exchanged, there still will be some overlap and any significant odor in the basement will eventually be circulated throughout the house, especially in the forced air system your most likely to find in eastern Kansas.
That's a point, but just to play devil's avocate, how are go to get to that walkout basement, unless you find one with basement garages. Think of having to drive your truck in the backyard with some frequency. I'm sure you can find exactly what you're looking for, but it's likely to take some looking.
Sure does.
From my experience, humidity just isn't a problem. Since it's raining outside, right now, I'm sure the humidity level in my garage/shop is right at 100%. BTW, it's been so hot lately, I bought a used window air conditioner ($15 gloat) and stuck it in a garage window. Works like a champ. Even when outside tempertures peaked at over 100 degrees, this summer, the window unit would keep the inside of the workshop in the low
80's. Not perfect, but certainly acceptable. (At that air conditioner spat out a stead stream of water, too).Note: I moved two months, ago. We used the "pods", that were stored in the open for ten days. I had tools, (hacksaw frames, coping saw frames, etc) that rusted for the first time in 25 years. Some beyond salvation, unless I want to spend hours with a wire brush. The "pods", sitting in a storage lot, heated up to very high tempertures during the day, then rapidly cooled probably 60 or 70 degrees, when the sun went down. There was condesation damage on more than just my tools. (This is, apparently a problem with moving vans, too, if the move is not directly from house to house.)
If, I was going to do it again, I swear I'd call an auctioneer and sell out everything except the absolutely irreplaceable items and start all over again in the new location.
I had a shop in the basement. I even install special wiring. (Man-oh-man, it was slick). But even with a dust collector, there was still a fine coating of dust in the laundry room and on clothes that my wife would ocassionaly decide couldn't go into the dryer. Eventually, the shop migrated half of a double car garage, and then very gradually, took over the whole garage.
We, sold out and moved from western Shawnee, just two months, ago. Johnson County's ever-esculating property taxes are just not condusive to a genteel retirement.
Simple. I leave the cars outside.
Priorities. Car has not been in the garage since I got my Delta contractor saw.
Had to negotiate with SWMBO when we moved into our current house. I got to take over the two-car garage, er.. workshop. And had a carport built right in front of the garage to cover the vehicles, N Texas is famous for its hail storms. I added windows AC and some IR Radiant heaters and now the roll up doors only open during perfect weather or to move wood/ projects in and out.
John C
I'm not married, so my entire basement is my shop. Well, other than utility room, storage room, and bathroom. Of course, it has been 4 winters now and the shop isn't done yet. Should be done this winter.
I still want to build a real shop in the backyard as I have to remove my egress window to get any sheet goods or anything large into the shop.
That is going to be hard to find. I wanted a 13 course basement, but water problems prevented the basement from going that deep.
Brian Elfert
In that case, the entire HOUSE can be your shop. Must be handy to have a table saw in the living room, right next to the recliner.
I just finished kicking my dad's junk out of the garage and no way will the car ever go in there! I have had a few problems with rust though, but once I was aware of them I just got used to spraying WD-40 on every tool whenever I finished using it. The biggest problem was on hand plane irons and soles. I have had to box up all my hand tools a couple of times, and once I took out the old #4 bench plane and ended up sanding the rust off it, there was so much of it. The biggest rust problem right now is the skyscraper model I have sitting in the backyard right now...
Have similar rust problems that have been discussed in threard. Anyone have ideas re: removing the rust from cast iron saw tops, jointers etc. Also I find it on most of my planes and hand tools. Some are pitted and I would like to find a cure-all rust remover and preventer, if such a fantasy exists.
Would welcome any suggestions. Thumbs
000 or 0000 steel wool, elbow grease, followed by a liberal coat of Johnson's Paste wax. Reapply the paste wax at regular intervals.
Some, from time to time, have suggested some exotic blends, like the wax used on bowling lanes and some of the silicone formulas. While I haven't tried them, I'd guess we're really talking about length of time between re-applications, and not overall performance. Johnson's paste wax is relatively cheap and it works.
WD-40 certainly has it uses, but it's been my experience that WD-40 will eventually dry out and leave a "varnish" on tools. (For some tool, this might be desirable, if the tool is used in a greasy environment and the varnish actually helps with the grip, but I have my doubts)
For me, I've been known to run greasy handtools through the dishwasher, using plain old dishwashing soap, then immediately coating them using a slightly oily rag. The machine and the soap are specifically designed to remove food grease, it works just as well on petroleum grease. BTW, this should be a very, very light coating of oil, practically invisible to the naked eye. It should not leave a significant stain when laid on a sheet of newspaper.
Needless to say, this procedure is NEVER accomplished while SWMBO is in residence.
Top end tools, like Snap-on, etc, have such a heavy chromium coat, it's been my experience that they won't rust during a life time of non-Trade (mechanic) usage. Older Craftsman-level tools, do require attention from time to time. It's my opinion, that Craftsman-level tools are the best value for the non-professional, but for a serviceable lifetime, must be addressed from time to time.
Older, non-chromium plated hand tools can be brought back by removing all rust, (steel wood or a wire wheel, if necessary) and then using the dishwasher method to remove grime. By the way, I would add a second step, here. After a through cleaning, I've found that navel jelly can be used in some instances, to return the tool to the darker surface, that is commonplace on the old tools. Again, the jelly must be thoroughly removed, and the oil rag used to prevent future rust.
I would, also, caution about such anal-retentive measures on any tool with rubber grips. Hard water stains can be virtually eliminated by adding Jet Dry and a touch of Lime Away. (If you're stupid enough to use this on electrical tools, please remove yourself from the gene pool, immediately).
Sometimes, it depends on other factors. I am cheap. I will willing pay for commercial level tools, but I like to keep them in as pristine condition as possible. So, a new tool, (if appropriate), say an electric drill, will receive a coat of Armor-all, especially on the plastic surface, immediately on purchase. Armor-all (and there are other such products) more or less repels dirt and grease.
Hand planes are completely different kettle of fish. For working planes (as opposed to display planes), break them down to their individual components, removing the handles completely. Remove the planes from the washer, before the drying cycle and hand dry each component, with a clean soft rag. THOROUGHLY dry each component. Then, coat each component, individually with the wax. The process will remove any dirt and grime (from the smallest crevasses) that may have accumulated over time. It will closely resemble a plane. If you fail to thoroughly dry the item, it will closely resemble a mass of rust. (Of course, this method will remove most of the patina highly prized by collectors, and is a great way to take an expensive collectable plane and reduce it's value significantly).
One "old-timer" has taught me a valuable lesson for garden tools. His ancient shovels and hoes are in magnificent condition. He thoroughly cleans them after every use, (no matter how minor), and again uses an oily rag. At least once a year, every wooden handle is re-coated with linseed oil. BTW, his tools are very slowly disappearing. He sharpens his shovels and hoes just as any craftsman would sharpen a saw. There is a small, but perceptible ease when using his tools, as compared to blunt tools most use.
I use the same thing my dad did to clean up light rust and polish surfaces on tools --- something called "nevr dull"
maybe get her one of those canvas car awnings to park under. not as much protection as a garage, but better than nothing. something like:
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