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!


"Jeff B" wrote in message
news:Xxqaf.2461$IC.759@dukeread07...
I have a newer home that has garages *barely* deep enough for the cars
themselves. I also have neighborhood covenants forbidding any kind of
outside shed, shop, etc. So basically, if I want a place to play it looks
like it's going to have to be in the basement.

My question is, am I crazy to think about building an enclosed room in my
(currently unfinished) basement? The space I have that I could allocate
to this is about 12' x 15'. I was thinking that I'd leave the floor
concrete and put up drywall all the way around... sound isolation would be
a major concern. It would almost be pointless to have this workshop if I
could use it late at night while the family is sleep (2 floor up). I
guess before I go on too much more I should mention what I actually want
to do in it! It will mainly be for Tig welding, which I'm not concerned
about excessive noise or dirt/debris levels, but I will also be
prepping/making the pieces that will be welded in this room as well. This
means grinding, drilling, cutting, etc. I won't have any air ducts going
to this room, so hopefully the mess would stay enclosed in there, but
basically I'm looking for a real world sanity from anybody else that has
done this. If I'm shop-vaccing the room twice a week, can I actually pull
this off without ruining my house? If anyone else has built something like
this, I'd love to see some pictures. I am just trying to prepare my "case"
for when I tell the wife "oh yeah, I'm going to start welding in the
basement, but don't worry, the whole house won't be covered in aluminum
shavings" :-)

Thanks
Jeff