Anyone have a metal shop in their basement.? Lathe stand ideas?

[Quick Cal]

I recently picked up a 1936 Atlas 10D lathe. I was going to set it up in my 1 car garage. But there's really no room. And it's hot out there in the summer. The mosquitoes tear me up. It's cold in the winter. I have to run kerosene heaters. That gets expensive fast. And the biggest problem it would have to be right by the back door that my little dog goes in and out of. He's all ready finding stuff he shouldn't.

Point is I'd really like to put the lathe in my basement and make a shop down there. I have plenty of room. I would just have to make sure not to track the chips upstairs. I figure slip on shoes,,,lol. That being said. My machinist friend thinks I'll stink the house up. I kinda don't agree. Besides. I run all kinds of vintage kerosene heaters and oil lamps from time to time. My house smells a little like kerosene sometimes,,lol. But I just burn a candle.

So anyone have a metal shop with a lathe in the basement? Any regrets? Thanks.

 

[Al 1]

Cal, Why not try it and see how you like it. You can always install a small exhaust fan over top of the lathe area. Have fun. Al

 

[bulgie]

I recently picked up a 1936 Atlas 10D lathe. [snip]
So anyone have a metal shop with a lathe in the basement? Any regrets? Thanks.

Congrats on the lathe, looks like fun will be had, if you like that kinda thing!

Lotsa folks here have machine tools in the basement. It's frequently mentioned, especially in threads about how large a machine to buy.

My lathe and mill were both over 700 lb, but not hard to get to the basement after disassembly, one chunk at a time. No regrets.

Unless your basement is completely below grade, you should be able to mount an exhaust fan without completely remodeling. But I'd install a fan even if it does take some heroic measures, because the fan should be considered a must. If you're not feeling like doing it yourself, call an HVAC guy, or even most remodel carpenters know how to put those in.

My basement had a 24" wide window that was so filthy you couldn't see out of it, and it had a curtain over it that hadn't been opened since I bought the house 30 years ago. Window was high up near the ceiling because the basement is sorta half underground. I replaced it with one of those louvers that open from air pressure when the fan is on, and close by gravity when not. The 24" fan moves so much air that I'm glad it's variable speed, I use it on low most of the time. A much smaller fan would probably have been sufficient. Still I'd get the biggest you can get, if only because they're quieter for any given amount of air movement capacity (CFM). If your studs are on 16" centers then you should be able to mount at least a 12" fan. Think about where your "make up" air is coming from too, ideally not sucking exhaust gas from the furnace back down the chimney (worst-case scenario). I have another small window on the other side of the house in the laundry area that I can open for fresh air intake.

My wife is super sensitive to solvents and other smells, even WD-40 is too strong for her. But when the fan is running, nothing makes it upstairs.

 

[RJSakowski]

I have had a metal shop in the basement for over fifty years. My current shop has two mills, two lathes, a drill press, a sheet metal shear, a pedestal grinder, a bench vise, a leg vice, a small anvil, a stick welder, and a MIG welder. Aside from noise, there isn't much of a down side. I don't weld very often and if I do, I will open the door to vent fumes outside. The same goes regarding fumes when using oil lubricants or solvents.

On the up side, the shop stays in the mid sixties to low seventies year around and relative humidity is controlled to no more than sixty percent with it being fifty percent or lower 90% of the time.

 

[jwmay]

Had mine in the basement. I didn’t weld down there, but all the machine tools were there. I loved it. It was excellent. If my wife would allow it in the new house, I’d already have it there again.

 

[projectnut]

My shop has been in the basement for over 35 years without problems. There are over 2 dozen machines if you count the wood working equipment. There is no outside access so all the machines had to be disassembled and taken down a piece at a time.

No welding, but lots of lathe and mill work. I have a built in exhaust fan with a vent plumbed in over each of the mills and lathes. I have a sliding gate I close to keep the dogs out when the chips are flying. I make sure the machines and floor are clean before I let them in.

 

[Quick Cal]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Keep them coming.

I have a full basement. So I would have to vent out a window well window, or cut a hole in the brick and do like a dryer vet. I wouldn't really want to do that.

My biggest concern was the smell of the oil soaked lathe. I couldn't run a vent 24/7 so I'm wondering if the house would start smelling like oil. My machinist buddy thinks it's a terrible idea,,,lol.

 

[Quick Cal]

Also. I'm torn on building a bench or getting a tool chest to sit it on. If I build a bench I have a little cubby hole I could just screw 2x4's to 3 walls and put stiff legs underneath those. It would be about 7' wide. I don't think it would shake the walls would it,,,lol.

Or I seen a harbor freight tool chest on cl. Looks like a bigger one. But would that be too tall. Would you be kicking it with your feet and knees?

 

[jwmay]

Also. I'm torn on building a bench or getting a tool chest to sit it on. If I build a bench I have a little cubby hole I could just screw 2x4's to 3 walls and put stiff legs underneath those. It would be about 7' wide. I don't think it would shake the walls would it,,,lol.

Or I seen a harbor freight tool chest on cl. Looks like a bigger one. But would that be too tall. Would you be kicking it with your feet and knees?

As for venting or what have you. I had no venting and never even considered it. Even now, reading that others have had venting, I can’t see a use for me. I was never burning so much smoke off a tool that I needed exhaust. Also I like the smell of cutting oil, so there’s that. I never smelled it outside the shop.

As for the bench, I would recommend that you regard every part of this hobby as a learning experience. You dont know what you’ll prefer, until you have SOMETHING there to analyze. I very much did not like having my Atlas on a tool box. It took me a couple years to finally weld something up. But when I did, it was exactly what I wanted it to be. So put it on something reasonably sturdy, and start making mental notes of what you don’t like while you learn to use the machine.

 

[Jake M]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Keep them coming.

I have a full basement. So I would have to vent out a window well window, or cut a hole in the brick and do like a dryer vet. I wouldn't really want to do that.

My biggest concern was the smell of the oil soaked lathe. I couldn't run a vent 24/7 so I'm wondering if the house would start smelling like oil. My machinist buddy thinks it's a terrible idea,,,lol.

I have a walkout basement, and it does NOT share air with the house unless the basement stair door is left open. Even with that, "vapor management" is an active thing. You have to do it. It doesn't take much. A small fan out the casement window, and crack the window or door at the other end. Or if the wind changes, reverse the fan, vent the other way. It does pretty well. If you're sharing air with the rest of the house (forced air furnace for example), well, whoever is upstairs is gonna know for sure what you're up to downstairs....


You can also pick and choose your chemicals carefully. "Bulk" cans, trigger spray bottles, NO aerosols, that sort of thing. That goes a long way, keeping liquids as liquids on what you're working on, and not atomized into the air.

Get one of those fancy OSHA approved combustibles or flamibles cans with the foot pedal lid, the metal ones for fire safety/spontaneous combustion containment. Prolly never need it for that (Although it's nice to know you're covered if you ever misidentify something that shouldn't be in a rag bucket), but it keeps good track of your oily, solventy rags, towels, wipes, etc. They're not air tight, but so long as you don't move them around all the time, they keep that stuff contained well enough not to have the smells travel. Oil on the lathe won't go far. Sulfurized cutting oils, WD-40, and smoke from the lathe and cutting oils, that WILL travel.

I have come enjoy a cheap throw rug or hallway runner (Whatever's cheap that day) to keep strategically placed in and about the metalworking area. Chips preferentially stick to that over my sneakers (worn out old sneakers, tied to "slip on" tight, heavy duty slippers really).

Give it a shot. As long as you're not hauling big heavy machines down there (yet....), if you can make it work, well, there you go. If it becomes imposing on the rest of your life.... Well, there you go.

Build a bench or buy a tool box? It's gonna be some work either way. Building a bench means building a bench. Most toolboxes are going to be too tall or too short for puttng the lathe on. So you end up removing the wheels and framing around the box... If you're not even sure how this venture is gonna work out... I'd knock out a simple two by four workbench plan from the interwebs, and bolt the lathe to that. It's small enough that it will REALLY appreciate being bolted down to a fairly stiff surface, but that's relative. I short enough that you're not really worried about top tier build designs to minimize deflections, just a sheet of plywood (or even doubled plywood) across the top will do nicely. I really wouldn't try to go all out right out of the gate, It IS a doable thing that you're considering, but like I say, it's an active thing to keep it isolated. How active depends on a lot of factors, but there's only one way to find out.