Vice President of the Colorado Woodworkers Guild, Robert Beason has the ULTIMATE basement workshop which was featured in Fine Woodworking magazine

1. Design and Implementation

2. For eight years, my workshop dream kept the

stress of my job at tolerable levels.
Reading on the internet to get ideas, deciding

which tools were the best value and to simply
day dream about a future shop.
Spread sheets, drawing, plans, detailed

documentation of ideas; all sustained the
years when I could only plan for a future
shop.

3. The Major Considerations
• Environment
– Heating and Air Conditioning
– Management of Noise
– Light Artificial and Natural
– Dust Control
– Electrical Power
– Cleanup facility
– Fire Alarms and Fire Extinguishers

4. Heating and Air Conditioning
 Perhaps the best reason to place a workshop in the
basement is how easy it is to keep the temperatures
constant winter and summer.
 If you have a forced air furnace; it is best to eliminate
return air registers within the shop to isolate dust
from entering the furnace ducts.

5. One of the primary problems comes from the
harmonic vibrations that are set up in sheetrock
when big machinery runs inside the workshop.
You have to dampen the opportunity of those
vibrations to influence the floor joists;
thus, keeping the vibrations within the shop
itself.

6. Sill foam cut into strips and stapled to
the joists and studs before sheetrock is
installed; isolates harmonic vibration

7. Plywood scrap panels placed behind
the sheetrock allows for the hanging of
cabinets and pictures in a solid
medium

8. Placing machines that produce a lot of
noise in enclosures or if possible away
from the shop
Dust Collector in enclosed
Insulated room
Cyclone dust collector

9. An Air Compressor is an ideal device to move to a more remote
location and a solenoid can be used to remotely control it. Here the
compressor is in the garage and the air distributed throughout the
workshop

10. Color temperature of lighting makes a BIG

difference, and is measured in Kelvins (K)
Daylight Fluorescent Lamp or bulbs usually

run 4100 Kelvin.
Temperature Source

1700 K Match flame

1850 K Candle flame

2800–3300 K Incandescent light bulb

3350 K Studio quot;CPquot; light

3400 K Studio lamps, photofloods, etc.

4100 K Moonlight, xenon arc lamp

5000 K Horizon daylight

5500–6000 K Typical daylight, electronic flash

6500 K Daylight, overcast 9300 K CRT screen


11. It is possible with enough lighting to make

the workshop shadow free.
This requires some serious planning and

careful installation.
More is always better when it comes to light


12. Plywood frames inserted between
joists provide a solid base for attaching
light fixtures
Frame

13. Cyclone Dust Collector is the best solution for

managing dust within your shop.
Buy the biggest dust collector you can afford

Use shop Vac by attaching the vacuum to small

power tools like sanders and routers to get
maximum dust pickup.
An overhead dust pickup keeps the air in the

shop much cleaner when using big machines

14. Overhead Dust Filter

15. Shop Vac and Radom Sander
Swimming pool
Hose, PVC
Connector, and
A standard
Reducer attaches
Hose to shop vac

16. Shop VAC Built into Router Table
Router Compartment as seen
From the front of the cabinet
Looking down from top of Router Table, at
Shop VAC and Router Compartment. Bit Drawers

17. Controlling Dust Collector
Infrared remote control
A dust hood on my old The lever on top makes
Remote control
Sears radial arm saw helps It easier to open the blast
Clicker in shop apron
To control sawdust Gate for the radial arm saw
Controls the dust collector

18. Electric Power for Shop
Shop is wired for sound,
Separate Electrical CAT 5 Telecommunications,
Panel just for the shop and Coax Cable
49 Florissant Light Bulbs
9 Can Lights
Four Light Circuits
34 20-amp 110 V Outlets
11 220 volt outlets
Remote control for air
compressor

19. Cleanup
A large deep stainless steel sink in the shop bathroom
provides easy Cleanup for brushes, tools, and hands

21. Access
• Basement Shops usually have a major
drawback - the ability to move large machines
in and out of the space easily and safely.
• Moving equipment around by yourself is
usually difficult.
• The access path is a major consideration.
– Stairs should be reinforced
– An alternate method for heavy items is preferred

22. The Alternate Path
A 4 x 5 foot access shaft
From the garage floor
To the basement, with a
Three ton chain hoist over
The top allows machines
To be lowered from garage
The basement.

23. The stationary Tools
Table Saw, jointer, thickness planner,
drill press, band saw, shaper, router table,
sander
The Cabinets, Storage and Workbenches
Work Organizers and Jigs

24. The Table Saw is the Most Important
Power Tool in My Shop

25. Table Saw Extension Table

26. Stationary Power Tools

27. Additional Features

28. Supply Cabinets
Eleven feet of supply cabinets four
Feet high and fifteen inches deep hold
Screws, bolts, and hardware supplies

29. Extra Tool Storage

30. Storage Cabinets
Every shop ends up with
A fine selection of junk.
Objects that cannot be
Thrown away and must be
Stored. This was my solution
These were completely made
From scraps that I had on hand.
The doors are “entry styled”
Raised Pecan panels.
The plywood cabinets and shelves
Are all scrap wood.

31. Work Bench
The work bench was purchased in Germany. The tool cabinets made in
The shop last year. Saws and squares are stored behind the tool cabinets.

32. Work Bench in Use

33. Sharpening Bench
The sharpening systems include three granite lapping blocks which
Are a bit larger than a full sheet of sandpaper. Normally I use 1,000
6,000 and 9000 grit paper for the scary sharp system. There is a bench
Grinder, buffer, and drill doctor; plus diamond honing stones.

34. Sharpening Bench Features
Sandpaper storage for sheets and Drawers on slides hold a variety
Disks with tear off rules on top of Of small power tools
Storage drawer

35. Hand Tool Storage
The fold out tool cabinets stretch for 11 feet when fully extended

36. The Inside Compartment

37. Standard Hand Tools

38. Charging Station

39. Wood Storage Behind Table Saw
Table saw and wood storage are located in such a manner to provide plenty of room
For cutting large pieces. The wood is stored behind the table saw for easy movement.
Cutoffs are in a cutoff cart; while throw away waste is under table saw table.

40. Clamp Cart
Mobile clamp cart goes to where you are doing the work and rolls out of the way
When not in use. Cart has glue and all gluing accessories.

41. Finishing Room
Air tight room with filtered
Painting bench with Lazy Susan top to turn
incoming air
work while spraying

42. Finish Room Venting
Finish room has filtered incoming air, outside venting, double sheetrock, double filtered
Compressed air, and enclosed lighting.

43. Box Joint Table Saw Sled

44. Table Saw Sleds / Jigs
Table Saw Sled
Picture frame jig
Quick
45 Thin
degree Strip
corner Cutter
cutter

45. Shaper Rail Cutting Jig
Objective
Hold Rail
Down flat
to sled and
tight to
back of
sled
Wedge to
secure rail
to back of
sled

46. Router Jigs
Dado Jig for
Hand held
Plunge
Router
Router Table Fence
Miter
Sled on
router
Table

47. At the end of the day

48. Enclosed Bookcase for woodworking books

and magazines
Glass display case for antique tools

An assembly work bench
