Grinding in confined spaces.....

[Battle Creek Knives]

just recently moved from the back country to urban America where I live in an HOA and have neighbors, 6 yrs away from people and now I'm smack dab in the middle of it all... I'm a little worried about noise but most of all nosy neighbors peeking in the garage door as they walk by, (there are a lot of active joggers/cyclists in this neighborhood)

anyhow, at the old house I had plenty of room in the shop and I'm kinda hesitant setting up in the garage here, for one I don't have any windows to exhaust out like I did before.. however the PO built an enclosed room outside the garage in the backyard, a shed really but it has a solid roof attached to the house and walls made of dogeared fencing.. room is 8X8 and I was considering using that for my grinder, a press, and my saw.. .it appears enough room and if I added foam insulation board should make it quite cozy and easier to set up ventilation then the garage...

I'd like to add pics to this thread to give you an idea of the area I have to work with when I unpack my camera

anyone work in super confined spaces like that?? seems it would be easier to maintain a good exhaust and overall create less dust... another reason I want to keep my garage clean and set it up for kydex/leather and heat treat..

 

[brettn]

I live in a very similar neighborhood and my shop is half of a two-car garage. I haven't had any problems in the 3 years I've been making knives out there. I try to be considerate of my neighbors and do all of my grinding, cutting, pinning bolsters, etc. during daylight hours. I focus my night time activities on hand sanding, working on handles, leatherwork, etc. Fortunately, my neighbors are all hunters and customers of mine so they don't mind me working out there. I have received some funny looks from walkers/joggers when I'm out there working on Bowies or Chef's knives.

As for dust, I keep a bucket of water under my grinder which picks up the majority of the metal coming off my blades. I sweep up the surrounding area at the end of each day and use a shop vac to pick up whatever didn't make it in the bucket. A respirator is a must and I tend to leave mine on until I have finished sweeping and vacuuming.