Prior to this relocation, I own a condo. It is fairly small with common underground parking. There was no way for me to do anything in that condo. Now, it is my first opportunity to do something. But since I will be renting, there are other considerations beside my own work space. I don't want to be labeled as a rift-raft by my neighbors or a bad tenant by my landlord. So it is important that I approach my hobby with as much consideration and cleanliness as it is possible.
-Is this possible to keep the garage I am working in fairly clean and not spilling dust over to my neighbors' area?
-Would vacuuming right after working remove most of the dust and powder?
-What other things should I do to minimize the impact of my hobby on the neighbors?
Thank you for all the advices.
You need to be aware that there are different problems to solve, and different ways to avoid them or solve them.
Problem 1: Metal filings. Generally speaking, these tend to fall to the ground quickly, and can be swept up immediately after working without creating a problem for anyone else sharing the space.
Problem 2: Wood Dust. Wood dust tends to float in the air for quite some time and forms a coating on literally everything in the space. This problem cannot be solved by cleaning up afterwards. This problem must be avoided. To avoid it you can install a dust collection system, or take the sanders (including, by the way, any hand sanding you do on wood) outside where the dust is taken away by the breeze.
Problem 3: Stench. If you work with ivory, antler, bone or other animal products, the sanding and shaping of those materials will smell much like burnt flesh or hair. It stinks. Likewise, I am reliably informed that working on many synthetic materials (micarta, G10, et al) creates a different but equally obnoxious odor. This is not the sort of problem that hangs around forever, like dust, but it is one that many people find intolerable. Again, my advice would be take any such work outdoors to avoid the problem of stinking up the work space.
Problem 4: Noise. What we do invariably involves making some noise. Even hand filing a billet of steel can result in ear-shattering squeals and squeaks. Bandsaws and bench grinders make a lot of noise. There really isn't much to be done about that, other than to make sure you time the noise so that it bothers the fewest people. Some methods are noisier than others... if it's really a problem for your neighbors, use the quieter methods.
Problem 5: Fire hazard. Certain types of grinding throw of a lot of hot sparks. Forging, welding, brazing and heat treatment by their very nature mean contact with extreme heat sources. Other knife making processes involve use of potentially flamable substance. In all cases, you need to be cognizant of the fire hazard, and prepare yourself to deal with any problems that arise. Also be advised that others will see the fire hazards as being a lot more serious than you see them, and may object to any activities that they deem unnecessarily risky. I know this because my wife is such a person. Every spark she sees convinces her I will burn the house down. Make sure you are taking ALL precautions against fire. Never do anything that creates sparks or heat near any combustible materials. Keep a fire extinguisher handy.
Problem 6: Chemicals. Apart from the combustibility of chemicals, you also need to be aware of other characteristics that may be problematic. Some give off toxic fumes. Others can have very nasty interactions with one another. You'll need to be able to safely store chemicals and keep tabs on them to insure that there aren't any surprises developing (e.g. stupidly storing acid in a glass container with a metal lid and failing to notice the metal lid has rusted away to nothing due to interaction with the acid).
Having said all that, yes, it is possible to make knives in a shared space. You just have to think through the problems and solve them in advance.
