Agree with Bill about the work stand, but the chains sound like a good idea. Rather than padding with rag, I use some pieces of foam pipe insulation that fits over chains. My chains are for security but the principle is the same. You are lucky having a cellar, I'd love to have one. At present I would have to dig my way through snow to get to my frozen bike workshop (a detached garage). It's also more secure and easy to just pop down to do a few minutes work between other jobs. Hope it works out well for you.