unheated workshops


Glen Bridges

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I need some advice. I live in Michigan and its getting cold. tis the season. last year the couple of projects I tried ended bad. My first project was a cutting board. I glued the boards together in my shop, because of the cold weather I thought I was being smart by taking my glued and clamped project in the house so the glue can dry. well the wood acclimatized and the boards warped and twisted!!!!

 

I have turbo heaters I can use while I'm in the shop but I cant leave them running 24/7. !st I don't think its safe plus I work 12 hour days, and the tanks only last about 4 hours. not to mention kerosene is very expensive.  So I'm looking for advice on how can I keep working all winter long. During the winter should I avoid projects that require glue? 

My next project will probably be a porch glider are there any precautions I need to take as I work with on this project.

 

Any advice on working in an unheated workshop would be greatly appreciated. I need to know the do's and don'ts.

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Glue has a chalk temp. Your wood needs to be acclimated as you found. If you can store the wood and glues in someplace like a laundry room you will be ahead of the game. There is always a dry box option if you have the space. A dry box is nothing more than a box with fans and a heat source. Light bulbs will work in a small box or cadet or baseboard heaters in a much larger box. 

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I don't know if this is the best answer or not, but I had the same problem with the same kind of project - cutting board.  So I scrapped the bent board and when I cut pieces for the next one I brought the unglued pieces into the house and let them acclimate for a couple weeks.  they warped a bit but then settled and straightened out fairly well. then I used the space heater to warm up the shop (in my case, garage), brought the pieces back in and glued them up, then brought the glued up board back into the house.  That seemed to do the trick, though it was also very time consuming for this kind of project.  not sure what else to do though, I am in the same boat as you (not as cold as MI tho)

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Glue has a chalk temp. Your wood needs to be acclimated as you found. If you can store the wood and glues in someplace like a laundry room you will be ahead of the game. There is always a dry box option if you have the space. A dry box is nothing more than a box with fans and a heat source. Light bulbs will work in a small box or cadet or baseboard heaters in a much larger box. 

clever idea!

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I have a similar situation. I have a tube heater in my shop but it is a barn and, as they say in these parts, "It has gaps big enough to throw a cat through."

I only run the heater while I'm actively working or it would cost a bundle in propane.

I avoid glue-ups, finishing, and storing my wet-stones in the shop, but I still get all the other stuff done.

 

For close up personal comfort I use a tent heater like the Mr. Heater Buddy placed very close by:

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F232000-Indoor-Safe-Portable/dp/B002G51BZU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416245173&sr=8-1&keywords=buddy+tent+heater+for+camping

 

I don't find that my wood moves when I bring it in from outside to do a glue up, but it is very dry here most of the time.

The only thing I can suggest is that you let your component pieces come up to temp before the glue-up.

Or perhaps bring it up to temp in stages.

 

Dave

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Get your self a dehumidifier. I've been running a large 70 pint ($250) in my shop  year round for about 8 years now, and it keeps the shop humidity constant, unless I leave the garage door open. The heater is probably whats causing the problem, as they dump a huge amount of moisture into the air when running (a by product of the combustion).

 

 

Also store your glue (and finishes) in the house if you can.

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Hi Glenn - sorry to see you had troubles with your project.  Can you describe your workshop - is it a shed?  garage?  barn? (with "gaps big enough to throw a cat through"?  Haha - never heard of that).  Just wondering....might be worthwhile to think about how to insulate it and make it a little more agreeable to even just a little heating during project assembly time.

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Get your self a dehumidifier. I've been running a large 70 pint ($250) in my shop  year round for about 8 years now, and it keeps the shop humidity constant, unless I leave the garage door open. The heater is probably whats causing the problem, as they dump a huge amount of moisture into the air when running (a by product of the combustion).

 

 

Also store your glue (and finishes) in the house if you can.

Good point.  I use an electric heater and don't seem to have the same issue as the OP.

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I need some advice. I live in Michigan and its getting cold. tis the season. last year the couple of projects I tried ended bad. My first project was a cutting board. I glued the boards together in my shop, because of the cold weather I thought I was being smart by taking my glued and clamped project in the house so the glue can dry. well the wood acclimatized and the boards warped and twisted!!!!

 

I have turbo heaters I can use while I'm in the shop but I cant leave them running 24/7. !st I don't think its safe plus I work 12 hour days, and the tanks only last about 4 hours. not to mention kerosene is very expensive.  So I'm looking for advice on how can I keep working all winter long. During the winter should I avoid projects that require glue? 

My next project will probably be a porch glider are there any precautions I need to take as I work with on this project.

 

Any advice on working in an unheated workshop would be greatly appreciated. I need to know the do's and don'ts.

Some good advice on here about this situation. I'd just add a few things...

1. Be careful using any combustion heater while in the shop. I'm not talking about the fire hazard, either. Many (most?) combustion heaters require that you keep some kind of door/window open to provide fresh air. CO exposure is a real concern, even with a kerosene heater. I know this one from experience. You'll feel sick and can get out well before it kills you, but you will feel like crap for days.

2. Consider also getting a cheap humidity meter, which is the best way to ensure that you are humidifying or dehumidifying as well as possible. Winter air tends to be much drier and will suck your lumber dry, although your combustion heat will add moisture too. Hard to tell what you've got unless you measure it, though.

3. Last, I wouldn't glue anything in the cold. I'd suggest bringing any project wood inside for a couple of days, and do your gluing there too. From there, I'd do everything I possibly could to avoid bringing the project back into the warm and cold cycles of the shop...

4. Is your shop big? Any chance your could just install a window AC/heat unit to give you better year-round control?

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I have an old oil electric heater similar to this: 

 

http://amzn.com/B000TGDGLU

 

It takes forever to get my two car garage up to temp. with it running at 600w (doesn't work on high anymore, 1500w), and only costs around a $1/day if I leave it on constantly, which I usually do.  But if I need to boost the temp. some I use this (I don't trust it to leave unattended though):

 

http://amzn.com/B0000BYC61

 

However these are useless if your space isn't insulated.  They'll never keep up with the heat leak, and neither will your wallet.

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My shop is my two car garage. The wall are insulated. I do keep the garage well ventilated. I like the humidity meter idea.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Well it would work then.  My electric bills are about $50/month than usual.  I'm paying 6.37 cents per kWh.  However, I have multiple electric space heaters.

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Looking at solar panel or panels to run a 1500w heater. I have an alternative purpose for this idea because at some point I want to go off grid with my power. But that is another story for another time.

 

Post a thread about it with info when you get it. I'd love to keep the shop above freezing in the winter.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Do you have the ability to get natural gas to the garage? My shop is in a 3-car garage and I use an Enerco HS25NG high-intensity infrared heater. It's a 25,000 BTU unit (there's a propane version as well).

 

I was able to pipe the NG up from the basement with help from a HVAC friend. I'm in Utah and can keep the garage at 65 degrees. I've insulated the doors and ceiling, but not the outer walls. You can see my setup on TWW ( http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/shop-tours/tims-workshop/ ) The unit cycles often when cold, but I haven't noticed any spike in our NG bill. If I could afford it, I would insulation the walls and add 6" more to the current 6" in the ceiling, plus add a second Enerco! (I piped it with that in mind)

 

BTW: The lowest setting on the supplied thermostat will keep the garage at about 55 degrees. You can also get low-temp thermostats to go to 40 or so degrees.

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