Ken Wilsbach Posted March 2, 2012 Report Share Posted March 2, 2012 i'm sure there are a number of people with a similar situation. I don't have room in the house for the tools or wood. I do have a garage though, with ample room. However, it isn't heated, nor it is insulated, and it's detached. while it has some sort of ancient composite boarding up, the temperature is pretty much what it is outside... humidity is probably more or less the same as well. I really don't have the ability, time, or budget to renovate the garage... believe me, i thought about it! removing the composite and covering the place with insulation and drywall/plywood and installing some sort of electrical or wood heat source. the simple fact of the matter is... the costs of doing that are prohibitive, and would result in a finished garage and no tools to actually begin working. I live out by philadelphia, so our temps are all over the place... especially right now. What are people, in the same situation, doing to prevent their wood from becoming useless through the temp and humidity swings? i suppose it makes sense to purchase only what i need, wood wise, and store it in the house between sessions in the shop area? That doesnt entirely fit with my vision of having wood available to me to "just start working" on something i feel like working on. and like i said, storing a large amount in the basement is really out of the question. what is my working reality? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kep1019 Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Are you doing your actual woodworking in the house or in the same garage. I work in a garage similar to what you described and honestly it hasnt been an issue for me I mill the boards when I start a project and and just build. I use kiln dried wood so that may help some. If I was going to be in conditioned space then moving from outside to inside would be much more of an issue and you would have to wait for the wood to accumlate. If not being able to do the milling is the issue I dont think it matters where the wood is stored you will have to flatten it for proir to working. I live in IL so temps and humidity flucuate constently. Couldnt find the spell checker button so please excuse the errors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Wilsbach Posted March 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Are you doing your actual woodworking in the house or in the same garage. I work in a garage similar to what you described and honestly it hasnt been an issue for me I mill the boards when I start a project and and just build. I use kiln dried wood so that may help some. If I was going to be in conditioned space then moving from outside to inside would be much more of an issue and you would have to wait for the wood to accumlate. If not being able to do the milling is the issue I dont think it matters where the wood is stored you will have to flatten it for proir to working. I live in IL so temps and humidity flucuate constently. Couldnt find the spell checker button so please excuse the errors. storing and working outside. projects would obviously make their home within the house. do you take into account wood movement when building? been reading a lot about allowing some room for the joints and pieces to move under seasonal changes. I suppose it's not as big of a deal if furniture is inside all the time since it will remain relatively the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kep1019 Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 This isnt expert advice I'm trying to give just what I have seen in my situation. The wood is going to move that is a given, now as far as allowing for it in the joinery, for me it really depends on the joint and width or the boards. For example a mortise and tenon can be left a little loose in the winter and tight in the summer. dovetails I do tight all the time but for drawer sides I dont size them from the top to the bottom of the opening so they are free to move and most of the time all parts from the same board and mostly move together. Biggest movement I have seen was on a soft maple top with breadboard ends it moves a lot within the breadboard so it is noticable but remains flat. Thats what they say about those is they are perfect 2 times a year. I'm just a hobbiest and completely self taught never even had a class, and I know there are threads and tables and all kinds of scientific analysis on how much this or that moves but honestly it has only bitten me once, on a set of doors where the panels where still wet and cupped big time. But with starting with already kiln dried wood for what I have built it hasnt been an issue. I finish both sides of everything I can get to so that may have some effect too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trad4life Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Hi - I work out of an unheated old drafty damp barn, also the same place where my lumber is stored. I bring wood inside to do glue-ups for temperature reasons but other then that everything gets done outside in the cold. The furniture definitely shrinks and moves when I bring it inside and the wood stove cooks the moisture out of it... Hopefully, I've accounted for the wood movement as best I can. Working reality is keep woodworking and let the wood do what it wants to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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