How Do you really

[phillywood]

Well, I like to ask that now that the weather is cold and most shops we set up are cold, how long do you really take to prepare the shop to a comfortable temp., and what's the way you do it to warm up the shop, tools and your supplies before you can even touch the cold tools or know that your chemicals would work?
Please, don't say 10 min. before you are on the lathe and turning we all know that unless on the equator it is not happening, not even in S. Texas which today was 28 degrees in the morning and it won't get up to maybe high of 39 degrees.
Thank you in advance for looking and your responses.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

We keep our shop heated 24/7, so I can't say 10 minutes but I can say instantly! :biggrin:

 

[ashaw]

My shop is how heated and air condition year round. But last year it took 60 minutes before I could turn. Plus all of my supplies had to be stored in the house.

 

[snyiper]

I keep most cold affected glues and such in the house in a small box. I go out hit the salamander let it run about 5 min shop is comfortable 50 degrees I turn on a aux electric heater by the lathe and fire up salamander as needed. I have some 220 baseboard I want to install to see if it will keep the chill off...Next thought is a pellet stove.

 

[TBCbushings]

30-45 mins for me if it is cold..I use a wood stove to heat the shop in the winter...Made the stove myself as well....
Brian

 

[Displaced Canadian]

I open the door from the house to the garage for about 20 min and keep my glue and lathe near the door then suit up. If the weather is below or near freezing it takes a pretty good reason to get me out there. So from I need to make a pen to starting on the actual pen about 30 min. My next project is to insulate the garage door.

 

[manatee]

I have heat and air but I turn the heat down at night to about 60 to save electricity. It only takes 30-45 minutes to get back up to 70.

 

[hunter-27]

Well, I like to ask that now that the weather is cold and most shops we set up are cold, how long do you really take to prepare the shop to a comfortable temp., and what's the way you do it to warm up the shop, tools and your supplies before you can even touch the cold tools or know that your chemicals would work?
Please, don't say 10 min. before you are on the lathe and turning we all know that unless on the equator it is not happening, not even in S. Texas which today was 28 degrees in the morning and it won't get up to maybe high of 39 degrees.
Thank you in advance for looking and your responses.

Was -15 here this morning, high so far of +7, my shop is kept at 60 all the time, costs me plenty but I make sacrifices elsewhere in winter to afford it.

 

[ctubbs]

If you ever worked construction, you would know that the 'heat' is in the tools. "Boy, get hold of that (insert tool name here) and get to work!"
See? No time needed to heat the shop at all.:wink::biggrin::biggrin:
Charles

 

[mredburn]

I believe we dipped down towards the 50's last night. I did take the time to enjoy my coffee before venturing into the shop and going to work. Didnt have to heat the shop just me. I do leave the door between the workshop and the house open. My house is built from ICF so everything is insulated, house, shop, garage, even the garage doors are insulated. I have spray foam insulation on the underside of the entire roof.

 

[ThomJ]

Shop door is open to the kitchen 24/7, its stays 64 in the shop 24/7, there is a vented heater in the shop, plus what it gets from the house.
I spent too many years working outside, I'm going out warm this time

 

[Perl]

I recently learned that my new Rikon lathe will not even turn on at all until it warms up. My shop here in Alabama is in an insulated garage but during the recent 20 degree weather outside the ole workshop has gotten a little chilly, but no where near freezing (32) probably 50 degrees or so. The manufacture told me that some sort of gel transistor switch?!?!!? in the motor can cause this. Oh well, live and learn!!

 

[WHartman]

I have small ceramic heaters.. takes about 40 minutes. I have the same problem with my Rikon lathe, so I have one heater directed towards it. Once the temp gets to 40 Im good to go...

Its all in the layers...

 

[workinforwood]

It was 20 here with a windchill taking us down to 10..that's our high temp. 39 sounds real nice.

I have a pretty big shop, it's 32x40. It has 6" thick insulated walls, 10" of insulation in the rafters..wish I had a bit more up there, but that's not bad since it's blown insulation, and I have insulated doors. I run an electric heater which keeps the heat between 55-65 depending on just how cold it is outside. When I go into the shop I kick on the hot dawg ceiling mounted propane furnace and she blows me up to 68 in just a couple minutes. With the lights on and the electric furnace running, the gas furnace might only kick on twice in 8 hrs. I do not see why I should suffer the cold...just like in the summer time, then I turn on the A/C. I also have a 5' tall coke fridge and satellite television to keep me company.

 

[srf1114]

Havent been in the shop since it turned cold .

Need to insulate and figure out a heating solution. Most of the cold affected items are stored in the house for the winter.

How will cold affect ink refills? Roller ball refils are water based arent they? what about ballpoint refills? I know there oil based, but it still cant be good for them.

 

[skiprat]

........ My next project is to insulate the garage door.

LOL, I measured up for mine today:biggrin:
I was gonna wait for a bit of global warming, but I'm beginning to think that it's a myth:biggrin:

 

[madwood]

I use a combination of a salamander and wood stove. When I enter the shop, I kick the salamander on while I get the stove cookin. Usually takes an hr or so to get the stove good and hot, but I turn off the salamander when it gets to about 50 deg or so (thermostatically controlled). Days like today...20 deg outside with wind and snow, it takes about 2 hrs to keep the shop at 60 deg or so.

John

 

[witz1976]

My "shop" is in the basement of the house...so it never gets below 50. I have a small oil radiator near the lathe so in 10 - 15 mins it is warm enough to work.

 

[phillywood]

Guys, and ladies thank you for your input. I was wondering about that. Now, granted that in San Antonio we don't get this cold very much, but this year we are enjoying little cold in the morning and by noon it's back to 60's. But as you noticed Doc(Wizard) gets in the shop 4:30-6:00 AM, and I am hoping that he shares his secret as how he beats the cold in Houston. they are like us Humid and Hot summers and in the winter it can get crazy like this. I have to make my way back to the shop since I am finally getting over the back and neck pain (just about time, everyone is waiting for me to post soem pic. of some pen, so they know I am for real :tongue).
Now, I am going to reveal my secret but you guys have to promise me not to shoot me. OK, in my situation, when I bought my house it was a model home and in my garage they had the sales office ( you know how sissy s. Texas real estate agents are, they can not sweat) so for this they had a separate A/C and heating unit so I got that, but I haven't been using it, since the garage was mostly for storage. Now that I am inheriting the garage back to have my shop set up i can reuse the unit, but have to have it checked out to make sure everything is in working condition. I also have two nice windows that open up to the morning sun in the summer or when I needed it to. So, the only thing is I have to get off my hinds and get going with it. (now you know my secret)
Overall, I appreciate your input and I am sure the ones who read it can get some idea as for how to set up their shop.
Now, those of you like Landon who live in places that get really snowed in, I feel for you guys and when you guys pay high cost of the heating oil or propane or how ever you heat up the shop just know that I have to pay double amount of Electricity to keep the house and the garage heated or cooled to feed my addiction.
The only thing is that they don't have AA meeting to kick the bad habit of pen making out, it is just a healthy habit that the longer you are in it the costlier it gets. :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

 

[aggromere]

I live in Florida so cold is hardly ever an issue. However, if it is cold I have a small heater that I set up on my workbench near where my CA is sitting to warm it up a little before I use it.

 

[Sylvanite]

Well, this morning when I went out to my shop, I fired up the salamander (210,000 BTU/hr) and its thermostat read 23 degrees. I didn't wait at all, but went right to work on an order. When the temp read 55 degrees, I shut it off and didn't run it again until after lunch.

Regards,
Eric

 

[phillywood]

Well, this morning when I went out to my shop, I fired up the salamander (210,000 BTU/hr) and its thermostat read 23 degrees. I didn't wait at all, but went right to work on an order. When the temp read 55 degrees, I shut it off and didn't run it again until after lunch.

Regards,
Eric

Eric, I just googoled Salamander heater and that looks like the ones those big mechanic shops use? well, My wife went to NC State and she says that in NC you guys do get nasty cold wather, so I am with you.
I wonder if that would be better for those cold days in my shop instead of running the central heat what do you think?

 

[Mark]

I keep my shop area heated/cooled 24/7. It's always calling to me. "Come and play, come and play".

 

[LEAP]

I keep the shop heated to 45 degrees al the time then turn it up to 65 that takes about a half hour or just enough time to brew a pot of coffee and have a cup. one end of the shop is not insulated but it is seperated by a door. That is where the compressor and dust collector are located. when I kick on the dust collector that area slowly comes up to a comfortable temp.

 

[lorbay]

Well, I like to ask that now that the weather is cold and most shops we set up are cold, how long do you really take to prepare the shop to a comfortable temp., and what's the way you do it to warm up the shop, tools and your supplies before you can even touch the cold tools or know that your chemicals would work?
Please, don't say 10 min. before you are on the lathe and turning we all know that unless on the equator it is not happening, not even in S. Texas which today was 28 degrees in the morning and it won't get up to maybe high of 39 degrees.
Thank you in advance for looking and your responses.

Man you live in Tx, I thought it was always warm in Tx.??:biggrin:
My shop is detached from the house, it is well insulated and all I use is one of those 4500 watt heaters from H/Depot leave it set to little above min and it keeps the shop around 55 to 60.

Lin.

 

[holmqer]

In my attached garage which is where I have my shop, I installed insulation in the walls and insulated the doors.

With this setup, I use an 1800 watt oil immersion heater next to the lathe on a timer that comes on for a few hours in the morning and evening. I combine this with a heated floor mat (135 watts)in front of the lathe. Even when it is 0F outside this ensures that the shop no colder than 50F assuming I minimize open time on the garage doors.

Even at 50F when I am standing on a heated mat that keeps my feet cozy warm, I feel fine. The other day once I started working out there, body heat and motors running got the temperature up to 60 when it was 18F outside.

 

[phillywood]

Man you live in Tx, I thought it was always warm in Tx.??:biggrin:
My shop is detached from the house, it is well insulated and all I use is one of those 4500 watt heaters from H/Depot leave it set to little above min and it keeps the shop around 55 to 60.

Lin.[/quote]
Lin, I do live her eand after about 35 years your bones start acting that they can only tlerate certain temp.. I bet if yo get one of s. Texans up ther at your neck of the woods we'll freez to an aicles before we can take one step. :biggrin::biggrin:

 

[DRondeau]

It might take 10 to 15 minutes. 52 deg. At 5:00 programable therm. kicks it to 68 deg. Nice and warm when i get there before 5:30A.M.

Dave
Michigan

 

[bking0217]

My lathe is in my bedroom. Nice and warm.

 

[phillywood]

My lathe is in my bedroom. Nice and warm.

That's an interesting one didn't think someone would sleep with their lathe.:biggrin: do you dress it up when not in use to stimulate your creativeness?