Compensation for Cold Weather?

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JDPens

JDPens

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Joined
Sep 24, 2006
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226
Location
Eads, Tennessee, USA.
Hey Y'all,

I had a <s>couple of</s> several questions about your shop in general.

How do you turn when it's 20-30 some degrees outside?
What do you use for heat in your shop, especially small shops?
Do you turn at all?
What if you get an order?
Is there some way to prevent the blanks from blowing out because they're too cold?

That'll do to start with :D;)
Thanks,
 
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Josh,

I live in Atlanta and we get pretty cold here especially nights. My shop is about 12X17 with 8 foot ceilings. The walls are cinder block and the roof is tin. My attic crawl space is insulated. Giving you that background, I am able to keep my shop tolerable using a small electric heater with fan running on medium pretty much 24/7. This keeps it at no less than 45 degrees out there at any given moment and at the coldest point. I have a 2nd and much larger electric heater that I go out and kick on about an hour before I am ready to work in the shop. This gives me somethng around 60 degrees or better when I am ready to start work. The small unit is only about 8"X8"X5" and burns very little electric, maybe 5 or 6 dollars per month.
 
Heck Josh, I am just down the road from you...it's not cold just a figmint of your imagination [:)]

OK, seriously, I have an oil filled electric heater that I leave running in the shop 24/7,
it is about enough to keep the chill, keeps everything from freezing up easily,
then when it gets down in the 20's like now, a kerosene heater for about an hour and I start shedding the outer layers.
 
Josh,

I insulated my shop when I enclosed from the rest of the garage. I have what amounts to a three car garage with a two car lift door and a shop door on the other side. When I moved in, I put up a wall and new ceiling to keep my heating and cooling costs down. I have a window unit a/c I use in the summer, and a propane heater with a thermostat. It would turn the shop into a sauna if I cranked it up. IMHO, insulation is the key.
 
Thanks for the information, I think I should expand upon our shop a little bit. I'm not sure these ideas would work, it might be too close quarters.

Our shop has evolved from the left-hand side of our storage shed (10'x12') Therefore, our entire shop is approximately 10'x6'.

While I do agree that kerosene and propane heaters work great, IMO our space is really too small to safely operate them. We currently have a small ceramic heater on the workbench behind the lathe and I've rigged up a latch so the doors can be held mostly shut from the inside. [8D]
The heater works all right for your top half as long as you're turning, but if you step away from directly in front of the heater it can get cold enough to have numb your hands. Not to mention it doesn't do anything for the bottom half and nobody likes cold toes. [:D]

We also have a 15 amp limit on our power supply, this includes running the lathe and light at the same time as the heater. [:(]
Also, while insulation would be nice, there isn't any, nor is it an option.

Now, what you would suggest? (not that there's anything wrong with the above suggestions [;)])

Here's a couple of pics of our shop for visual reference:
<b>Image Insert:</b><br />
200712731520_Shop%20Right%20Side.jpg
<br />
And:
<b>Image Insert:</b><br />
200712731555_Shop%20Left%20Side.jpg
<br />
The heater is now located directly under where the fan is currently sitting in the above pic.

Thanks,
 
How about this
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product2_6970_211577_211577

I have one that we use when we go camping. I used to use it to heat my turning room (about 8x12) before I got my shop. It shuts off if you tip it over and it has a low oxygen sensor that will cause it to shut off.
 
Mr. Buddy heaters (check google) are safe for indoor use and run off propane. But I am curious why insulation is "not an option" It may take a little bit, but I don't see why it's not. IMHO, do a little at a time, and you could put up some thin ply material on the inside. Is there a reason you "can't" insulate? When looking at propane & kerosene heaters keep in mind there are some that can be used indoors and there are some that should not. The one I listed is used a lot by campers and is probably the safest.

Oh, and if you plan to use electric, pony up a little more for one of the oil filled radiator type heaters. (they look like the old fashioned steam radiators) These heat oil inside and work much like a hot water system in the house. I have one I use to use in a pop-up camper. We had it turning on and off keeping the camper perfectly warm on a 20 degree night in Northern Maine. (keep in mind, this was a pop-up with all the canvas!)
 
Josh
I am also in a small shop. 10x12 storage shed converted into a shop. I also run an oil filled electric heater. I can work in the shop during the winter except will temp fall before 20's. Then it's paperwork for me.
 
We've only got 6 months left in this house before I transfer, and with all the other projects needed to get the house ready to sell, I don't have time (or energy) to insulate the shop [B)]. I've had the boys bring any blanks they want to turn into the house for a couple days so they warm up before turning. I'm reluctant to put a kerosene heater into such a small enclosed space, but like the idea of the oil filled electric.
 
I live a couple of hours south of bnoles. There's a big difference in weather between North Atlanta and Macon, where I live. My shop is 16x14. When I built it 2 years ago I really insulated it really well, including a "box" ventilation system that I designed for the space above the dropped ceiling. My problem isn't the cold ... it's the heat. I have a built-in ac and small ventless gas heater. So far I haven't had to turn on the heater or ac. It's pretty comfortable down there year round. On those few days when it is "cold" in the shop I'm afraid to turn on the gas space heater ... too much sawdust and woodshavings in the air.
I feel a little guilty even responding ... "cold" is relative. In Macon that means the lowest monthly average temperature is 34 degrees ... January. But, I'm from Northwest PA ... I faintly remember what "real cold" feels like. [:)]
 
I have a gas space heater in my shop and it keeps the shop just warm enough to work in as long as the lows don't get below 15 degrees and the highs make it to 30 or better. With the cold we've had the last two weeks it just barely keeps the shop warm enough not to ruin my chemicals. So no turning for me. It even put the shop reorg on hold. Warmer temps coming next week... so they tell me... and I'm hoping to get back to work. I guess I should use the break to do my taxes, but I've been lazy lately.[:D]
 
Although us Floridians brag a lot about the weather (it is our greatest natural resource here) it does get cold here in the panhandle. Now I will admit that compared to most of you this is not cold, but it is too cold to be comfortable in my shorts and t-shirt in the shop and that is all I own (not really, but you get the idea). When I built my Taj-Mahal of shops a few years ago I put in heat and AC. It runs year round, not just for temp but also to keep the humidity level. I understand your reasons for not wanting to spend any time money insulating but your only other choice is to heat it with gas or propane.

We have a propane heater designed for patio use that I used in the old shop, now we actually use it on the porch some nights if we want to eat out there in colder weather. Collects dust most of time, but it heats well and safely.

Heating the shop is not just for comfort. Steel and cast iron can behave very weirdly in cold weather. It can get brittle a lot quicker than you think. Heating a shop is just plain safety, and not just when you go out there. It needs to be warmed some in advance. Small electirc heaters knock to edge off when you aren't there and propane can take over when you are out there watching. Do be careful with fumes, keep some outside air flowing in if you use gas of any type and also a CO detector.
 
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