UNHEATED WORKSHOP

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leodelion

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2011
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42
Location
howell, mi.
I'm coming here for possible solutions to an everyday problem. My workshop is unheated, and is approximately 500 feet from the house. When I go out there to work, I usually pre-heat the shop with a portable heater. The problem is hauling paints, glues, polishes, etc. back and forth to keep them from freeezing . I was thinking of making a container with a low wattage light bulb in it to keep everything from freezing. Any ideas or suggestions woule be greatly appreciated.:rolleyes:
 
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Sorry guys, I'm new to this pen turning stuff, but I don't understand the problem here... Move the dinning room table to the workshop and the lathe, tools, paints and glues to the dinning room in the warm, toasty house... Oh, and you may have to plan on moving a bed for yourself to the workshop as well, while you are at it...
 
My wife has her sewing machine in the house but says "no" to my lathe and/or scroll saw. I say "What's good for the goose is good for the gander". She still says no so I guess I'll have to put her sewing machines (3 of them) in the unheated garage too. Whadda ya think?
 
Well Dan I'm no expert but I think your playing with fire. If you decide to move the sewing machines you might also look for a safe warm place to sleep. I've asked my wife questions about why things are set up like you just mentioned and why some things are on her time schedule and not mine. She just smiled and said "Because Thats Just The Way It Is".
 
Working construction in winter we had 'hot boxes' that we made from sheet metal and blue foam insulation. A 100 watt bulb would keep caulk tubes warm in 10degrees and would even warm up a can of soup. An old cooler and bulb would be good.

Dave
 
I am going to build an insulated cabinet and use a cabinet heater from Granger or Hoffman Enclosures to maintain the inside temperature at 50° to 65°. Since I will be keeping CA glue and some other things in the cabinet I am planning on building the outside of the cabinet with 5/8 fire resistant sheet rock to prevent an disasters.
 
dankc908 said:
My wife has her sewing machine in the house but says "no" to my lathe and/or scroll saw. I say "What's good for the goose is good for the gander". She still says no so I guess I'll have to put her sewing machines (3 of them) in the unheated garage too. Whadda ya think?
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Boy, do I want to know how this ends up.
 
If you are going to use any type of container with a light bulb, install 2 smaller wattage bulbs rather than one bigger one. That way if one should burn out, the other will heat enough to keep your materials from freezing. A lot of people up North keep there well houses or cabin water supplys from freezing up using this method. Jim S

Note. We have good news, and we have bad news !!! The edge of the cliff is in site, but we aren't going over it !!!
 
jimm1 said:
dankc908 said:
My wife has her sewing machine in the house but says "no" to my lathe and/or scroll saw. I say "What's good for the goose is good for the gander". She still says no so I guess I'll have to put her sewing machines (3 of them) in the unheated garage too. Whadda ya think?
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Boy, do I want to know how this ends up.
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I will take a shot in the dark and say the answer is "TROUBLE".

I would like to see the completed hot box, my dad has one in his seamless gutter trailer for touchup paint, and I need one in my shop
 
plantman said:
If you are going to use any type of container with a light bulb, install 2 smaller wattage bulbs rather than one bigger one. That way if one should burn out, the other will heat enough to keep your materials from freezing. A lot of people up North keep their well houses or cabin water supplys from freezing up using this method. Jim S
Note. We have good news, and we have bad news !!! The edge of the cliff is in site, but we aren't going over it !!!
Click to expand...

:usflag: I quess I will have to retract my note !! I believed in the media for the news, and the Goverment to do their elected jobs !!!! Remember this moment in two years, come election time, you will have the chance to return the faver to those who desided not to act on this bill and raise your tax bill !!!!!!!! Jim S
 
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Thanks one and all for your suggestions. I'll be trying something next week and will keep in touch. Happy and a Blessed New Year to everyone!:laugh:
 
jimm1 said:
dankc908 said:
My wife has her sewing machine in the house but says "no" to my lathe and/or scroll saw. I say "What's good for the goose is good for the gander". She still says no so I guess I'll have to put her sewing machines (3 of them) in the unheated garage too. Whadda ya think?
Click to expand...


Boy, do I want to know how this ends up.
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Since her sewing cabinet is over 6' tall and weighs over 300# and she won't help move it things will have to remain as they are. When I showed her this thread she just laughed. However, adding on to the garage and installing heat and A/C has moved up to the top of the "next big project" list so the problem will get solved when we can put the money together. She's really good natured about my hobby. When my first lathe burned out the controller board I asked if I should "repair or replace" and her answer was "do both - you can always use a backup". I now have a lathe dedicated to buffing. I was going to dedicate it to drilling but the old lathe can only go down to 650 rpm while the newer JET can go down to 200 rpm which is much better for some of the materials I need drilled.

Dan
 
Slightly different topic, but the best heater I have found for the shop is one of those oil filled radiators with a box fan behind it. Absolutely NOTHING to ignite flammable fumes.
 
sbwertz said:
Slightly different topic, but the best heater I have found for the shop is one of those oil filled radiators with a box fan behind it. Absolutely NOTHING to ignite flammable fumes.
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They work well but it always seemed to me they take forever to start heating.
 
Yeah, I go out first thing in the morning, before breakfast, and turn on the radiator and the fan, then when I go out later it is all toasty! My shop is well insulated, and we don't get really cold weather here, so I keep it turned pretty low and turn it off about mid day.

Smitty37 said:
sbwertz said:
Slightly different topic, but the best heater I have found for the shop is one of those oil filled radiators with a box fan behind it. Absolutely NOTHING to ignite flammable fumes.
Click to expand...
They work well but it always seemed to me they take forever to start heating.
Click to expand...
 
sbwertz said:
Slightly different topic, but the best heater I have found for the shop is one of those oil filled radiators with a box fan behind it. Absolutely NOTHING to ignite flammable fumes.
Click to expand...

I haven't thought about the fan behind the heater... I use one of the oil radiators to heat my shop... it's a tin skinned building with peg board over the studs on the inside, but no insulation in the walls... on really cold days, I'll set the radiator close to me at the lathe so I get benefit of what heat they do put out... I can work if I can get the shop up to about 50 deg... at least until my feet get cold, then I have to stop when it gets to where I can't feel my toes...
 
Without getting to off topic or straying too much, these heater boxes seem like they can be designed to double for kilns in the summer for drying wood. I have always wanted to build one and there are many plans online about using an old freezer fridge with a light bulb to do that. Might help justify building one of these, if you really need an excuse.
 
dankc908 said:
My wife has her sewing machine in the house but says "no" to my lathe and/or scroll saw. I say "What's good for the goose is good for the gander". She still says no so I guess I'll have to put her sewing machines (3 of them) in the unheated garage too. Whadda ya think?
Click to expand...

I like this idea. Wonder how far I would get carrying one machine???? :eek:
 
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