Hi all,
I'm planning to move from Nebraska to Texas in the near future and have a couple of questions about heat and humidity in the shop. First, are there special precautions or maintenance regimens to protect machinery? How does one handle wood movement if furniture is constructed in a shop without air conditioning and then moved to the air conditioned home where it will live?
Thanks in advance...
Mike Lester
You're in for a big surprise ... starting with the fact that Texas is so big as to make answering your question futile without you being more specific as _where_ in the Texas?
I live in Houston and basically do not worry with wood movement. Humidity varies from about 35% when it is reeeeeel dry to 100% . No problems moving from the open shop to a controlled encironment. I use TopCote a couple of times a year on the iron surfaces and have no rust.
That said there are parts of Texas that are only 300 miles south of Nebraska and parts of Texas are way farther south than the "Deep South" slightly north of the Keys in Florida.
It does make it kinda hard to tell. I'm in southeast texas 30 miles from the gulf and 70 miles east of Houston. I really can't say I have problems with wood movement. I can tell you you need to invest in a can of topcoat or a can of Johnson's wax for your cast iron.
Is it raining at your house too?
There are two types of air conditioning in Texas. On the gulf coast, the humidity can get a bit high, so conventional A/C is used. In central Texas, west Texas and the panhandle, the humidity is sufficiently low to use a "swamp cooler" that blows air over watersoaked fiber mats. It seldom freezes south of Huntsville, but ice and snow can be found on I35 around the Red river and going north into OK. If you get into Dalhart in the Texas panhandle, it can be a might brisk at 10-16 degrees in the winter. Now, which of the 254 counties in Texas will be your new destination?
Just for the past month ... the shop is like a steam bath during the day. It's tolerable if I can keep it open, but if I have to close it to go somewhere (which is ten times a day here lately), by the time I get back, forget about it.
Yep... I was in Snyder, up in Scurry County, a few weeks back and one evening it got plumb brisk for June. Got a blast-from-the-past in how the folks greet you ... Welcome to Scurry County", not "Welcome to Snyder" ... as in most of them live out on the wide open spaces thereabouts, far removed from the town.
And what a great drive ... 290 from Houston to Brenham, then 36, ALL the way to Abilene. Heart O' Texas drive, for sure.
Saw a still functioning drive-in movie outside of Gatesville, and you'll find that Hamilton, it not one of the prettiest, is still one of those old fashion towns that looks like Texas used to look before freeways and absentee land ownership.
It was most definitely a pause from city life that refreshed.
Here in Austin, ice on the roads can be a problem. But the last couple years, not much ice. Texas has five seasons; Dec. & Jan. winter Feb. Mar. April, spring May & June are summer July & August is super summer Sept. & Oct. back to summer Nov. is fall
Yes us too although we have not had many inches as the rest of the city . I suspect 5-6" this month.
Mike,
I depends on where in Texas you are moving to. I live in the DFW metro, and I don't have AC in my garage/shop.
I don't have any problems with my tools rusting. Basically wax the iron a couple times a year - thats all I do and I don't have rust. East Texas (east of what I call 'the pine tree line') gets more rain, but I don't think its significantly more humid (but I don't live there so I may be wrong - ask one who lives there). The gulf coast is more humid on average, but again, I don't think its more of a problem then any other costal area. West Texas is very dry so you don't have any worries there. Again, I speak for DFW only though.
AC does dry the air inside, but most of Texas is pretty dry anyway so the difference is a few percent. Second, the weather changes so fast that the impact of a humid spring followed by a dry summer is minimized to a certain extent. We don't have long months of humidity followed by long months of dryness - its much more dynamic.
Hot, you bet. In DFW we have had a humid spell, but its between hot and dry spells. In fact, we have a heat advisory in effect for the next several days. Dry and highs in the upper 90's/lower 100's.
I tell everyone that like the North, Texas has 3 tough months. Not Jan/Feb/Mar but instead June/July/Aug. I work in the shop pretty much year 'round, but in those 3 summer months, its early in the morning or late at night - whichever the kids decide is better for them :) That said 95 degrees is my limit so little gets done :( until it cools off for real in late Sept. Its rarely below 35 in the winter so I work anytime I like then.
Finally I'll say this - as long as you follow the basic "rules" of wood movement, you'll be fine. Unfortunately I have not built every piece of furniture in my house. My bedroom was made in China and I have never had a problem, my dining room was made in Vermont (or wherever Ethan Allen is made) no problems there. You know, we do have real wood down here. We even have tall buldings downtown! Cars, well thats another story, I ride my horse to work everyday. I don't know about the WW in the local saloon though, they made the bar out of wood from tumbleweeds.
:)
(in case you didn't see it)
:)
Sorry, could resist the jab. When you get here, welcome to Texas. Matt
news.central.cox.net wrote:
My Dad always told me:
"If I had a farm in Texas and a home in Hell, I'd sell the farm and go home".
I should have listened.
-jbb
No, Texas has 2 seasons. ;~) Summer and Christmas. LOL
Some people just don't have what it takes I guess.
Wonder how you'd survive in Canada with our sub zero temperatures, vicious sled dogs and frozen outhouses? Ever sat in an outhouse and have your butt frozen to the seat? And that's just about the time the sled dogs come to visit. :)
Actually my nephew sat in an out house in Pottsboro TX and froze his bottom to the seat. He had been sweating under all his layers and instantly froze to the seat. He left skin behind. Texas does have some pretty cold spots. About 15 years ago Houston had a low of 7 degrees F. Pretty cool when you take everything in perspective. With that in mind my wife's aunt, uncle, and cousins came for a visit several years ago and indicated that with our humidity the winters here in Houston can be quite miserably cold. They are from Burlington Ontario.
I remember Minnesota having four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction. j4
Oops! Yes, I should have been more specific about location. ;) I will be moving to Magnolia, a small town about an hour and a half north of Houston. Plenty humid. Sounds like I shouldn't have problems if I follow my usual practices.
Thanks!
Mike L.
Remember the two things a Texan fears the most! A tornado and a Yankee with a trailer.
--There are two bills in the Texas legislature. One to build a 6" barbed wire fence along the Rio Grande, not much support and not expected to pass. Second to build a 10" barbed wire fence with razor wire and gun towers along the Red River. Expected to be signed into law shortly but the big concern is the large numbers of volunteers expected to help with construction. Art Ransom Lancaster , Texas snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net
... and they usually coincide.
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