Ovens/Furnaces in the HSM/Woodworking Shop

[Too_Many_Tools]

By the goodness of the Great Gods of Scrouging, I have been gifted with access to a number of bench sized ovens and furnaces that could be used in a HSM/woodworking shop....some of which will soon grace my humble shop space.

If you were going to setup a oven/furnace corner in your shop, what would you want to install for a set of ovens and furnaces? How big? How hot? Gas or electric? Ventilation needs?

For applications I can think of heat treating, drying of parts, drying of painted parts and the occasional pizza ;

[fredfighter]

I suggest you try to get manuals for them, then read them and follow their recommendations. If you cannot find manuals specific to the models you have, try to find some for equivalent models.

[Morris Dovey]

| For applications I can think of heat treating, drying of parts, | drying of painted parts and the occasional pizza ;

[Gary]

Keeping welding rod dry.

snip.... For applications I can think of heat treating, drying of parts, drying of painted parts and the occasional pizza ;

[Too_Many_Tools]

"I suggest you try to get manuals for them, then read them and follow their recommendations. If you cannot find manuals specific to the models you have, try to find some for equivalent models. "

Good suggestion but I doubt they are around.

What temperature ranges are useful in a shop environment?

Is gas or electric more useful? Which is more controllable?

TMT

[DoN. Nichols]

According to Morris Dovey :

[ ... ]

Hmm ... are you talking about solar energy?

Enjoy, DoN.

[John]

For heat treating you shoud have an oven that will go to at least 1800 degrees. An electric oven is the way to go. Its a lot easier to control and has no fumes other than the ones off your parts.

John

[Morris Dovey]

| According to Morris Dovey : | | [ ... ] | || One of the furnaces in my shop is powered by a moderately hot || (~6000 degrees Kelvin) remote unshielded fusion reactor. In the || summertime I use it for brewing tea. :-) | | Hmm ... are you talking about solar energy?

Darn! Did my sig give me away (again)? LOL

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA

[Too_Many_Tools]

"...and has no fumes other than the ones off your parts. "

There for a minute I thought you said "off your pants" and wondered how you knew we had mexican for lunch today. LOL

TMT

[Gary Brady]

Basic forging and blacksmithing can be handy at times. And or course, powdercoating.

[Too_Many_Tools]

"Basic forging and blacksmithing can be handy at times. And or course,

powdercoating. "

What temperatures are we talking about here?

TMT

[Too_Many_Tools]

Maybe I should add this request....what temperatures and temperature ranges are useful in a home shop environment?

Any ventilation issues that one needs to consider when doing certain operations?

TMT

[Juergen Hannappel]

Depends entirely on what you want to do. If you go for pottery (not uncommon in home shops) you need something above 1000 degrees Celsius, enhancing carbon content for hardening mild steel also needs that during several days and a controlled atmospehre, too, soldering (some parts are soldered in Ovens) you get away with a few

100 degrees, breeding bacteria needs less than 40 degrees...

You ought to be more specific as to what you want to do.

[Too_Many_Tools]

When I mention ventilation, I am thinking that some processes might be better done in the open air (meaning the oven/furnace needs to be mobile so it can be rolled out of the shop) or at least requiring a ventilation system (thus requiring a vent to the outside and the logistics that requires). Drying parts, freshly painted parts, powdercoating all come to mind here.

The reason why I am focusing on temperatures and temperature ranges is that the "solution" (the availability of good cheap ovens/furnaces) has preceded the "requirement" (what processes/interests are common in a home workshop environment)...which is typical of the second hand market. Ever come up with a need for some item long after it is gone...I have.

Good point about pottery...I had not thought of that.

Thanks

TMT

[DoN. Nichols]

According to Morris Dovey :

Nope! I didn't even notice that -- if it was in that article (gone now, so I can't check).

It was just that the Sun was the nearest unshielded fusion reactor that I know of -- and the temperature sounds about right for the surface temperature of the Sun. And the Sun certainly counts as "remote". :-)

Enjoy, DoN.

[Gary Brady]

Forging and blacksmithing requires steel to be a red heat-around

1500degF, I would guess. Powdercoating is much like a kitchen oven, 375 to 450 deg, depending on the type of powder used. PC often also requires a change in temp during the process, i.e., heat at 450 to flowout, and then cure at 400 for 20 minutes.

[Too_Many_Tools]

"Forging and blacksmithing requires steel to be a red heat-around

1500degF, I would guess. Powdercoating is much like a kitchen oven, 375 to 450 deg, depending on the type of powder used. PC often also requires a change in temp during the process, i.e., heat at 450 to flowout, and then cure at 400 for 20 minutes. "

Thanks Gary for responding....I've been a fan of your oven building web site...great job!

Is there any significant ventilation issues with powdercoating? I have not been around when it was done for my parts.

Also a question for the group....I notice that Harbor Freight now carries a powdercoating oven...has anyone had any experience with it?

[Mike Berger]

I like to bake on enamel and epoxy finishes... makes 'em nice and hard, and really does a great job with hammertone or crackle finishes.

Use dark colors.

Too_Many_Tools wrote:

[Too_Many_Tools]

" I like to bake on enamel and epoxy finishes... makes 'em nice and hard, and really does a great job with hammertone or crackle finishes.

Use dark colors."

Thanks for the addition.

What temperatures do you use?

TMT

[Gary Brady]

Curing the powder puts off a significant amount of smoke. DON'T try this in your kitchen oven. It'll never be the same. I have an old kitchen oven in my shop for small stuff and it get stained where the smoke comes out. The smoke isn't a problem in the shop, but the shop is not attached to my house, and also not terribly well sealed, so I don't worry about it. The inside of the oven does take on some of the colors cured in it, though.