Has anyone experienced problems storing power tools, or other workshop paraphernalia (varnishes etc) long term in a workshop that has no a/c and is in a tropical humid climate?
I keep portable power tools inside, partly for security but table saws etc are going to be too big.
Cheers
Owamanga:
I don't live where there's a lot humidity like Florida, but suggest that you might want to do the following:
1) Get a dehumidfier for the garage.2) Work at keeping rust at bay. Use floor wax (no silicone) on tablesaws, blades, chisels, etc. to prevent them from getting rust. I'd imagine you will have to this on a regular basis, like weekly.
3) Look for Boshield at a Rockler, Woodcraft (I think Lowes might carry it). It's a rust inhibitor. Instructions on the product.Good luck. Also do a Google search in this newsgroup for terms like "humidity" "Florida", etc. A lot of woodworkers are in Florida.
Oh, find a class or a club near by. Ask the members what they would do. A club might be found by doing a Google search.
MJ Wallace
I live in Mississippi (high heat, high humidity) No air in shop. No real problems. Have to clean and wax those cast iron tables every so often, but not a problem. Most of the rust on the tools come from me dripping sweat on them.
I visited a couple of shops that were in the Bahamas. Comments by the owners "if you use the stuff it doesn't have time to rust".
Frank
I had an garage shop in Kissimmee and really did not have a problem with rust. I kept the tools waxed and ran an 18-20 inch fan constantly. Currently I have a separate shop building in the Ocala area and have the same results using the wax/fan.
Good Luck. MikeG
A $78 window air conditioner saves the tools and the man. No sweat on the tools, moisure content of lumber is stable, and its as cheap as a dehumidifier.
Jim with no sweat in Kentucky
I used a $78 window unit, and another, and another. Even with a good filter system in a very small shop, dust is a killer on the window unit. So, for $200 and a little digging, I got central air and heat. Life is good as filters are 2 bucks a piece.:also with no sweat in Kentucky!
Like was said earlier, if you use it it won't rust. But if you aren't apt to use the tools a great amount and just aim to tinker with some projects here and there, you might check into some with cast aluminum tables. I've a small craftsman table saw that sees very little use (maybe twice per year) and aside from wiping the dust off of it I've never had any problems.
Also located in humid Kentucky,
D.
That is a profoundly illogical statement. Oxidation isn't inhibited by mechanical activity.
Thank you Mr. Spock....
Though true in a strictly speaking sense, your statement doesn't really hold water for this particular discussion.
Mechanical activity doesn't "inhibit" oxidization but the use of woodworking tools does. It helps prevent and reduce the effects of oxidization.
Just so we're clear. Oxidization --- in simple terms --- rust.
I'm no scientist but I know that if I use my tools regularly they don't rust. My uneducated guess would be the oils from your hands, sap from boards, and abrasion created by sliding wood/materials across the metal surfaces combine to help polish and protect them from rust.
If you take two saws and use one once or twice a week for a month and leave the second alone for the same time frame I'll bet you that the unused saw will show signs of rust.
I think it's the sorrow of imagined abandonment that causes unused tools to rust. They become scared that you've forgotten about them and their tears of sorrow and heartache cause the rust.... ;-)
Well, I'm in a small (11x13) shop with no dust collection other than a homemade box with fan and filters to get the really fine stuff out of the air. Half the time I forget to run it.
I've got a window AC (maybe $98) that I've been using for about 4 years now. It still runs fine. I cut down a furnace filter and taped it across the intake on the outside. Every time I vacuum the floor, I run the vacuum over the filter. So far so good.
Note that I am a hobbyist and my four years of use probably doesn't equal one year of full time use. But still, for that price ...
Oh yea, I agree with you. I just could never remember to clean the dang filter!!! Seemed like I was pulling the unit 3 or 4 times a year and spraying the coils. You know what they say about age I hope, cause I forgot.
Bullshit.
I used to live in the deep south, and I had no problems. No A/C, no dehumidifier, windows open... Use TopCoat (or something similiar) on your iron surfaces, and wipe off the sweat the drips from yourself LOL. Made it through a lot of 95+% humidity summers. Still have most of the same tools now.
It sounds like the main problem is that it'll be too hot for me to be in there for any length of time - especially during the summer. I don't mind being hot but it quickly gets to the point where you can't see due to the sweat dripping into your eyes.
A window mounted A/C a couple of people suggested won't fly with the HOA unless I can conceal it completely, but one option would be to open the door connecting the house to the garage and let the central air try and cool the garage. Not sure how effective that'll be, (a fan or two could be positioned to help out) or what damage that might do to my house A/C in the long run.
My "shop" is my garage in Ft Myers/Naples area. I find that with a big fan and the garage door open it is tolerable. If you are working outside I find one of those big "market umbrellas" is a handy thing to keep the sun off me. I usually do take sanding, sawing and router work outside if I will be generating a lot of dust and chips. I can then simply hose the stuff off into the grass.
Its clear you don't fall in the class of woodworkers that actually use your tools very often. My fathers table saw NEVER received any rust preventive for 20+ years. It's only recently I had to use some TopCote. But then again, he is 80!
Dave
I had the same problem with the Biddie Society last year. Had to be out of sight, so no window unit allowed. I didn't want to cut a hole in the wall about a foot above the ground to house a large window unit. So after 7 summers of sweating on my table saw and watching the rust form during a cut (well, maybe that is a SLIGHT exaggeration) with the thermometer and the humidity both in triple didgets, I'd had enough. I sprung for a small central air unit, and have not regretted it one bit. (Well, maybe a bit, as that A/C replaced the good cabinet saw I'd been saving for.) Window units are cheaper, but I am very happy I spent the money. It was 96 when I got home last night, 85 in the shop. 15 minutes later it was 78 in there, and I was merrily pottering about the shop admiring the lack of rust on everything.
I still wax tools out of general principle, but have found I can leave a plane on a shelf or the chisels on the pegboard without them turning an orange color. I'm about 25 miles WSW of downtown Houston as the crow flies. We've got another 90-120 days of this sort of weather this summer before we can expect the next cool front and low humidity. These are days that would have mostly been lost to woodworking in past years because the heat and humidity took an awful lot of the fun out of it for me during the summer months.
If you use your house A/C to cool the shop, be prepared for lots of sawdust in the house. Assuming no leakage to the outside, the cfm you blow into the shop for cooling will also flow back into the house to the A/C inlet. The sawdust will flow with it. SWMBO will not be pleased. Trust me on this.
Regards, Roy
I have also found that rapid changes in temperature accelerates oxidation, so using an AC has to be a constant thing, in which case the shop needs to be well insulated.
HHomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.