I can't do much in the winter because NJ is just too cold. I need to heat it up now and then and am looking for suggestions. I tried a small 1500 btu Pelonis electric/fan heater the other day and that was about as effective as puppies' breath.
So, any thoughts? Space is at a premium. I'm stepping around and over stuff as it is now.
I'd consider some sort of propane or kerosene heater provided it wasn't a space hog or just too much of a fire or carbon monoxide hazard.
If you can make room for it, look for a 55 gal drum stove kit (you provide the drum) it burns wood scraps, only runs when you want and in a small space could throw more heat then you loose.
... I'd start w/ some insulation -- whether it's solid foam on the walls/ceiling if there's not stud space or whatever you need to do. Then, at least you're not just trying to heat the whole eastern seaboard.
Then, a reasonably small propane or other heater (preferably vented, outside air if this is a wood shop and particularly if use volatile finishes) will be all needed.
I did that in my last shop. They 55 gallon drums were too big. But a friend was able to get me two 30 gallon drums. They worked just fine. It was a double barrel stove. That thing put out so much heat that you could use the shop for a sauna if you wanted to.
In the past the "Modine Hot Dawg" heater have had some good reports in this news group. They come in both natural gas and propane models. The HD-30 which is rated for a 1 - 1.5 car garage would be more than enough and runs about $500. See:
This type is good for long, sustained, even heat. It'll have you shedding layers in no time.
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type is good for heating a place up, right quick. But it's noisy, so it's not too good for sustained heating, and you wouldn't want to have anything set in front of it accidentally.
first insulate the shop ,then buy an infered heating element for a twenty lb propane tank.With this you will be able to work in short sleves even in the coldest day.
I know those barrel heaters are great, but I just don't have the room to consider even a small one. For space/cost/btu's, the heater I've ordered the propane unit suggested by Len. I never saw one of these before.
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to pushing on a rope, someone once asked Bob Hope if there was sex after seventy. He said yes, and that he particularly enjoyed the one in the spring.
This type of heater works well to provide heat. Moisture is a byproduct of combustion. With an unvented heater you may run into condensation/rust problems. Be on the lookout for it.
Evan a little bit of insulation makes a big difference ;-)
I had an outside shop (electronics in those days, not woodwoorking) that was 8x10 with insulated walls and ceiling and very little leakage. I used a 1250 watt electric heater (with a wall thermostat) and was comfortable when the outside temperature was 30 degrees (a little better than the calculator indicates).
INSULATE I use those interlocking rubber mats and noted it helps keep my feet from freezing (concrete floor) in addition to the comfort when standing. Those circular kerosene heaters
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all right but send most heat directly UP over themselves. I use one in my basement and can operate it for 24 hours on a fill and keep the basement at 66 when the outside temps are dropping below thirty.
In my insulated garage, I can get by with a little ceramic heater or one of those electric heaters that have the "ribbons" of metal and a little fan to keep the chill off.
I'm not too sure I would want one of those Propane infrared heaters with all the saw dust generated on a good day and that MODINE HOT DAWG HD30 - $479.00 thing would buy you a lot of insulation.
You may be able to rent a construction heater and try it out before plopping down the $279 or so plus the cost of the propane and tank (another $50?) - again, that would buy a lot of fiberglass bats.
I've got about what you do, 12' x 24' metal storage building, with an overhead door, two windows, a hand door, and lots of leaks. And I live in Minnesota, where it does get cold.
I haven't found a way to insulate the shed without building a wall inside the existing walls, which looks like more $$ and time than I want to put in.
So, on the advice from a friend I bought 4 infra red heat lamps (think chicken brooder heating) with porcelain sockets. I put two at the bench and two at the lathe, and I use a small radiant propane heater (about 14000 butu) on top of a 20# propane cylinder (called a fish house heater, before fish houses got to be traveling living rooms) to put heat where I need it.
And I invested in a pair of flannel lined jeans ($50) and insulated shoes from LL Bean ($70) and a stocking cap. Add a chore jacket, a sweatshirt and gloves, and I can be reasonably comfortable working out there in 25 degree weather (ambient is about 40 inside) if the sun is shining, and 30 degree weather if not. Oh, I found some of those interlocking rubber mats for kids to play on and put them on the floor where I usually stand ($20). Obviously I am happier working with tools with wooden handles when it's cold.
Any gluing or finishing or working with water ends up being done in my attached garage which stays at about 50 degrees.
Shirt sleeves? No, but for a minimum of effort and fuss I have a reasonable heating system so that I only have to concede 2 months a year to winter. Fair compromise.
I thought about a wood stove, but it bothered me to have something that hot in the way, and to bank up the fire and leave it unattended at the end of the day.
I don't know if anyone else mentioned this, but one of the primary products of combustion is water. Not sure how many pounds of water per pound of fuel. But all of it will recondense when the temperature again drops.
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