Workshop temperature ?

[Luigi Zanasi]

Despite being not too far from the coldest (record: Snag YT, -81F,

3/2/1947) part of the Great White North of Leftpondia (Kanuckistan, Silvan), it's never too cold to be in the shop. Note the numerous discussions on the merits of various means of heating the shop we Leftpondians constantly engage in.

So the answer is: the shop & tools are cold when you start, but gradually warm up. 7-8C and above is quite confortable. But then, as we like to say, it's a dry cold. Remember, it's not the cold, it's the humidity.

The coldest I've ever seen the shop was -20C when it was -47C outside.

You need (1) insulated coveralls (the LOML got me new ones for Christmas) (2) a tuque and (3) gloves (either wool & thinsulate with open fingers and a mitten cover or thin fleece (e.g ). The coveralls and tuque keep your body core and head warm and make it easier for your body to send warm blood out to your fingers. You should remove the gloves when working close to a rapidly whirling sharp object, but bandsaws are OK.

I find it OK to work with power tools down to about -5C, but usually it's not for very long as the shop is warming up. After an hour or two, I ditch the coveralls.

[Andy Dingley]

What temperature is your workshop at ? I know some of you live in the great white North of Leftpondia. How cold does it have to get in your working space (not outdoors) before you give up and go indoors ?

I gave up on some profile bandsawing today - it was just too cold to hold my fingers on the iron bandsaw table and accuracy was suffering.

[David]

Generally over 58 degrees. I'm in CALLY-FORN-YAH. Below 50; I'm freezin', man! :)

Dave

Andy D> What temperature is your workshop at ? I know some of you live in

[Edwin Pawlowski]

If it is down to 30 outside, I can heat up to 65 with ease. If it is much lower, I can only hit about 50. That is close to my minimum except for brief periods. If you want to do quality work, you need reasonable comfort. I do very little in January and February unless we get a warm spell, like tonight. I planed some wood tonight to see if it is work reclaiming. It was and now I'll bring home the rest.

[Doug Miller]

Varies between approx 68 F in the winter and 72 F in the summer. 'Course, my shop is in the basement of my house. :-)

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

[Joe_Stein]

I don't have a thermometer in my basement workshop. I do have a furnace with a vent on the side in case it gets too cold, otherwise the vent stays closed. In the winter I generally will have to wear a sweatshirt down there. In the summer it gets damp (humid), so I'm running a dehumidifyer and it's comfortable with just my teeshirt.

Joe

Andy D> What temperature is your workshop at ? I know some of you live in

[Silvan]

It depends on what I'm doing, really. I have worked down to 40 F for brief periods, but I like it to be at least 50 F if I'm going to be spending any time out there at all. I have a small shop, and one little ceramic cube has proven sufficient to get the temperature up to at least 45 F even though it's only 10 F outside, and I can work at 45 F, barely.

Multiply everything by 9/13 times the cubed root of pork tenderloin or whatever to convert to the degrees you and everyone else in the world use.

[Andy Dingley]

So wimping out at 40F (4°C) wasn't too bad then

[Ray V]

Once it hits 280.3722222 kelvin I go inside. I have about 3 more weeks, according to Phil, before I can get anything done. I work in a detached garage with no heat source

[joeD]

I'm in New Jersey. It's about 44 when I go in, about 58 after about 6 minutes. I've got a nice 100,000 btu Modine shop heater that hangs from my ceiling :) If I start a project I keep it at least 50 when I'm not in there until everything is glued.

[Dave in Fairfax]

So, why'd you rule out the outside workers? Low snow and 30-40 is just fine. I expect the guys up north think anything on the + side is OK.

Dave in Fairfax

[Clint]

I've been able to finally cut some wood in my shop, but it's un-insulated and un-heated. So long as it's above freezing, it's not too bad. Can't wait for spring, though!

Clint

[Dan Valleskey]

my problem is on the other side. I can heat my attached garag..... er....... shop fine. Though when it hits zero outside, I dial back, to save on the electric bill.

But I hate working out there in the Summer. I can not air condition it easily.

-Dan V.

[Guess who]

Yup. About -40 sometimes .... until I make the first few cuts wrong that is, and warm up the old Quebec heater.

Truth is it's a bit chilly sometimes, but I dress for it, and it's not all year round that bad. You catch it as it's thrown.

[Greg O]

45F when I am not around, but I bump the heat up to 65F while working. In the summer I turn on the AC when the heat or humidity gets to me! Greg

[Fly-by-Night CC]

When it gets down into the 30F's it usually devolves into a miserable time. I often wear fingerless polarfleece gloves to take the chill off handling the cast iron surfaces, but even then the cold creeps in after an hour or so.

[Robatoy]

60 F.......I have to. My solid surface adhesives won't set up at lower temperature. F in summer, max. The adhesives will react too quickly at higher temps. I turn on the central air in my shop. (A window unit in the middle of the west wall, mounted in the centre.)

When I'm just fartin' around, between 45 and 85 is okay by me. I cut the fingertips off at the first joint of a new pair of thinsulated leather gloves. To stop the fraying of the liner I had the circumference of the fingertips stitched by a cobbler. I take them off when using my table saw. I cannot use a table saw with any kind of glovage... or mittage even.

[Nate Perkins]

Andy Dingley wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I give up at about 40 degrees, mostly because of the problems with gluing and finishing.

[Charlie Self]

Owen, you're tougher than I am. Ol' Arthur acts up too much if it's under 45 or so. I crank up a heater when it gets down there, but I do go out and work before the shop is up to temp. In the winter, I figure

55-60 for a normal working temperature, except when gluing or finishing. Then I bring it to 65 and hold it there or rising for an hour or so before doing any work...but I claim that's for the sake of the glue or finish.

I do have two window AC units. I dread using them unless absolutely essential, cause in this area in July and August it doesn't take too much to boost the electric bill over $100 a month. I'll be adding a third unit this year, though, because those two are strainging to keep it under 80 on some hot days.

[Dave Jackson]

Heck, I work outside for a living. I often come home and work in my shop. If it's 45F in there, it feels like a heatwave lately, so i don't even bother to turn on the heater, unless of course I'm gluing stuff ogether. --dave