Cold Shop Tips?

[Mark Durrenberger]

I recently moved. My new shop is in an unheated basement. Lately it's been running about 50 - 53 degrees F (10-12C).
The dust makers (lathe, bandsaw) are in a nice, well insulated space and can be brought up to temp quickly with a 1,200 watt heater. But the area where I want to do finishing (not dusty) can't be enclosed. So it's cold all the time. I've discovered that finishing a piece at ~50 degrees is suboptimal. Any recommendations?

I was thinking about building an insulated box with a thermostat controlled heater (not unlike a wood drying cabinet). And keeping the box at about 70F (21C). Will that work? Is a lower temp OK (65?) My preferred finish is wipe on polyurethane. Also, should I keep the finishes in "warm" storage?


Thanks

 

[Mark Jundanian]

This may not be your favorite idea, but you could store your pieces through the winter and then finish them in spring.

 

[Wyatt Holm]

I think a portable propane heater, or even a kerosene heater would work. However I would get the room heated and switch off the heater before applying finish.

 

[Steve Tiedman]

Hello @Mark Durrenberger. Yes, I have an idea, but it is a full-on, no-holds-barred, damn the torpedoes, money is no object proposition.

Insulation of the entire foundation and the floor joist/rim joist area above the foundation, and modification to the building HVAC system to provide a source of conditioned air into your workshop.

I'd talk to your municipal building inspector to discuss your local energy and building code requirements to cover all your bases. And electrical requirements while you're at it.

And as a side note, machine-specific dust collection is going to be a very serious matter to make sure your HVAC system isn't sucking in your wood dust, contaminating the hot and cold heat exchange surfaces, contaminating open burner systems, and making a mess of ductwork. Covering the return air duct openings from your basement area with their own pleated furnace filters (MERV 10-11 rated filters might do the trick, and they will be oversized for the duct opening) will go far to keep wood dust out of ducts/furnace/air conditioner. Replace the filters monthly.

Sorry, Wyatt, in my state (MN), "Unvented room heaters and unvented decorative appliances shall not be installed in any dwelling or occupancy." (This is a MN code amendment to the International Fuel Gas Code.) It may be legal under certain circumstances in other states, but dead is dead, and it's a bad idea everywhere, legal or not.

Be comfortable, be safe, and enjoy your craft!

 

[Wally Crawford]

I used an old fridge with a 25W light bulb to keep my finishes warm when we lived up north. I like your idea of a thermostat controlled heat source and it may be your most affordable option.

 

[John K Jordan]

I was thinking about building an insulated box with a thermostat controlled heater (not unlike a wood drying cabinet). And keeping the box at about 70F (21C). Will that work? Is a lower temp OK (65?) My preferred finish is wipe on polyurethane. Also, should I keep the finishes in "warm" storage?

I think that would work, as long as there was enough ventilation to let the finishes dry/cure.
There are plenty of temperature controllers on Amazon, for example. I bought two, one for a small fridge to temporarily store peafowl/guinea/chicken eggs at the optimum temperature for hatching. Another to control the temperature of a brooder heater for little chicks. Easy to use - put the temperature probe in the enclosure, set the temperature, plug in the fridge or heater.

JKJ

 

[Sam Fleisher]

I keep one of those oil filled heaters that look like a radiator on all the time. It heats surprisingly well and I don't worry about open flames.