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Woodturning on hold for now

John Torchick

John Torchick

Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Messages
3,058
Likes
908
Location
Cleveland, Tennessee
It is beastly cold here in SE TN. Outside, it is now 30 degrees and the shop is at 42 degrees. I put an electric heater in the shop and it only raised the temp to 50 degrees in about two hours! Shut it off. I have a second electric heater but I have to turn off the heater in the den so it won't trip the breaker. Supposed to be a bit warmer later so I might get to make some chips and shavings. Right now, I'm having to be content by watching turning videos on the AAW website plus some on youtube by noted turners.
 
John,

I never thought I'd be able to say this, but it's colder in Houma right now. The high today was 31 and it's back to 29 right now. Unfortunately, my dog LOVES this weather so our 30 minute after-work walks continue :-D

Back to the 50s this weekend though. Enjoy those videos on the interwebs!
 
the best thing I ever did was insulate my new shop to the max. It was 44 inside after an overnight low of 2 outside. I turned on the heat and in 30 minutes it was 62 in the shop. spend the day hollowing a Box Elder vessel and turning a finial for it. Well OK I did have to take the wife to the store to shop and I had to go to the bank to take care of some paperwork, that took 3 hours out of my day but I got everything turned, bleached and 1 layer of finish on it.
 
Drive to bank, 15 minutes.. Paperwork...15 minutes... Shopping...

Well, you know where I'm going with this don't you? :-)

I was thinking that I could put some of my failed turnings in the middle of the shop floor and just burn them, but then I'd have a bonfire on my hands!
 
You're breaking my heart! Here in eastern Ontario we've been enjoying 15 below for a couple of weeks. I spend a fortune just maintaining my shop at just above freezing. Lots more if I actually want to work in there. There's also 8" of snow on the ground with more on the way. But, hey, we save a lot on air conditioning. Cheers from the frozen North.
 
Bob Mezzatesta said:
You're breaking my heart! Here in eastern Ontario we've been enjoying 15 below for a couple of weeks. I spend a fortune just maintaining my shop at just above freezing. Lots more if I actually want to work in there. There's also 8" of snow on the ground with more on the way. But, hey, we save a lot on air conditioning. Cheers from the frozen North.
Click to expand...

Really! Did ya put your woodturning on hold? I would've.
 
Spent 7 hrs in the shop today.....got quite a bit accomplished. 17 degrees outside, but have multiple propane and electric heaters. Mostly around 60 degrees. A nice temperature for working in the shop.

-----odie-----
 
I have some minimal insulation in my shop which is a pole barn. It seldom gets below freezing. A small electric radiator type heater keeps the shop around 55 or so which for me is shorts and t shirt wear temps. Some times the smock. It got below zero hear a year or two ago, and the shop was closer to 40. I wore long pants and a long sleeve shirt.

I do think spring is getting closer. The Tundra Swans were in the grass seed fields by a bakery I frequent. Not sure if they are early or not....

robo hippy
 
I did a little in the shop yesterday prepping for a demo tonight.
Had to wait until about 2pm for Mother Nature to heat it up.
Only got to about 58. Really cold for here we are expecting frost the next 3 mornings
And highs in the 50s.

Got to bring in the orchids tonight and cover the tomato’s.
Brocolli loves this weather more than I do.
 
I didn't think I would get all these replies! I lived in Ohio, Queens, NY and KY so I'm familiar with what cold weather really is. Cincinnati, January, 1982 was 41 below with wind chill of 61 below. Winter 1976-1977 in Louisville we had over 30 days it never got above zero. SWMBO sealed off the garage door which helped some. I plan on framing the metal garage door with 2X4s, putting up insulation and covering that with something cheap. Like a fellow in KY said, Wouldn't it be nice to can some of this cold weather and open a can or two in August???
 
Tom Albrecht said:
Quit yer complaining! Currently 2D in Evanston , IL.
Click to expand...

:D:D:D

Tom, I lived in Glen Ellyn and then moved to Oconomowoc, WI and lived there for a few years (and then to Columbus). I forgot how good we have it down here!

About 3 weeks ago we had snow for two days. It actually stuck and my grandkids (9 and 5) had the pleasure of their first snowball fight and making a snowman with the neighbor kids.
 
Bob Mezzatesta said:
You're breaking my heart! Here in eastern Ontario we've been enjoying 15 below for a couple of weeks. I spend a fortune just maintaining my shop at just above freezing. Lots more if I actually want to work in there. There's also 8" of snow on the ground with more on the way. But, hey, we save a lot on air conditioning. Cheers from the frozen North.
Click to expand...

Bob, you live in a beautiful part of the world. Only been there a couple of times as a teen, but fell in love with Canada in general. My long past ancestors are from Nova Scotia and I was able to get up to Canning, Grand Pre and Wolfville a couple years back. I'd move there if I could. Personally I love the winter but work is here in the deep south and so is most of the family, so I'm a bayou dwelling, summer hating, flatlander. :-)

Cheers!
 
John Torchick said:
Wouldn't it be nice to can some of this cold weather and open a can or two in August???
Click to expand...
John thats what my father used to do. We had and ice pond on the farm and an icehouse.
They used to cut ice in the winter stories it in the ice house use sawdust if insulate and keep the blocks from freezing to gether. Then in August he could cool the milk with the ice.
I never got to see it in action since electricity had come before I was born.
 
John Torchick said:
I didn't think I would get all these replies! I lived in Ohio, Queens, NY and KY so I'm familiar with what cold weather really is. Cincinnati, January, 1982 was 41 below with wind chill of 61 below. Winter 1976-1977 in Louisville we had over 30 days it never got above zero. SWMBO sealed off the garage door which helped some. I plan on framing the metal garage door with 2X4s, putting up insulation and covering that with something cheap. Like a fellow in KY said, Wouldn't it be nice to can some of this cold weather and open a can or two in August???
Click to expand...

John,
hockenbery said:
John thats what my father used to do. We had and ice pond on the farm and an icehouse.
They used to cut ice in the winter stories it in the ice house use sawdust if insulate and keep the blocks from freezing to gether. Then in August he could cool the milk with the ice.
I never got to see it in action since electricity had come before I was born.
Click to expand...

Al, I'll bet you weren't living in Florida back then! :-)
 
I've got two electric infrared heaters in my shop, but with -14F ambient about all I can get it to is 25-30F. So a few years ago I bought a nice midi lathe and set up a second shop in my basement for winter use. I even use it in the summer sometimes when it's 90F+ and high humidity outside.

Happy turning - Tom
 
Mark Hepburn said:
Bob, you live in a beautiful part of the world. Only been there a couple of times as a teen, but fell in love with Canada in general. My long past ancestors are from Nova Scotia and I was able to get up to Canning, Grand Pre and Wolfville a couple years back. I'd move there if I could. Personally I love the winter but work is here in the deep south and so is most of the family, so I'm a bayou dwelling, summer hating, flatlander. :)

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Mark you left off a few.....Ragin Cajun, swamp rat, and the Who Dat folks and you could invite us down for a Cochon de Lait (a favorite winter event, everyone else look it up).
I thought we were going to hear from some of y'all about walking barefoot in the snow 5 miles to and from school. Glad the old days are gone and now think about "being old days".
 
Gerald Lawrence said:
Mark you left off a few.....Ragin Cajun, swamp rat, and the Who Dat folks and you could invite us down for a Cochon de Lait (a favorite winter event, everyone else look it up).
I thought we were going to hear from some of y'all about walking barefoot in the snow 5 miles to and from school. Glad the old days are gone and now think about "being old days".
Click to expand...

Well, I gotta say, WHO DAT, Gerald!

Naw, mes ami, we jes walked along dem bayous to school if we wasn’t shrimpin’. Course, sure could be tough some days wit dem gators sunnin on dem levees. :D
 
Yes indeed. I mean, mais yeh, mon ami!
 
Oui, mon ami. Took four languages but French wasn't one. I have some fellows that I fish with- French, Serbian, Russian or Ukrainian. Two are British ex-pats and it is interesting that there are different "dialects" in Great Britain just as the USA. Bon jour.
 
Bon jour. or is it bonsoir this time of day?
 
Let the assimilation commence. Welcome to the Bourg! (Small town sout’ of here).
 
Mark Hepburn said:
Bob, you live in a beautiful part of the world. Only been there a couple of times as a teen, but fell in love with Canada in general. My long past ancestors are from Nova Scotia and I was able to get up to Canning, Grand Pre and Wolfville a couple years back. I'd move there if I could. Personally I love the winter but work is here in the deep south and so is most of the family, so I'm a bayou dwelling, summer hating, flatlander. :)

Cheers!
Click to expand...
I live in London, Ontario (where it has been bitter cold for about three weeks) but my heart is in Nova Scotia, land of my birth. My first dog came from a breeder in Wolfville, I've summered in Canning and I have friends living in Grand Pre.
 
Paul A Andrews said:
I live in London, Ontario (where it has been bitter cold for about three weeks) but my heart is in Nova Scotia, land of my birth. My first dog came from a breeder in Wolfville, I've summered in Canning and I have friends living in Grand Pre.
Click to expand...

I can see why you feel the way you do. I felt at home from the moment I arrived. I’m planning on returning as often as work allows. I’d like to be there for winter or at least a late fall.
 
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