Winter Interruptis

KnifeHead

KnifeHead

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Messages
5,575
I'm suffering from winter interruptis due to a lack of heated shop space. :grumpy:

I have a wood burner in my shop(14'x24' section of unattached garage) which is great when I have wood to burn and the time to make that all work. It's impractical for working in the evenings after work and getting quick heat is impossible. I use a propane space heater for a quick warmup but even that isn't enough for the sub-freezing temps we are getting now. That aint cuttin it 'cause everthing else in the shop is chilled. VERY FRUSTRATING!

I know I just need to hop up off my wallet and get it insulated and sealed off if I want to work in it during the deep freeze. What I would like to do is keep it heated at about 50f and figure that wouldnt cost that much to maintain.

What have you fellas done to heat your unattached shops?
 
Kerry, I have to much of a space in my shop to heat up and I'm very tight assed when it comes to heat. Most of the time 40 degrees seems to be the average temp in the shop this time of year. When it gets colder than that I go in the house every hour or so to warm up. I tend to do a lot more forging in these colder temps also. I wear thermal coveralls with another layer or two on under that.
 
Electric space heaters are inexpensive and fairly energy efficient. I have one in my 12' X 16' shop that will blast me out of there fairly quickly. It's a free standing floor model, similar to a baseboard heater. I'm thinking one of them would heat ok, but two would be much better for you. They are thermostat controlled and work well for me. I did insulate my shop, so that helps a lot. If I turn it off at night, it's still in the 50's in my shop 16 hours later, and warms up to the 60's in half an hour. I got mine at either lowes or home depot.
 
Kerosene or white gas heater. The kind that has a blower. Sears (Craftsman) used to carry them, but I think they stopped. If you have an Ace Hardware in your area, they stock them. The larger ones will literally run you out of the shop in 15-20 minutes. They are kinda pricey though, about $200 for the smaller ones.
 
Run your forge for a while and get yoru blood pumping by hammering some steel. Buy a few of those 3' x 3/4" O1 drill rods at fastenall and try reducing the stock down by hand, that'll warm you up, and give you a workout too boot (if your arm doesnt fall off first)

My problem right now is, my shop is un-heated, and I use a propane forge, the propane tank i have is to small for this cold weather and freezes up. Need to invest in a 100lb tank instead =)
 
I know I can bundle up/toughen up and do the coarse work in the cold. What is harder to do is the gluing and finish work that extreme cold isn't good for. I am concerned about the effect the cold has on some motorized tools, bearings, etc. and belts. Should this be a concern?
 
I hear ya, brother. It's been about 0 degrees around here, lately, even with the sun out. :mad:
A partial solution for me is, I just ordered a KMG grinder, and it should get here today. I'll be using it in my indoor workroom. My other grinder is in my shop outside, and it's just too cold to grind, which is what I'm behind on.
I can't forge either, at least with the power hammer, because my air compressor won't start when it's cold, and the four way valve on my air hammer also freezes up. I need a mechanical power hammer. But if I had one, it wouldn't do any good, because I don't have room to put it, because my shop is only 12' by 12', and I already only have about 2 square feet of foot room. :mad:

Rant off. :)
 
Kerry Hampton said:
I know I can bundle up/toughen up and do the coarse work in the cold. What is harder to do is the gluing and finish work that extreme cold isn't good for. I am concerned about the effect the cold has on some motorized tools, bearings, etc. and belts. Should this be a concern?
Click to expand...

Yeah, but more important is the fact that when your hands get cold, they lose their sensitivity, which means you may end up with digits flying around the room if you get tangled up in a power tool. :eek:
 
People who live outside Alaska complaining about the cold? Proposterous!!!! Seriously though guys, I hear yah. Nothing cuts to the bone like real cold. Thanks goodness my garage is heated (Thats my knife making thats happy not my wallet, heating costs are crazy up here).
 
Phillip Patton said:
Yeah, but more important is the fact that when your hands get cold, they lose their sensitivity, which means you may end up with digits flying around the room if you get tangled up in a power tool. :eek:
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Ah but, Flying Digits Forge does roll off the tongue nicely and the touchmark might be interesting too. :))
 
Justin.Mercier said:
Run your forge for a while and get yoru blood pumping by hammering some steel. Buy a few of those 3' x 3/4" O1 drill rods at fastenall and try reducing the stock down by hand, that'll warm you up, and give you a workout too boot (if your arm doesnt fall off first)

My problem right now is, my shop is un-heated, and I use a propane forge, the propane tank i have is to small for this cold weather and freezes up. Need to invest in a 100lb tank instead =)
Click to expand...

Justin

Consider a couple of 40pounders rather than a 100. They tend not to frost up excessively and maintain enough evaporation to give good gas flow. The biggest advantage is you can pick it up even when full (yea I know some of you can pick up a 100pounder in one hand and a 250LB anvil in the other). A small fan blowind across the top of the forge toward the tank will imporve evaporation and gas pressure also.

Jim Arbuckle
 
BigJimSlade said:
People who live outside Alaska complaining about the cold? Proposterous!!!! Seriously though guys, I hear yah. Nothing cuts to the bone like real cold. Thanks goodness my garage is heated (Thats my knife making thats happy not my wallet, heating costs are crazy up here).
Click to expand...

Well I guess it's all relative isn't it. Maybe one idea would be to get nekkid and run around outside for a bit then inside the shop with clothes on would seem pretty toasty :eek: :D (sorry for the mental picture - now think happy thoughts)
 
My shop is a two car garage on the north side of the house and it hasn't been above freezing in there since November, except when I fire up the forge. I hate to run Ol' Smokey with the doors closed, though and the cement floor does not get warm.
 
My shop is very cold also. If you run one of those kerosene heaters, does it produce harmful gases like CO or CO2? Thought about getting one, but don't want to end up all pink and dead on the shop floor! :eek: -Matt-
 
DAMNENG said:
Justin

Consider a couple of 40pounders rather than a 100. They tend not to frost up excessively and maintain enough evaporation to give good gas flow. The biggest advantage is you can pick it up even when full (yea I know some of you can pick up a 100pounder in one hand and a 250LB anvil in the other). A small fan blowind across the top of the forge toward the tank will imporve evaporation and gas pressure also.

Jim Arbuckle
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Not since my back surgery :)

I know it's hardly worth waiting on the wood stove , but a cup full of fuel oil on the wood gets mine putting out the heat pretty quick :D. It's nice to warm your hands. I've just been bundling up with layers of clothes and keeping my bald head covered well.

Have fun , it'll be to hot to work in few months.
 
haha kerry i to suffer from this most dredded disease.!
i have a kerosene heater but it cant keep up. shop is uninsulated abd has several gaps in the sheet metal. come spring there defincies are gettin taken care of with a quickness. but for now my shop time has been nil :<
 
Whimps....
This weekend the hottest it got was 40. This morning it was 14F in the shop ,and I was out there before going in to work.Forging is easier in the cold.
Stacy
 
I'm going to get the 100lb because i can just toss my cheapo dolly in my truck to move it around easy, and less fear of it freezing up even in cold weather. I do know people who rig together 2 40s just because they're easier to move though. I lpan on keeping to use just the 20lb tanks with my single burner venturi forge, so i can jsut toss it in my truck and go somewhere with i , carry forge in one hand, tank in the other and be all set. I plan on needing the 100lb tak for a nice blown forge that i can do my forge welding in. I'll probably get the tank at the same time I get the forge built >_<
 
bladsmth said:
Whimps....
This weekend the hottest it got was 40. This morning it was 14F in the shop ,and I was out there before going in to work.Forging is easier in the cold.
Stacy
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Ha, 40* ?? , I wish, :) the last 2 mornings it's been -20* F, it hasn't reached 0*, for the last 2 days either. As I type it's -10*F, colder than the proverbial Witch's......... What is the temp like in AK BigJim ? Yeah, this cold can leave anytime now, I've had enough, enough below zero crap anyway. Marks fuel oil on the wood idea sounds like quick heat. We take sauna up here a lot (Finlanders :) ), I have an old outside wood fired sauna and to get quick heat (like a sauna needs) we use aspen, quick burning, and quick to make heat, after shes up to about 170* F we throw in a piece of hardwood.Kerry, it sounds like your trying to get away from making a fire everytime you want to work so my discussing wood that kicks out quick heat isn't what you want to hear. Have you ever seen one of those old kerosene or fuel oil drip type stoves ??
 
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