Advice wanted

[kenbo]

Hey there folks, I know it has been a while since I posted last but I am hoping for some positive feedback on this one. I am finally building a designated wood shop for myself. No more basement woodworking for me. I have been working with wood for as longs as I can remember(about 30 years now....started when I was 10) and this is the first time that I am going to have a building designated for wood working. Here's the concerns. I live in Ontario, Canada and the winters can be quite cold. I am asking advice about....
-how can I store my glues, solvents, varnishes, paints, stains etc. without the worry of freezing or spoiling them.
-does anyone have a designated shop that is exposed to temperature change? The concern is corrosion of my cast iron table tops. (scroll saw, drill presses, table saw, sanders, band saws, etc.)
-how can I prevent corrosion (I currently use paste wax on all cast iron surfaces on a regular basis)
-is there any products that will not be harmed by freeze and thaw effect?
-has anyone experienced any problems with their shops that they have found practical solutions to?
Any general advice would be greatly appreciated. I have had my own shop for about 20 years, but it has always been in the house and heated. The new shop will be outside and it will be heated, only when I am in there working.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

[kenbo]

I can't believe that there isn't anyone out there in this forum that has any tips or suggestions. Anything? Anyone? Hellooooooooooo? hello....hello...hello
Do I hear crickets chirping? lol

[Poppie]

Hi Kenbo, Sorry about the lack of responses. I can only speak for myself but I'm sure there are others with better advice. I have a basement workshop myself so I don't have any issues with things freezing but as for rust I also use paste wax on my tools. Sometimes the humidity gets pretty high. I know that glues(indoor & outdoor) should not be frozen as with paint, but stains and the rest I imagine it would not be advisable to freeze them either.
I'm sorry that I cannot help you any more than that but I also hope someone with more experience with a stand alone workshop can help you. Good luck with your new shop and would like to see some of your work sometimes. Ray

[kenbo]

Thanks Poppie. Don't be sorry for the lack of responses. Any response is appreciated. Sometimes, even a response that may seem like nothing, can trigger a thought in my head that will help. One of these days, I would love to post some of my works on the forum. Hopefully soon. For now, I am still building the shop. (shingled the roof today) Thank you again.

[Dan]

Hey, Kenbo.

My workshop is my garage. In the winter it can get too cold to work in there and the humidity can be pretty high. I use paste wax on my tools and haven't had any problems with corrosion. I assume you will be storing hand tools in there also. If you can get some bags of desiccant, you may be able to store some smaller tools in a cooler with the desiccant. That should keep them pretty dry and rust free. Just a thought.

By the way, how big will your shop be?

[kenbo]

Thanks Dan. See, now that's what I'm talking about. Small little tips and hints that I may or may not have thought of. Jump on the band wagon everyone. Keep those tips coming. I'm sure that there are other woodworkers out there that could utilize this type of advice as well. Thanks again.

[kenbo]

Hey there everyone!! Sometimes, when you look at a post, you think "wow, that guy posted that a long time ago. I won't bother posting a reply, it's too late" NO IT'S NOT. Feel free to post your advice. This topic, in my mind, is not dead. I have been busy for the past 4 days moving all of my equipment and materials to the new shop and am still eager to get advice. After all, this is Canada and I only have a few months left before it gets cold. Jump on in with the advice people. Thanks in advance.

[Louise_PEI]

Ken

I have an out building here on PEI ( all out building here let them be garages, sheds or what ever are called "barns" the small ones are called "baby barns"). I ordered from Lee Valley some boxes of decasent that you can dry out in your regular oven once it turns pink. For the price of the tools, I keep one or on the top of my table saw and one under, one on my scroll saw and so on, I try to keep the heat on to kill the chill (56 degrees F) then tun up the to only 67 F when I go out to work. With the relatively small temp change, my tools did not rust last winter. As far as keeping the temp low, once you get working you get warm, and wear long winter under garments! Then come in and cuddle with your spouse, I would say my husband, but he probably won't want to cuddle with an other man!

Good luck to you.

Louise

[minoweive]

Hi Ken, I am new, and didnt see your post till today. I live in the high deasert of Calif. and we don't have much problem with are tools rusting. but the one thing is. the heat. I also was worryed about my paints and flamibales getting to hot. it does freez hear. but in my cargo container where my new shop is. things stay pretty warm in the winter. nice. but in the summer. dang. so this is one thing I do. I took some bubble rapp, with some foil. and lined my paint cabnet, this keeps it cooler than the rest of the shop. there is also some stuff called, Teck foil. it is foil in the hardware stores. comes in big sheets. and reflects the heat. it also works with cold, reflects the heat out, or in,we line are celing with it. and you can put it on the walls as well. hear is a compony that I order mine from, you can get a free catalog from them. they have lots of things you might like to see. it is called Tek Supply phon # is 1-800-835-7877 or the web is http://www.teksupply.com please give them a try. you might find something you like. also. they have lots of fans. I wonder if you just can move the air around some in your shop if that would help the mosture. just a thought. I think insulating your shop would help alot. there is also some stuff you can put on your tools that doesn't leave oil on your projects, but I have to go through my books to see , one thing you could do is cover your big tools, untill you find something. I cover mine with flees /noga hide,covers, that go on tires while travaling. you know the things you cover your tires on the outside of your trailors with. they also cover motor home air condioners with them, I find them all the time along, the road, that bluw off motor homes. I make covers for all my tools, just to keep the dust off. but I think it would also keep some of the moisture out as well. hope I helped some. Evie

[Donnie]

Hello, I hope you found a solution to your cold problem....I have a shop and only use heat when I am working. My glue and stains would stay in a box in the house. I I use a seed heat mat with a thermostat it fits perfect in a cabinet on a shelf. it is waterproof and the heat stays inside the cabinet. horticulturesource.com or parkseed.com sell them well you can get one at a garden supply store. It worked for me.

[kenbo]

Thanks for the replies. I haven't been around for a while so I haven't been able to post. The lowest I have seen the temperature drop in the shop is 1 degree. It's well insulated. I still was unwilling to take the chance and brought all of my liquids inside for the winter. As far as the rust, I have coated all of my tools in many coats of wax and have placed Silica packets in all of my cupboards and tool totes. So far, so good.
Ken

[Jack Barr]

Hi

A trick which is used by many a home ark welding outfit, is to keep their welding rods in a wood cabinet with a lit light bulb in it. The heat from a light bulb burning keeps the inside of the cabinet warm and dry, so that the rods do not pick up moisture. The wood box itself is somewhat of an insulator.

I do not see why that same idea could not be used to keep your glue and paints in usable condition regardless of how cold it would be outside. If necessary, the cabinet could be insulated. A small wattage light bulb produces a lot of heat. Just try touching a lit light bulb to see how hot it gets.

[jimp11]

A baseboard will do the job