Replies

1. 
   WillGeorge | Dec 12, 2008 02:45am | #1

   I have no idea for an honest answer for your area.

   Chicago area here. We get every extreme, sometime all in the same day!

   My shop is COLD in winter.. HOT in summer..

   I have never had a real problem with rust on my power tools. I keep them waxed, summer AND winter.

   Chisels, plane blades and carving tools are another matter.. I have them INSIDE in winter..

   If yours is extreme.. I wonder if a de-humidifier works in the cold? I do not know.

   Moisture is the killer.. Not the cold. I do not have, but many in here have mentioned a cabinet for all of your small expensive 'goodies' with a electric light bulb that burns all the time.

    

2. 
   Ray | Dec 12, 2008 02:58am | #2

   The only problem would be moisture collecting on the tools when you turn on the heat. Montana's pretty darned dry in the winter so I don't think you'd have anything to worry about. Spring and fall is another matter :-)

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Dec 12, 2008 04:02pm | #8

   Ray,

   Spring and fall is another matter

   Amen to that bro!

   That is the time of year I see the most moisture on tools in my woodshop.  I too don't heat it when not in use and haven't had any real problems with heating a cold shop.

   I do keep my handtools, i.e planes, chisels, marking & measuring tools in a heated (25 watt bulb) fully closed cabinet when not being used.

   The one place I've seen where moisture is the worst is on the cutterhead under the blade guard of the jointer, but not in summer or winter.

   Regards,

   Bob @ Kidderville Acres

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

   Edited 12/12/2008 8:03 am ET by KiddervilleAcres

1. 
   Ray | Dec 12, 2008 04:15pm | #9

   Right! I live in Alabama, no such thing as dry, hot or cold :-(
   I'm an avid fan of Boeshield, paste wax, and Camelia oil. The hand tools are in a tight, warm cabinet and the L-N planes are kept in the house. I learned that Camelia oil works real well on that old muzzle-loader hanging over the door too :-)

2. 
   WillGeorge | Dec 12, 2008 04:22pm | #10

   Spring and Fall here in Chicago the same as Winter AND Summer~

3. 
   oldbeachbum | Dec 14, 2008 12:08pm | #16

   My shop is well insulated and attached to my garage with double doors.  I usually keep the room closed and the wall heater (elec 2000W) on low to keep temp and humidity as steady as possible. 

   I've also purchased some of those treated drawer liners for my steel tool chests.  They are supposed to diminish the tendancy of moistrue/rust to form.  Also some similar desicants in a stick on, self adhesive style about the size of a 9V battery.  These go into my upright cabinets.  I also have a mechanical room for our water pump, elec. panels and storage tank in which I leave a 25W bulb on.

   I'm in a marine environment and I've checked my power bill.  During the worst of our humidity and cold I've found that I pay about 30¢ a day.  Considering the value of what is inside and the effort to "correct a problem" that may arise, this is a very small amount to pay to keep things cozy and comfy for me and my investment....The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it.  -Mark Twain...Be kind to your children....they will choose your nursing home....aim low boys, they're ridin' shetland ponies !!

3. 
   BruceS | Dec 12, 2008 03:06am | #3

   Going from an unheated shop to a heated moisture rich shop  is the problem.   The cold iron tools act as a moisture magnet and condense the moisture.  Thus rust, unless protected.

   If your talking about motors, bearings and drive belts.  I've never had a problem there.

   Work Safe,  Count to 10 when your done for the day !!

   Bruce S. 

    

4. 
   Buster2000 | Dec 12, 2008 03:10am | #4

   I don't think that being cold is necessarily bad for your tools.  Think of all the DIYers that leave fairly low quality tools in unheated garages and sheds, and those tools seems to survive.

   I've heard that heating and cooling tools can cause condensation, but that doesn't seem to be too much of a problem here in Alberta.  Still I worry

1. 
   genecoder | Dec 12, 2008 03:59am | #5

   Thank you all for the information. Greatly appreciated.

1. 
   Buster2000 | Dec 12, 2008 09:53am | #6

   One thing to note. I have seen wood move dramatically when moved between environments. I was taking a class a few years back, and two brothers spent an entire night milling panels for some project. Took them home, the next week they showed up with 15 curved panels. They had stored them in their garage during the -20C weather...

5. 
   RMillard | Dec 12, 2008 03:00pm | #7

   I don't think Ohio is as cold as where you live, but my shop is only heated when i'm in it and I often have a rain/snow covered car parked in it at night, yet I have never had a spot of rust on any of my tools.

   Rob Millard
   http://www.americanfederalperiod.com

6. 
   mvflaim | Dec 12, 2008 04:59pm | #11

   I believe that cold weather can adversely affect your glues and finish. It's best to keep them at a constant room temperature.

7. 
   HowardAcheson | Dec 12, 2008 06:42pm | #12

   Cold temperatures, in and of themselves, will not damage tools or equipment. However, heating a shop when the starting temperature is low is a significant problem. The air heats much faster than a mass of metal. This difference in temperature between the air and the metal creates a little local atmosphere at the surface of the metal and condensation is formed. Think of your mint julep or beer can outside in warm weather. Just as your drink container gets wet, your cast iron will too. Heating with un-vented propane is also a problem as one of the major combustion byproducts is watervapor.

   What I do is to get a couple of those cheap throw blankets at Walmart and cover the cast iron surfaces. This prevents the local atmosphere from forming and your tools should remain dry. Also, apply Boeshield T9 following the directions on the can. Paste wax is of limited use as it has little or no resistance to watervapor.Howie.........

   
   

   ---

   Edited 12/12/2008 10:44 am ET by HowardAcheson

1. 
   derekborne | Dec 13, 2008 02:37am | #14

   When you take your beer can out of the cooler into a summer atmosphere the temp. change is extremly rapid.  Heating a shop from -20 to +20 is not going to happen so quickly.

    

   Derek

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Dec 14, 2008 07:37pm | #17

   How fast a shop heats up is dependent on how many BTU's are produced by the heater. Whether condensation will form is dependent on how much moiture is in the hot air. If a propane, un-vented heater is used, quite a bit of water vapor is produced during the combustion of propane making condensation more likely.Every situation is different.Howie.........

8. 
   derekborne | Dec 13, 2008 02:35am | #13

   The change in temp. in the shop is not going to be that rapid.  You are not heating it to operating temp in a mater of seconds.  When you bring something from outside in during the winter the temp seing can be 50 degrees celcius.  That happens in seconds, thus the condensation.  If you heat a shop slowly you should not have that problem.  Especially if you have air movement.

    

   Derek

9. 
   roc | Dec 14, 2008 06:40am | #15

   It is a small thing but some thing to consider:

   Digital calipers and digital read outs on the table saw fence etc . . . the batteries are not too happy if cold.

   roc

10. 
    [email protected] | Dec 15, 2008 05:29am | #18

    I live over the hills, in Salmon Idaho, we have fairly similar weather. 

    I got some encapsulated heaters, that are made for dehumidfying gun cabinets, and mounted them inside the cabinet of my table saw.  I also have a couple of fleece throws that I put over the top of the saw.  Between the two, the top stays slightly warm.