Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Dec 16, 2008 06:20pm | #1

   Bill,

   As attractive as the idea is in energy savings you should be aware that big swings in shop temperature will also cause large swings in shop humidity which will cause problems with wood moving and changing dimension as you are working with it and can create problems with moisture condensing on machines.

   That said, what you need can be found at a supplier of commercial controls. Thermostats with a wider operating range go under the following names in a Grainger catalog, the bible for such things: look at Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation Controls; Potable Heater Thermostats; Remote Bulb Thermostats, and the like. Grainger is at grainger.com on line. Some Graingers branches sell to tradespeople only, others don't seem to care, so you may have to get an electrician to make the purchase for you.

   John W.

1. 
   BillGray | Dec 17, 2008 12:02am | #2

   Hi John,
   Timely reminder about the humidity issue, I guess it was at the back of my mind, but I hadn't given it enough thought. My (maybe ambitious) desire is to develop the skills to produce fine furniture of the best possible quality, and the inaccuracies you mention as possible would not help that for sure. I have been waiting 50 years since leaving school for the chance to do this, so you can imagine I am pretty excited about the possibilities.I have a concrete garage floor slab, and so plan to use a double coat of liquid sealer, before I put the flooring down. I was planning to use the "Dri Lok" wood/plastic combination which had a good review in FWW , any comments on that?
   Once I have a thermostat/heater combination which is capable of 0 to 5 degrees background I guess I will have to experiment with both the background and then the working temperature raising one and lowering the other to reduce the swings until I get a good compromise.
   I will follow up with the site you gave me.
   Many thanks.
   Bill

1. 
   zolton | Dec 21, 2008 04:20am | #3

   Bill,

   If you have a gas line running anywhere near your shop, a wall-hung direct vent gas heater would solve a lot of the issues you raise. These heaters come with a thermostat, so you can set the unit to provide "background heat," as you put it. Then, when you enter the shop, you can reset the thermostat to a good working temperature.

   I just bought a 35,000 BTU Empire gas wall-hung heater for my shop (about 22x30 feet), and it works well. It's also pretty economical to operate compared to any type of electric heater - well, depending on what you pay for these fuels, of course.

   Direct-vent is the way to go with these things (as opposed to the so-called "ventless" units) because the burner draws its combustion air from outside the building and vents exhaust gasses outside through the same concentric pipe. The pipe vents out a sidewall.

   Plus, the wall hung units don't take up much space. The one I have is maybe ten inches deep, 28 high and 35 wide (just a guess, I'm not in my shop right now).

   I got mine from a greenhouse supply company for about $750.00 and hooked it up myself.

   Zolton  If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon

1. 
   BillGray | Dec 21, 2008 11:44pm | #4

   Hi Zolton,
   Thanks for the input. Unfortunately I don't have a gas line anywhere near my shop, and as the basement is fully finished it would be a big deal or impossible to run a branch line.Thanks again
   Bill