I made my first furniture piece and was lucky enough to sell it to a retail store. My partner (who does professional painting of our the furniture) believes that we will get additional orders through the winter. I have a basic woodworking shop in my unheated garage. I live in Iowa. What problems will I have or look out for when I make additional furniture pieces this winter concerning gluing, expansion and contraction…? Do I need to insulate and heat the garage? Any help would be tremendous.
Doug
Replies
Short answer is yes you have to heat it if you want to use it in any practical fashion during the winter (vs restricting your work to when it is "nice". Where I am (Massachusetts) an unheated garage is no place for water based products (glue, paints... ) in the winter. They'll freeze or at least go bad. Probably colder in Iowa. Even if you don't worry about finishes, probably not very safe working if you're very cold.
Can't answer how you'd do it or if you should insulate (if you can and are serious about this then why wouldn't you). Depends so much on your setup. Wood stove, electric heater... On another thread (was it on breaktime?) something similar was discussed and someone warned about propane heaters throwing off a lot of moisture (very true), that may not be good WRT wood expansion/contraction...
Unheated also means moist--providing a little heat keeps wood at a moisture content more like its ultimate home.
A little pot bellied cast iron wood stove is a great place to roast peanuts while your working! But, you gotta keep it fed somehow. Wood may be cheaper than propane, natural gas, or heating oil.
Also have to load it up and damper it down to last through the night. Also gotta keep the ashes shoveled out. You will need to keep all your water based products and glues in the house and only bring them out to the shop while using them.
Also, if you ever run across a cherry fruit tree that can be taken down, save the sawdust for sprinkling on the top of the stove occasionally. Not the Black Cherry or so-called native cherry but an actual cherry fruit tree.
Down here in Houston I had to use four 5 gallon cans of propane last winter for heating my shop. Normally only use two.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
Iowa? Yikes! Yes, by all means, heat your shop. My experience is in the Great Northwest, where the lows are in the mid-high 30's/low 40's during the worst of the winter -- doesn't come close to Iowa, right? Hubby put in a woodburning stove for me 3 years ago, and it makes all the difference in the world! I no longer worry about paints or glues going bad, my tools don't get rust on them, and I'm comfortable and relaxed when I'm working.
There are many ways to go, and a search in the archives will turn up several discussions re: radiant heaters, propane, natural gas, woodburning, the whole gamut of choices. The wood stove has been OK for me, but I don't like the time it takes to monitor and keep it fed, not to mention splitting wood and storing it. Given the funds, I'd go for a pellet stove instead, which will feed itself, doesn't need chopped wood, and burns a heck of a lot cleaner than an older wood stove.
Insulation would certainly cut down on the amount of fuel you'd use (assuming your garage has drafts, thin walls, and such), but that may or may not be crucial at the beginning. For instance, if you were to go with electric heat, very expensive, you'd probably be best off getting the building as air tight and well-insulated as you can. If you're burning wood or pellets, it is less imperative to get it done right away. A WB stove puts out a lot of heat and heats things up pretty quickly, so if you couldn't get to the whole insulation thing this year, it might not be that big of a deal.
BTW, storing your glue and vulnerable paints in a cupboard with a light might be a good idea in your climate, especially if you don't heat.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Here we go again. Clearly talking on topics you know nothing about. What do you mean by "Iowa? Yikes?. What's wrong with Iowa? It's a fine state and I would know because I spent the first 18 years of my life there.
And then you make references to article on radiant heaters and propane when you've already told us you use wood. What can we possibly learn from this post. I can tell you I like the warmth provided by propane because that's my gas of choice and I'm happy with it.
Further you claim that pellet stoves burn cleaner when you don't have one of those either. This is starting to drive me nuts.
If that wasn't enough you make assumptions about the original posters insulation etc. I would think you might have learned your lesson regarding assumptions by this point.
OF COURSE I'M JUST KIDDING. I enjoy your posts very much and somehow just couldn't let this opportunity pass.
carry on
"OF COURSE I'M JUST KIDDING. I enjoy your posts very much and somehow just couldn't let this opportunity pass." I was sure hoping so! However, I've promised not to stir the pot, and I'm hoping others will pass on any opportunities. Time to chill! [well done though!! ;-) ]forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Lampe3d,
I work all winter (when I'm free from my other job) in my garage and I live near Madison Wisconsin. I have seen some very cold days. I heat with a portable (200,00btu) propane heater. Since my ceiling is about 10 feet high, I turn my fan to face up to circulate the heat. I have just finished insulating in my attic of the garage. This will help keep the heat in. I do some of my final finishing in an unfinished part of my basement.
Joe
Is it really saw dust or wood dust?
My first shop was in Nebraska above our garage. It had propane heat, but it was hard to bring up to a comfortable temp when everything is radiating cold. It took such a long time (maybe a day) to bring the tools, shop, contents, etc up to a comfortable level, I didn't use it much in the winter. If I planned ahead, I would turn on the heat and get the shop comfortable, but that really takes the spontaneity out of working in the shop. If the shop goes cold, you need to store glues, latex paints etc in a warm space. I've heard of people storing paint and glue in a junk refridgerator with a small light bulb that is on constantly to keep these items from freezing.
I learned first hand that cold hand or power tools and cold stiff fingers are a deterrent to enjoying woodworking.
I'm in Arkansas now with a well insulated shop and a heat pump I leave set at 50 degrees when I'm not using it which makes things much better.
Good luck,
Bob
I am a hobbiest in Minnesota, and like you work in the garage. To do any work in the late fall or winter, heating is a must for comfort sake, and a necessity for any gluing or finishing. I have a small wall mounted gas furnace and ceiling fan that can get the ambient temperature up pretty quickly. As mentioned, it takes longer for cast iron to heat up. I bring all my glues, etc. inside when it starts getting cold, and do all my glue-ups and finishing in the basement. Remember to allow the wood to reaclimate to interior temperature and moisture content before glueing or finishing. Good luck on future commissions!
Thew;
Do you have a vented or vent-less heater?
TT
I'm located in Alberta, Canada. We are already seeing temperatures down to -6C (21F). We'll get down to -30C (-22F) in the winter months for sure. At least it's a 'dry' cold.
This will be the second year of working in my attached garage. Last year I had insulated the walls (but not the roof), and in all but the very coldest days I was able to work out there.
This year after adding some heavy equipment to the shop I finished the insulation and added an electric heater, one of those portable 4800W jobs site models. So far so good. The heater is strong enough that it will heat the shop enough to glue in a half hour or so.
On the recommendation of a much more experience friend I keep the shop at around 15C (60F). It's enough to comfortably work, but cool enough that I don't have to run the heater all the time. It also avoids too many temperature fluctuations in the shop.
If I had the money I would have added one of those gas heaters. But this solutions seems to be working for the time being. I'll update everybody when it gets really cold.
This year after adding some heavy equipment to the shop I finished the insulation and added an electric heater, one of those portable 4800W jobs site models. So far so good. The heater is strong enough that it will heat the shop enough to glue in a half hour or so.
Would you mind sharing the brand name etc.? I'm not sure what to look for. I live in a more temperate place (Seattle area). Garage is attached, pretty well insulated, but is part of the house so I don't want to burn propane / natural gas. Ideally I'd like to find something that works with a thermostat...
Hi Vulcan666,
Like Buster2000 I am also from Canada, eastern however. It can get pretty darn cold out here, heck even the dog houses are insulated R10...
Last year we got about a 2 weeks and a half of -37 C (-34 F), frost bytes, frozen batteries and kids tongues stuck on fence poles, etc.. But like Buster said it's fairly dry so it doesn't feel that bad...gives everything a nice crunch!
Like yours, my shop is an attached garage ( 18'X23' ) and I use one of those yellow cube heaters hung from the ceiling pointed down towards the midlle of the space. I manage to keep it around 15C ( 57F ) very easily when I'm not using it. The brand name is UNIWATT, runs on 220V, 4800W. Pretty effective, permanetly oiled and runs pretty smoothly. Comes with its own thermostat though now I use a standard one ( round dial ) I installed on the wall for easy access to controls.
I got mine at HomeDepot but i guess any hardware store should be able to provide you with one.
As for the glue and paint and finishing products, I keep them in a small cuppard in the basement lockeroom just in case the heater fails.
Have a good one!
Soarthumbs
Never thought about just using a thermostat separate. Looked on Amazon, saw a couple brands, but assumed I'd need the thermostat handy. I assume it's easy to hook an external thermostat to a 240v heater? Do you buy a relay or something?
Thanks!
Not really. I just use a standard wall mounted thermostat, the same one we use with all our standard baseboard heaters. The unit is self contained. You just run ( or have an electrician run it ) your 220v/240v wiring passing through the wallmounted thermostat on your way to the heater.
Here's the kind of thermostat I'm taking about. You're gonna need a standard boxed outlet to install it.
http://www.rona.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10001&langId=-1&selectItemId=&parentCategoryId=0&categoryId=10807&catentryList=&productId=60835
I don't know what are the common heaters like in your area but here pretty much everyone has their baseboard heaters and thermostat separate from each other. Electrical heating is pretty much the norm with gas and oil heaters in second.
So basically I just consider the cube heater as if it was a standard baseboard unit, set the unit's thermostat to the lowest so it is virtually allways on and control the on and off with the wallmounted thermostat ( beats having to climb up there ).
Hope I'm making sense.
ST
Hope I'm making sense.
You sure are. The unit I'm tentatively looking at is a 240v/21A ceiling-mount. I'll have to look into external thermostats, just never thought about it. Heck, then I could use one of those fancy ones that keep the place at a lower temp (say, 50) then raise it to 65 just before I get home, until the evening's done, and temperate all weekend. Should save on the juice.
I'll look at the unit you mentioned, and some others to see which will control a 240v/21A line.
Great idea, thanks!
Glad I could help!
As for the fancy thermostat. That is what we have throught out the house. Believe me we saved a bundle. My wife stayed home all winter last year while she was pregnant and with the programmable thermostats it didnt cost me a penny more than the year before with standard thermostat and an empty home during the day.
However, just a word of caution you about using a programmable thermostat on a unit that heats and blows air at the same time. The reason being that the programmable thermostat on a standard heater will lower the amount of current it sends to the unit to maintain the temperature once it get to the programmed temp.
Now, on a forced air heater, the thermostat will not only lower the heat but the fan speed as well resulting in a constantly running unit that will not generate enough air movement therefore not efficiently heating the room and possibly never triggering the termostat. Unless you have separate feed to the heater and the fan you might not get what you expect.
Have Fun!
ST
The unit I'm tentatively looking at is a 240v/21A ceiling-mount. I'll have to look into external thermostats, just never thought about it.
I'm not sure why you would want an external thermostat. I just bought this heater from Northerntool. I haven't installed it but it has an onboard thermostat.
http://www.ouellet.com/documents/products/catalog_17_en.pdf
First, so I can change settings without climbing. Second, so the thermostat isn't mislead by its proximity to the heat source. Finally, to allow convenience like automatically warming the shop an hour before I get home from my day job.
Honestly, it's a pretty attractive feature list.
Good luck
I'm located in Alberta, Canada. We are already seeing temperatures down to -6C (21F). Geee. I'm movin' there.. Warmer en' Chicago!
You will not only NEED to heat the shop you will WANT to heat it. I use a propane heater that has through the wall venting and fresh air intake It works very well. Take the time to understand the safety issues with heating options. A lot of places sell vent free stoves but that has always made me nervous. I picked mine up at Fleet Farm and it wasn't very expensive. It can take a long time to heat up a bunch of cast iron equipment but you only need to get to around 60 to be pretty comfortable. If it's really cold I will use a couple of electric heaters to give it a boost and then shut them down when it warms up a bit. Who knows, it may be cheaper to use electric than buy propane this winter. Someone smarter than me can probably calculate the point where it pays to switch from one to the other. If we stay in this house for a while I make take time to switch it over to natural gas as that's a bit cheaper than propane.
Do you still use the garage for the car. I don't so I took the time and spent the money to put down a wood floor. It's the kind that comes in 2x2 foot squares and has rigid plastic on the bottom. Makes a ton of difference, both for my feet and the overall ambience of the workspace. Also makes it a lot easier to move tools around my small space.
best of luck
Hi,
I am looking on installing a 25,000 propane ventless heater in a work shed. Appreciated your comments on vented heaters. I can't seem to find any..............how about a tip on the cost and who to buy them from. The ventless are 25,000 BTU's and would be perfect for my drafty shop.'Any advice would be appreciated.
Twotowers
I have 2 heat sources in my shop. First is a 75,000btu mobile home heater. Oil fired, it takes the chill off while the wood stove gets going. On the coldest days here in NH I can keep my 700ft/sq shop at 55 with just the wood stove. Anything more than 60....I start to sweat. darn comy in there when the wind is howling and the snow is drifting........................... Now I just need to make a bar
Wicked Decent Woodworks
(oldest woodworking shop in NH)
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
Hi Doug -
I'm in the "heating the shop with a wood stove" camp. Not because I think it's the best, just the easiest for me when the time came to install one. Too late for you to consider this option but when I poured the concrete shop floor I installed PEX tubing with the thought of having a radiant heated slab. My heating contractor fixed me up with a used but not leaking hot water tank for mass storage (of the water) and plumbed the tubing up with a make-shift heat exchanger in back of the wood stove.
The heat excanger doesn't. Exchange heat that is. I need to get someting inside the firebox for that part to work. None the less, my shop is about as air tight as a flour sieve yet in a couple hours I can have it comfortably warm enough to work.
I found my stove by asking around at wood stove/pellet stove/propane fireplace insert shops. When they replace an older wood stove about all they can do is take it to the re-cycle for scrap metal. Most of the ones they replace aren't EPA certified and they can't re-sell them. So I got mine practically for nothing. It's an air tight Fisher brand, great stove. Holds a full load fire for several hours but you gotta burn well seasoned wood to keep the smoking down.
I've never had or used a pellet stove but I've seen them in operation. They require hookup to electricity since they have an auger that feeds the firepot from the pellet storage bin. They do appear to be a lot less hassle than a wood stove but with nowhere near the charm! (grin)
What's your house heating system type? If you burn propane or oil perhaps you'd be able to tap into the storage system in order to add a small unit burning one of these fuels??? If you have a forced air system it's probably not going to be sized big enough to add the garage to it but you could ask a heating contractor to take a look at that option.
Keep in mind that any open flame heat source will up the ante with regard to the fire hazard in your garage/home. Best investigate how your home owner's/fire insurance provider will view the setup as well!
Just as a totally off the wall idea, there's an outfit that makes or used to make a heating system, wood fired, that's housed in a structure away from the house. I'm trying to remember what the heating medium is and the name of the system. I think they use water as the heating medium.
There are a host of companies that make the outside wood boiler. Many units are working in our area. I am building a barn workshop that has a suspended concrete floor with the tubing in the floor for the hot water radiation. I was going to use the wood boiler for both for the house and barn but my wife decided to use geothermal for the house. Very expensive installation.
Tinkerer -I was pretty sure that the heating medium was water but didn't want to stress the point. From what (little) I've read about them, they offer huge mass storage and are pretty efficient.Geothermal? Sounds intriguing.For the application to the original poster's question, these external-to-the-house boilers would seem to be a pretty good solution. With the mass storage, as I recall, they only require firing every other day or so.
I have several neighbors with the outside wood boiler. Yes they use water, similar the the cooling system of your car. You can use the water in a radiator to heat the room directly or use in a radiator of the heat plenum of a forced hot air heating system. I think that you can use an alcohol or other antifreeze solution to protect from freezing in case the fire goes out. I will check that out before putting water in the lines imbeded in the concrete floor of my shop.
In the closed geothermal system the water solution comes out of the ground at 56 degrees but the heat pump draws it down to about 10 degrees so it is very necessary to use an alcohol solution. It is so much more efficient to draw the heat out of 56 degree water that to extract it out of 10 or 20 degree outside air. The normal heat pump is marginal in our climate.
Hi Tinkerer2 -With regards to your neighbors who heat with the outside boilers: How often do they have to stoke the fire? One outfit I saw some years ago claimed their system burned so effeciently it was certified to burn any type of fuel, even to used motor oil. It held an enormous mass of water, huge tank such that it only required firing every three days or so depending on how cold the weather was.
You have to understand that I have very little first hand experience but --- my neighbors and dealers--. The units do have quite a supply of water storage - maybe up to a couple hundred gallons of water, but they also have a lot of wood storage in their fire box. I doubt the heat storage of the water would supply heat for several days. Like you said, several days. The bigger the boiler the more storage. If you put a lot of wood in and limit the oxygen it doesn't burn quite as cleanly. Smells more like a creosote factory than a bon fire. Probably a good idea to distance it the house. Some of these guys pipe it a couple hundred feet. The pipes are insulated well but I don't know how much heat is lost to the soil. I also don't know of a make of outside boiler that runs on used engine oil but at least one company gives you the choice option (extra of course) of adding gas (natural or propane) to the unit. The initial cost of these setups is rather steep.
Speaking of use engine oil, there is a company that manufactures an inside furnace that burns used engine oil. I know of one garage that picks up the stuff free (some companies have even paid him to take it). At the time I rejected it because I wanted to heat both the barn and the house and I couldn't see how I could do this with hot forced air. I didn't research the market to determine the availability of used oil in my area. Possibly, I should reconsider since I am putting my house on geothermal heat.
Have you heard from anyone about these radiant heaters yet? I seem to remember that 2 or 3 people use them, or similar designs.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
forestgirl, I had previous posts, which I can't find now, about Radiant Heating. I've used a unit in my shop for about 10 years. Works great! Only requirement is that you need a high enough ceiling to get enough "spread". Otherwise it eliminates all the problems these other guys talk about - need to pre-heat, condensation on cold machinery, venting of humidity into the shop, etc.My setup, I purchased components from W.W. Grainger, probably cost about $300. Runs on natural gas or Propane. I hooked it up to a thermostat which also starts a VERY small fan at the far end of the shop, therefore no odors. No explosion danger as you just turn the thermostat down when you want to do some finishing. Radiant heaters heat "things", not the air, therefore machinery stays warmJerry
Hi, Jerry, thanks. How high is "high enough." I have a feeling our garage doesn't qualify. I've often wondered about radiant heat -- do you feel warm when you're in there? I'm a bit of a whimp when it comes to being cold! Most men I know are much more tolerant of the cold than I am, LOL! I find the shop doesn't feel comfortable until it gets up between 50* and 55*. Hubby, however, is perfectly happy as long as it's above 40*. 'course he grew up in Eastern WA and I grew up in S. Calif. and Florida.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
forest girlI keep the thermostat at 55 - 60 depending on the type of work I have to do. Temp outside can be down to Zero or below. I'm toasty warm because the radiance warms ME, just as standing in front of the fireplace. Machinery stays warm too, so cold iron isn't sucking heat away.As to height, as I recall, you need 8 feet under the unit and 12" to 18" above the unit. I hung my unit, which is about 15" x 30" at a 45 degree angle. I also shielded the ceiling with cement board, just in case. No problems. In short, I guess I have about 12' of clearance in my sloping roof garage.Jerry
I was in Home Depot last night using the "self-checkout" stand. They have radiant heaters waaaay up above the registers -- wow were they warm! Tell me, how's the price of propane (or natural gas) doing what with the gas prices going crazy? I know what I paid the other day, but I can't remember what I paid last year. We've thought about changing our house furnace over to propane (from fuel oil).
re: the garage -- most of our garage "ceiling" (loosely defined) is barely 8' consisting of plywood laid over the joists. However, in the last 8 or 10 feet of the back part, it goes straight up to the roof (peaked roof). Kinda awkward??forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I checked my actual installation. The clearance under my heater is 7' and the underside of the cement board is 10'. The actual size of the Dayton Radiant Heater is 12" x 24". I've got to keep the facts straight. We switched to natuaral gas from propane many years ago. Love it. No more refills - or the worries about getting one.Jerry
Thanks for the specifics, Jerry. Might be something to think about for next year. Ahhhhh, natural gas -- our little island has no such luxury. They've talked for years about running a line across Agate Passage, but for whatever reason haven't done it. We have very reliable fuel delivery companies though. Big problem would come with "The Big One" if it took out the bridge to the peninsula -- then we'd be in trouble!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Wellll, I've got about 964 sq. ft. shop with pretty high ceilings and use propane through a cute little stove that looks like a tiny wood stove. Cute little thing with a remote control thermostat I mounted accross the room. My bill for heating was about $100.00 last year I think. Course, when I built the shop the year before, I put R19 in the walls and ceiling and buttoned it up pretty tight. I've got the water supply for the house in there too so I want it warm enough to keep my toilet working? LOL.
I looked at electric, gas, wood, oil, etc. Finally decided the overall expense was least with this option and....it keeps my wood dry, and me warm.
Hi Jamie -You asked about the cost of propane vis-a-vis the price of gasoline. Well, I didn't know this, maybe you did or do but propane is, according to the guy that delivers ours - a byproduct of gasoline production. Thus the price of same fluctuates along with gasoline prices. Natural gas is, to my understanding, extracted directly from Mom Earth. Thus I presume it would have its own pricing constraints or parameters aside from crude oil .... just a guess on my part.Propane is a wonderful clean fuel to heat with but the nat. gas service we had in our last house was, in retrospect, better. To heat with gas you obviously have to be on a gas line, which we're not. If we ever get nat. gas down our road I will convert our boiler. But don't see that happening in my life time.
If you don't have a very high ceiling in your garage you can angle the radiant unit at a 45degree angle so it is not radiating straight down.I do that with a unit in my garage. In response to your earlier question re the Easy units, there is some positive discussion of them in the Workshop Buzz forum.
Forestgirl,
Thanks for the email, sorry about the lateness of responding. I seem to like the idea of radiant heat (powered by natural gas which my home currently uses). A few posts have talked about radiant heat and it seems like a low energy cost solution for my attached garage (that I still have to use to park my cars). Is there any worry about radiant heating warping lumber? All responses are welcome.
Thank you,
lampe3d
In my experience, no more than with other types of heat. If the surrounding air is warm and dry, and the underside of a board is cool (and moist) there will be distortion. I just turn the boards over to equalize the MC. When I rough mill my stock for a project, I sticker it and let it acclimate for a few days - no problems.Jerry
"Is there any worry about radiant heating warping lumber?" I agree with Jerry. Any way you set up heat in a shop, you want to take into consideration the location of your lumber storage. Just be sure, if it's radiant heat, that it isn't focused onto the lumber, or so close by that the lumber will heat and cool in rapid cycles. By the same token, you wouldn't want a big air conditioner blowing right onto a stack of lumber.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I bought a electric radiant heater from lee valley and use it in my shop suspended from the wall at 45 degrees
My main heater is a portable radiant heater using propane , the unit has a frame work around it including a deflecter which allows me to even lie it down on a non-combustable surface and use it as a stove in the event of a power failure
This year I'll be lucky if I can heat my house with the energy costs these days.....
I may have to get a pot-belly stove... I had one in my shop long ago.
It got to hot!
I found that just insulating and drywall made a BIG difference.. Especially when I insulated the garage doors! Oh yes.. AND weather stripping really helps ALOT..
EDIT:: twotowers.. ventless heater.. I understand they put out ALOT of moisture.. I don't have one just read it someplace.. Ask over at breaktime..
Edited 11/4/2005 6:56 am by WillGeorge
I also have the attached garage/workshop and was recently given a furnace with a 90+ eff rating and have been debating wether that is over kill. Since the bulk of my expense will be in black pipe to get the gas out there and more importantly 3' X 3' footprint it will takeup. I'm in the Cincinnati area and was curious what others thought. Is the floor space worth the sacrifice? One final note I have a 3 year old that works in the shop with me.
Depending on the overhead clearance, I would recommend a radiant heater suspended overhead. I installed mine 10 years ago, first fueld with propane, then converted to natural gas when that came available.
I purchased my components from W.W. Grainger - one heater (for a long, single stall section of my garage - my wife won't leave her car outside so I can have more space). I installed a thermostat at midpoint and interlocked a very small exhaust fan, high on the far-end wall. When the heater clicks on, the fan starts so there is no odor (which is minimal, at best).
My guess is that I spent less than $300 back then.
Jerry
The above is copied from my post to another 'heated shop" question. I keep my thermostat at 55 - 60 which is PLENTY warm when you are working. Radiant heat keeps thje machinery warm and water vapor/humidity has never been a problem.
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