Replies

1. 
   john | Dec 28, 2003 01:18am | #1

   I know various people who have woodburning stoves in their workshops. No problem as long as it is properly installed. I certainly intend to have one when I move in a couple of month's time.

   I find a bandsaw great for cutting up larger items of wood scrap such as sheet goods small enough to go in the mouth of the stove

   John

2. 
   WayneL5 | Dec 28, 2003 03:15am | #2

   I would not burn sheet goods, pressure treated lumber, or anything with a finish on it.  The glues, preservatives, and finishes are quite toxic when burned.  Many are carcinogens.

1. 
   john | Dec 28, 2003 04:39pm | #6

   I would not burn sheet goods, pressure treated lumber, or anything with a finish on it.  The glues, preservatives, and finishes are quite toxic when burned.  Many are carcinogens.

   I think Waynel5 is quite right to be concerned about the toxicity of some potential stove fodder. I personally will not worry too much about burning the occasional offcut because the vast majority of any fumes produced will go up the flue.

   John

1. 
   JMartinsky | Dec 28, 2003 04:59pm | #7

   Hey John,

   Good name! I have a wood stove that heats my 28x35 shop and its real nice. I get rid of cut offs and such and heat the place for close to free. I do burn plywood and the occasional MDF, but NEVER pressure treated. That stuff is lethal all the arsenic and what not. I'm sure that I'll catch hell here by mentioning the ply and MDF, but I've done it for years with no problems. I would suggest a ceiling fan or similar to circulate the warm air. One word of caution. Stoves get REAL hot, 500-800 degrees F, I would follow local codes and manufacturers instructions to the "T". The one bad part about the stoves is that there is no way to shut them off so if you have a problem, it is a BIG problem. Good luck!

   John

1. 
   john | Dec 28, 2003 05:06pm | #8

   I should have mnentioned that I wouldn't burn pressure treated either, didn't think to because I never use the stuff.

   John

2. 
   jdbutler999 | Dec 29, 2003 10:54pm | #20

   For what its worth....they make a device that's looks similar to a roadway flare that you can throw into a burning fireplace or stove that will immediately put out the fire.  It's designed in case you have a chimney fire.  I had to use mine once and it worked great....the fire was immediately put out, now I always keep one on hand.

1. 
   JMartinsky | Dec 30, 2003 12:20am | #21

   Well, to me, that's worth a lot. Can you give me details, manufacturer and what not. I would like to get one for the house also.

   Thanks!

   john

2. 
   jdbutler999 | Dec 30, 2003 07:02pm | #24

   I cannot supply details as I am at work now and don't have access to the device which is at home.  I got mine from a local Stove and Fireplace supply house, but I have also seen them in the local Farm Tractor Supply Store and at Lowes.  They look similar to a roadway flare and you activate them the same way and then throw it in the fire.  I think it develops a chemical that complexes all the oxygen so the fire can't continue to burn.  I am sure you can also find on the internet by doing a google search for fireplace accessories.  I can tell you that they really work,  as I had a chimney fire start up several years ago and activated the device and threw it into a very hot burning fire in the fireplace and both the chimney fire and the fireplace fire flames were out within seconds.

3. 
   boro73 | Dec 28, 2003 07:03am | #3

   Frank,

   Maybe look into a wall mounted, all in one propane unit. These can be installed quick and easy. Drill a hole in an exterior wall, run a gas line to a small propane tank (even a couple of 10lb. BBQ tanks will do) and mount the unit. Some units require electric, some dont.

   Good Luck

   Dave

1. 
   GregKopp | Dec 28, 2003 09:27am | #4

   I use a 155,000BTU kerosene heater in my 24 x40 shop with not a bit of a problem, granted I have alotof open storage area but fot overall shop  heat krosene is a very viable andmeconomcal alternative]

1. 
   BradS | Dec 30, 2003 08:18pm | #25

   I too use a Kerosene heater but am worried a bit about the fumes. Should I be?

1. 
   EdHarrison | Dec 30, 2003 08:44pm | #26

   I don't think you need to worry about the fumes that you can smell when starting or stopping the heater, other than as a nuisance. Wick maintenance minimizes them. What you have to worry about is the production of carbon monoxide gas - it is absolutely colorless and odorless - produced in significant quantity when there's some major malfunction with the way the heater is burning... I would buy a carbon monoxide detector. I would also have a couple windows open or cracked and learn the symptoms of the beginning of CO poisoning (feels like you're starting to come down with the flu).

   I was once the acting Executive Officer of a military base where five people died in base housing from CO poisoning due to a malfunctioning natural gas heater. A Saturday morning I will never forget when they were discovered. Recommend a CO detector that works off 110 volt with battery backup - Nighthawk sells good ones.

4. 
   Telemike | Dec 28, 2003 11:31am | #5

   I'm in the great central valley in the state of confusion. I've got a "boxwood heater" woodstove in the garage. A $175 stove, and a $400 chimney! It heats great, especially with radiant (IR) heat. As you know, 40 is cold here.

   If you have a woodstove, cleanup becomes paramount. And you can't put a car (gasoline vapors) or a building inspector (code violation) in the garage!

   I'll give you some more info later - we just got back from the ER and I've got 16 stitches in my left hand! It's not working too well, and I'm a little freaked out!

5. 
   aew | Dec 28, 2003 08:02pm | #9

   I installed an older woodstove in my shop/barn this fall and have used it many times.  There should be no problems as long as it is vented properly and you observe the appropriate clearances to walls, floors, ceilings, etc.  The stove I installed is one of the older airtight models that get very hot but I left 4 feet of clearance all around and the floor is protected with 1 inch of concrete board that is 2 feet larger all around than the stove.  I have used it down to 40 degrees with 25 mph winds (barns aren't very airtight) and it warms it to 55+ within a couple of hours.

   I don't recommend burning any processed wood products because you never know what they do to the chimney with respect to combustible residues.  I burn cutoffs as kindling and then hardwood logs.  Kiln dried cutoffs burn quickly with a lot of sparks so be careful feeding the fire if you burn it.

   You just need to be careful and as someone else said, remove any flammable materials from the area, and make sure the fire is out at the end of the day.  We partially heat our home with wood and I use the same rules in the shop as in the house.

   AEW

1. 
   john | Dec 28, 2003 08:35pm | #10

   While various skilled wood burning people are around, anyone have any advice on how to burn sawdust?

   John

1. 
   SCFrankland | Dec 28, 2003 08:43pm | #11

   I have seen a few kiln operators use a auger type feed system that only allows a small amount of sawdust to enter the burn box at a time. You can control the heat by varying the feed rate of the auger. The only thing I have seen come close to this for home use would be a pellet stove. All the times I have burned sawdust is after I have a good hot fire burning and then add a dust pan full at a time.Scott C. Frankland

   Scott's WOODWORKING Website"This all could have been prevented if their parents had just used birth control"

1. 
   Smearit | Dec 28, 2003 09:52pm | #12

   Thanks all for the feedback on heating my shop.  Amazon.com has a single burner propane heater that I can run off my BBQ propane tank for $39.00 & I think thats the way to go for me - & as one of you noted, if I have a problem I can switch it off.

1. 
   john | Dec 28, 2003 10:42pm | #13

   Thing about using that type of propane burner is that one of the combustion products is moisture, and it can make you workshop quite damp. Ideally you should use a propane heater that has a balanced flue so that the combustion products are vented outside

   John

2. 
   Curtis | Dec 28, 2003 11:10pm | #14

   Hello

   has any one looked into corn burners? a bushel will heat a shop for 12 hrs. mine holds two bushels. I bought a 55 gal. garabge can full of corn for $1.00 (one dollar!) thats enought to heat my garage for a little more than 2 1/2 days and two nights.(36 HRS +) Yes I could shut the heater down at night,and save corn  but I have five cans,so why not keep everything toasty2il the project is done.

   there is very little ash to clean up.

   No I cant burn my scraps, but for the cost corn it CHEAP!

   I bought mine from Northern electric.

   Check it out,if you are looking into cheap heat.I would recemend it!

   sincererly.   C.A.G.

   P.S. the web site is http://www.northerntool.com/images/promotions/cornstove/cornstovebrochure.pdf

   c.a.g.

   Edited 12/28/2003 3:27:00 PM ET by curtis

2. 
   robkelly1 | Dec 28, 2003 11:32pm | #15

   I keep newspaper in the shop for various uses, and when the fire is hot I roll a panfull of sawdust in a piece of newspaper, twist the ends tight, and burn it like a log.

   About 10 yrs ago I talked to an 80 yr old Italian woman who said that during WW I  her family had a tubular metal device ( about 12" wide, 3-4' high [approx measurements, based on her hand waving]) that they would fill from the top with sawdust and light at the bottom or near the bottom. She didn't know if it had baffles or grates or anything inside, since she was a kid and didn't operate it herself. She said it kept the room warm. She said there were ashes, but not too many. Other people in the village also had similar devices. Sawdust was the only fuel they burned. Thhe source of sawdust was local, since she recalled her brothers bringing  back donkey loads of it. Also, she said a load of sawdust would burn for a long time.

3. 
   JMartinsky | Dec 29, 2003 01:21am | #17

   I am both skilled at burning wood and sawdust. Wood is pretty straightforward, sawdust on the other hand can be a bit tricky. I will relate to you a before and after scenario. I USED to dump sawdust into the top of my stove while the thing was cherry red ,800 degrees or so, that was BEFORE I had what can be best described as a "flare up", that is, my very own personal, flaming, mushroom cloud. My best guess is that when I dumped in the dust (from a metal pan) the dust that reached the fire first, ignited, and proceeded to burn and expand all the way up to and across my ceiling. I happen to have 9' ceilings, sheetrocked, thank God. I would not classify this as a small event. I was DAMN lucky that all that happened was a scorched ceiling, and a badly shaken me. It was the same effect that I would expect from a pan of black powder or shot glass of Gasoline. The whole thing took 1-2 seconds. Totally freaked me out. If you want to get an idea of what I am talking about, get a good, hot fire going and toss a handful of real dry oak dust into it. Just stand back. Now, AFTER all that, I do burn the dust, but almost always by itself or i add it to a small, cold fire, NOT glowing embers. I do this mainly as a disposal method. Dust does not put out much heat.

   Good Luck!

   John

1. 
   Curtis | Dec 29, 2003 12:57pm | #19

   Im glad you are safe. what you just stated was called a fuel air explosion. its the same thing that makes grainry's explode. the fine dust and air mix just right so that the fuel can flair up,AND BOOM.(or in your case Flash like gun power.)

   I belive if saw dust is to be used it must be compacted in some way .

   As I said before. Im glad to hear you are OK. that could have been a huge mistake.I hope other prople can learn from your experances.

   sincererly.   C.A.G.

6. 
   Blueline | Dec 28, 2003 11:35pm | #16

   • Yes I do, since I have the same shop situation as you I thought you'd like to know. I ended up with a portable floor model kerosence heater. Its clean, effecient, quiet and inexpensive to purchase and operate. I too live in CA (Bay Area) garage was in the thirties yesterday and 20 minutes before going out I fired it up and ended up working in a T-shirt. Good luck with your decision.
7. 
   MajorWool | Dec 29, 2003 12:11pm | #18

   I have a hinky setup which works well for me. I put in lighting that consists of two parallel runs of 4 ceramic receptacles, 8 total. In the summer each of these has a 100 watt incandescent bulb. In the winter, I replace the center two receptacles of each run with 250 watt IR bulbs. These do a nice job of warming the air and space up around my head and hands. Startup cost was minimal ($25 for bulbs) and run cost is 15 cents an hour when I'm in the shop. Warm air in the shop is redistributed by the air cleaner system.

1. 
   Smearit | Dec 31, 2003 10:57am | #27

   Thats a pretty good idea, nice and cheap too.  Thanks.

8. 
   Heatherington | Dec 30, 2003 05:49am | #22

   This is a discussion I'm very interested in, as I have just moved to North Caorlina, up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Right now my shop is too cold to work in. As I get older, the cold gets to me worse. My shop is in a block 1/2 basement under an unoccupied house, 22 x 30'. It floods  in summer, a 1/4" or so, in weather like we had last spring. I have thought of a wood stove, have lived with many and loved them, and have never spent $2,000.00 on one! I have one word of advise to everyone who might be considering a woodstove. Get to know the stove darned well, while you are right there, before you ever leave a stove burning hot while you are not around! They can go south on you, and take your house with them. Happened to a friend. I will have to go Propane, and a big one to heat a shop that big. But I would sure be interested in hearing more about BIG kero heaters! Maybe I'll do a web search.

   Frank, who started this, must be the reason I'm not able to be Frank.

   Frank W Heatherington

1. 
   EdHarrison | Dec 30, 2003 06:13am | #23

   I use a kerosene heater. Just keep the area well-ventilated and use a CO monitor for safety. The kero heater doubles as an emergency ice-storm/power-out-for-two-days main house heater and the kero itself doubles as a metal cleaner, rust removal lubricant.

   Edited 12/29/2003 10:16:59 PM ET by Ed from Mississippi