Keeping Warm in the work shop

[nodnostik]

The cold weather is upon us, I am really feeling the cold this year. In the past I have used electric heating to try and keep a modicum of warmth in the shop. This option is now getting very expensive and I am wondering what systems others use to heat the shop. I had looked at fitting a stove (wood or coal burning) cost of a suitable stove seems reasonable. cost of Flue components seems to be very very expensive, often more than the value of the stove. Plus I am not sure I will generate enough waste to keep it going. LPG I understand creates a lot of condensation (rust).
Any suggestions will be welcomed.
Cheers
Don

 

[jumps]

your choices really come down to -

keeping it heated, which may include a residual level and an increased operational level, or alternatively you can just heat yourself with a radiant heater - the latter works better if you are generally working at the bench rather than all over the shop (then again you could install more than 1).

if you have a lot of cast iron and motors, so to speak, you will probably want to go along the former route, and ensure you have the right levels of ventilation and insulation. If these are done right the amount of energy required to heat is going to be so so much lower.......poor insulation and you can get through a lot of wood, coal, gas, electricity, oil - whatever - and still feel a chill.

the cost of the flue put me off that route. unfortunately I did so well at creating a warm comfortable environment (oil filled electric rad) my wife decided she would have her office in the shop, and any tools producing dust now have to be used outside (they are all on wheels) which has taken me full circle back and I am about to install a radiant heater outside (when I decide which one). I'm happy working in old ski salopettes but my hands get cold...

 

[nev]

how about a sawdust burning stove? generally something i am not short of in the shop
make your own (hammer) ...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yo ... Stove.aspx
http://autonopedia.org/crafts_and_techn ... Stove.html
and plenty of vids on ewe tube.

or buy one :shock:
http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/wood_burn ... stove.html

havent tried one yet but i will when i find a suitable paint can :mrgreen:

 

[Lowlife]

A woodburner would seem a good choice, I used to live on a boat and installed a small cast iron one, bought from a narrowboat chandlery in Rickmansworth, it was less than a couple of hundred quid with a steel flue, it chucked out a lot of heat and warmed the place up very quickly.

I find most small workshop heaters take too long to get up to a comfortable temp, which stops you going down there just for an hour or so as it hardly seems worth it, or else they're just to expensive to run.

 

[Sawyer]

I find my jack plane and 28" 3 tpi hand ripsaw pretty effective for keeping warm!

Seriously though, the woodburning stove route seems the most tempting except I always worry about the fire risk.

 

[L2wis]

how about a sawdust burning stove? generally something i am not short of in the shop
make your own (hammer) ...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yo ... Stove.aspx
http://autonopedia.org/crafts_and_techn ... Stove.html
and plenty of vids on ewe tube.

or buy one :shock:
http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/wood_burn ... stove.html

havent tried one yet but when i find a suitable paint can :mrgreen:

Great link nev! Let us all know how you get on! I really like the idea but I'd be really cautious of carbon monoxide build up. Would you have a shed door open to allow ventilation? Ventilating somewhere your trying to heat seems like it could make the heating part trickier.

 

[mike s]

how about a sawdust burning stove? generally something i am not short of in the shop
make your own (hammer) ...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yo ... Stove.aspx
http://autonopedia.org/crafts_and_techn ... Stove.html
and plenty of vids on ewe tube.

or buy one :shock:
http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/wood_burn ... stove.html

havent tried one yet but when i find a suitable paint can :mrgreen:

Great link nev! Let us all know how you get on! I really like the idea but I'd be really cautious of carbon monoxide build up. Would you have a shed door open to allow ventilation? Ventilating somewhere your trying to heat seems like it could make the heating part trickier.

you can buy devices that sense carbon monoxide levels
its like a smoke alarm

 

[L2wis]

Cracking idea well worth a purchase!

 

[hughie]

I have design that is bit more complicated, these are great and very easy to build. cheers

 

[Jacob]

Underwear could be the way.
It's got a lot better since the days of Damart. Outdoor gear - Helly Hansen etc, climbing shops. Plus socks, bobble hat, fingerless gloves. Multiple thin layers rather than thick old jumpers.

 

[nodnostik]

Thanks for all the suggestions and help, as always the forum comes up with the goods.
I think I will have a go at the sawdust burner , it looks simple and from comments they look to be quite efficient .
Hughie, you mentioned a good design for a sawdust burner, can we have more details please.
Cheers.
Don

 

[Lowlife]

They do sound good and I'd be interested to see other designs too, my problem is that I don't actually produce that much sawdust, more shavings and chips so I'd either need a slightly different design that would burn that fuel, or I'd have to find a source of sawdust to mix with the shavings.

We produce a lot of sawdust at work, but we work with lots of different materials so the wood dust is contaminated with acrylic and other plastics, so obviously not suitable for burning.

 

[nev]

We produce a lot of sawdust at work, but we work with lots of different materials so the wood dust is contaminated with acrylic and other plastics, so obviously not suitable for burning.

still ok for burning, just just not so good for breathing :mrgreen:

 

[alexf]

This week in Lidl they had winter overalls for under £20 . These are quilted boiler suits and being slippy material inside are far easier to get on and off than a normal boiler suit. I expected it to feel bulky but isn't and is very comfortable and warm.

 

[loz]

Underwear could be the way.
It's got a lot better since the days of Damart. Outdoor gear - Helly Hansen etc, climbing shops. Plus socks, bobble hat, fingerless gloves. Multiple thin layers rather than thick old jumpers.

Can we BAN the recommendation of gloves in the lathes forums please !

 

[chipmunk]

While I'd agree, I'd also argue that cold numb fingers, without feeling, are also hazardous and more likely to cause injury/become injured - DAMHIKT ;-)

Perhaps we need someone to make fingerless gloves out of safety cloth ;-)
Jon

 

[L2wis]

Jokes aside Jon but I think that's a good idea!

 

[duncanh]

Also make sure that your workshop has decent insulation. My shed has 5cm thick rock wool slabs on walls, floors and ceiling. On the walls and floor it's behind chipboard and the ceiling it's behind hardboard. Once the place is up to temperature it stays there fairly well for the session.
I also find that my camvac extractor outputs a lot of heat so to get the place hot quickly I stick that on for 5 minutes. In that time it raises the temperature at least 5C.
My main heating is an oil filled radiator which has a frost protection thermostat. I turn it up and then head back inside to give it a while to heat up.

 

[Melinda_dd]

Unfortunately, my workshop is so tiny, there's barely room for me in it, so any heating methods are out!
It has no insulation, minimum thickness t&g cladding... with designer holes and a leaking window!
If I had my way it'd rip it down and start again but sadly... renting!

In my 'w' I am currently wearing a pair of jeans with craghopper quilted trousers over the top, a thermal long sleaved top with polo t shirt over the top, and a fleece.

The only thing i haven't yet mastered is keeping the feet warm. I've tried 1 pair of thin socks and trainers, 2 pairs of thin socks and trainers, 1 pair of thick socks and trainers...... to no avail.
Today was 1 pair of thermal socks and my steel toe boots... slightly better, but still not toasty!

 

[kirkpoore1]

Electric socks?

Kirk