Like a lot of the rest of the country, we have been sweltering in 90+ degree heat and high humidity. I know … those in warmer climates are saying ‘cry me a river’, but here is Wisconsin (I live northeast of Green Bay), we are unaccustomed to temperatures like that. The last time it was 100+ degrees here was almost 20 years ago.
My shop is on the south side of the building, gets direct sun most of the day, and has zero insulation in the attic, so needless to say, I haven’t spent much time out there in the last seven or eight days. I don’t actually know what the temperature in the shop was on the hottest days, but when it is 99 degrees outside, I think it is a sure bet that it was hotter than that inside.
I keep a block of paraffin (the kind you find in canning supplies at the supermarket) in a bin above my workbench … I use it to slick up the sole on my hand planes when I’m flattening stock.
Today, it was only 88 in the shop, and I decided to prep a piece of stock for a little project I want to get started on. Imagine my surprise when I reached for the paraffin and found it melted over the end of the bin!
So … how hot has your shop been? Or, maybe a better question is … what do you do on really hot days?
Full disclosure: We are blowing 16” of insulation into the attic over the garage and workshop next week … wish I would have done it sooner!
—Gerry
-- Gerry -- "I don't plan to ever really grow up ... I'm just going to learn how to act in public!"
Gerry, I am in the same boat as you… I live next door to you in MI and I have the same problem with my shop, the attic is not yet insulated. I have also found the shop temp to be even hotter then the outside. Even with the garage door open and fans going I just cant seem to cool it down in there… I have been toughing it out as best as I can but when its no fun being uncomfortable in the shop…
I live in NC and my shop is my unfinished two-car garage. Morning starts at 85F and I give up ten degress later in the afternoon. The biggest problem is sweat dripping on the cast iron of my tools.
My shop is hotter than out side the shop!! I live in GA and its very humid here! Thankfuly that my 10,000 BTU air conditioner that I bought is coming tomorrow!!
96 degrees inside yesterday in the shop. Fan and squirrel fan moving hot air. 72 percent humidity. It pretty muck sucked. But all shop time is good time. :-)
-- Don't anthropomorphize your handplanes. They hate it when you do that. -- OldTools Archive
Hot? not so sure I’d call it hot the complete opposite, a whopping 70 degrees in my shop and as some have already mentioned I have an AC in mine to grins big, 8K BTU window unit and I keep it on 70 for the simple fact that the DC is located in a seperate room outside the shop with a window port between shop and room for the wart, it draws the cold out and sucks heat in through the hidden cracks in the shop.
I considered putting AC into the new shop, but ruled it out. We get cool breezes off the bay, and our average daytime high temps in July (the warmest month of the year) is only 81 degrees.
—Gerry
-- Gerry -- "I don't plan to ever really grow up ... I'm just going to learn how to act in public!"
Neighbor bought a new AC. The one he had purchased was too big for his window. He asked if I would mount the new AC in the window. In exchange he’d give me the one that wouldn’t fit. YES! So, I have this big honkin AC in a 24×24 shop. Cool as i want.
My shop is above the kitchen and is a secondary form of attic space with no insulation in the eves, 2 very tiny windows of which only 2 open and no insulation but lots of direct sunlight. The other day when it hit 98* here I tried going in the shop, I started sweating the moment I opened the door and was hit with a wave of heat. Half hour later my shirt was drenched and I was becoming dizzy from the heat. Had no choice but to give up, only thing I managed to do was make my first pen. Took three trips to the shop despite only taking a total of about an hour to make one. The one upside is that the applewood I sliced up back in april that is stickered in my shop has to be practically dry with the last 2 weeks worth of heat.
My shop is the 2 car garage attached to the house. i recently gutted it and ran new wiring and insulated the walls. i did not yet however insulated the ceiling and with the 8,000 btu window a/c running it still didnt get below 90 degrees. this week is supposed to be cooler though. only get up to 90 outside.
-- In the end, when your life flashes before your eyes, will you like what you see?
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