# When Is It TOO Hot in the Shop To Work?



## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

HOW ABOUT YOU?

I gutted through yesterday for 4-5hr of 105.3F but today it is just brutal and I refused to do anything in the shop! 107.1F and that is with the doors open!


----------



## AuroraWoodworks (Nov 6, 2009)

I live in Alaska. That's a hypothetical question you pose!


----------



## Woodmaster1 (Apr 26, 2011)

Sorry about the hot temps. It has been very pleasant in northeast Indiana,73 today. I got 5 hrs of shop time today. The hottest it has been is low 90's.


----------



## UpstateNYdude (Dec 20, 2012)

The hell with that, anything past 85-90 and I'm inside in the AC the humidity is what makes it brutal here. You're crazy at 107 you could have heat stroke, I love woodworking but not enough to work in that.


----------



## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

I guess that's what you get used to when you live that far South lol. For me personally, 75 and I open the A/C vent in my shop. 80 degrees and I'd probably go back out to the living room 

But, on the other side of things, I work in my parents' garage until it's below 35…


----------



## madts (Dec 30, 2011)

I pack it up and go inside and cook some food. Today in Houston it is right at 100 deg.s and way to hot.


----------



## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

What Nick said; above 85 and I'm parked in front of the PS3.


----------



## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

It was nice here, I think it got up to 76


----------



## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

Just put a window ac unit through my wall. It's gotten into mid nineties and been pretty nice in my shop.


----------



## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

firefighterontheside, you suck!

*;-)*


----------



## RonInOhio (Jul 23, 2010)

As others have said, its the humidity that runs me out. I can take 80's , even 90's if the humity is low. If humidity is above 60%, than lower to mid 80's is probably the max I will voluntarily work in. I have an air conditioner installation in the plans. Its been wet and very humid the last week. But temps have lowered also, so its not bad.


----------



## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

Cool clock!


----------



## Airframer (Jan 19, 2013)

I used to work in a restaurant kitchen in Texas sans A/C. Now I work on a flight deck with 50+ jet engines cooking you at every turn in the Gulf… your 107 doesn't scare me lol.

Seriously though.. that does suck. Time to build an outdoor bench?

*edit Forgot to mention that that while on the flight deck I am forced to wear a long sleeve knit turtleneck jersey, long pants, a cranial and float coat… yeah that gets pretty miserable.


----------



## papadan (Mar 6, 2009)

Didn't used to have a "too hot" level, but health has changed that to about 80 degree now. Can't take hot or cold anymore.


----------



## mbs (May 8, 2010)

A nice and warm 120 in gilbert today


----------



## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

You're definitely hitting the upper limit of tolerance. 72 here now, so not a problem.


----------



## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

you're just getting old Mike!!


----------



## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Well, in the foundry I worked in for over 30 years, it was very common for the temperature to reach 110 at floor level. It really got hot up on the bridge cranes, 130 to 140. But, folks who worked in those areas had air conditioned rooms to work in. I learned from these experiences, so I'm putting an AC in my new shop.


----------



## JollyGreen67 (Nov 1, 2010)

Mini-split system with AC and Heat Pump is the only way to go !


----------



## longgone (May 5, 2009)

A window A/C unit is not that expensive and worth every penny to stay comfortable.
One of the first things I did when I built my shop was install an window A/C.
I can't enjoy my shop time if it too hot and most certainly do not like hot, sweaty and sticky weather. Today the outside temp was 96 and inside my shop it was 73.


----------



## fge (Sep 8, 2008)

Mike, today on the job site, temp thermometer showed 112 degrees in the shade. But we were inside AC working on custom cabinets, only go outside from time to time for occassional cut. So not so bad. But the shop bas been very hot to work in. I'm thinking as we build our new shop we will have insulation.

Airframe, I was active duty USN, my memory of hot days spent in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea among other hot spots while under General Quarters. Those were some hot days. But sure glad I did not have any flight deck duty.


----------



## pvwoodcrafts (Aug 31, 2007)

HMMM. it only gets in the 90's here and occasionally 100+ but I keep the shop doors shut and shop stays around 70. Most will walk in and think I have AC. Now my kiln, when I'm not drying wood will hover around 67. I will occasionally sneak in for nap on a stack of wood left in there when its really hot


----------



## mgipson (Feb 22, 2009)

It's always 90-95F and humid in my shop in Bangkok. But on the plus side, it's always 90-95F, I hate the cold!


----------



## SebringDon (Feb 1, 2013)

I'm fine up to the mid-80s. Above that I can do about 15 mins before I'm inside working on my next project in Sketchup.


----------



## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Mike, I seem to be able to tolerate a lot of heat as long as I'm out of the sun and have BIG fan blowing on me. Our last 2 summers were record hot years so looks like it may be your turn this year. I sprayed a chair with Spar today and it dried almost instantly! So there is an up side!


----------



## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

A bit warm today, so, drink a bunch of water.


----------



## firefighterontheside (Apr 26, 2013)

Thanks Mike, that made me laugh. I worked in my shop when St Louis was in the worst heat wave I remember last summer. It got up to 109 and we had weeks in a row over 100. Luckily we did not have normal St. Louis humidity. That was what convinced me to put the ac in. I paid $80 for used 9000 btu unit. It works great.


----------



## Flocktothewall (Jan 16, 2011)

I built some shop cabinets today, 104. Drank a gallon of water.


----------



## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

As far as I'm concerned, anybody within "day trip" distance to Schlitterbahn doesn't get to complain about heat.


----------



## Momcanfixit (Sep 19, 2012)

Eastern Canada here. Anything over 85 here is considered VERY hot and you'll find me somewhere in the water, or in the house near the AC. My shop is in our attached garage, so I can leave the door to the house open on hot days and it stays cool.


----------



## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

To tell the truth, I don't mind it much when the temps only get up to the mid-90s but less than 100F. But higher than that is finally too much on this 61yr old. Yep Don, I'm gettin' old… but I ain't there yet!

I as others have noted their US Navy times, I'll share mine as well. I was an Electricians Mate stuck in the engine room underway, where we had a constant 130F AND +130dB. Other than my hearing loss and tinnitus, my young (19 at the time) body could take the abuse.

Now-a-days I have to be more conservative about the temps and about making sure I keep hydrated. I used to get thirsty when I started to get dehydrated, but now I don't get thirsty and have to manually "remember" to drink water every xx hours/minutes when the temps get high.

Oh yeah, and I had 3-fans blowing on me at all times and I had to reposition them every time I moved between tools. PITA!


----------



## rustfever (May 3, 2009)

Got in 8 hour in the shop today. Started at 4:30 and at 76 degrees. Ended about 1:00 pm at 103 D. All in a normal day in Sunny Central California


----------



## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

I'm just glad loading hay trucks and stacking in barns with no air moving in 100 + Idaho sun are long since behind me. Anything else i did working in boiler rooms ect was a pleasure by comparison ;-)


----------



## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

It got to 97F with the usual high humidity here in south Louisiana. No shop time today for me. I wimped out and watched some Wimbledon tennis matches.

I do have a 9' diameter Big Ass Fan in my shop, and it magically turns my shop from an oven . . . in to a convection oven. Even though it's hot, it is still workable when the outside air temps or in the low 90's. I don't have a thermometer in the shop so i really don't know how hot it gets. When I start dripping sweat on my workpieces, I look for other options.


----------



## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Oh 10-4 on dripping sweat on all that cast iron! That may be the only self regulation/rule that I live by. That is why I use so many fans, just trying to keep from "dripping". I have watched a sweat drop form a rust spot in under 5-minutes. If I really start getting sweaty, I"ll quit and go inside. The low humidity heat is mostly what I was OP-ing about.


----------



## bladedust (Mar 12, 2012)

In a word NEVER!......unless that horned guy pokes his trident at me. Then, and only then is it too hot to work.


----------



## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

I have wished over and over how nice it would be to have a larger shop. However I am stuck with this one car garage which is fully insulated and cooled by a mini split/w heat pump.

75 in the garage all day today - 105-7 outside.


----------



## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)




----------



## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Yep!


----------



## Tugboater78 (May 26, 2012)

If its dry low hundreds is tolerable, but with our normal humidity in northern kentucky, im lookin for ac around 85F

Im a cold weather kinda guy, ill run around in tshrts and a pair if jeans down into the negatives


----------



## whitebeast88 (May 27, 2012)

depends on how bad i want to get something done.last year i had projects going i needed done so it didn't get to hot,but this year i've stayed away from many.so now 90 is my max i start sweating at 75 degree's and sweat and sawdust don't go good together for me.cause every thing i touch i leave sweat on.


----------



## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

Feelin' sorry for my southwest friends wilting in the heat. Feelin' kinda blessed right now to be living in the armpit of the northeast. Western NY state (near Niagara Falls, NOT NY City). It's about 6:30am and the temp outside is 61. I think the high is supposed to be 73 today. I think we're about double the normal for rainfall for June though so if y'all wouldn't mind NOT pushing any more of that my way, I'd appreciate it. We'll be up into the 80s by next weekend I think.

My shop is neither heated nor cooled so I'll be complaining about it being too hot or too cold from time to time I'm sure, but all things are relative I guess. I have to do some insulating today as I'm remodeling part of the shop and glad it's a little cooler as insulation and sweat is never a good combination.

Oh and just to be on topic here…. 80 or 85 in the shop and I'm done. I turn 61 this year and find myself becoming less and less tolerant of temperature extremes. When it gets hot, I'll head to the house and get into the AC.

Stay safe.


----------



## EEngineer (Jul 4, 2008)

For me personally, whenever it gets so hot that I don't enjoy it, I leave the shop. Some of it is safety - me, personally, if the weather is hot enough to make me irritable, I am much more likely to make mistakes. Better to lose a day than lose a digit!

This discussion reminds of the time, about 5 years ago, when I took a week's vacation to build a deck on my house.

That entire week it never fell below 95 F. What are you gonna do? I'd taken the week off and the deck had to be built so I shut up and soldiered! Now, I wasn't moving real fast, I drank lotsa water and took lotsa breaks. But the deck got built!


----------



## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

I quit when it gets to be 95. When it's above 85 it's time to drink plenty of water and take a few extra breaks.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


----------



## MBD (Mar 28, 2013)

On vacation in Mountain Home, Ar. and it is a cool 70º here this morning!


----------



## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

When the sweat is running down my glasses and I can't see what I'm doing, it's time to come inside.


----------



## steliart (Jan 15, 2011)

In my country (Cyprus) temperature easily goes to 40c-42c=104f-108f and that's under shade.
Inside my shop due to the drywall+OSB partition I have from the Showroom which is all glass, things are cooler but still it gets hot, so I use couple of fans and if things are very bad I switch on the AC for 30 minutes to cool down, electricity here is more expensive than a rent


----------



## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

Holy cow! Where do you live? That's crazy. I feel pretty lucky to have a small window unit in my shop. But I live in southern Indiana and today looks like it's not going to get much above 77. So I'll be leaving that AC off and throw the doors open. 
But yeah… I'd say the temps you have… it's too hot to work. I don't know how you lasted that long yesterday.

With that said… I better get out and enjoy this weather and build something today


----------



## fredj (Jun 4, 2013)

107 is way too hot to do anything but swim.

I've lived my whole life in the south, and rarely ever worked in a plant or shop that had AC. If it's 100 outside it would be at least that inside. Production slows down, and the most valued machines are the fans. At the end of the day sawdust is glued to your skin with sweat. For me at home, 90, 95 is about it.


----------



## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Simple, I use the same schedule as my "Day Job" has. 1900 hrs - 0710 hrs. From about 2200 on, it starts to get downright chilly…

I also have a BASEMENT Shop….....


----------



## JollyGreen67 (Nov 1, 2010)

Mini-split, with AC and Heat Pump ! ) The only way to go ! ))


----------



## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

If I sweat while standing still, then it's too hot. Live in SE Tennessee.


----------



## Fettler (Dec 6, 2012)

Basement shop ftw… it's a cool 68 degrees down there =)

Although today i was just outside on my deck spraying a P&L 38 on a table top (first time spraying and using P&L38). Had to setup a canopy since it's 80. Supposed to hit 88 which is really warm for us.


----------



## Hammerthumb (Dec 28, 2012)

117 degrees here in Las Vegas yesterday. Too hot to work in the shop so I went to the golf course (I really must be crazy). I can work in my shop when its over 110 most of the time but we are supposed to have monsoons early this week. Feels like about 25% humidity right now. Thats a little sticky for me.


----------



## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

Oh, poor fella. A sticky 25%. Wish I could be that sticky here in East Texas


----------



## Hammerthumb (Dec 28, 2012)

Yeah, but when it rains at 117 degrees you wouldn't want to be here!


----------



## Sanding2day (May 6, 2013)

Have dealt with this in the past but joined in with firefighter on this one and installed a window heater/air conditioner which thus far appears to maintain 70-80 temps regardless of weather… Only downside I have encountered is the lack of appropriate ventilation during hot/cold days and the use of excessive dust producing machines or finish etc. One day… One day… Best of luck for cooler tomorrows…


----------



## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

when I start dripping sweat on my work it's time to quit! I actually spend most of my shop time in the winter when there is nothing to do outside.


----------



## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

I know what it's like, Paul. Spent 2 years out there in the early 60's


----------



## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

When I am Dripping on the wood then it is to hot !!!


----------



## Hammerthumb (Dec 28, 2012)

Hey Gary, it hasn't got any cooler!


----------



## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

Yeah, Paul They used to say the only difference between LV and hell was hell didn't have slots


----------



## MacNut11 (Oct 28, 2012)

Weird weather this season. Here in central NC we're only seen 2 days at or above 90 this year so far this year.


----------



## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

I've never pulled any flight deck or engine room duty, hats off to you guys for your service. Hot to me is over 90, its no fun then, though last summer had lots of 100's. I did work outside for a summer in Central Valley CA and used to drink a few liters of water each day and often not go to the bathroom once for the whole 14 hour workday. As for woodworking, I agree, basement shop rocks. I don't even bother to have a thermometer, I'm sure it's in the 60's year round. I feel for you all in the SW right now, though I suppose if you live there you prefer it to the cold we have, and I like snow.


----------



## Straightbowed (Feb 9, 2012)

I worked in the melt department at a Die Cast plant we had to wear long sleeve shirts, it was so hot that the sweat evaporated off your skin you stayed dry, worked 15min on 10min off, now I work in a lab wear shorts and run the CMM, wood shop no in the summer too hot


----------



## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

You "warm" climate folks are either crazy or tougher then I. We have our own challenges here in NH, but like we say - you can always add more clothes to keep warm but can only take off so much to keep cool. Like my quote states - It never gets hot or cold in New Hampshire - it's always seasonal. My shop last Feb










I prefer my problems. As Scoutmaster here in Greenville, I used to go camping and build Igloos and sleep with no heat source at temps around 5 F . I would tell the Scouts that the #1 rule for camping in the winter is mind over matter and when you have a little mind like myself - nothing matters. I don't think I could survive your heat!


----------



## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

3 days in the heat and you are adapted. IF you don't adapt you don't do much besides sit indoors and look outside. Then winter comes and you sit indoors and look outside. Speaking of that I think I am headed out to my garden to work in the sunshine for awhile.


----------



## Hammerthumb (Dec 28, 2012)

Well it cooled off today to 113deg.


----------



## Hammerthumb (Dec 28, 2012)

Mistake - it's 114deg today, but should warm back up to 115 tomorrow.


----------



## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

38 years ago I was a Machinist's Mate in the US Navy. I worked on the lower level of the engine room between the main feed pumps (steam-powered), where it was 120 plus, Fahrenheit. In fact, once I had the flu, and went to stand in between them with my jacket on, I was so sick, just to warm up. As little as three years ago I did a drive line transplant (radiator to differential, including the K-member- it's a Dodge) on my kid's car. 107 in the shade and no shade to be had. Now, it's only 95 outside, and I can't take it. I guess it got too hot too fast, and I didn't acclimate. I'll be 61 soon. I'm looking into a swamp cooler just for the garage "shop" since the humidity here is usually pretty low.


----------



## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

JACK: "...Now, it's only 95 outside, and I can't take it. I guess it got too hot too fast, and I didn't acclimate. I'll be 61 soon…."

There you go Jack. What the hell is this crap about 61 anyway?... (now that I have been one for a month now)

*;-)*


----------



## jeffski1 (Nov 29, 2008)

Daytime temp 110 in my shop two days ago so I waited until evening and it was a cool 95…I only lasted an hour…


----------



## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

It's too hot when your chisel feels warm, and you no longer care for a morning coffee.


----------



## welcon (Dec 3, 2012)

That all depends on how much cold beer is in the fridge.


----------



## LoydMoore (Jan 16, 2013)

Record low last night and three days of 80s. . Rare for July in W TX.

Sound great except grandkids are here for all the pleasant weather. Should be back over 100° when I get back to the shop on Thursday.

Just glad to have time with the grandkids.


----------



## Muz (Feb 8, 2012)

Yeah, I had to check with google what 107 was in celcius.

In Perth Western Australia if I didn't work at 107 I wouldn't do much work over summer.

Just start early when it is cool then you don't notice the heat!


----------



## YanktonSD (Jun 21, 2011)

I live in Nebraska/South Dakota…Normally it is that hot here but we have had a very mild summer in the 80 degree range. Mike you have my sympathy…nothing quite as bad or good as it being so hot and sweaty the the saw dust sticks to ya.


----------



## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

I believe I read that SW Oklahoma has only reached triple digits once this year. We were in the 90's about half the days in June but that is just expected in this part of the world. It has been a very pleasant summer here so far. I worker outside in the sun until 1 PM yesterday (July 2) then ate and took the grandkids horseback riding. Warm but tolerable.


----------



## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

I lived in Fargo for many years and while there I was partners with a guy who built Apartments and commercial buildings. 
Being from Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana growing up I was shocked that if the temperature got over 85-90° they took the day off.

I live a bit north of Mike, here in Texas now and last year we had 103 days over 100° and 148 days over 90°

This year is bearable so far, but I'm waiting for the other degrees to drop on our heads!


----------

