# Shop Location?



## Trappistes (Sep 19, 2009)

I figure i already know the answer to this question, however i will ask anyway just to see what others think.

I am having to move back to my parents house for several various reasons, And i would like to set up my shop their however.. the garage is a no go, and the only real option i have is to use the porch as a place to work.
Now the porch is pretty big, so room isint an issue, but its only screened in. But i got to thinking maybe it would be possible if i made cover tarps for everything at night? i am gonna be here for another year or so, so i would like to find some way to do something!

Let me know of any other ideas you may have.
thanks!


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

Depends on where you live. Where I lived in Rochester I wouldn't do it, a donated bike for the clinic with two busted wheels, no brakes and a broken chain was ridden off within 5 minutes of it being left on the porch. I might do it where my parents live in the deep country thieves are wary of stealing from homes but if they really believe no one is home they sometimes figure they can get away with it due to no witnesses. I would do it in the small town I live in, everyone knows everyone else and everybody knows what is going on, usually means everything is nice and safe.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

How about smaller scale things that can be done with mostly hand tools


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## Trappistes (Sep 19, 2009)

I dont think there is anyway for me to go to small scale stuff, i live in a small town in central Florida, not worried about stuff getting stolen, was more worried about the weather and the effect it would have on the tools.

I will also have to say a1Jim, that is one beautiful mixing studio desk in your gallery on your website, and also what inspired me awhile ago to get better. since i got into woodworking specifically to create desks like that and also speaker enclosures.


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## Woodwrecker (Aug 11, 2008)

I live in central Florida too, and I'd be worried about your stuff too with hurricane season here.
Any kind of cast iron is going to rust like crazy unless you tarp tarp & treat it.
Good luck.


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## Trappistes (Sep 19, 2009)

Yea, i am here on the space coast, Titusville. which is even a-lot closer to the ocean than Orlando, so i am sure that makes it even worse weather wise. ontop of hurricane season.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Your wood is going to be very unstable due to moisture absorption I would suspect. I have that problem in Tennessee if I leave my wood in the un-airconditioned garage for more than a couple of days before bringing it into the shop. I can't see how that problem could be anything but worse in Florida.

If you do store tools under covers, be sure they are cloth covers. I left my miter saw in the garage under a plastic cover and the sweat that formed under the cover nearly ruined it before I realized what was happening..I think you would have to cover all cast iron machine tables with a good layer of paste wax and repeat application regularly.


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## greasemonkeyredneck (Aug 14, 2010)

Being close to the ocean compounds your problems even more. In addition to the moisture, there is salt in that moisture, which speeds rust right along. That's the reason (I done mechanic work for years and resold used cars from my shop lot) I used to steer away from cars from the north or near the ocean. If the frames weren't undercoated very good new, the frames and undersides of the bodies were eat up with rust before the cars even had enough miles on them to devalue much. 
All that being said, I understand that some situations just can't be helped and we do what we have to. My best suggestion is to go to Home Depot. Buy cloth painter's tarps. Be sure when not in use that everything is away from the edges of the porch where a rain storm might soak anything. Do not use plastic tarps under any circumstances. This is the south (I live in Mississippi). Humidity is a bear. Plastic tarps do nothing more than trap that humidity under them when left for long period of time. 
The main thing you need to do though is to just go ahead and buy you a case of Johnson's Paste Wax. It's a yellow can with red lettering on it and is sold at Home Depot with cleaning supplies and furniture polishes. Keep a good coating on everything at all times, especially cast iron anything, like table saw tops. If I was in your situation, I might even take my Rigid 3650 and turn it upside down to coat everything underneath with wax. 
The last thing I suggest is going to sound crazy, but I have done this a few times when I had no choice but to store an engine outside that I was overhauling. Buy a small propane torch, the kind plumbers use to solder pipes. There will be days right before and right after bad rainy weather comes through that humidity is so bad that no amount of prevention is going to help. You know the days if you live in the south. It's those days that make concrete sweat. On days like that, when the rain finally comes and goes, and humidity comes back down to a level where humans can actually breathe again, uncover everything and use the torch to dry any moisture spots tht may form on surfaces.
Now for the problem you are going to have, well, the worst of the problems anyway. Hurricane season is upon us. When a hurricane is blowing in, even a category one or two, all these preventive measures you've taken are going to mean squat if you can't get your tools off that porch where wind won't blow rain in on them. Ah, but there may be a solution to that as well. Is there a way to hang plastic sheeting from the top edges all the way around the porch? If so, I'd hang some and tie it up out of the way so I could let it down and attach it at the bottom somehow if the worst of the worst weather is blowing in. Doing this may cause a buildup of humidity under the porch and compound moisture problems, but when the hurricanes move in, you have to batten down the hatches somehow.
The problems you're facing aren't good. If you have no other place to work though, your only other option is to put everything in a rental storage. Two problems arise there though (I've had tools in storage buildings too). The most obvious is that it's hard to use them while they are in storage. The other problem is that, unless you pay extra for climate controlled storage, most rental storage areas aren't much better at keeping moisture off your possesions than than the back porch of your parent's house.
Good luck, and let us know how things go.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Build you a workbench with a vise and paint it. Keep the vise greased. Build storage boxes with closeable covers. When I worked out on my carport before I closed it in 6 or so years ago I use to use an old antique wardrobe to put my tools in. I also worked in my driveway and under a big oak tree in the back yard. You have to do what you have to do. You start where you are with what you have now and work your way toward what you want and where you want to be.


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

I'm currently in an unheated attached garage, and I still have problems with humidity.

Other possibility: I've seen a couple of woodworking shops locally who'd be happy to sublet some unused portion of their space to the right person. You and they will probably set down strict boundaries around those spaces, but it might be possible for you to rent a reasonable amount of commercial space for less than you'd think.


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## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

We have cold winters but reading this I am glad we don't have the huge humidity problems I see posted here…

Sorry can't offer much more than what was said here, all the Best!


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## greasemonkeyredneck (Aug 14, 2010)

If only you lived near Vicksburg, MS. I'm in a 40×50 shop and would gladly split the rent, and the space of course, with another woodworker.
The rules would be though that they don't touch tools or materials. I won't touch theirs. Whoever finishes off a pot of coffee is obligated to start another one.


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## Trappistes (Sep 19, 2009)

Well, figured id let you all know what i have done, just in-case anyone else ever gets into this position..

Too make a long story short, even with wax applied, the ocean just wrecked havoc upon my tools, after 2 days
had a very thin layer of rust. Instead of putting everything out, i just used an old drill press that doesn't see too much work if any. Anyway ended up just putting my tools into an Air conditioned storage for now.

For now, i will just stick to some hobbyist amp building!

Thanks for all the suggestions!


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

It all depends on where you are. I have seen guys with shops that are literally in an old Army tent powered by a generator.


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