# Difficulties or challenges of a garage workshop?



## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

I've only been woodworking for about a year, and am slowly acquiring some power and hand tools. I live in basement-less Texas, so my workshop is in a corner of my garage. I'd love to have a heated & air-conditioned shop, but my wife won't let me take over either of the kids' bedrooms, and building a dedicated workshop is not in the cards yet.

I haven't been doing a lot of work in my garage recently because daytime temperatures are well over 100 degrees (we've experienced 37 straight days of 100+ temperatures, with highs near 108 and 109). Needless to say, my workshop is a little toasty, even late in the evening.

What special challenges are faced by garage woodworkers? Do boards tend to warp or split more often due to higher fluctuations in temperature and humidity? Do power tools tend to burn out faster? Do workbenches get out-of-flat frequently? Anybody have any tips or recommendations?


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## loosecaboose (Feb 14, 2011)

I sure hope you get some good responses to this as I am in the same boat. Our heat has not been as long standing here in Kansas, but too many days the garage is a no no place.
One problem I have had is keeping the dust out of the house. I hook up my shop-vac to the sander and table saw and that helps, but I need a stronger vacum. I also have to be very careful about tracking the dust in on my shoes.


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## EEngineer (Jul 4, 2008)

me too! It has been hot this summer. In general, I haven't seen much problem with wood stock, Nothing like burnout due to temperatures (motors are much tougher than that and I don't stress the hell out of them). But one thing I have been fighting continuously that I don't ever remember being this bad: rust!

Not only has it been hot in Ohio, it has been wet! And all my tools seem to be suffering from rust. Maybe that's something you don't have to deal with. I recently bought some Boeshield (sp?) to see if that will control it better.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Yeah, it's hot outside and in the shop. Texas is a big state so you might want to be more specific as to your location. I have the heat but the humidity is not a problem where I am at. I am roughly between Austin and San Antonio. To tell the truth, I am taking a break until things cool off a bit. Unless I move floor fans with me at each station I will drip sweat on my cast iron beds and within five minutes I have rust spots.

As far as fluctuation in temps; I don't see that much fluctuation that is out of normal ranges Low 80F-High 105F is only 25F difference. I see more change than that in the winter around where I live.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

Two words:
-Fans
-Dehumidifier

I have one of those little Stanley utility blowers (~$50) that sits on the floor and does a fair job of circulating the air in the shop. Box fans also help a lot.

We have an old Magic Chef dehumidifier that runs anytime the roll-up door is closed. It sucks a surprising amount of moisture out of the air, and seems to keep the cast iron from rusting. Also, when it comes to rust, paste wax is your friend. I buy the big yellow cans of Johnson's paste wax and keep the cast iron tables on my tablesaw, jointer, lathe, and bandsaw dressed pretty well.

-Gerry


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## Jeff28078 (Aug 27, 2009)

I live in North Carolina and heat/humidity and cold interchange with the seasons. One of the biggest problems I face is keeping my own sweat out of my work. This is especially important when I'm finishing a project. I share my garage with other needs and keeping my dust off of other areas is a challenge.
At the moment it's too hot so I've shut my workshop down for a few weeks. Similarly there are a few weeks in winter when it's too cold.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

Not sure where in Texas you are, but here on the coast, the only thing I have noted about dealing with the high heat / humidity, is that yes, you do get some lumber movement with the humidity fluctuations. I wouldn't say machines burn out any faster or slower as a rule. However sweat, which will end up dripping off of you, and on to cast iron surfaces, does cause surface rust VERY quickly, even if you do wipe it right off. Keep your machine iron surfaces well waxed…

IF you can afford to do it, insulate that garage. So far I have my doors, and the ceiling insulated, and the difference is tremendous. A window, or portable unit AC will help as well… Control heat / air infiltration even more with garage door seals / gaskets. Just make sure that you paint those gaskets. UV kills them quickly…

Judging from the temps you are listing, I am assuming you are further north, around maybe Dallas? You have more heat, but less humidity. It's kind of a wash. I have been averaging over 100 now for almost 2 weeks straight I am guessing. I honestly, am not getting a lot of shop time in. Even with the AC… Takes too long to cool the shop down with the AC, so I haven't been out there as much. REALLY need to finish insulating…


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I am with Gerry on using Johnson's Paste Wax. I had been using Boeshield T-9 but it was very expensive and did not seem to be all that effective, particularly with sweat. JPW is cheap, much easier to apply, and appears to be working better than my experiences with T-9.

BTW, my shop is a free standing 24×30 garage with an 8ft long roof vent. Highest shop temps this summer 109F (just once), but shop temps hit +100F daily. At least I am in the country away from those city heat-islands.


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## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

Which part of Texas? The hot part…..

Actually, I'm in Fort Worth, which isn't always the hottest part, but this summer it's been plenty hot.

I have a pole-mounted fan that helps a lot, but I still have to keep the sweat from dripping on my work. I haven't noticed rust problems (yet), but I'll try some of the suggestions you guys have provided.


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

Northeast Texas here….plenty hot. 114 in the shop yesterday. I have a 40X50 metal building with 12' roof. Not fully insulated yet. I don't care for air conditioning, just air moving. But, with these temps, it's like being in a confection oven. Got to work early in the morning to get anything done.


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## emart (Mar 16, 2011)

thankfully i have been able to avoid most of the heat problems in the summer. usually in seattle the worst is a few days in august where its 90. i do have problems with the late summer rains since i do a lot of work outside but as longs as i have to have a canopy over me and dont let the wood get wet its not a problem

right now my biggest issue is electricity (well my lack of it) for my machines i have to have an extension cord running from my house and lighting is all done with a battery system. i wish i could run a power line to my shop but it would involve have a new breaker installed in my house so i just cant afford to to have real lights in my shed. in fact my next project is installing solar panels to relieve this issue which means i can finally have lights without having to worry if my batteries are charged enough to last the night.

as for weather my biggest problem here in seattle is winter. since my shed isnt heated often times i cant work in it if its too cold (numb hands + power tools = really bad accident waiting to happen) Because of all the rain i cant keep my hand planes or anything with high carbon steel in the shed or else it will rust away into mush. the other problem i have is storing my lumber as i still havent added on to my shop so usually it winds up in my house in the winter

also space is bit of a problem since i am basically doing full sized projects in a 10 by 10 barn

as with many of you i do have an issue with dust. i have passive dust collectors on my saws and my planer usually piles it up outside where i can shovel it away but my combination sander is notorious for coating everything in dust so i usually wear a respirator when im using it.


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## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

emart, hand tools don't make as much dust as power tools. 

Seriously, though, the dust associated with power tools is one of the reasons for my growing interest in hand tools. Iif I were doing woodworking a business, there'd be no question about using power tools (despite the need for dust collection, respirators, etc.), but for one-off projects at home, I enjoy using hand tools whenever possible.


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

Central OK here, Way too HOT!! even with a fan blowing & the doors open, I still only get about an hour of fun before i go cool off. As for winter, Wood burning stove.


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

Brett:

I'm in Grapevine myself. I do indeed feel your pain. As a teacher, the only time I have to do major projects, like my kitchen renovation, is during the summer. Because of this, I will begin the process of insulating and cooling the garage shop very soon.

In the meantime, get a shop fan of good sized power. Open both doors of the garage to increase circulation…I learned that it's much more comfortable, in conjunction with the fan, to have both doors open.

Humidity isn't a problem here as far as wood is concerned. Sweat is…dripping on the table saw, jointer, hand planes, etc. Definitely use paste wax to protect them and reapply as much as possible. To clean and buff out the table tops, I like to use my random orbit sander (hook and loop type) and fold shop paper towels into quarters…just put the sander on it and you've got an easy buffing machine. Of course if the surface rust is bad, you'll want to use some wet/dry sand paper and some lubrication (WD40). I use 220 grit. Works wonderfully.

Without heat proofing the garage, one of the best things to do is have other work surfaces. I tend to use my table saw as a sanding/assembly table (bad habit which arises from necessity in a small shop area) so I'm trying to work out in the shade as much as possible. Likewise, I use a scrap sheet of plywood on my table saw when I just HAVE to use it for such tasks.

Doing these things, I do tend to sweat through my shirt pretty fast, though the body does get used to it after a week or two. Good thing I have a refrigerator in the shop…drink cold water!


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## emart (Mar 16, 2011)

@ brett i actually have a lot of hand tools as well including a variety of hand planes a froe, an adz and a lot of chisels which i do use whenever the situation calls for them.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

It's been pretty dang hot and humid here too. However, I don't have air conditioning in the machine shop or my office at the plant so I'm kind of use to it. I have a fan that I set up behing me in my shop at home and it works pretty well. I usually manage to work in my home shop at least 7 hours on Saturday and 7 hours on Sunday every weekend. I track in dust too. It's just part of it.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I use carnuba wax on my CI surfaces. It doesn't contain any silicones that can be picked up by the wood. I live on the Gulf Coast of Ms and this year has been the hottest I can remember; much too hot to be in my shop. Although my 24×48 shop has A/C and heat, too much air infussion negates cooling/heating. I do have some insulation, but not enough. It's also expensive to run A/C with the temp in the 100's. To completely insulate a shop, would take lots of money, something that I find in short supply these days so I spend the time in the house designing projects on the computer. When the temp drops below 80°, I'll be back in the shop.


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## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

When I was 19 years old, I had a summer job near Wichita Falls, TX, working for a plant that made oil pipes and fittings out of fiberglass and epoxy resin. Daytime temps were probably around 100 (they always are, in Wichita Falls). We worked in a metal-roofed building with no air-conditioning, wearing long-sleeve cotton pants and trousers. The epoxy and resin had to be cured in 300- or 400-degree ovens that were about 30 feet long, and we spent eight hours a day working around those ovens. We had several large, pole-mounted fans blowing on us constantly, so we were never more than about 10 feet from a fan. It was hot, but somehow we survived. (Of course it helped that I was getting paid about $5.40 an hour-a fortune to a college kid in 1983).


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## wooddon (Jul 11, 2007)

I cut a opening for an AC in the garage and had some foam ins in the walls. Works fair in 105 temp, but id great in less than 100. Garland Tx


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## nordichomey (Nov 27, 2009)

I am in MN. We have had lots of 95+ days which is not as hot. However, our humidity and dew point broke all the records in July. 70-80% dew points which is tropical. I share my shop with the garage and the floor was physically wet almost every day in July. Winter temps hit 30 degrees and humidity is a challenge as well.

That said… I agree with HorizontalMike on Boeshields. I am not impressed. I like JPW as well. On my handsaws and chisels I actually use… synthetic motor oil. However, I am going to give Canola Oil a try. It is a lot cheaper than the fancy little bottles of high end oil the woodworking stores sell.


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## grantlairdjr (Apr 24, 2011)

Same here. I live in Dallas-I didnt do much of woodworking lately because garage is too hot to work on project. (fan didn't help much; a/c is expensive to add… maybe in future) I decide to take little break and do another things around for while till weather cool down little bit.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

I live in SE Tennessee, so we've had the high 90's for a while now - just got a break today.
I've been in my garage here for a few years. I insulated the garage door, and the one small window, put in a 7000BTU air conditioner. Needless to say, since I build guitars, I got a lot of equipment so I'm pretty cramped, but it all works. I come home for lunch, and if it is around 90 I'll turn on the air at noon so the garage is pretty dry by the time I get home. It stays fair for the rest of the day. I have not had any problems with wood cracking or checking, and my moisture meter tells me that the wood I am working on is usually no more than 7-8%.
It's a matter of keeping it tight, from my viewpoint. It is located under an air conditioned sunroom, so the ceiling is insulated. One wall, the insulated door, the other two walls, just T-111 siding but there is pegboard covering almost all of that with tons of stuff hanging, not much insulation but it works. Heat in the winter is a kerosene heater put away from me in the corner. It works. Have to turn it off before I put on any kind of finish, but I use mostly lacquers, so they dry before the heat goes. It all kinds of works. I've had better shops over the years, but you work with what you got!


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