# SURVEY (for fun) -



## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

*Summertime Woodworking*

In the summer, how much woodworking do you do?

A: none (or only if I have to)
B: lots (summertime is woodworking time)
C: some (it all depends)


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## donbee (Feb 7, 2009)

I have to do the work in the Summer because I can't afford the cost of heating the shop in Winter.
My LIST is long and Summer too short.

Don


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## NH_Hermit (Dec 3, 2009)

C. Summertime seems to be a time to deal with house/yard/gardens projects and tasks. I did get the potting bench done. If the weather is too hot, I do get to spend a late afternoon in the shop playing.


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## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

C: the heat drives my production.


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## RKaste (Jun 30, 2012)

C: The Grandkids take up most of my summer time, but im not complaning


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

C: Sometimes I can go super-sonic, and lotsa times, not so fast…


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

Summertime …as Don mentioned it is a lot cheaper to work in the shop now.


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## Skylark53 (Jan 8, 2010)

Lots for me.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

A. I am usually working on the house or yard and fishing in the summer. Most woodworking is done during the cold winters.


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## Pdub (Sep 10, 2009)

C. usually driven by orders for retirement shadowboxes, or the wife. LOL


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## madts (Dec 30, 2011)

Summertime is for the indoors. With temps and Humidity roaming around 95 F. it is just too hot. Outside you put a tool down in the sun, and you need asbestos gloves to pick it up. So fall, winter and spring are my woodworking times.


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## cranbrook2 (May 28, 2006)

B ) 24/7


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## Jeff28078 (Aug 27, 2009)

C: Work is usually broken up into periods as long as I can stand. Usually about an hour in the heat and sweat then an hour+ in the air conditioning.


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## Bluepine38 (Dec 14, 2009)

This summer I have to replace the back deck, and I am making my own upright posts and pouring my own
footings (sakrete) so this is a busy time for me. When the deck is done, then I get to play with my lathe
again.


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

*B* I am usually in my shop every day and most days are 10-12 hour work (fun) days.
My shop is climate controlled and never is uncomfortable to work in.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

I do woodworking every single weekend. It makes no difference whether it's Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter. The only days that I miss would be if it was a special holiday or I was on vacation somewhere. However, even when I'm on vacation I still take some of my woodcarving tools and do a little carving and whittling.

I would have to say that I do get hot in the summer and cold sometimes in the winter but I still work. I have a little space heater in the winter and a floor fan in the summer. However, on the weekdays at the plant that's all I have when I'm in my office which is in the machine shop. There is no air or heat in the plant so I'm use to it anyways.

helluvawreck
https://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

I wood work to relax, so just about anytime of year. I can always bring some projects into the house. Right now, it is tool rehab in the shop…


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## NedB (Aug 21, 2008)

This Summer Ive been out there just about daily, but then again I've moved back to where my shop building is, and I took the opportunity to finally 'fix' a bunch of stuff out there… (insulation, sheathing the walls…) so B


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## jeepturner (Oct 3, 2010)

My answer to the survey would be "B", Yes I work through out the summer.

Where I live, in the Pacific Northwest, summer is those first two weeks of August so it hasn't arrived this year yet. In the perpetual spring I can work in the shop with the door open if it isn't too sunny. The sunshine makes it harder to see because I would always be adjusting from shadow to full sun. Lately on days when it is not raining, and we have had a few this month, I have been working on the vehicles. 
This is a great area for wood working, mild winters and milder summers. The only thing missing is the great variety of hardwoods that they have in the eastern US. Thankfully shipping costs are not huge and we still have access and an ocean port.


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## jcox (Mar 28, 2012)

C - but I'm guessing the answer to this question is really going to be driven by where you have your shop and whether it is heated, cooled, or just subject to the weather. This summer has been tough in the midwest (Indianapolis) if you have an unconditioned area to work in (as I do)...we've been in the 90s and even 100s for weeks if not months. Might need to think about moving


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## HalDougherty (Jul 15, 2009)

B) I just keep drinking liquids and sweating… 1 pint per hour keeps you hydrated. If you forget to chill a beer for the end of the day, 5 minutes in a ice & saltwater bath get your beer so cold, it will have ice crystals in it. Like an old time ice cream freezer…


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

C. but then it's the same all year around. I work on it in spurts sometimes til 2 in the morning and sometimes I go 2-3 days and don't even go to my shop.


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## DeputyDawg (Jul 18, 2007)

I live in Buckeye, Arizona which is just on the westside of Phoenix, Should I say anymore. Temp today is a chilly 100. Just don't do any woodworking projects outside. Shop is not airconditioned but I keep the garage door closed and the fan on and always have a muig of ice water.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Lots of outdoor woodworking (contacting)
Minimal shop woodwoking


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## jmos (Nov 30, 2011)

A - pretty much none. My day job is watching my two kids, so I get no time during the summer. Can't wait for fall and back to school!!!


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## YorkshireStewart (Sep 20, 2007)

C. Not much different to my winter (or spring or autumn/fall) activity. In fact, the weather here this summer has been abysmal so far!


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## Triumph1 (Dec 20, 2009)

Like many summertime is usually reserved for working on the house…although I did squeeze in some projects for the shop.


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## PatrickO (Jan 13, 2012)

My wood working seems to go on through the year. And usually they are panic work. Four months ago my daughter took in a teenager that needed a place to stay with about one hours of notice so making a bed for her became a quick ordered item. My wife had the idea of taking some nice pre-painted and turned porch columns and trim board to make a bunk bed over our granddaughter's bed. This worked out great for the need.

Now I am on the clock for my grandson's birthday gift and he would like a train along with all the cars to pull, so he found a book at the lumber store that had exactly what he wanted so off we go with about a week to complete. (Not looking good time wise).

Next is a new fence around the yard. Time to recruit some help for this project.

Just a tip from an Engineering Doctor I met in Iraq for staying cool for those working outside. If you take an 8 oz. glass of water and a table spoon of yogurt, mix them together really well and place it in a non-transparent glass (Really gross looking), drink that down and you will find that you will sweat less and you will feel better at the end of the day.


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## AKSteve (Feb 4, 2012)

Right now I am working in the summer only because I have a project I want to get finished for the State Fair this year, but Winter time is wood working time for me, it's Dark and wicked cold most of the time in the winter so it keeps me busy so I won't get cabin Fever. Summer time is for Fishing, Hunting and partying because it's daylight 24/7 around here !


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Lots, B. Although I don't slow down much on the cold. It's 104 today.


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## Ernest1 (Oct 26, 2007)

My woodworking in the summer usually tapers off. This year it has been different because of the high heat in the Midwestern United States. My shop, or cave as I call it, is in the basement where it is cool. It's a great place to hibernate even in the summer.


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## Stormy (May 20, 2012)

I have a gas space heater for winter that is costing about $15/month mainly to keep it dry, but I turn up the heat when I'm working. Stays 40 on lowest setting and warms up to 65-70 in 30 min. when I turn it up to work.

Now the best part…I have a 40+ year old 19K window a/c that I paid $75 for about 35 years ago. When I had central a/c installed in the house, I moved the window unit to the shop. It is 99deg. outside right now and inside the shop is 72deg on low cool. Good insulation makes all the difference in the shop. Don't see much increase in electric bill for the shop. The house unit is running often and the meter is spinning, so thank God for the budget system on the electric bill.


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## JimMeek (Feb 6, 2012)

B-Lots

I am usually in my shop 6 to 8 hours a day during the summer and around 5 to 6 in the winter. The winter is slower because of the cold weather and my shop isn't heated and the old fingers get pretty cold.

I've become kinda addicted to being in the shop since being retired and can use all those tools I collected over the last 30 years while working for private industry. A woodworker can never have enough tools! "Right"


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## woodsyguy81 (Jul 12, 2012)

I'd say C. The nice weather means everything outdoors - gardening, kayaking, hiking, playground with my daughter, visiting the lake, woodworking, etc.! Of course, it's a definite thing this summer as I need to get the entertainment center built to move the computer/office room out and put the nursery in! Unless it's un-Godly hot or cold, work happens regardless!


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

Everyday no matter the season, it's my passion, being retired gives me that luxury.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

Try for "B"...

... ends up as "C"... because it gets SO HOT…

Spring-into-Summer… and Late Summer-into-Fall are my best enjoyable times.


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## nobuckle (Nov 3, 2010)

C


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## kepy (Mar 5, 2012)

C my shop has no AC so too hot to work much.


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## Danpaddles (Jan 26, 2012)

A. Aside from a few small required carpentering jobs, my tools just sit. Too hot. I especially hate turning in the heat. chips fly EVERYWHERE, then stick to you. I had to turn down a paying lathe job yesterday- just can not get my ass out in the hot shop. Especially this year.


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## bmwrider1 (Jul 30, 2011)

C. I work until it gets too hot during mid day. It is time for a nap by that time anyway.


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## dclark1943 (May 30, 2012)

I guess I go with the demand. This summer I've been exceptionally busy. I work in an air conditioned shop, so with temperatures hovering around 105º, I don't mind working in the shop.


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## irishbob (Nov 3, 2011)

Since retiring and downsizing from a house to a trailer court I only whittle or carve. I do most of that in my chair in the living room . It makes no difference what the season i I am able to whittle almost every day. For me that is a wonderful life


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## 3ForFred (Jan 10, 2011)

I am starting to do more now that it's the summer AFTER my youngest has graduated from high school and I am no longer involved in the band boosters. Funny how a little "extra" time will get the creative juices flowing.

Living in SoCal allows me to work pretty much year round so I'm fortunate in that respect. The biggest problems come with finishing when it's raining or cold (and yes it gets cold here too). I have to plan projects around the weather in the first quarter of the year. Other than that it's [usually] all systems go.


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## essexe (Jan 12, 2011)

B lots in summer, and winter, and fall; mostly fall ….... time to make toys for xmas cheer fund


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## Woodwrecker (Aug 11, 2008)

Down here in Florida, you have to really want to try a project to endure the heat & humidity mother nature throws at you.
Morning & evenings are the only bearable times.


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

wanted to try for B but with the heat wave the shop hasn't dropped below 90 in over 3 weeks so it's C. I'd love to toss in a window AC but the wife won't spring for it that easily.


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

Some, but I knock off about 2:00PM when the sun hits the west side of my shop. In the OK heat of 100+ anything done at all must be right in front of a fan after that. It's just too damned hot to think. Sooooooo- I use the time to pick up the tools and put them away with a cold BUD and a cigar and then get in the pool about three PM. Cuts down on the productivity, but it beats the hell out of the winter when the doors are closed and the heater is on. I get more done then, but I have to go outside and get my vitamin D fix defore the sun gets too low. The new shop will definately have GOOD AC.


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## GlennM (Mar 1, 2012)

With a basement shop anytime is a good time. Cool in the summer and comfortable in the winter. On these hot humid days it's a great spot to hang out.


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## navyman (Jan 28, 2009)

I work in the shop all summer long, and winter I love getting in my shop


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## Montezuma45 (Oct 2, 2011)

I have a 4 season shop so I can work year round. This is my first year that I've actually been able to do anything so I've been doing multiple projects at once. So far, I've finished my workbench, a toy chest for my granddaughter, finishing another workbench for a wedding present, finishing a cabinet for the workshop, another toy chest is in the works and in the process of making a pre-filter for my air conditioner (too much dust from sanding). After that, I have to design and build a new bathroom vanity. Then I think I may take a week off to go fishing. LOL


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

A strong C: Some

My basement shop is nice and cool, so I'm inspired to to spend more time in it. But my work is at the computer or doing building maintenance, which doesn't allow me much woodworking time.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

C: Some

It's 95 today and I would love to work in the shop but it's too hot in there. I have an air conditioner but the shop is drafty and has no insulation so it only helps if you happen to be standing in the air flow.


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## Dez (Mar 28, 2007)

B;
Summertime is when my wife will let me park the car outside the most often!


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## luv2learn (Feb 4, 2012)

C. I am usually in my shop during the heat of the day, and that is just about every day . The only thing that stands between me and my woodworking is mowing, fishing, company, and an occasional vacation.

I am one of the lucky ones that have a reasonably cool shop in the summer and a heated one in the winter and I don't even have to go outside to get to it.


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## Tim08 (Mar 7, 2010)

A)
if it ain't broke, it ain't gettin fixed.


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## boxcarmarty (Dec 9, 2011)

I do more now then I did a month ago. (providing that I have the time with other things going on) I decided about 3 weeks ago I had had enough of the heat keeping me out of the shop and bought a window air that I now have cut into the back wall…..


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## gesshoom (Apr 23, 2012)

C: some (it all depends on orders for building or restoring furniture.)
Prefer to be outside when the nice weather is here.


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## jpw317 (Apr 29, 2012)

I try to work through the heat, but when I am turning a bowl and the sweat pours off my head like a waterfall, it is difficult to see through the face shield ;>)


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## Chipncut (Aug 18, 2006)

*This summer its been like living in Arkansas, I sure miss our COOL! MN summers.

Global warming?



?

Click to expand...

??

I can't wait till fall which should come any day now.

Been doing mostly yard work now.*


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## Oakdesk (Jul 9, 2012)

I retired to the south US, so summers are almost unbearably hot. When my house was being built, I had the garage insulated and a heating/cooling unit installed. I can work year-around. Sweet!


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## AKSteve (Feb 4, 2012)

Dang I start complaining when it gets to 75 degrees. thankfully it hasn't gotten over 70 yet this year. it's nice in the morning's with 48 degree temps. and hey it might get to 66 degrees today. that's good weather! hee-hee sorry had to gloat a little.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I am almost (but not quite) exclusively a fall and winter woodworker. I have other things to do in the spring and summer.

However, my shop is both air conditioned and heated. It's mid-summer and I have an itch to get back into some shop projects. I've been designing a bed, in my head, for over a year. It's time to get started.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

It all depends. Right now, not much, but after the insulation / power projects are done, I will be doing a LOT more woodworking during the summer. Come to think of it more winter woodworking will take place as well…

The environment in the shop is critical. I have some shop projects I am working on that will help a LOT with this. I am pulling a sub panel / circuits to the shop, one will be dedicated to the HVAC. While the walls are open, I plan on fully insulating the shop. With sufficient power to run the AC, and plenty of insulation meaning the AC will be less critical than it has been in the past, I fully expect the shop to be a MUCH more pleasant place to spend my time…


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## jaykaypur (Oct 22, 2011)

B = Summertime


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## MarkPA (May 9, 2009)

I am the reverse of my farmer neighbors. They sharpen the plow in Winter to plant the seed in Spring. In Summer I hone my tools and organize my plans, for in Autumn through Winter I will plant the sawdust deep into my pores.

"You can say anything you want to a Pennsylvania German man-you just can't tell him anything!"-my wife


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## ralbuck (Mar 12, 2012)

Not as much as I used to. my woodshop is now 2nd story; and the garage apron is very steep. Where I formerly lived I had a large garage apron and ; all of my tools on wheels. The wind (ND) used to be my sawdust cleanup crew!

I actually prefer working outside when it is nice out. But taking tools up and down stairs is nto fun. The shop is a much better setup than I ever had before. Our metal shop has the lower level of the gasrage by the large door; That we move outside if even close to possible!


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## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

I'm-a *BIG C* ... sigh !


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## Green_Hornut (Mar 24, 2011)

Lots of woodworking. Christmas stuff to get going and many of my finishing projects. Open all the doors and windows and let the breeze blow through. I live in MN and don't have heat in my shop. Have you ever had a windchill factor coming off the table saw?


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

I would like it to be B, but its C.


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## wooded (Mar 6, 2012)

ANY TIME IS WOODWORKING TIME…...................B. LUCKY TO HAVE REASONABLE CLIMATE CNTRL. WHEN IT IS 100 OUT MY SHOP WILL BE AT ABOUT 82 BY LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. MORE NORMAL TEMPS IN THE LOW 90S WILL STAY AT 78 OR SO. ONLY TIME I DON'T DO WOODWORKING IS IF SOME DANG RESPONSIBILITY POPS UP….........;-J


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## Boxguy (Mar 11, 2012)

My shop is solar heated and not air-conditioned. Since I am retired, I time-shift in the summer and work nights when it is cooler. Since it has been so dry, I have less mowing time and more shop time.

Generally I work 3 to 6 hours a day in the shop for 5 days a week. I love this weather since I can dry a coat of finish in a day. In the winter it takes longer for finish to dry and can be expensive. Right now I am getting ready for a show I am going to have in November until Christmas. December and June is my best time for gallery sales. So it takes me most of the summer to get ready for Christmas.


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## Yupa4242 (Apr 12, 2011)

C: Sometimes 

Some of my recent posts are from early this summer the shelves I made last weekend. My Rental property has a 1 1/2 car garage which is stock full of my woodshop yet it without air or Insulation. Ive tried to run a 10k btu unit full blast but the heat always drives me out. During the fall into early winter I then have a flip side problem of a no heat solution.


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## toeachhisown (Eddie) (Mar 30, 2011)

i do more that last year ,got air now and tend to do more ,its hard to do anything in a 100 deg. but also do some wood work study maybe not shop time but looking and reading wood working stuff, like here at LJ but the real learning comes from doing thou


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## gmc (Jun 30, 2012)

Only when it is not above 90, my garage is not air conditioned and a fan only goes so far. I do what I have to do as far as repair work but no fun projects….


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## Nicky (Mar 13, 2007)

As much as I can. It helps to have the shop heated and an a/c installed.


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## able339 (Nov 24, 2011)

What with triple digit temp's, I do very little. My shop is a metal two car garage. It gets very hot in there.

Any day above ground is a good day


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## thedude50 (Aug 13, 2011)

B my shop is in full swing I don't close even in the high 100s


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## mikethetermite (Jun 16, 2009)

D: Same as winter. If it's too hot outside my shop is air conditioned. Too cold outside, shop is heated.


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## AngieO (Jul 9, 2012)

B - Of course I'm new. But I have to work outside so I'm trying to get in all I can while I can. I hope that I will have an indoor shop by the time winter is here. 
BUT… it sure is hot!!!


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

C. I would love to do woodworking in the summer Debbie, but I have to do house and garden maintenance to keep things in order, unless of course it is raining, and it has been doing a lot of that this summer. My wife and I also like to use some leisure time for local travel, etc. My health has slowed me down a lot these past few years, so it seems like I never have enough time to get everything done on the 'wish list'. Not complaining though as I have it better than most folks my age. As usual I am looking forward to the fall so I can spend more time in my shop.


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## woDan (Jan 12, 2011)

I do more in the summer. Mostly projects around the house. Love seat glider, patio cover garden bench…


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

C fer me, but, sometimes B would be the answer. Actually woodworking "season" in my book is, anytime you get the urge to go out in the shop and do somethin..


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## SirFatty (May 5, 2012)

B!

Winter is too cold to be out in the garage.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

C
I have a classic car I work on in the summer as it is stored in the winter…also there seems to be a never ending supply of outdoor projects to do that keep me out of the shop.


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## ldl (Dec 4, 2011)

I werk both summer & winter but my shop is still on my back porch which I temporarily boarded up till I can build a stand alone shop.

I usually get out early in the morning and werk till dinner in summer. I spend a couple of hours on the computer after dinner then I get back out there. I have learned to take a sweat rag and cooler cup full of water to make it through the hotter evening. If it gets really hot I go inside for a while from time to time to cool down.

I come back in the house in the evening when the skeeters start biting which is usually round 6:30 or so.


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## woodsoldier (Apr 7, 2009)

C. but have hope for B. I am retired from the Army now. Living outside Fort Hood TX. Very HOT in summer. My shop is a two car garage. I am waiting on the VA to decide how disabled I am. Been looking for a job I can do with my physical limits. So far, no luck. Many want me to travel. In the Army I was a 25B Information Systems, I also am an instructor and training developer. Lots of employers want me to travel, during my 26+ years in the Army I had 14 surgeries, 4 on my spine. Travel is NOT an option, I also can't stand or sit for a long period of time. Its frustrating, but I do enjoy woodworking.


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## 502flier (Mar 1, 2012)

My make-a-living job is from mid-June to late Sept, 7 days a week, dawn til dark, so my shop time is during the remaining 8 month vacation, whenever I feel like being there, which is pretty much every day for a few hours at least. Planning to purchase a CNC carver when I get home this fall, so I'm sure I'll be spending a lot more time in the shop. So many projects - so little time! 
I'd love to be able to carve, but I'm not even artistic enough to draw unemployment.

Kevin - Vancouver Island


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## dee2 (Jan 2, 2012)

As much as I possibly can! Just wish I could use the air hose to dust in the house. You know, open the front door and blow it all out the back door!


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## devann (Jan 11, 2011)

C: some. Lately it hasn't been anything very interesting.


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## RyanHaasen (Oct 29, 2011)

Usually A, but because my new shop is under construction, my shop is not in great working order. C is the letter for this summer.


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## ArlinEastman (May 22, 2011)

Well

I fortunly have both Propane heat and an window Air conditionar. The only thing that hinders me is medial problems.
Fortunely 2 years ago some of the LJs got together with Patron and really helped me to work from a wheel chair if everyone remembers (From Red to White and Blue) Patron had done tons of work to clean out my garage just to begain making me my lathe tables, cut down my Grizzly G0690 tablesaw by 6" and also lowered my Grizzly jointer by 6"

LJs are great and now I have alot of great friends and well wishers.

Thank You everyone and thank you Debbie for the monthly news letters which I really like to read the outstanding work people do here.

Arlin


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

B plus I do it all year long. You just sweat a little more in the summer time….................Jim


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## RyanHaasen (Oct 29, 2011)

I got mixed up, I meant to say usually B.


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

Winter down here Debbie. Spending a fair amount o0f time chasing the sun on trips North.


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## bridgeton (Jun 18, 2012)

A) Just got my new electric bill $300 wife says NO MORE woodworking when the A/C is on.


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## DrSawdust (Mar 7, 2007)

The boys keep us really busy, but 
I'll take shop time anytime I can get it.


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## tanglefoot (Jan 22, 2012)

I pretty much work when the mood hits me. My mini shop is 20×20. It is insulated and heated in the winter and a small air conditioner cools it down to an acceptable level in about 20 minutes in the summer.The smell of wood is good anytime. I work from rough cut so I really enjoy the creative experience between fishing trips.


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## Dustmite97 (Aug 1, 2009)

B: Summer is when I do my most.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

Sort of B…. I'm out there a lot.


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## lanwater (May 14, 2010)

Almost none. It's travel time with the wife and kids. 
When we come back it takes me a while to get recharged.


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## shopdog (Nov 9, 2008)

B)
I'm a deck builder, so I'm woodworking more in the summer.
I also put in a lot of shop time making crafts…
I have a basement shop, and it's cooler down there…and I use a fan.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

C.
Actually do more WW in the winter months. 
Travel, yard work and other things take up a lot of my summer time.


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## bunkie (Oct 13, 2009)

C - I finished a new pair of speakers in early July. That's been about it because I was away from the shop for over a month. Next up, another pair of speakers, a present for my sister.


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