Shopsmith Forums

I am also hoping to heat my shop (19 degrees F. in there this morning..) I have been considering the Modine Hot Dawg heater -a friend has one in his shop and has been very happy with it. Alec

dusty wrote:I open up the garage door and let the morning sun directly into the shop. If there is no morning sun, I don't work in the shop.

In keeping with charlese' input, the first solid object to get warmed up is the Mark V which sets right in the garage door opening to take on that natural heat from the morning sun.

Salt+Wound+Rub=Dusty's entry into this discussion.

pinkiewerewolf wrote:Salt+Wound+Rub=Dusty's entry into this discussion.

Sorry. I just could not help myself. This is why I moved from Montana to Arizona.

pinkiewerewolf wrote:Salt+Wound+Rub=Dusty's entry into this discussion.

Sorry, but I just could not help myself.

This is why I chose to retire in Arizona - After living in Spokane, Kalispell, Montana and Omaha, Nebraska and working in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Would be great if all of us were as lucky as Dusty, but it doesn't sound like we are. I read here that some of us use a propane heater or a natural gas to heat with. In my garage I use a wood stove. Yea I know they tell us that a wood stove in a shop is not good because of open flame. Well every propane/natural gas heater I have ever seen has an open flame. Maybe not as out in the open as my wood stove but still an open flame.
Pinkie and I live very close to each other and I find that my wood stove does a great job for me. Some days I even have to pull off my sweatshirt and just work in my t-shirt.
Have concidered installing a propane type heater but the cost of propane just seems to be very high. Someone else also mentioned a kerosene heater but my proplem with those is the smell that goes with the use of them. My son uses a kerosene heater in his race car shop but when I go into it I hate the smell, and you just don't get away from it very easily. Get into all your clothes and everything else.
Anyway I guess I will stick with my wood stove for now, unless someone can convince me of the danger of open flames.
Thanks for the space everyone, I was probably rambling on.

Bayside Bob, Calif.

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My ideal would be a wood stove - if it meets codes - there is room - and can be made safe. This would cut down on my off cut/ scrap issue!

I'm going to add a propane heater next year. I don't know if I'll get a wall mount or a ceiling mount.
(Probably ceiling - I don't want to give up wall storage space.)
I took out the pot belly stove a couple of years ago because the chimney was falling apart. I removed the chimney and re-shingled the roof.
I've used kerosene, but it's hard to buy packaged kerosene and I don't want to have to refill a container at a gas station. Besides the smell being annoying, I found it difficult to set the temperature - it was either too hot or too cold.
I had a small electric heater and it was completely ineffective.
One disadvantage of all threee is that they take up floor space.
My shop is a separate building. Little insulation, but the interior walls are celotex - an insulating material.

dusty wrote:I open up the garage door and let the morning sun directly into the shop. If there is no morning sun, I don't work in the shop.

In keeping with charlese' input, the first solid object to get warmed up is the Mark V which sets right in the garage door opening to take on that natural heat from the morning sun.

But Dusty has to share his shop with rattlesnakes and other creatures that want to steal his tools, I will take the cold.

There are four types of propane heaters like the "Hot Dawg" from Modine. I have a Reznor brand heater in my garage. It is a sealed combustion chamber type heater that gets its air from the outside of the building. It shares the exhaust pipe, in that the intake air pipe(6") surrounds the smaller(4") exhaust thats in the center of the pipe. It only has one vent on the outside of the building. Looks good and works well. I chose this type of heater because it cannot suck in dust laden air and cause a sawdust explosion. The unit has a sealed combustion chamber with a forced air(Fan) exhaust. This is what most shops need. It does cost more but after being a firefighter for 30 years, I could not risk my family or our home. There are a lot of brands available like this but you have to ask for them. Check ebay with a search for garage heaters. They list all the time. Good luck.

J.Benson
Grass Valley, Ca.
Two MkV's a520 &510, Pro Planner,Never enough acc's