New lathe question

[jim.mcgaha]

Just received new PM 3520b. Space limitations require that I have my workshop in an unheated garage. Anyone have any recommendations on how to keep the lathe in good condition in an uncontrolled environment? Chicago area winters (and summers) can be brutal.

 

[Bill Boehme]

If the garage is enclosed and the walls are insulated then I think it is worth spending a bit more to moderate the temperature. The winters are far milder here in north Texas, but it occasionally gets very cold. The summers are brutally hot and the humidity is high. I do all of my turning outdoors and park the lathe in the garage when it's not being used. I figured that it made sense given that I paid big bucks for my lathe, that I ought to heat and cool the garage, so I installed a window air conditioner to cool it a bit in the summer and lower the humidity. In the winter I use a couple portable electric heaters. This effectively lowers the relative humidity. Years ago I had a small unvented natural gas bathroom heater in the garage. Those are no longer legal because of high CO output if the flame wasn't burning cleanly, but it sure did throw out the heat.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

i like Bill's idea of turning outside......that is not how I set up the outlets or where I have even concrete......I turn in a corner of basement.......maybe a project........do a little cost thingy.........since the setup in basement could still be used......just concrete and an dedicated outlet and some rollers

you probably would need to install a dedicated outlet inside and outside your garage

 

[Odie]

If the shop is insulated, a small electric space heater is all that's necessary to keep it around 35-40°F, or so. I've done this for years, and use two propane Mr.Heaters to bring up the temperature fast......then turn off the propane heaters and use three small ceramic heaters to maintain about 60-65°, or so. My shop is insulated, and is about the size of a 3-car garage with 2/3 of that space being used as my shop. These days, I've replaced the one 24/7 small ceramic heater with a larger multiple element infrared heater. It now stays around 45°F during the coldest months when I'm not there, with it on the economy setting. I'm still using the Mr.Heaters briefly, plus the three small ceramic space heaters, along with the infrared heater while I'm working in the shop. I turn off the smaller heaters as the temperature rises to comfortable levels.......

ko

 

[Richard Coers]

I live downstate in Peoria. The biggest deal is condensation in the spring. The cast iron holds the cold, the warm air gets saturated with moisture in the spring, it condenses on the cast iron. The simplest thing to do is spray down ALL MACHINED SURFACES (including internal tapers and sliding surfaces) with Boeshield http://boeshield.com/shop-woodworking-tools/ and also cover the machine so the moisture can't condense on the surface of the cast iron. Next step would be to build an insulated box to cover it up and put a tiny space heater or 60 watt incandescent light bulb in the box. For that kind of investment, I'd build the insulated box. Can be as simple as foil covered foam and Gorilla tape the corners. I've also read about running a box fan in the shop when the dew point rises. It's mostly about keeping the condensation from forming on the cast iron.

 

[Odie]

Interesting......I've never had a condensation problem here in Montana. I can see where that would be a big rust problem. What is it about Illinois that makes this a major consideration?

ko

 

[DON FRANK]

My powermatic has also been in an unheated and and uncooled environment. I only turn the pellet stove on when I'm working otherwise it will be about 40 degrees in the middle of winter. The stove will get it up to 65 in an hour or so. It gets fresh air from outside so no problem with fumes or fire danger. I've had no problems with rust etc. I'm guessing because things heat and cool back down slowly. However I'm moving my lathe to a heated/air conditioned area of the shop mainly for the a/c. It gets brutal in missouri with no A/C while you are turning. Fans help but really dry out the green wood. I think the A/C is a must especially since we can have high humidity.

 

[John K Jordan]

Before I built my shop I had a lathe and two bandsaws in an unheated garage for 10 years or so. This is in East TN not the deep north, but we have plenty of freezing winter days and dripping humidity in the summer. I used a kerosene heater at first then later a MrHeater propane heater and ceramic heaters, only when I worked. In the summer I used fans, one small one above the lathe blowing directly on my face.

I occasionally put a coat of wax on the cast iron surfaces. I can't remember ever having a rust problem.

However, I can affirm that shop time is much more enjoyable year around in a well insulated shop with central heat and air! If I had to do the unheated garage thing again I think I would try to spend a little time to insulate it and put in heat and air.

JKJ

 

[Richard Coers]

Interesting......I've never had a condensation problem here in Montana. I can see where that would be a big rust problem. What is it about Illinois that makes this a major consideration?

ko

Clashes of Canadian air and warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. It can make tornados as the worst and rust cast iron at the least.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Interesting......I've never had a condensation problem here in Montana. I can see where that would be a big rust problem. What is it about Illinois that makes this a major consideration?

ko

In addition to what Richard mentioned, the altitude difference (Missoula 3200' MSL and Chicago 600' MSL). Also, on the western slope of the Rockies, adiabatic cooling causes pacific air to dump much of its moisture as the air rises and expands. On the eastern slope, the air is compressed and warms making it have a much lower relative humidity. Temperature inversions over large cities also are responsible for increased humidity.

 

[Barry Crowder]

I second the vote for Boeshield T9. It's the best thing I've found to protect from surface rust, and it doesn't seem to attract dust or gum up.

 

[Zach LaPerriere]

For starters, if your garage is sitting on a concrete slab, it might be worth figuring out if there is plastic under the slab or if the concrete has been sealed, because concrete loves to wick moisture up from the ground. If not, get a good concrete paint.

I think airflow is important (ie. from outside), unless you keep the place very dry. A dehumidifier might be worthwhile. Worth investing 10 or 20 bucks for a relative humidity gauge. A woodstove, if you can swing it, also does wonders for drying out any building.

Agreed on Boeshield being great. LP3 is another superb one.

I just use WD40 in a spray bottle, and buy the gallon cans. I spray metal down regularly. My shop is open-air with no walls, and I live in the Alaskan rainforest where moisture is usually high. Yeah, I know I'm a bit crazy. I get lots of airflow, so rust isn't a problem.

On my lathe bed and bandsaw table I like to shoot a little WD40 and rub some Minwax on at the end of the day occasionally.

 

[robo hippy]

Most garage slabs are not insulated or have a vapor barrier underneath, that is only for 'interior' slabs. If you want an insulated slab, there are foam sheet products that do a fair job, which usually go over plastic sheeting, then a surface of some sort, with laminates being the cheapest, and some of them come with insulation and/or padding on the bottoms. When I went to insulate my pole barn, I found the insulation company would install it for about $50 more than I could buy the materials for, and they put a white reflective vapor barrier over it as well. The concrete stem wall should have some insulation over it as well. My 'office' is a converted single car garage. I raised the garage door (yes, it is insulated, but with all the gaps, it isn't very effective) and put in a 4 foot wide man door since I stored stock in here. I found some discarded carpet to put on the floor. It seldom gets below freezing here, so most of the time it is comfortable. Only draw back is most garage floors are poured with slope to them so when you drive in with a wet car, the water drains to the door... A heat lamp would keep it tolerable in your garage if it is insulated. Summer, well I remember from days when I lived in Missery, the hot and humid summers. Getting an air conditioner in there would be nice.... Not too difficult to frame in a turning room...

robo hippy

 

[Bill Boehme]

It sounds like things are built differently in this part of the country. Garages are typically attached, but even for detached garages poly sheeting is used. On the other hand, it is rare to see insulation used under a slab here because winters are mild. I've never seen an intentionally sloped garage floor in this part of the country ... and, what is a "wet car"? 😉

 

[Tom Albrecht]

Just Curious...

Just received new PM 3520b. Space limitations require that I have my workshop in an unheated garage. Anyone have any recommendations on how to keep the lathe in good condition in an uncontrolled environment? Chicago area winters (and summers) can be brutal.

Is your garage a separate building from the house, as in detached? Does this mean that you will only be using the lathe in tolerable weather? That could mean a lot of downtime around here (Evanston). I added an infrared gas heater in my garage for wrenching my moto-- makes a huge difference.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

It sounds like things are built differently in this part of the country. Garages are typically attached, but even for detached garages poly sheeting is used. On the other hand, it is rare to see insulation used under a slab here because winters are mild. I've never seen an intentionally sloped garage floor in this part of the country ... and, what is a "wet car"? 😉

Bill , Everything is built differently than it is in Texas. We have lived in 4 states and they all build a house differently. In Kansas City the garage is heated and slopes to the center for a drain . In MS ours slope toward the door. Almost all now use vapor barrier under concrete, just in case. I cannot see any unusual problems in unheated space except: more rust, Cold berings will be stiff until they warm up. Remember there are always exceptions to every rule.

 

[hockenbery]

Our shop is in a stand alone steel building.
Humidity is our biggest issue.
I find coating the lathe beds with ballistol works well for us.
We do not have condensation issue.

Difference between our location and Chicago is that in an average year:
Tampa gets 50 days with the high above 90
Chicago get 12 Tampa gets 2 days a year with the low below 32
🙂. Tampa gets high winds every 5-10 years Chicago gets them every time I go there. 🙂