Heating a draughty garage?

[Tasky]

I was woken this morning by the Mrs, bearing happy news that I have a bandsaw of some kind on it's way to me...

However, our concrete garage is currently old and full of holes, with the floor getting a little on the damp side.
I'm worried about this lovely new machine getting rusty.
The problem is further compounded by us living in rented property, so we can't exactly do much to the structure aside from cementing up the holes and insulating it as best as our meagre budget allows.

To that end, I was wondering if anyone had advice on how best to keep the damp from damaging my lovely new machine?

I'm currently exploring ideas for some kind of heating that is cheap and can be used without supervision. We don't have gas here, so electric or fuel are the only options.
Wondering if those tealight-flowerpot things might be any good...

 

[Beau]

If your main concern is rust and you are not too worried about staying warm I would line the walls with plastic sheeting as best you can and put a dehumidifier in there. My old workshop was a barn and money was tight. I screwed 2x1 roofing battens to the walls and stapled up plastic sheet. Then some 1/2" chipboard for the inner lining. It worked very well and was still in good condition when it all got converted to a house 10 years later. Not pretty or warm though

 

[Rorschach]

tealight flowerpot is a waste of time, 1 candle will not heat a garage draughty or not.

An oiled machine will not rust, most areas will be painted, touch up any chipped or damaged areas, wax the table after use and keep an eye on it, oil/grease moving parts or exposed metal that won't be touching wood. If you plan on not using it for long periods remove the blade and store somewhere dry. Put a blanket over the machine when not in use.

 

[CHJ]

The easiest way to prevent a machine from attracting condensation and thus forming rust on exposed surfaces is to warm the machine, it only needs to be a couple of degrees warmer than the surrounding air.
Either a low energy bulb running 27/7 underneath it or in a lower cabinet or if you are technically minded electrically you could go the Rolls Royce Method explained by Myfordman and physically fit heating resistors to the table etc.

Drape a cotton sheet or old bed cover over the machine when not in use and that will help encapsulate the heat and reduce the local moisture laden atmosphere from coming into contact.

Far easier to achieve than trying to raise the temperature and reduce the humidity in the whole building which is always going to fail in the endeavour as soon as warmer air encroaches that is at a higher temperature than the steel in the machine that has been cool overnight.

 

[sunnybob]

I've been going through the same problem.
heating of the machines was not practical for me.
As a temporary measure I was talked into using camelia oil on the cast iron.
At first it caused problems with staining the wood untill i was told i had not wiped enough off.
I dont say its perfect, but it is performing better than i thought it would, and has allowed me to stop worrying about the cast untill I decide on a long term solution.
The americans seem to use mostly johnsons paste wax, but the price in the UK is in the ridiculous category.
Micro crystaline wax seems to be the low cost option that needs the least maintenance. I have some on order for my next visitors to bring out to me.

 

[Jamesc]

For covers I have had great success with a barbecue cover. They are widely available at the moment. very inexpensive and with a bit of routing around for the right one the right shape.

 

[CHJ]

My lathes have a cheap mattress cover and a cheep child's cot blanket, been keeping them cosy for several years now.

 

[John Brown]

In my shed, which is insulated(sort of), but not airtight or heated, I got hold of a dehumidifier for about £60(IIRC). It was one whereby I could remove the collection tank and attach a piece of plastic hose. I ran the hose through a hole in the shed wall. I put an empty plastic milk container on its side over the end of the pipe, so that I can check periodically that it's still working. I haven't had any rust(not in the shed, anyway. Got some on the wheel arches of my car...) since doing this, and it must be at least 4 years. Maybe more.

 

[dickm]

Slightly off topic, but if you don't want a speck of rust, don't do as I occasionally do. We buy meat for deep freeze from a local farm, which often comes in lumps too big for the two of us. Nae problem, grab big frozen joint and run it over the bandsaw. But recently bought a big frozen bag of bacon; cut off enough to feed us plus family - delicious. Then noticed the rust spots on the table of the 352. Someone had forgotten to wipe off the bits of salty meat that had come off the blade.................
So if you do use your bandsaw for cured/salted meats, clean up afterwards!

 

[HappyHacker]

I think CHJ meant to say a low wattage bulb, low energy ones do not give out enough heat. I agree with covering as it helps reduce heat loss and draughts over the machine.

I use a low wattage tubular heater (60W).

 

[CHJ]

I think CHJ meant to say a low wattage bulb, low energy ones do not give out enough heat. I agree with covering as it helps reduce heat loss and draughts over the machine.

I use a low wattage tubular heater (60W).

If the bulb is enclosed it is still dissipating it's 10-20 watts in the enclosure, and is enough to keep all my chucks and lathe accessories in their storage cabinet warm to the touch compared with other metalwork in the shop.

 

[Tasky]

Cheers guys, that's given me some options.

I was a bit wary of using either cloth or plastic covers, as both would seem more likely to trap moisture against the machine - We already lost a couple of things like parasols for this exact reason and, while my tools have been alright so far, I wasn't sure how well a bandsaw would cope.

I will be using the saw all year round, for as long as I can keep warm out there, but obviously won't be using it during the cold night hours (we do have neighbours).
I like the idea of dehumidifiers and those tubular heaters, though - Just have to tot up and see how expensive they'll be to run...


Cured meats on a bandsaw?
That's what the Biltong blades are for, surely? How else can you so readily justify buying wickedly sharp serrated knives and machetes? :-D

 

[HappyHacker]

I have had no problem with covers causing more rust but mine are not tight so air can still circulate but much reduced. If a little heat is added the cover traps the heat and keeps the machine warmer.

I made a post apologising to CHJ but it appears to not have made it.

Sorry Chas, I can see where you are coming from. For my machines I did not think that such a low wattage would do much, too many draughts even with a cover over the top. I found a 60W incandescent bulb or the tubular heaters both worked well. I will have to go and get some something for this winter. I prefer the tubular heaters as they do not get as hot as a bulb and usually have an overheat cutout inside them, usually not resettable unfortunately.

Kevin

 

[CHJ]

Yes I used to have tubular heaters, still have some lying around from when I was trying to heat larger volumes, green house etc. nothing wrong with them, but have found in my current setup I can get away with far less power consumption and still achieve the desired temperature raise. Old chipboard kitchen unit carcases are reasonable insulators for low level heat raising.
Way back in the early 1960's I first started warming a tool storage cupboard with 7watt car bulbs running off a transformer on the bottom shelf, the combined energy from a warm bulb and transformer was enough to keep the condensation at bay. it was a full garage wall height cheap and cheerful frame and hardboard construct with a spare house door in the front. Certainly could not afford to heat the garage, it was as much as we could afford to heat the odd room in the house.

Think the low energy bulb procurement costs are getting silly these days, got a lot in when they were being rolled out for little or no cost and then happened across a DIY store oddments bin one day with boxes of a pattern they were obviously not stocking anymore for something like a £1 a box of 4. so needless to say was force to give them a home.
Running 24/7 they seem to last a couple of years at least.

 

[deema]

A cheap and simple option for such a situation is to find a large plastic bag that will completely cover the bad Saw. A mattress cover is excellent for this kind of thing. Cut a small hole in the top of the bag, c1”.

Place a small low watt light bulb on the bed of the saw and leave it on. One of those inspection lamps with a cage is ideal.

Protect all cast iron parts with a suitable finish. I use Metal Guard followed by Liberian Machine wax. But as many threads will suggest any wax will do, and some advocate the old solution of coating the beds with linseed oil.

The bag and light bulb create a small warm environment that keeps the damp out and your machine protected as it Li fts the machine above the dew point. The hole in the bag allows air to circulate which is important otherwise you will get condensation on the inside of the bag.