Keeping Warm!

[dicktimber]

I sat down the other night and mentioned to the wife that after 5 days of non stop rain, it felt more like winter than summer and it would soon be time to put the fan heater on in the garage while working.

My wife remarked that with the rise in electricity prices, and the thought of a cold long winter looming, maybe I should cut down...or god forbid, stop working in my garage and spend cosy evenings holding her wool while she winds it into balls...YAWN<

While I sat there with a scowl on my face, dreading the thought of having to sit in with Coronation street blaring out, on cold evenings......

She came up with a solution..of sorts...

I'll buy you a Chiminea, for your workshop....that will keep you warm and you can use up all the scraps of wood you have!!!!!.....

Now I know it's a silly option, especially after talking about fire extinguishers etc....but does anyone have a wood burner installed in their workshop.....or even a Chiminea???????

Just wondering!
Mike

 

[DaveL]

Oh yes I have a wood burner, had it for years, great bit of kit. All of the shavings and saw dust go into it, I collect scrap wood for the winter, doing quite well again this year, the wood shed is filling up nicely.

 

[Digit]

I gave up burning coal some years ago, my local recycling centre has skip for 'scrap' wood. Cheaper than coal as well.

Roy.

 

[marcus]

I have one and wouldn't be with out it.... All the offcuts go in - and the mistakes :?

Mine doesn't burn sawdust because sawdust burners take up more floor space, but a sawdust burner is the way to go if you have room.

Check out this http://www.workshopstoves.co.uk/

Cheers,

Marcus

 

[Rich]

Thanks for the tip Marcus, a very useful site, I've added that to my favourites.

Regards,

Rich.

 

[hpl]

Dave,

Do you have a sawdust stove, or do you use a normal stove. You mention that you burn the shavings on yours. I have an old one that I could fit in but it is just a cheap stove that we have replaced from our house, wonder if it would burn the sawdust. I use all my offcuts on the lounge stove!

Johnny B

 

[DaveL]

Johnny,

It is not sawdust stove, its a Jotul 602N

That is a very old picture and the stove is now out from the wall a bit more with insulated plaster board offcuts fixed to the wall. Its a great little stove and throws out a good amount of heat. I am known as a wood burner and people save wood for me. I even have the post room at work saving any wooden packing that stuff is delivered in for me.
It will burn sawdust, but being quite small needs loading more often than the larger stoves designed for sawdust.
Its a lovely dry heat for the shop that costs very little to run and makes much better toast than any electric toaster. \/

 

[13eightyfour]

http://www.bikerlifestyle.co.uk/tech/workshop/heater.html

You could always try one of these maybe a tad risky to build but should do the job?

 

[Tusses]

wouldn't be without it. burns wood, coal, dust, and chips

made it from an old calor bottle !

had it going today too with all that rain !

this is it running off my chip extractor offerings

 

[Rich]

Nice one Tusses, a man after my own heart, let's hope there's no HSE chap watching.

Rich.

 

[Tusses]

let's hope there's no HSE chap watching.

Rich.

yeah - I HATE making that 1st cut into the gas bottle :lol:

 

[mpooley]

Tusses
I love the picture of your workshop!

really cheered me up again - made mine look clean for a change lol



Mike

 

[dicktimber]

Glad to see this isn't a stupid post but how did you manage with the flue and ensuring smoke doesn't blow bak down?
Did anyone have problems installing a flue?

Mike

 

[Tusses]

for the flue, I used a 5" stainless pipe I found on ebay for £48

its 9' long and so has plenty of draw. Never had any problem with smoke in the shop. when its stormy, there might be an odd puff but thats it.

you can get problems with a short flue pipe.

you can also get cowls for the top that can reduce down blow.

but, like I said - if its the right diameter and long enough, then once its warm it will draw well.

Rich

 

[Tusses]

Tusses
I love the picture of your workshop!

really cheered me up again - made mine look clean for a change lol



Mike

hmmm...

that is the cleanest bit too - so nothing can catch fire :lol:

 

[dickm]

Do folks with woodstoves in their workshops have any problems with condensation if they don't run them nearly all the time? It worries me up here near the Arctic circle that heating the shop for short periods, so that the air can hold more moisture from breathing etc, then letting it cool will cause condensation on cold steel ("they don't like it up 'em, Mr Mainwaring").

In my last shed I used an old storage heater on a white meter tariiff, which was ideal because it kept the shed at a pretty steady temperature and in those happy times didn't cost too much to run

 

[Pekka Huhta]

I'm heating the house mainly with wood, with an electrical heating system as a backup in case I'm off for a few days.

I also store some of my tools in the attic and on the porch and they don't get too rusty despite the changing temperature.

And sometimes I run out of chips and scraps

(That poor plane was so badly worm-eaten that it really deserved a proper cremation)

Pekka

 

[jhwbigley]

haha, im hoping to have a wood burner in my new workshop, as we already have three in the house, so everwhere is cramed full of logs and off cuts, but im sure it cost us a fair bit in petrol for the cain saw and eleltric for the big saw bench! but as the wood is "free" and it keeps the house walm enough to keep the centrol heating off so must be a good thing!

 

[big soft moose]

let's hope there's no HSE chap watching.

Rich.

yeah - I HATE making that 1st cut into the gas bottle :lol:

ah yes the good old traveller stove - boatie freinds of mine swear by these

key to h&S (other than not telling swimbo what you are about to do) is

a) stick a burner on the bottle and run it to make sure it is completely empty

b) cut through the brass bit at the top with a hack saw - brass doesnt spark

c) then take it outside and fill it to the brim with water - this makes sure there is absolutely no gas lurking

then break out the a grinder or blow torch and bobs your fathers brother.

the only vaguely tricky bit is making the door - but that shouldnt be an issue for folks of the calbre you find on here.

Eventually they burn through - but then you can just grab another bottle and make another one

 

[big soft moose]

Do folks with woodstoves in their workshops have any problems with condensation if they don't run them nearly all the time? It worries me up here near the Arctic circle that heating the shop for short periods, so that the air can hold more moisture from breathing etc, then letting it cool will cause condensation on cold steel ("they don't like it up 'em, Mr Mainwaring").

In my last shed I used an old storage heater on a white meter tariiff, which was ideal because it kept the shed at a pretty steady temperature and in those happy times didn't cost too much to run

if it is a problem you can always get a dehumidifier and run it on eco 7 in the middle of the night using a time switch - which might not be a bad idea up in the frozen north anyway.