Questions And Ideas About My Shop

[pariah223]

So my shop/workspace that i currently use is far from ideal when it comes to building guitars. The biggest issues seems to be humidity and temperature. My shop is not heated 24/7 due to the cost so i heat it about 2 hours before i use it and then i may not use it for 2 days after so it goes back to just above the outside temp (usually below 30 in the winter). Im sure the RH in my garage is all over the place due to this so i am looking for a way to keep the garage at a semi-constant humidity even with the temp changes. I just started humidifying my room for the winter and i keep it at about 45-50 RH but i cant build in here for obvious reasons. I am sure i am not the only one dealing with this issue so what have you guys come up with?

[avengers63]

My workshop is in the basement. The furnace & water heater are in there, so the room warm in the winter, but not adversely so. Infortunately, the sump pump is in a drain hole in teh corner. There is a semi-open connection to the water/sewer lines somewhere, and during extreme rains there is the possibility of flooding. I'm not sure what this does to the humidity, but it's the most stable option I have.

[westhemann]

You could enclose a very small part of your shop for wood storage and keep THAT heated constantly....

[Kenny]

bring your wood inside and dedicate a closet

[Rick500]

I have a similar situation -- the woodworking stuff is in the unheated/uncooled garage. I leave all my wood out there. I considered bringing the wood indoors, but decided that it'll always be worked on out there, so I figured it would be worse to store it inside and then take it out to the garage to work with it.

[pariah223]

I have a similar situation -- the woodworking stuff is in the unheated/uncooled garage. I leave all my wood out there. I considered bringing the wood indoors, but decided that it'll always be worked on out there, so I figured it would be worse to store it inside and then take it out to the garage to work with it.

yeah i just had a problem with a guitar im working on dry out because i kept it in my dry, heated room for too long. I wouldnt have had trouble im sure if i kept it in the garage. the below freezing temps scared me though, but i guess temp doesnt hurt as much as dryness...

[soapbarstrat]

I know of guys who keep most of their stash in a shed or garage (where it at least doesn't get rained on), and then bring it into the climate controlled shop about 6 weeks before they want to use it. I've got maple, etc, in my garage where it doesn't get wet but is subjected to high summer humidity and freezing cold in winter, but that doesn't seem to cause any problems with it, that I can tell.

Yes, best bet is to have a small shop that you can easily get a handle on the climate control (yeah, I know some of you guys have quite an idea climate, but you might want to keep quiet about it, or the rest of us might decide to pull some kind of "eminent domain" on you. hehe)

[Woodenspoke]

I would say it is fine to store your wood out in the garage as Soap says but temps below 60 Degrees create too many issues. The most important factor is slow changes to your environment. If its 70 one day and 20 the next you will have problems.

I have a shop in my basement. It has heating and cooling ducts so for the most part I can work all year round. Except for the past few days when -20 deg weather outside made the shop around 60. I stopped my project since I am in the finishing process.

It wasn't this way in my last basement shop. I didnt work in the summer because it was too humid. You either have to retrofit your shop (walls and a gas heater) so its kept at a constant temperature or work when the weather cooperates.