 |
|
|
Snips... ;-)Heating a ShopI'd think the woodstove fairly essential for a woodworking shop. At least as backup. If nothing else what are you going to do with all those shavings and scrap stock? A woodstove dries like you can't believe. Inside a house you have to leave a kettle of water on the stove or it'll dry out your sinuses to the point of pain. Even once or twice a week a fire in the stove will keep the rust away in my climate. I like to run a fan to circulate the heat. Z-brick n mortar will cover and insulate a wall right quick. Tin with an air gap is ugly as a mud fence, but it also works. Big tile on the floor unless it's already concrete and don't be stingy with the hearth area in front if it's a wood floor. Watch the stovepipe exit where it goes through the wall! I like to use a steel panel a couple of feet square or so. One inside, another outside and line the opening with steel flashing too, just in case the pipe dies inside the wall. (It not likely to fail there but the price is right). I keep a real fire extinguisher close by and have a smoke detector across the room (so I doesn't go off every time there is a lousy initial draft starting it up). I'm not recommending a woodstove with rose colored shades on though. They are a pain in the butt, make no mistake. You lay the fire and if you screw that up it won't take off well. (from the "air in" hole to the stovepipe, kind of a small wind tunnel is what you want) Keep a propane torch handy for extra help. You have to shovel the ashes and sweep the pipe sometimes and there's occasional maintenance and it's not all lilacs. But it's mostly free heat that keeps your tools from rusting, how can you beat that? They're cheap to get too since you can usually get them from the
dump when there's something wrong with the stove that the previous
owner couldn't figure out how to fix or same at yard sales.
Usually it's the grates in the bottom that burn out. Just lay
in a piece Be sure to put a strong light inside it, close the door as best you can, and look for hidden cracks or gaps before you fire it off first time. A tube or tin of furnace cement if you find any defects. A new door gasket never hurts either. I've not had any trouble with solvents or dust in the shop, the usual fears. Been using one 30 years at the very least. It's a bit like oil soaked rags. It's always possible to blow yourself up or get a spontaneous fire etc, but you have work at it to pull it off. Any dollop of common sense you can employ and you'll make it though alright. yours, Scott Grandstaff |
||
|
|
 |
