Workshop hydration

Alternatively you can work naked. I haven’t tried that yet. I don’t think the neighbors would like looking at me bending over the saw with the garage door open. LOL

My shop usually doesn’t get uncomfortably hot even on the hottest days unless I’ve been running my shop vac (two 1000W motors). A couple of years ago we bought a heat pump for the house. It works real well and it’s very economical to run, but it was not nearly as quiet running as the more expensive ones. The noise it makes (higher pitched than I can hear) drives my wife nuts, so we have decided to buy a better more quiet unit before winter and we plan to install the ‘old’ one in my shop. So better shop heating in winter and air conditioning in summer even
with the vac on.

Bill:
A timely safety comment – Thanks.
My shop is 90 degrees now, and will be for another month; going down to 35 degrees during the winter. During the summer, I drink about a gallon of water every four hours. The alternative is to stay out of the shop for two-to-three months a year (winter and summer, combined), and I’m getting to where I don’t want to give-up the amount of time.

The Summer heat has accompanying issues – salty-sweating on your work, on your cast iron jointer / bandsaw / table saw tops – I have surface-rust spots all over my cast iron tables; and using a router or chisel when your heat-stressed is dangerous. I use wrist and head bands, and keep a towel tucked-in to my waistband.
Again, thanks for broaching the subject.

As a fellow Texan I under stand where you’re coming from day time temps of 115° in the shop has my turnings exploding off the lathe, I always keep my water can iced & full you need your wits about you to stay safe &focused on the task at hand. I have learns my best turning is done at night, less heat and distractions.

I have gotten to where I stay out of the shop for about 3 months. My body can not take it any more. All the time spent in the heat has broken me down. We hope to be moving to cooler climes before to long. I have lived in the jungle South America, Denmark, Africa and Texas. Houston takes the cake as the hottest place in the world as far as I am concerned. The pollution, the amount of concrete and the humidity just does it, plus 3,500,000 air conditioners sending out hot air does not make maters any better. One hot place to live.

I live in Wales. It’s damp here, not humid. Wet. Water everywhere, always. Today was a scorcher at 24c. I suppose I can’t complain until winter and we can talk about cold :)

Madts……

Spend August in Baltimore and you’ll think Houston is Paradise. Worst place I’ve ever been in the summer.

I spent over 32 years as a firefighter in Dallas. Take all this heat and humidity, add 65 pounds of gear including well insulated clothing, and go full out for an hour or better. It got to where it took days for me to recover after a good fire. I take a lot of breaks these days. If I don’t, I start making stupid mistakes. I’ve already built 1 drawer backwards today. I’ll be shutting down early!