Shop Heat On The Cheap

[kmmcrafts]

So I have had this little LP heater for a few years that I use to set next to me while sawing.

https://www.harborfreight.com/15000-btu-tank-top-propane-heater-63073.html

The thing really just makes my leg closest to the heater burn up while the rest of me is a little chilly. I stop every now and then to warm my hands up and go back to work. I've been looking at small Lp and or electric heaters as I'll be installing some sort of heat for next year not only for me to be more comfy working.. but also because my CNC and Laser are water cooled. I'll still run coolant in them or anti freeze whatever you choose to call it, LOL. 

Anyway some of the heaters claim to heat a 30 x 30 shop and are only around 18,000 BTU. I got the bright idea since my little heater is 15,000 BTU.. I took my air filtration ( Box Fan With Furnace Filter ) away from my saw to run a test on if I could raise the temp in the shop.. While cutting yesterday for about 2  hours. I raised the temp 8 degrees while the outside temp was going down.. as it was 16F when I started sawing and only 9 when i finished up..

Now.. Don't do what I did there and run out to get you one of these to do that.. These are NOT a vented heater and they say to keep a door or window open when running it inside.. which I do that.. normally.. but was just running this as a test.. I wasn't in the shop that whole time but kept monitoring the heater and temp.. I normally never leave the thing on if I go in the house as I don't trust it too much.. Just thought it was a fun little test since I really know nothing about BTU or heaters in general.. I will say.. the fan behind it keeps me warmer even though I do keep a door open for fresh air.. feels like a furnace vent heat this way and I'll likely run it like that as it doesn't burn my one leg while the rest of me is still cold. LOL  

Actually quite surprised at how well it did heat since my loft and stairway are open.. and I had the heater and fan pointed toward the stairway & landing. the thermometer was on the back opposite corner of the shop from the stairway.. Probably was hot upstairs LOL I never went to see but should have.. The upstairs is insulated with R- 20 styrofoam sheeting. Just haven't done the downstairs yet.. Most all the insulation I've picked up from CL from those that bought too much and I've been picking up few sheets at a time.. I also been picking up R-19 rolls to do the downstairs ceiling... someone gave me 4 big brand new rolls of that.. Eventually I'll have it done and cheap too.. The whole upstairs is 4" x 4 x 8 sheets and I bought all of it for $200 and have some sheets left.. Local Menards sells this stuff I used for $73 a 4 x 8 sheet..   

[OCtoolguy]

2 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

So I have had this little LP heater for a few years that I use to set next to me while sawing.

https://www.harborfreight.com/15000-btu-tank-top-propane-heater-63073.html

The thing really just makes my leg closest to the heater burn up while the rest of me is a little chilly. I stop every now and then to warm my hands up and go back to work. I've been looking at small Lp and or electric heaters as I'll be installing some sort of heat for next year not only for me to be more comfy working.. but also because my CNC and Laser are water cooled. I'll still run coolant in them or anti freeze whatever you choose to call it, LOL. 

Anyway some of the heaters claim to heat a 30 x 30 shop and are only around 18,000 BTU. I got the bright idea since my little heater is 15,000 BTU.. I took my air filtration ( Box Fan With Furnace Filter ) away from my saw to run a test on if I could raise the temp in the shop.. While cutting yesterday for about 2  hours. I raised the temp 8 degrees while the outside temp was going down.. as it was 16F when I started sawing and only 9 when i finished up..

Now.. Don't do what I did there and run out to get you one of these to do that.. These are NOT a vented heater and they say to keep a door or window open when running it inside.. which I do that.. normally.. but was just running this as a test.. I wasn't in the shop that whole time but kept monitoring the heater and temp.. I normally never leave the thing on if I go in the house as I don't trust it too much.. Just thought it was a fun little test since I really know nothing about BTU or heaters in general.. I will say.. the fan behind it keeps me warmer even though I do keep a door open for fresh air.. feels like a furnace vent heat this way and I'll likely run it like that as it doesn't burn my one leg while the rest of me is still cold. LOL  

Actually quite surprised at how well it did heat since my loft and stairway are open.. and I had the heater and fan pointed toward the stairway & landing. the thermometer was on the back opposite corner of the shop from the stairway.. Probably was hot upstairs LOL I never went to see but should have.. The upstairs is insulated with R- 20 styrofoam sheeting. Just haven't done the downstairs yet.. Most all the insulation I've picked up from CL from those that bought too much and I've been picking up few sheets at a time.. I also been picking up R-19 rolls to do the downstairs ceiling... someone gave me 4 big brand new rolls of that.. Eventually I'll have it done and cheap too.. The whole upstairs is 4" x 4 x 8 sheets and I bought all of it for $200 and have some sheets left.. Local Menards sells this stuff I used for $73 a 4 x 8 sheet..   

Just be aware of fine dust floating in the air around you and the open flame. It could turn into a "bomb" of sorts like a dust explosion in a silo. 

 

[Jim McDonald]

(This is from the dark recesses of my aged and sometimes marinated brain. Subject to fact check by others)

Technically, a BTU is the amount of heat required to heat one gram of water one degree Celsius. The BTU we deal with is actually a kBTU. 

That said, I have no idea how big a heater you need, but I know the oil filled electric radiators seem to do a good job once they get warmed up.

Klingspor had a ceiling mount infrared radiant on sale pretty cheap.

[kmmcrafts]

41 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

Just be aware of fine dust floating in the air around you and the open flame. It could turn into a "bomb" of sorts like a dust explosion in a silo. 

 

Yeah, why I typically have the heater on my right side or. opposite side of the direction the dust blower is on the scroll saw.. ( Hawks blow to the left side and the Dewalts / EX blow to the right LOL ) and on the opposite side of the heater I have the box fan with furnace filter.. The box fan seems to get 99% of the dust that floats around in the air.. eventually need to hook up a vac system like many of you all have.. Anyway.. I got to where I don't run my ceiling mount filtration system unless I'm sanding or running any of the other shop tools.. The fan does a great job for the scroll saw.. provided I set it up in the correct spot..

Thanks for the caution though... I don't plan to run this like that.. mainly was just testing what that little heater was capable of.. Soon there will be a furnace in there... probably not until it's so hot I'll wish I had went with AC instead though 

  

[Sycamore67]

10 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

The box fan seems to get 99% of the dust that floats around in the air.. eventually need to hook up a vac system like many of you all have.. Anyway.. I got to where I don't run my ceiling mount filtration system unless I'm sanding or running any of the other shop tools.. The fan does a great job for the scroll saw.. provided I set it up in the correct  spot.

I hope that you will work to get a system set up on the saw in the near future.  Dust collection is done best when done at the source.  Box fan/filters may eventually get the dust but not before you can breath a lot of fine dust.  A lot of fine dust will be hanging in the air.  

[NC Scroller]

Just remember open flame heaters (natural gas, LP gas, kerosene, wood, coal,etc) create moisture.  It is a byproduct of combustion.  So while you raised the temperature you also raised the humidity. This can effect wood movement, drying times, etc.

[NC Scroller]

12 hours ago, octoolguy said:

Just be aware of fine dust floating in the air around you and the open flame. It could turn into a "bomb" of sorts like a dust explosion in a silo. 

 

For this to happen the air would have to be so thick with dust that he would die from dust inhalation long before it went boom.

[Rolf]

I always worry about CO when using non vented heaters. I had a propane bullet heater for my garage sold it after one or two uses Even with the garage door open about a foot I still got nasty headaches.

Regarding dust collection, I have this on my Hawk, I used a couple of mag switches to hols the assembly to the saw. I did not glue the joints in case something got clogged. I did add a swivel and trap for those tiny pieces that get sucked up by accident. The swivel mages it easy to swing the top exhaust out of the way and back.

 

Edited January 31, 2019 by Rolf

[kmmcrafts]

Great set-up Rolf, this is what I had in mind to do.. I really just need the Vac  I have bought all the PVC etc... but I couldn't decide on the Vac to buy.. I'll be picking up a Festool soon.. one of my lumber suppliers is a dealer for the Festool... me being cheap was researching all sort of brand extractors.. While many of us here have heard the Festool and Fein names.. you'd be surprised that there are some others that I never heard of before and many of the drywall guys was saying some of these other brands was cheaper and actually better than the Festool or Fein.. and at a lower cost.. But since the dealer for the known brand is someone I deal with on a regular basis.. I have now decided to go that route.. ( until I change my mind again anyway  ) 

[tgiro]

50 minutes ago, Rolf said:

I always worry about CO when using non vented heaters. I had a propane bullet heater for my garage sold it after one or two uses Even with the garage door open about a foot I still got nasty headaches.

Regarding dust collection, I have this on my Hawk, I used a couple of mag switches to hols the assembly to the saw. I did not glue the joints in case something got clogged. I did add a swivel and trap for those tiny pieces that get sucked up by accident. The swivel mages it easy to swing the top exhaust out of the way and back.

 

Rolf - Is that setup running off your dust collector or do you have a separate shop vac for it?  The thing I have is running off the shop vac, but I open other ports because I'm afraid of hurting the shop vac with those little scroll saw ports.

[kmmcrafts]

6 hours ago, tgiro said:

Rolf - Is that setup running off your dust collector or do you have a separate shop vac for it?  The thing I have is running off the shop vac, but I open other ports because I'm afraid of hurting the shop vac with those little scroll saw ports.

I believe I seen in another post that he is using the Festool MIDI dust extractor on the low setting..  he had talked about it being much quieter on the low setting.. which is why I was planning to go that route..

[Rolf]

I have the MINI. the only difference between the MINI and the MIDI is 1.3 gallons of capacity and $50. Just don't expect it to replace your shop vac for cleanup. It  has a small hose and is meant for dust extraction on your sanders etc. Not for big debris.  

[tomsteve]

On 1/31/2019 at 8:03 AM, NC Scroller said:

Just remember open flame heaters (natural gas, LP gas, kerosene, wood, coal,etc) create moisture.  It is a byproduct of combustion.  

i believe its either carbon dioxide or monoxide that  are by products,too. for the NG and LP anyways.

[danny]

I have had a Similar PVC set up for Months and Let me say Not hardly any of that fine sawdust get away

from the two suction tubes.  I use a smaller vacuum that is designed for Ashes.  Much quieter that a shop vac. 

Name is Bad Ash Vacuum....   Danny  :+}

[Scrollmate57]

Thank you bought the Vac today at Rural King.  It is high quality.  Finishing my dust collector now.