Shopbot in a shed

[krico]

Hi,

I am considering getting a Shopbot, but I can't fit it into my garage shop. Therefore, I thought that maybe I could build a unheated shed on my property for the shopbot. I could cut the parts out there and bring into the heated shop for further processing. However, I read on here somewhere that I may need to be concerned about fire. Has anyone done anything like this and did you put any type of monitoring systems in? Are there any other concerns that I need to think about with this arrangement? Thanks

[myxpykalix]

My shop is uninsulated and unheated wood frame construction. What i did was go out and buy a (sorry i can't think of brand but its the kind that looks like a jet engine) It was a high btu? heater cost over $200.00 and uses fuel oil. My shop is only 16x24 but it takes it less than 7-8 minutes on the coldest day last year to heat it up to 55 degrees and i'm working in a t shirt. It spits out flames upon startup and i have taken different types of sawdust and dropped in close path (after startup) to see if there would be any combustion and never had a problem. I was quoted a price of $2300.00 to sparay foam insulate the shop, this heater saved me $2000.00

[bill_lumley]

Jack , I am interested in a portable heater for my unheated garage also but one concern I have heard is that many portable heaters produce moisture as a by-product and this can harm metal equipment (cause rust ?).... Not sure it is true but just asking if it is a factor in getting a shop heater ??

Thanks

[myxpykalix]

I'm not sure how it would produce moisture as its spitting out hot air. I have used mine all last winter and not seen any rust at all. It was at floor level and blew under the bot and rose up and i haven't seen any rust anywhere. Not that i was looking for it. The only thing i can think about regarding rust is where you heat up a cold piece of steel and condensation occurs. I don't think it is something you need to concern yourself with. Just paint your metal with a primer (at least) and forget it.

[baltic_birch]

here is how i heat my shop in 3 minutes

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rps3iHMeYM4

[jseiler]

Any hydrocarbon burning unvented heater is going to put moisture into the air because burning hydrocarbons generates carbon dioxide and water in the burn process. This may not be an issue depending on whether the moisture ever gets to the dew point. Getting an unheated area all toasty then turning off the burner and letting it cool below the dew point may cause issues. One could vent out with a small fan.

[krico]

So are you saying that the Shop Bot needs to operate in a heated environment? I am not so worried about heat for me as I added heat to the shop last year. My problem is space. I just don't have the space in the current shop. I thought that I could put the Bot in an outbuilding of some type. I could heat it with jet engine type of heater, but don't want to hook up anything like I have in the main shop.

[andyb]

I have my Shopbot in my garage. I use a small DeLonghi oil-filled radiator heater that I got from Lowe’s for $35. It keeps my 20x20 garage just warm enough to work in. I leave it on 24x7 when it starts to get really cold. I’m in Georgia and it rarely gets below 32 degrees but last year when it did it was still bearable to start working in until the garage heats up.

[fleinbach]

Kevin,


The Shopbot does not need a heated environment. Even though my shop is heaed I do not always turn it on. Sometimes I have cut when the temperature was in the 20's.

[blaz_in_az]

Kevin,
I lived in Northern Minnesota, where the temp in the garage would get down to 0º. I used a 220V electric heater and it would warm up to above freezing in about half an hour. No additional moisture in electric heat!