By
R. Adam Blake, Editor
Betterway
Woodworking Books
Winter in the shop is when I get my best woodworking done. I have
time without interruption to work long hours on specific tasks.
The holidays have passed and the long winter nights are setting
in. My wife has fewer evening chores for me to attend to and
grants me my time alone in the shop. I don't have the distraction
of various home improvement projects begging my attention.
I can slow things down and really think projects through.
Quality work is the end result. There really is no place I
would rather be after a taxing day at the office than in my
drafty shop feeding my old Franklin woodstove and contemplating
the joinery of this leg or that box.
Wintertime woodworking calls for a different strategy when it comes
to project assembly and finishing. I do all of my cutting
and sanding in the shop. The projects go in the basement
to be assembled and finished. The moisture difference between
the shop and my basement can play havoc on assemblies, but
in my experience this is rare. This represents itself in
the occasional warping of a door panel or twisting of stock.
The few problems I have had with this were easily fixed,
and all in all it is a small price for me to pay to practice
woodworking in the winter.
I don't have heat in the shop 24 hours a day and I'm not yet convinced
I want it. It would probably make my insurance agent happy
if I updated my heating system. The time or money to do
this just isn't there. To be honest there is something about
the occasional shiver telling me it's time to feed the stove
that I like. Maybe this is my personal connection to a simpler
time and way of life, who knows. I know that I like the
shop and my wintertime woodworking the way it is.
I have picked up some tips along the way that I want to share with
those of you who are in a similar situation. The peace of
mind knowing that you are not creating any hazardous situations
with a woodstove in the shop will make your wintertime woodworking
even more pleasurable and stress free.
- Use common sense with flammable materials. I store all
of mine in the house, away from any direct sources of
heat or open flame. I properly discard any older cans
and containers if the chances are that I won't be using
them again. Don't store anything too close to the stove
that may catch fire. Don't try to burn loose sawdust.
- Even in the wintertime a shop needs ventilation. Install
some kind of ventilation fan in your shop. You can install
an exterior shutter type cover for it on the outside so
that when it is not in use, the shutters close. Any time
you are doing any hand or machine work that is going to
cloud up the shop, this should be used.
- Use point of activity dust collection systems. This can
be as simple as an old fan with a furnace filter taped
to it. Make sure that your tool dust collection systems
are in proper working order and that you have plenty of
ventilation.
- Your woodstove and stovepipe/chimney should be cleaned
often. Inspect it often. If I'm lucky, I will spend 10
hours in the shop a week. This means that I may clean
the stovepipe 3 or 4 times in the season. That may seem
like a lot, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I have
it down to a science so it only takes me about 20 minutes
to clean it.
- NEVER LEAVE THE SHOP UNATTENDED WITH A FIRE IN THE STOVE.
Oh, that cutoff box I mentioned? It is full of expensive hardwood cutoffs
mostly caused by my woodworking mistakes. While pursuing your
wintertime woodworking, reduce the amount of expensive kindling
next to your stove with a copy of "Fixing Woodworking Mistakes".
We all make them and there are some great ideas in this book
on how to fix them.
Keep
warm,
Adam
Blake
