Staying cool & keeping bugs out

Dukester wants to know:

>I am reluctant to put in an a/c because it's one more thing to clean and buy
>filters for. Plus I hate having the doors closed breathing dust. I almost
>wish now that I left the ceiling joists open the attic space was wide
>open....can't win.

I'm putting in AC units this year. Get the kind with washable filters. That's a
PITA, butnot as big a PITA as paying for new filters every week.
>
>On another note, I assume these clusters of pin sized black dots all over
>everything are bug droppings? Do you cover your tools and projects when not
>in use to keep them off? Do you have any good way of keeping the warsps and
>other nasties out?

I wish. I have mroe trouble with bird droppings than with bugs...probably why
there are so few bugs, eh? I've got what seems a whole damned tribe of flickers
living in the attic of my shop. When I get back, one of my first chores is to
evict the little monsters. They are woodpeckers of course, so can eat their way
into almost any building...damned near drilled through one edge of the house
when the corner boards rotted. So I have to plug a mess of holes and then go
back and put galvanized sheet over the edges, I guess. I'm going to try
aluminum first, as that type of coil stock is easier to handle, but I figure
with my luck, it'll take galvanized and I may then find the birds can drill
that, too.

A tin roof on nailers is the culprit. Leaves far too many gaps for them to
widen and enter so they can nest. I never even thought about it, or I'd have
close the blinking thing up when I first built the shop.



Charlie Self
"In our civilization, and under our republican form of government, intelligence
is so highly honored that it is rewarded by exemption from the cares of
office." Ambrose Bierce

"Dukester" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ok, we've been through the "best ways to heat your shop" many times here.
> Now that h&h has arrived here in Mississippi, I'm wanting to know how do
you
> stay cool? I bought an inexpensive industrial type high velocity fan for
my
<snipped 4 BW>

The AC is the best idea, really... filter the air, keep tools rust free and
the bod sweat free.
I'd do it in a minute, but a metal building with an uninsulated roof in
Florida is a good way to hemorrhage dollars <G>.
I use 4 fans, 1 30" pedestal, 1 24" louvered fan mounted atop a 48"
industrial 2 speed and finally a 20" pedestal from my dad's shop (R.I.P.,
dad). Since there is a 16' garage door at each end of the building, I change
direction to coincide with the prevailing wind.
Tom

"Dukester" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Ok, we've been through the "best ways to heat your shop" many times here.
> Now that h&h has arrived here in Mississippi, I'm wanting to know how do you
> stay cool? I bought an inexpensive industrial type high velocity fan for my
> 20x24 shop, but it's really only effective if you're standing in front of
> it. Even if you're in line with it on the other side of the shop, the
> tablesaur extension and other tools block much of the airflow.
>
> I am reluctant to put in an a/c because it's one more thing to clean and buy
> filters for. Plus I hate having the doors closed breathing dust. I almost
> wish now that I left the ceiling joists open the attic space was wide
> open....can't win.
>
> On another note, I assume these clusters of pin sized black dots all over
> everything are bug droppings? Do you cover your tools and projects when not
> in use to keep them off? Do you have any good way of keeping the warsps and
> other nasties out?


In college in New Orleans, we did a decent job of cooling the back
deck during parties by doing the following.

Lots of medium sized fans are better than one big one. Get air flow
from different directions.

Make some mesh bags out of mosquito screen. Tape, tie, strap, or glue
these to the front of the fan. Fill with dry ice. Depending upon your
location and how often you are in the shop this may/may not be
practical.

We used those garden hose misters (which had the added advantage of
wetting tee-shirts). I suspect this wouldn't be too good for the cast
iron.

Get those synthetic plastic ice cubes. Put them in your hat. You'd be
AMAZED how cool this keeps you.

About the bugs:

You need a multi-pronged attack plan featuring citronella, bug
zappers, and Off. If you want to spend the money, the propane powered
mosquito magnets work pretty well. Good airflow helps as well.

Covering is a good idea when not in use.

>
> I knew my kids should have gone to Tulane to learn practical skills.
>
> Jerry

Next week's lesson:

Camelbacks, boxed wine with the box removed, and other useful Mardi Gras tips. ;)

"Dukester" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ok, we've been through the "best ways to heat your shop" many times here.
> Now that h&h has arrived here in Mississippi, I'm wanting to know how do
you
> stay cool? I bought an inexpensive industrial type high velocity fan for
my
> 20x24 shop, but it's really only effective if you're standing in front of
> it. Even if you're in line with it on the other side of the shop, the
> tablesaur extension and other tools block much of the airflow.

Same here in Tenn with the H/H..In my 18x30 shop i have a door on both
ends, and keep them open with fans in both. This (as you might know), does
not work in the evening hours here on the TN river, as the "skeeters" will
take
you away. A/C is in my near future.


Do you have any good way of keeping the warsps and
> other nasties out?

As for those wasp, i had a really bad red wasp prob several years back.
I went to CO-OP and purchased a couple wasp 'bombs'. cleared the
wasp for the entire summer....
daviswoodshop

>
>In college in New Orleans, we did a decent job of cooling the back
>deck during parties by doing the following.
>
>Lots of medium sized fans are better than one big one. Get air flow
>from different directions.
>
>Make some mesh bags out of mosquito screen. Tape, tie, strap, or glue
>these to the front of the fan. Fill with dry ice. Depending upon your
>location and how often you are in the shop this may/may not be
>practical.
>
>We used those garden hose misters (which had the added advantage of
>wetting tee-shirts). I suspect this wouldn't be too good for the cast
>iron.
>
>Get those synthetic plastic ice cubes. Put them in your hat. You'd be
>AMAZED how cool this keeps you.
>
>About the bugs:
>
>You need a multi-pronged attack plan featuring citronella, bug
>zappers, and Off. If you want to spend the money, the propane powered
>mosquito magnets work pretty well. Good airflow helps as well.
>
>Covering is a good idea when not in use.

I knew my kids should have gone to Tulane to learn practical skills.

Jerry

On Tue, 11 May 2004 08:35:14 -0500, "Dukester"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Ok, we've been through the "best ways to heat your shop" many times here.
>Now that h&h has arrived here in Mississippi, I'm wanting to know how do you
>stay cool? I bought an inexpensive industrial type high velocity fan for my
>20x24 shop, but it's really only effective if you're standing in front of
>it. Even if you're in line with it on the other side of the shop, the
>tablesaur extension and other tools block much of the airflow.
>
>I am reluctant to put in an a/c because it's one more thing to clean and buy
>filters for. Plus I hate having the doors closed breathing dust. I almost
>wish now that I left the ceiling joists open the attic space was wide
>open....can't win.
>
>On another note, I assume these clusters of pin sized black dots all over
>everything are bug droppings? Do you cover your tools and projects when not
>in use to keep them off? Do you have any good way of keeping the warsps and
>other nasties out?

I acquired a "squirrel-cage" type fan with a 1/2 hp, 1725 rpm motor
and I can set it on the floor at the opposite end of my shop and feel
a steady breeze. This thing is freakin' amazing. Also, I guess
they're fairly commonplace. If you know anyone in the HVAC business,
they should be able to hook you up.

Good luck,
-Phil Crow