looks like no heat for me in the shop

Here's a thought

Ken Cook said:

Here's a thought

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That could be interesting... heated underwear.

nah, Id electrocute myself with a 9 volt battery.

My experiences and a sad coincidence last night: When I installed an unvented propane gas stove in our downstairs tv room I had the trench for the line professionally dug as it had to be one foot deep by code. But, I did the connection to the tank and laid the line and put a connection through the wall. I live semi-rural and nobody complained. My shop can get cold so I purchased a propane portable radiant heater. Works but incredibly expensive to use. Burned 20 gal. of gas in about 4 hours. I tossed it in a corner somewhere and live with the cold. Last night, locally, there was a bad fire that burned down two outbuildings that were a man shop. He used a kerosene heater and had for a long time. Last nigh he lit it, as he had many times, and went into the house while the shop. He heard two explosions and went out to watch his shop buildings burn to the ground. Fire department came but the buildings could not be saved. Nobody know what really happened. I've used K1 heaters, they work but there are occasional stories like this about them.

Just a guess, but sounds like he may have had a leak in the line that let the Kerosene run back and ignite the storage tank... Kerosene burns pretty hot. As a kid growing up we used Kerosene heat or a wood fireplace most of my younger years and even had a kerosene cook stove.

Fortunately we only had one incident where some one was injured... my younger sister spilled oil on her pants leg and it caught fire when she tossed oil on an open fire in the fireplace... she wasn't too badly injured and today her burn scar is quite small.

Frank Fusco said:

My experiences and a sad coincidence last night: When I installed an unvented propane gas stove in our downstairs tv room I had the trench for the line professionally dug as it had to be one foot deep by code. But, I did the connection to the tank and laid the line and put a connection through the wall. I live semi-rural and nobody complained. My shop can get cold so I purchased a propane portable radiant heater. Works but incredibly expensive to use. Burned 20 gal. of gas in about 4 hours. I tossed it in a corner somewhere and live with the cold. Last night, locally, there was a bad fire that burned down two outbuildings that were a man shop. He used a kerosene heater and had for a long time. Last nigh he lit it, as he had many times, and went into the house while the shop. He heard two explosions and went out to watch his shop buildings burn to the ground. Fire department came but the buildings could not be saved. Nobody know what really happened. I've used K1 heaters, they work but there are occasional stories like this about them.

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my friend uses one of those portable propane radiant heaters when he works out in the garage during the cold weather.
He says it costs him 25 dollars a day to run it, and I didn't think those portable propane heaters are supposed to be used indoors?
Hes offered to me if I want to pick it up and use, he doesn't spend much time out there in cold weather.

today, I had to take my sweatshirt off, shut the radiant heater off, the heat from the dust collector and bandsaw running a few hours kept it warm enough, its around 38 degrees outside.

The radiant heaters are widely used indoors. Except for consuming O2 they are considered safe. As is an unvented gas heater of which there may be millions and millions in use. I checked with our local fire department before buying mine. I do have a CO2 detector in the room, it has never sounded.

Have any of you guys or gals ever thought about using one of these high effency type woodstoves?

I'm not in the snow belt, but I'd imagine that sawdust would be a usable fuel, maybe rolled into newspapers.

I have been in a large family room in Denver Colorado in a snowstorm that had one of these and it was comfortable.

Maybe the open flame would be a problem if spraying, but you have that with a kerosen heater also.

I used to have one of those radiant heaters for my shop. All it ever did was use up my propane and did nothing to make it any warmer while working out there.

I purchased a vent less 30,000 BTU propane heater and this works perfectly as it heats the shop quickly and a 20 lb bottle will easily last a couple of months of moderate use or about three weeks of hard use.

so I was going to pop on one of those ventless propane heaters, just to get the chill out of the shop on the really cold days.

as mentioned, the cost of running natural gas lines to the garage, eh, I just couldn't see it.

Im turning 60 in march, I sat down and really figured it out on paper.

by the time Im 65, if I make it, I will be going south or southwest for the winters. Heat in my garage shop wont matter at that point.

Im also slowing down, I wont be making things as fast as I have been, as the demand has been high, but Im almost finished in my home, and my son is pretty well furnished.

It was so comfortable this December, temps in the 40s and 50s, I lucked out.

coffee table is finished, I will bring it into the house tomorrow. got it done before the cold.

I figure I need it 3 months a year, so Im looking at 15 months of needed heat the next 5 years.

Put in all my down time for health reasons, infusions, doctors, vacation time in February(a week), and various days Im not feeling up to woodworking, it boils it down even more.
ON paper, it doesn't really pay to invest much money into heat.
I was so gung ho, but looking at the big picture, it seems it may not be all that important.

This week we are about to have a cold snap, so I will make alternate plans for later this week. No shop time. So what.

When temps hit mid to upper 30s, the two heaters I have out there are working for me......so Im still up in the air about the ventless propane heater.

Might have missed a couple of factors, Allen. Enjoyment received per invested dollar is one. Because you want is another. I know it is hard to fix a numerical factor to either of those. But here is another. We ain't getting any younger, and deferring pleasure at our age to a point in the future is senseless. That future point is not guaranteed to us.

Go for it. Its only money.

Allen, I hear ya on the economics etc justification, but..here is how i look at it and perhaps it gives you a different angle.

I have lost more good friends that have been younger than me and died younger than me than i care to think about. And on the other hand the conversation this festive season around the various party tables was all getting related to what everyone is going to do when they retire. They were all blown away by my sleighs those that got them, and wondered how i did it.

Given i have had to start a new life here most of my friends here result from hockey parents and few have any hobbys at all. The "dream" in those i have contact with outside of business, is all about retirement. The thing is i wonder now how many of them are going to make it to retirement despite what the macro economists are saying about the baby boomers.

I cannot justify any of my tools i have purchased from an economic point of view. I justify them from a mental sanity point of view. If i have to be confined to watching a television display for any more days than i care to do out of free will then despite not owning one, smith and weston will become friends with me in most negative way.

So say it costs you $2000 or whatever, in my view of these things if it gives you pleasure in a positive sense its a free mental health plan. I see mental health as the biggest issue outside of physical health as we age.

You get a great kick out of turning a pen or making some furniture which you have now confirmed is (despite what you consider to be your skills) way better than many high end stores are selling for stupid prices. You have kitted out your kids and yourself and now moving on to your daughter.

Especially given the downtime you experience due to health, i would be looking if i were in your shoes to make the most of every single opportunity to be doing what i want rather than having to make do because of lack of something like heat.

Bottom line is life is too short. It wont break the bank for you but it will have you feel a lot happier when you can get out to do what you want when you are able. That to me makes the heat priceless as the mastercard advert says. Its not like you spending your savings on Johnny Walker or Famous Grouse or whatever and pouring it down the sewer, neither are you burning it up in smoke unless you do it on the table saw with the blade skew, all that you have said over the years have spoken to how well you have planned for this part of your life. Give it a second thought and go for it. You will be a lot happier and this will rub off on your family too.

Just some alternative ways of looking at it. Best of luck with what you decide.

Im not unhappy.

I can afford it.

Im just second guessing my need for it at this point.

Im not going into business for a profit. I will never set a deadline for myself. I turn down requests for payment do to the fact I wont be forced to work on projects with promises to anyone.

Im going to see how this winter pans out. I can run over to a distributor here on the island and pick up a heater in one day. Screw in a tank and Im good to go.

Man buys a parka in January and it cost a lot more than if he buys it in July.

Maybe tough it out one more winter and wait for a good deal when prices are down.

this morning dadoed some cabs for my wifes sewing room.
Ive only missed one day I wanted to work outside due to cold weather, and its January 10th, so half the winter for me is over.
I figured I have 5 more max total years I will be here in winters, probably less than 3, as Im thinking of heading south or west sooner than when Im 65.
It was tough out there this morning, my oil radiator heater and other little heater made it tolerable, but machine tops were so cold, I decided a bit over an hour and I was where I wanted to be in this project, so I called it quits.
I cant glue up in this cold, Ill need to wait until tomorrow when temps are 20 degrees warmer.
Im off to florida end of next week, so it will boil down to mainly February minus a week for treatment, for shop time.

Last winter was the worst one we had in ages, so Im hoping a bit more moderate winters and Ill make it through. (Like I said, I can go out and get a propane heater any day if the cold weather starts to drag me down)

rob, I just keep dumping money into the shop, its a continuous flow of cash especially since I build for friends and family and rarely get compensated.
I always try to weigh convenience/comfort vs. price/do I really need it?.
I spent 1500 bucks on a drum sander, and besides tops, I rarely use it. Would have been a lot cheaper for me to hand someone 50 or so bucks to run a top through their wide belt drum sander once or twice a year.
Im really stuck in the middle on this one.