Shop Temp control

A

almarktool

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Since I got such a great turn out with the shop pics post I thought I would try another one, this is a major concern for me and I am trying
to figure out what a good temp range would be,
I have a portable a/c with heat pump and dehumidifier, in my garage in the auto mode, it will heat when temp is below 68 run the a/c when temp is above 73 and dehumidify when temp is between 68-73 this gives the room a plus or minus 2.5 deg swing and approx 38% humidety, there is another unit that will do heat when below 68 and a/c when above 80 and dehumidfy betwen 68-80, any thoughts ? is the 68-80 ok ? don't want to have a unit running 24/7 if i don't need it as these units put out 1200 watts give or take and I am sure that will crank up the electric bill
I am in New Jersey what does everyone else keep there shop temp at ?
 
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I have my shop in my basement and in the summer it stays at 72 without any A/C...I just use a dehumidifier to keep the moisture at bay...around 55% ~ 60%...
 
I personally have found the nature of the wood to be much more of a determining factor than climatic changes. Some wood will never be straight, some you can't make warp if you try. Very little falls into the grey area. Nothing negates time. I have tried climate controlling my shop, and have let nature control the climate in my shop. The one thing I learned was "seasoning" wood cannot be done if the wood is never subjected to the seasons. And nothing is more important than taking the time to let things happen BEFORE the woods reach final size. Take that for what it's worth, which is nothing except for to my cues.

My suggestion is to try everything before settling on anything. Don't climatically control your shop just because other cuemakers do it. Find what works for you. It may be the case that climate controlling is best for your shop, but don't count on it until you have experienced & weighed every option.
 
Your efforts to cater to the wood may actually be hurting you unless you plan on having your cues reside in this perfectly controlled climate that you've created for them for ever. Eric is absolutely correct in that to season wood, it has to go through the seasons. It needs to experience hot, cold, damp & dry before it's going to settle on where it's going to be.

Consider also, that once a cue gets out into the world, you have no control of the climate in which it will reside. If you let your woods go through their changes naturally, without artificial climate, they stand a better chance in the real world environment. After a period of several years worth of changing seasons, your woods will tell you which are of cue quality and which ones aren't. It's better to find out before the cue leaves the shop than down the road with a previous buyer telling you.
 
All 4 Seasons?

What if one lives in an area such as South Florida that doesn't really experience all 4 seasons. Any suggestions for "seasoning" the wood other than throwing it in the icebox from from time to time? :o
I know of cuemakers who just leave the wood out in an un-air conditioned shop for years before turning and finishing the cues.
Thoughts/suggestions?
I ask because I think this is in relation to humidity control.
Thanks!
 
I have not worked in south Florida, so I can't say from experience how you might season the wood. But given the constant high humidity, i'd imagine you would be wise to give extra time. Maple generally equalizes at around 6% internal moisture, and luckily nowadays most kilns dry it to that point. But once it leaves the north & goes south to high humidity, it's going to be forced to reacclimate, and this takes time. Letting it sit for a while would do some good. It doesn't need the extreme cold or heat to season, just needs to be subjected to change. In Florida you get 60 to 90 degree temperatures with variable humidity levels & with the constant storms you get fluctuating atmosheric pressure. There should be no issue with wood stabilizing, though it may take a little longer than places with four seasons.
 
Funny that, I've purchased several cues from Dale Perry. I live in the middle of Canada, very dry heat and nasty ass winters. It only takes a couple of weeks for the shafts to get used to our climate and never had a problem.
 
climate control

KJ Cues said:
Your efforts to cater to the wood may actually be hurting you unless you plan on having your cues reside in this perfectly controlled climate that you've created for them for ever. Eric is absolutely correct in that to season wood, it has to go through the seasons. It needs to experience hot, cold, damp & dry before it's going to settle on where it's going to be.

Consider also, that once a cue gets out into the world, you have no control of the climate in which it will reside. If you let your woods go through their changes naturally, without artificial climate, they stand a better chance in the real world environment. After a period of several years worth of changing seasons, your woods will tell you which are of cue quality and which ones aren't. It's better to find out before the cue leaves the shop than down the road with a previous buyer telling you.
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I am not sure how everyone does with that. All I can say is after 14 years of building cues in a climate control, I haven't had complaints as of yet. However their is always a first! I believe if you check with a lot of other builder they also have climate control. At least from what I have been told by them. My theory on that is, what ever works for you is best.
 
I appreciate your input, I really do, but I don't know that I'd need to take a poll of what other CMs do to determine what works best for my woods. I've still got some that I've had hanging for 20 yrs. I've still got a pc or 2 of BEM that I got from Dennis D. back around 1990(?). Small world huh? It ages nicely in my shop and I know that the wood loves it in there. We talk.

My cues are in the hands of players in many different countries throughout the world. Just recently, 3 went to Dubai.

I wish that your success continues.
 
KJ Cues said:
I appreciate your input, I really do, but I don't know that I'd need to take a poll of what other CMs do to determine what works best for my woods. I've still got some that I've had hanging for 20 yrs. I've still got a pc or 2 of BEM that I got from Dennis D. back around 1990(?). Small world huh? It ages nicely in my shop and I know that the wood loves it in there. We talk.

My cues are in the hands of players in many different countries throughout the world. Just recently, 3 went to Dubai.

I wish that your success continues.
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i think resolute is the anwser i dip all woods when i recieve them and first taper them shafts i dip after each pass my shaft warpage is almost done
i think thats more important then temp control.
 
Why does everyone keep rehashing the same argument? The original question was what temp/humidity do you keep you CLIMATE CONTROLLED shop at? It WAS NOT do you agree with climate control. SO, in short, if you do not have a climate controlled shop, do not participate. If you want to debate climate control vs non-CC, start your own thread.

<~~~tired of the intraforum bickering
 
ratcues said:
Why does everyone keep rehashing the same argument? The original question was what temp/humidity do you keep you CLIMATE CONTROLLED shop at? It WAS NOT do you agree with climate control. SO, in short, if you do not have a climate controlled shop, do not participate. If you want to debate climate control vs non-CC, start your own thread.

<~~~tired of the intraforum bickering
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why all the hostility ??????? no climate control not needed like a boy in a bubble when he is let out he will die
 
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brianna187 said:
why all the hostility ??????? no climate control not needed like a boy in a bubble when he is let out he will die
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I'm not hostile, just a little tired of the bickering and BS. Maybe I should be in a bubble, not to protect me but to protect people from me. :grin-square:
 
My humidity changes some but my shop stays at 71-72 year round. I have no open windows so the HVAC is always either heating or cooling.

Someone mentioned the dust collection system should be outside or at least discharge outside. This would be the best as far as the dust collection in the shop but can be very expensive if your using heat or air as all that tempered air is trying to change the environment on the outside of your shop. I have my dust collector in a smaller room at the back of my shop so as to contain some of the noise. I also believe that the best way for dust collection would be through the use of more than one system. The finer bags filter out more of the finer dust but then it is much less efficient at picking up dust. The cyclone type collectors, I believe, do the best job as most of the heavy is deposited before the air comes in contact with the filters. I feel that these filters should be more porous so that the machine will sustain a better vacuum and then there should be other, small, fine dust collectors around the room just to collect the fine dust that is floating, not the chips.

Dick
 
I keep my shop @ 50-55% Humidity, 70-74 degrees year round.
Heat in the winter, ac in the summer. Use a dehumidifier and humidifier collectively.

I do from time to time hang my cues out of the shop after assmebly- between turnings- throughout the year- exposing them to that time of the years climate (depends on my mood I guess).

All of these "breaks" I have been taking from cuemaking has alotted me to collect quite an assortment of squares and dowells.

Must have over 200+ AAAA Hard Curl and Birdseye tapered fronts 10yrs+ old just waiting...

...thought to self- with what I have been reading... I must be losing money on them as they may be no good????:eek: :( :mad: :confused:

Any one interseted in a deal on these???:eek: :) :D :thumbup:....

-Rhetorical question...
 
Poulos Cues said:
All of these "breaks" I have been taking from cuemaking has alotted me to collect quite an assortment of squares and dowells.

Must have over 200+ AAAA Hard Curl and Birdseye tapered fronts 10yrs+ old just waiting...

...thought to self- with what I have been reading... I must be losing money on them as they may be no good????:eek: :( :mad: :confused:

Any one interseted in a deal on these???:eek: :) :D :thumbup:....

-Rhetorical question...
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Sounds like that wood isn't worth you walking in and throwing it out. You seem like a nice enough guy, so I'll be happy to drive out and help a fella out, and clean them up and get them out of your way. :grin:
 
shakes said:
Sounds like that wood isn't worth you walking in and throwing it out. You seem like a nice enough guy, so I'll be happy to drive out and help a fella out, and clean them up and get them out of your way. :grin:
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What...NO GREENIE???!!!!:grin-square:

How's a "dolla-a-dowell" sound? Prolly can't give-em away now! (just bumped my head on them AGAIN, clanking like dominoes...look at 'em go-LOL!)

Did I mention they are vaccum kilned and honey in color?:wink:

Again, rhetorical question....
 
As I read the "poking fun" posts I think of Kersenbrock. A legend today but was made fun of horribly by other builders not so long ago. The same guy who wouldn't cut a shaft in the same room as other hanging shafts because they could hear it scream, was also the guy who brought us the tablesaw shaft machine & the infamous SW design, amoung several other innovations. Then I think of all the "average" builders who never thought for themselves but instead did everything the way they thought other builders do it, often not even understanding why. They basically were just trying to steal a piece of the pie rather than bake their own. And they never accomplished anything worthy of note. No point to make, just an observation I made while waiting for my 2 year old to lie down & take a nap.
 
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