how bad is it to leave tools in the cold for winter?

[duburban]

reality is i don't have a heated shop like many of you lucky folks on here. how much damage will tools suffer if left in an unheated storage space for winter? cordless stuff always goes inside. expensive hand tools inside. festools usually get taken in. i know the right answer is everything inside, but any advice on the grey area would be great.

 

[AlexThePalex]

The cold doesn't do anything to your tools. Only moisture is harmfull. You could wrap your tools in plastic bags and seal them and everything should be alright.

 

[duburban]

i was thinking about doing just that.

 

[Sparktrician]

If humidity is a possible issue, you can get certain products that emit vapors to prevent corrosion.  It usually comes in sheets that can be placed inside toolboxes or cabinets.  One place to check is the gunsmithing tool sites like Brownells. 

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I wrap mine up in little blankets.

I don't understand this question at all.  Why would the temperature make any difference? 

I don't heat my shop all winter long, I work outside in the winter, my tools have to too.

If my tools are not in my shop they are left in my truck or enclosed trailer.

I refuse to have to take special care of tools because of the temperature.

 

[Alan m]

unless you are in extreames of heat or cold i woulnt worry. not a lot can happen. humidity and condensation are some thing to worry about thow

 

[duburban]

I wrap mine up in little blankets.

I don't understand this question at all.  Why would the temperature make any difference? 

I don't heat my shop all winter long, I work outside in the winter, my tools have to too.

If my tools are not in my shop they are left in my truck or enclosed trailer.

I refuse to have to take special care of tools because of the temperature.

I'm asking because of the condensation i find on my tools when temperature is shifting. If there was a farmers method for calculating how much damage a tool gets from being left out in the cold i'd use it. Some friends of mine have a shop that isn't heated because they both work elsewhere now. First thing i do when i go in there is polish the tables on the jointer/planer/tablesaw. imagine all the places you can't even see let alone polish in our poor little festools. I'm back in school now and will only be working part time. If storing tools in the basement means making them last 2x as long i'd do it but they'd be harder to access. The shed I'm using is a gravel floor so moisture is thy enemy.

I was thinking about building a large sealable cabinet just for the festools with gaskets and doors. Back on the big island in volcano hawaii it was so damp that people built special climate controlled rooms to store books and valuables that might otherwise mold! I'm going to ponder the sealed cabinet, if i can come up with a bomb proof seal I may even do it.

 

[peter halle]

Others can't see it, but if what I see you are in New Hampshire.  If things had worked out differently many years ago I would have been working for Brookstone. 

I understand your issue although I live in a much more moderate climate.  Let me explain:

In the early days of contracting I saved every ounce of paint not used as a service to my customers.  I ran out of room in a climate controlled area.

I went out and bought a sheet of 2" thick pink styrofoam and built a large pink cooler.  Just used duct tape to seam the corners.  I put my paint in there along with a five gallon water jug.  I bought a 100 watt aquarium heater that had a separate thermostat sensor on a cord.  The heater went into the jug, the jug top got sealed and the probe was placed at the top of the "cooler"  Set the temperature to 80 degrees, put the top on and put something heavy on top to keep it sealed.

It worked great.  Things never got too hot.  Didn't waste electricity because it cycled on an off.  The mass of the water and the contents minimized temp swings and no freezing.

In your situation if you did similar there would not be the chance for condensation until you removed that tool and used it in the cold.

Just a thought.

Peter

 

[adubeau]

I live in Chicago land area..I just don't  leave batteries out or my glue in the garage...

other wish everything else is fine...

 

[Scott B.]

dub

I have about 3000 sf of heated shop space. I could rent you a shelf  [big grin]

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I have more machined cast iron surfaces then most. 

I have to worry about condensation and moisture once a year.  That time is in the spring when the frost finally comes out of the ground.

 

[duburban]

dub

I have about 3000 sf of heated shop space. I could rent you a shelf  [big grin]

thats not a bad commute...

rent me two i'll sleep on the top shelf.

saw one of your trucks at starbucks in williston a week or so ago. almost stopped in

 

[duburban]

I have more machined cast iron surfaces then most. 

I have to worry about condensation and moisture once a year.  That time is in the spring when the frost finally comes out of the ground.

i'm getting the impression you would feel comfortable storing all your festool gear outside for the winter. i'll sleep easy but still bring the batteries in.

 

[fritter63]

I had the wife make me some covers out of moving blankets. I throw them on top the metal tops of the big iron (Tablesaw, bandsaw, etc). That keeps them war and condensation off. Also, use a good tablesaw wax to coat those exposed areas.

 

[Corwin]

How about getting a dehumidifier for your shop space? 

In any event, do warm up your cold tools before use.

 

[rmwarren]

Others can't see it, but if what I see you are in New Hampshire.   If things had worked out differently many years ago I would have been working for Brookstone. 

I understand your issue although I live in a much more moderate climate.  Let me explain:

In the early days of contracting I saved every ounce of paint not used as a service to my customers.  I ran out of room in a climate controlled area.

I went out and bought a sheet of 2" thick pink styrofoam and built a large pink cooler.  Just used duct tape to seam the corners.  I put my paint in there along with a five gallon water jug.  I bought a 100 watt aquarium heater that had a separate thermostat sensor on a cord.  The heater went into the jug, the jug top got sealed and the probe was placed at the top of the "cooler"  Set the temperature to 80 degrees, put the top on and put something heavy on top to keep it sealed.

It worked great.  Things never got too hot.  Didn't waste electricity because it cycled on an off.  The mass of the water and the contents minimized temp swings and no freezing.

In your situation if you did similar there would not be the chance for condensation until you removed that tool and used it in the cold.

Just a thought.

Peter

With winter approaching I remembered your idea and grabbed a 150W aquarium heater off Amazon. I did not search out the thread beforehand & did not recall that you used 100W and a 5 gallon jug, I hope this works for me.

Not having a lot of floor space I am going to try this in a wall hung cabinet. Starting with a 24" wide, 12" deep cabinet I plan to insulate with 1" foam, then use a 1 gallon jug with the heater turned all the way down.

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I think I will test it outside for a couple days before committing it into the shop, just to be safe.

Great idea Peter!

RMW

 

[Sparktrician]

You could also use Goldenrod dehumidifiers as needed.  These are great inside gun safes and other cabinets. 

 

[Jaybolishes]

I have  moisture issues as well, from humidity and cold.  It is a real pain, especially when you go to use something and you spend more time cleaning rust off.   I spray silicone tabletop spray on everything metal, chisels, planers, joiners, blades.    It wipes right off with no residue.  

 

[rmwarren]

You could also use Goldenrod dehumidifiers as needed.  These are great inside gun safes and other cabinets. 

Thanks - I might try that in a large drawer where I store handplanes.

The water bottle heater is going to be used to keep my glues and finishes from freezing.

RMW

 

[peter halle]

Richard,

First, I apologize that I am going to post and run, have to get to work.

Please do try it outside.  I am not intending to be an alarmist, but I have concerns about what you are trying.  In my setup I had a 100 watt heater in 5 gallons (20 watts / gal) with plenty of water space around the heater.  You will have 150 watts per gallon and less water area.  Usually a heater will fail and turn off.  But if it fails and stays on, there is more of a risk of overheating and with closer proximity of plastic to heat source, more risk of melting and worse.  The plastic of the jug shown is also very thin.  If you decide to go further than this experiment you might water to consider a new unused gas can for the thicker plastic.  I would recommend that you use duct tape at the joint between the heater and the jug and leave some expansion space for the water.  You don't need any evaporation.

I'll be back late this afternoon.