Working in a southwest Florida garage in winter months

[Gene Davis]

What's it like working in an unconditioned garage in southwest Florida's subtropical climate?  We are moving there and I will only have a part of the garage in which to work.  I am giving up a large well lit fully-conditioned basement space and unloading a huge cache of stationary power tools to make this move.

Did a search to find average daily high and low temps and things go, November to April, with highs from 77 to 85 and night time lows from 57 to 64.  When there last week doing property searches, I went into every garage I could find, and conditions felt nice.  We had highs of middle 80s and lows in low 60s.

Festool-wise, I've only a Domino 500, the ROS125 sander, and a big vac.  I am giving up a tablesaw, jointer, planer, drill press, benchtop mortiser, dust collection for all of it, and a couple nice miter saw setups.

Was thinking that a multifunction table, tracksaw with accessories, and a collection of accessories for the table might suit me for most projects.  I'll take with me a great collection of hand tools that includes planes, chisels, saws, mallets, etc.  The whole neanderthal thing.

 

[rljatl]

Everybody is different, but I know that I would be dripping sweat all over everything and my tools would be rusty from my sweaty hands.

Took offshore sailing lessons in late October (Captiva Island) and was soaking wet just getting the luggage out of the trunk and up to the room.  YMMV.

A mini split plus dehumidifier would help.

Save some money by buying the Makita track saw (consider the cordless version) and with the money saved get the SawStop (now owned by Festool) jobsite saw or if you're feeling lucky, the Dewalt that everyone likes.  You probably won't need more than a jobsite saw and it folds up compactly against a garage wall.  Also, I have been impressed with the stability of the Paulk Workbench sold through Fastcap.  If you want a used MFT/3 set drop by my place in Atlanta and maybe we can make a deal.

 

[Gene Davis]

Thanks for the feedback. 

Maybe I should work early when I want to do something.  Like those first-off-the-tee golfers.  Or the tennis players that all get it done before about 10:30.

It's just a pastime, not a career, and I am done building the bigger projects.

 

[tms0425]

Thanks for the feedback. 

Maybe I should work early when I want to do something.  Like those first-off-the-tee golfers.  Or the tennis players that all get it done before about 10:30.

It's just a pastime, not a career, and I am done building the bigger projects.

We just moved here as well (Sanibel) and now have an elevated home (12') near the beach. Stationary tools seemed like an invitation to rust quickly. Our lower level is somewhat finished and currently has a window type AC unit. I do plan to install a mini-split, which should be sufficient to keep it comfortable.

I gave up a Minimax CU300 combo machine with 8 1/2' slider, Minimax bandsaw, and dust collector in a 30x30x10' dedicated shop back in Indiana. Now I'm mostly Festool and it's still plenty to keep me entertained.

Good luck in your search.

 

[Klemm]

anyone interested in establish some informal local area personal connections with other woodworkers in SW Florida? - send me a PM or (preferably) email me.

Hans
info@tsoproducts.com

 

[kevin clifford]

Summers are pretty rough, but this time of year it is about perfect in my shop. No air conditioner and no insulation yet. So most of this week it has been between 70 and 80 in the shop. Compared to summertime when it is 95 degrees all day and into the evening, it is glorious this time of year! I am in St. Petersburg. Congrats on your move, bring your shop fans!