On Sun, 25 Jan 2004 06:14:24 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski"
wrote:

Gerald Ross wrote:
2. Try to
prevent those large chunks of iron from getting so cold. Some have
tried a light bulb near the saw. I would prefer a small electric
heater blowing on it. An old electric blanket would probably work,
but might not be safe unattended.

Good advice but not very practical for most of us. The cost of heating a
detached garage for the 6 days and 18 hours that I don't use it in a week
would buy me some nice wood to work on in milder weather. When the
temperature gets to -12 like it did a couple of weeks ago, that light bulb
is not going to help much. .

Even a 4 watt bulb will heat the iron to a slightly higher temperature
than the garage itself. It doesn't matter if the temperature is 80 or
minus 10. All you want is a slightly higher temperature on the
rust-prone area to chase away the moisture.

Electric heat means adding new service to the garage, maybe to the house for
the extra load. Steam heat means keeping the temperature above freezing all
the time and is expensive to install.

I fI had a garage shop, I'd spend the money on lots of insulation and
caulking. I know its tough to seal a garage door, but it can be done.