"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
Mike Marlow wrote:


"Dave Rathnow" wrote in message
news:OZ3Xc.55635$X12.38428@edtnps84...

With winter immanent, I'm looking at putting some heating in my shop
so I can work and not freeze. I've heard people say that any
kind of open flame heating is dangerous because it could ignite saw
dust--I've heard others say this is rubbish.

Could people share their opinions and advice? Is an open
flame heater dangerous? What type of heating do you use?
Any recommendations to heat my shop: it's about 20x20
with a 12 foot ceiling.

Thanks,
Dave.

Dave - it's pure hogwash. Thousands of woodworkers both professional
and
non have burned firewood in their shops since forever. There has indeed
been a great deal of discussion surrounding this and in fact a great
deal
of
real fact. In the end, you won't be able to create the type of air/fuel
density necessary for combustion with your shop tools. You can do a
google search and find the reports of exactly what particulate count and
what size the particulates have to be in order to support combustion if
you choose, but you'll find that you really can't create that
environment.

Maybe _you_ can't create a pile of sawdust, but if so you are the only
woodworker in the world who is so blessed.

One does not need airborne particulates to have a fire you know.


True - but to keep this on the track that it started out on, I was not
talking about whether sawdust is flammable or not, I was talking about
explosive, which is what I interpreted the OP's question to be. I elected
to let the obvious stand on its own, which was that sawdust will burn. I
gave the OP credit for being smart enough not to throw a pail full of coals
into his sawdust pile, which is just about the only way he's going to be at
risk.
--

-Mike-