Woodworking in garage in northern Michigan?

[Peter Kuhlman]

Similar to Florida question I guess.
Moving from Louisiana to Michigan soon. Only option for larger tools is in garage while most other usage can be in finished basement. Room just not big enough down there for cabinet saw and other floor stand tools. Doesn’t seem that adding a shed will be an option either. No good options as pulling cars in during winter brings lots of snow and ice to melt so guess will have to leave them outside to make this work or get rid of larger tools.

The tools involved are my cabinet saw, drill press, jointer, wall mount cyclone system. I have a portable Dewalt table saw that could substitute and fit downstairs. Don’t use the jointer much at all. Could go to a bench drill press. Really hate to lose my cabinet saw as will never be able to replace it. Oh and then there are all the accessories. Guess the portable Delta planer would have to be out there so could use cyclone.

Ok, garage is unheated, insulated walls, door and ceiling. The floor is damp or somewhat wet when it is cold outside. Do not want to heat it continuously but will using electric heater while working in there. Looking in to a dehumidifier but most are not designed to work below about 60 degrees. There is a floor drain. Found some commercial type units that are rated down to 33 degrees but the amount of water caught declines with the temp and not sure how well they really work. Seems like the only option though.

Would a mini-split unit with heat be useful? Heating a garage makes automobiles rust faster though. Just can’t win.

Not sure if covering the tools with tarp or canvas or such would help. Yea would need to use lots of wax or Boeshield type products.

If I get rid of the floor tools I still need my planer and it requires the 2hp cyclone to work properly. Any good option around this that doesn’t require a cyclone? It would have to stay in garage no matter what due to the volume of chips collected! The big Dewalt planer supposedly has a blower to help but never used one.

Anyone have recommendations for this? Thanks! Pete

[Andrew Howe]

I would say with modern cars, and rust proofing, the corrosion risk is minimal. You would damage the paint from oxidation from sun more than anything else. I would look to a scientific study before I would believe what has been written is as bad as they say it is. Maybe just some light surface corrosion at specific welds.
We lived in Ohio for many years and kept our cars in the garage. Used a kerosene heater in winter when we worked on our cars, etc.

As far as a minisplit system, they are excellent and pretty efficient. I would spend the money on that or downsize some of your tools.

[glenn bradley]

If an outbuilding is a no, how about a car port (or whatever you call them east of California). This would allow protection from direct abuse from above and could be pitched to meet snow-bearing requirements, if any. LOML and I have an agreement; she's a dog person, I never had one as a child but, do now. She had always parked her cars in the garage but, doesn't now. I was always confused by people who put cars, motorcycles and such in a perfectly decent garage

[Dan Schocke]

I guess it somewhat depends on where you're moving to in northern Michigan, but I don't think you will want to park your cars outside in the winter. Lake-effect snow can be brutal, and digging out the car every day (sometimes multiple times per day) is a serious chore. Far easier to clean the garage floor when the car tracks something in.

How big is the space in the basement? I make do with a space that's roughly 15' x 20' in the basement, and I have all the tools you mentioned + band saw and a CNC router. I used to keep everything in the garage in a previous house and even had my current house built with a gigantic garage intending to do the same, but that mostly translated into me not doing much woodworking in the middle of winter. It took way too long to set up my tools, wait for the heater to make it tolerable, etc. I'm much happier in the basement where I can start work right away and make use of smaller chunks of time that I would have skipped in the garage. Two big trade-offs, though: 1.) It's a pain to move a large tool into or out of the basement 2.) I need to focus more on dust collection.

You shouldn't need a dehumidifier in the Midwest in the winter. In general the air will be very dry. Covering tools to keep condensation off of them should be plenty of protection.

--Dan

[Peter Kuhlman]

Traverse City area - northern lower peninsula. Yea lots of snow potential but climate change is helping. When I lived up there 20 years ago I had to shovel my roof off twice a winter but that is no longer needed.

Need to measure the odd room shape and lay out some ideas. Basement is totally finished and the room I want to use has something like Pergo flooring. Could cover it with thin commercial flat carpet or just let the floor get beat up. Last house for us so resale not a big concern.

Glen - LOVE your garage comment! I agree what are dirty vehicles doing in a nice garage?
I am going to ask about what options I have erecting some type of storage shed or awning cover area. It is a 12 year old subdivision with lots of restrictions.

Yes it is very low humidity air during the winter but I was surprised how quickly water condensed on the concrete floor whenever the garage door was opened. Ground temperatures stay low there. I was noticing the moisture condensing when it was about 37-42 degrees out last week.
Sadly the basement is not a walk-out so initial work on plywood or long boards has to be handled in driveway or garage. I have a track saw so much of that is easy to handle. Thinking I can get by with a chop saw and a track saw to break stuff down and handle everything else in basement. Still the planer is the biggest issue it seems. I have a couple vacuums but they just can’t handle a planer. Guess I can start purchasing S4S or S2S lumber if they sell it but I still find a planer is needed when trimming plywood with solid wood to match thickness.

More thought is needed on my part it seems. Thanks for the ideas.

[Frank Pratt]

Peter, I don't know if this would work for you, but my shop is a 2 car garage (23' x 24') & I park 2 cars in it every night throughout the winter. For machinery, I have a 6" jointer, 13" planer on a cart, 17" drill press, 14" band saw, 72" x 32" work bench, 24" x 48" sharpening station/ work surface, 36" SawStop with folding outfeed table, plus shelving & lumber storage.

Everything's on mobile bases, but the shop is quite usable with everything parked to make room for the cars. I do have a separate room in the basement, next to the garage for the dust collection air compressor & a little storage.

I had considered having the shop split between the garage & basement, but the thought of having shlep back & forth with materials & tools just didn't appeal.

In the winter, the shop is kept a few degrees above freezing & when I work the furnace quickly heats up to a comfortable temperature. Humidity has never been a problem for the cars or the tools. Calgary also has very low humidity in the winter.

[Jon Grider]

I don't live in the "snow belt" TC- Gaylord area anymore, but I live 40 miles from Lake Michigan and get plenty of lake effect snow. My old shop was in an unattached garage that I insulated heavily, and kept warm enough to work in and rust away with a couple of those oil filled radiator style electric heaters set on the lowest setting. I also had a radiant overhead heater that I used primarily when I was in the shop. Currently most of my shop is in my basement but I keep a DeWalt RAS and an old Unisaw in the attached garage to break down large boards and sheet goods before hauling them down the steps. Not ideal but it does work. I'm guessing once you increase the temp in your shop and warm the slab a bit, your condensation issue will lessen.
The blower on the Dewalt 735 planer is effective at chip removal, there are videos out there with them attached to a trash can with filter that seem to work, mine is connected through a short flex to a dedicated DC currently.
Welcome back to Michigan, hope your transition from Louisiana to the north is a pleasant one. And remember: green is a just a result of mixing blue and yellow!

[Bill George]

Only issue is when you pull those cars in with the snow or ice chucks underneath they melt, run on the floor and cause a Lot of moisture in the air. You could do as my son did when he built his garage is put in a grate covered trench drain under where the cars park and direct that water into a outside drain covered pit (I think). Anyway he has thousands of dollars in power tools and heats the garage when needed. We live in central Iowa.

[Peter Kuhlman]

Some great ideas here. Thanks guys!
Wish the floor was insulated as that would probably help. Has a floor drain but unknown where it goes.
Jon - I went to both universities so no loyalty!

[Frank Pratt]

Wish the floor was insulated as that would probably help.

Don't let that bother you too much. I'm in the great white north & my slab isn't insulated. I've never had a problem with cold feet as long as the shop is a comfortable temperature. I have the heating ducts at floor level, which makes the difference.

[Bill Berklich]

I'm in Michigan, in the garage. I don't let my wife park in the garage. AT ALL. bringing in the road salt and humidity will kill your tools. It has caused some marital strife (usually after a big snow fall). I do clean her car off every morning and after 20 ears I think it's going to pay off. Next house she said will have a dedicated shop.

[Ken Kortge]

Has a floor drain but unknown where it goes.

I'll bet the drains are connected to the sump pump - same as the drainage lines that go around most modern house foundations.

I'm facing the very same dilemma as you. Retiring to northern Wisconsin (north of Green Bay - love that area!) and want to set up a woodworking shop - nothing huge, but winter will be the tough part. My wife is actually talking about adding another "bay" next to the garage, but fully insulated - with a full insulated garage door to easily move stuff in & out. Clearly I married well!! Now to see if it ever really happens.