Building In Shop With Extreme Temperature Swings?
02-20-2021, 05:19 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Building In Shop With Extreme Temperature Swings?
Hi All.
I'm scratch building a 1/4 scale Rearwin in my garage. It is not a finished space, and there is no central heat. I use a propane heater to get the winter temps up to 60+ degrees, but at night it falls back down to less than freezing.
Will I encounter any problems with the construction re: adhesives, warping of wood, dimensional changes in wood parts, etc. because of the temperature fluctuations?
The propane heating induces higher humidity (I can feel the moisture on my tools) so I'm not as concerned about the wood shrinking as I am if it were losing moisture content. I know that luthiers have to be very concerned about humidity levels in their shops to prevent wood from cracking and glue joints opening up. does that hold true for model building as well?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Bill
I'm scratch building a 1/4 scale Rearwin in my garage. It is not a finished space, and there is no central heat. I use a propane heater to get the winter temps up to 60+ degrees, but at night it falls back down to less than freezing.
Will I encounter any problems with the construction re: adhesives, warping of wood, dimensional changes in wood parts, etc. because of the temperature fluctuations?
The propane heating induces higher humidity (I can feel the moisture on my tools) so I'm not as concerned about the wood shrinking as I am if it were losing moisture content. I know that luthiers have to be very concerned about humidity levels in their shops to prevent wood from cracking and glue joints opening up. does that hold true for model building as well?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Bill
02-20-2021, 01:58 PM
#2
Well, I build cabinets and other wood work in the winter all the time, I never notice any issues you describe,, don't really have issues with humidity, I only heat it up to around 55, so, currently with out side temps in the 20's it gets down to under 40, but not quite freezing by morning it,, but it's insulated pretty well for a garage, I use a multi fuel 60k btu torpedo heater with a remote thermostat,, I don't let it run at night or when I'm not home,, warms up my 600 sq. ft. garage/shop in about an hour, burns on average 2-2.5 gallons a day
Obvious things I do,, I bring in all water based glues and paints over night, just in case,, When I work on planes,, like painting ect,,, I bring them back in the basement shop for the night
Hope that helps
Obvious things I do,, I bring in all water based glues and paints over night, just in case,, When I work on planes,, like painting ect,,, I bring them back in the basement shop for the night
Hope that helps
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GorillaToast (02-20-2021)
02-20-2021, 03:26 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Thanks, scale only 4 me. Yes, that does make me feel better. On a side note, since you're a scale builder, do you test fly your airframes once they are flight ready before you begin adding the meticulous scale details like rivets, cockpit details, etc.?
02-28-2021, 03:29 AM
#5
Most wood is very temperature stable. It is the moist level that makes it expand and contract. Plastic materials move much more with the temperature. When covering things, I always try to get the temperature up to 25deg C, or more. Then there is less chance for wrinkles in the summertime.
I have also made some mould plugs from mdf, and they change size a lot between seasons.
Lars
I have also made some mould plugs from mdf, and they change size a lot between seasons.
Lars
