Windows in shop- yes or no?

Trackerbuddy · September 17, 2020, 08:59:05 AM

Yes
I have my shop in the garage. We replaced the garage door and i had a door installed with windows. Much better

kantuckid · September 19, 2020, 09:04:20 AM

Honestly, candidly spoken, this thread is about a question I'd never even ask. Not for a home shop! Maybe if a commercial building for production purposes. Or for a purpose other than custom woodworking.
Much related to shop windows: Having great electric lighting matters too. I made a serious mistake towards saving money on my original shop lights which were public school salvaged lights bought cheapo with the tubes in place. I failed to consider the dust that accumulates on the top of the tubes and the difficulty in cleaning them! I did paint my ceiling white for light reflection.
As they wore out over many years I finally pulled them all and replaced with T8's having solid reflectors which still catch static dust but stay much brighter overall. I rejected the idea of going LED after talking to my electrical supplier who'd done that same thing of T8's vs. LED when they re-lighted their own large building. I saved two boxes of my old, big tubes for use in a bunch of shop lights having solid reflectors.

alan gage · September 19, 2020, 09:33:07 AM

Quote from: kantuckid on September 19, 2020, 09:04:20 AMrejected the idea of going LED after talking to my electrical supplier who'd done that same thing of T8's vs. LED when they re-lighted their own large building. I saved two boxes of my old, big tubes for use in a bunch of shop lights having solid reflectors.

I'm surprised to hear this. We've retrofitted all our t8 bulbs to led in our repair shop and are very happy. Local hardware store just did the same. When I built my shop last year I salvaged old t8 fixtures and converted them to led.
Alan

kantuckid · September 19, 2020, 02:14:40 PM

My three adult sons and everyone of the thousands of people who adore LED's will agree with you... :D
LED shop lights on my MC forum may just be one of the most common garage threads.
I like my T8's just fine. I could care less if it takes a minute or two in cold weather to ramp up.
I told the truth about the electric supply house choosing T8's and they were not selling me fixtures or bulbs.

flatrock58 · September 21, 2020, 07:09:04 AM

Caveman. I put the metal on the bottom to prevent rot like i have on my old barn. I wish I had been able to get poplar to side it instead of pine. My doors are 13x16 and 12x12.

Here are some pictures inside with and without light.

.

RPF2509 · September 24, 2020, 11:04:57 AM

here's a LED question swerving off topic. I've got FEIT led tubes in my shop and after the lights are turned off they continue to emit a faint glow, sometimes for days after being turned off - enough to see by once you eyes adapt. Not sure what's going on here. The ones in the garage do the same thing. Circuits were installed by a professional electrician so I'm assuming it was done right. Could it be a small voltage leakage?

SwampDonkey · September 24, 2020, 02:19:16 PM

Yesterday, it was wet, so I motored on down to Homedepot and picked up a couple single hung 36 x 30" windows and a 80" x 32" door with a small window. The widows was $266 each and the steel door with pre-drilled handle and dead bolt holes was $258, the odd thing was that a 36" is twice as much. You kidding me for 4"? :

The windows go on the west side over my lathe - vise bench.

alan gage · September 24, 2020, 05:49:52 PM

Quote from: RPF2509 on September 24, 2020, 11:04:57 AM
here's a LED question swerving off topic. I've got FEIT led tubes in my shop and after the lights are turned off they continue to emit a faint glow, sometimes for days after being turned off - enough to see by once you eyes adapt. Not sure what's going on here. The ones in the garage do the same thing. Circuits were installed by a professional electrician so I'm assuming it was done right. Could it be a small voltage leakage?

I've noticed LEDs continuing to glow for maybe 5-10 seconds but nothing more than that. That's both the shop tubes and the household screw ins.
Alan

Ianab · September 24, 2020, 06:54:13 PM

LED lamps contain phosphor. It's used to absorb some of the light spectrum the LED chip produces, and re-radiate it at a more desirable spectrum. Hence "warm white" or "daylight" colour lamps, they have different phosphor layers. This is similar to "glow in the dark" stickers that kids use, or the phosphors on an old school watch, and can radiate light for some time after the source is off.

The LEDs also contain electronics that store some energy in capacitors, sometimes enough to keep the lamp glowing slightly for several seconds. So a combinations of the 2 effects can make some lamps glow for some time.

logbyr · September 25, 2020, 07:06:40 AM

I built my 40 x 60 pole barn without windows. After filling it with dry lumber and a kiln I decided I wanted a small window on the wall opposite (60') from my doors in case of a fire. Felt a little claustrophobic in the back.

kantuckid · September 26, 2020, 11:41:58 AM

Windows- my cabin build windows are high end, wood inside-alu clad outside, Pella pocket double hung windows bought newish but used from a door & window installer off web.
My entry door is new prehung, solid pine interior door that came from HD, was 1/2 price and all I gotta do is make my own threshold to use it as an entryway.
I've about quit on box stores...
I'm not a social media guy but FB Marketplace is THE! place to find stuff nowdays-such as anything in building materials, you name it. No fees, same real world we all live in so same freakishness as CL, etc...
BTW, lots of sawmillers muse it to advertise.

RPF2509 · September 28, 2020, 11:13:12 AM

Thanks Ianab; I knew there was an explanation for the glow

aigheadish · December 23, 2020, 02:12:40 PM

Digging up the past...

My shop is still in progress, but built enough to use. I didn't even consider no windows and once I got to measuring I decided I wanted bigger windows (and the price difference was negligible), so in my (too small) 22x14 shop I have 3 36"x48" windows, 2 on the north side, one on the south side where there will also be a man door, and a theoretical for now 7'x16' garage door opening on the east side. I like to hang out in the shop as much as work in there and I couldn't handle not being able to see outside or get the air flow going. They are somewhat high off the floor so that helps put benches or tools in front of them without worry.

Jeff · February 26, 2021, 07:57:06 AM

So I did an experiment this winter, but not because of this topic, but relatedto and changed my mind. I made internal foam shutters for my polebarn windows as I am geating it this winter, and I thought it would help with nighttime heat retention.

While it helped with my goal, I took them all down this week. I hated it. I had plenty of led light, but even in a 30x40 open polebarn, it was clostraphobic. I also lost the abilty to look out from the house the 100 paces to the barn and see if I forgot to turn the lights off.

kantuckid · February 26, 2021, 09:03:51 AM

My perfect shop would have the same lighting as an art studio and someone else would pay the heat bill. :D
Walls of glass suit me fine until late afternoon when trying to look into the sun over my pond it gets tough to see at my bench.

alan gage · February 26, 2021, 09:51:35 AM

Quote from: Jeff on February 26, 2021, 07:57:06 AM
So I did an experiment this winter, but not because of this topic, but relatedto and changed my mind. I made internal foam shutters for my polebarn windows as I am geating it this winter, and I thought it would help with nighttime heat retention.

While it helped with my goal, I took them all down this week. I hated it. I had plenty of led light, but even in a 30x40 open polebarn, it was clostraphobic. I also lost the abilty to look out from the house the 100 paces to the barn and see if I forgot to turn the lights off.

That's a good test.
I've been thinking about it this winter too. Most of my shop time comes during the winter in the evenings after work, which means I'm mostly working in the shop when it's dark. So why do I need windows?

One thing I really do enjoy during nice spring/summer/fall weather is working with all the doors open during the day. The dog and cat love being able to wander in and out on their own and I like hearing the birds.
Alan

Ljohnsaw · February 26, 2021, 10:00:34 AM

Quote from: alan gage on February 26, 2021, 09:51:35 AMThe dog and cat love being able to wander in and out on their own

I have just a man door. I leave it open most of the time while working in the cave. One dog will bring in a ball to set behind me to get me to trip and hopefully toss it outside. The other will come in all sheepishly looking around and sniffing. I'll ask her "what are you doing" and she wags her tail. Then she will spot a scrap of wood, grabs it and runs out to chew it up. Returns in a few minutes for more... If nothing is around that she can find, I'll take a piece out of the scrap bucket to give her. Makes her really happy.

SwampDonkey · February 26, 2021, 01:56:47 PM

Quote from: Jeff on February 26, 2021, 07:57:06 AM
So I did an experiment this winter, but not because of this topic, but relatedto and changed my mind.

Yep, the idea of a man cave is one thing, but to spend quality time in a man made cave any length of time is another. Plus the other reason you suggest. :D :D I'd like to be able to see through windows from the house into the shop to know if someone with a flash light in their hand is fishing around my stuff. :D

doc henderson · February 26, 2021, 11:09:01 PM

My German Shepard Libby has a bark that tells me "someone is here". and I go to a window to look out and see if it is a friend she is acquainted with and they will not be worried, or someone visiting my wife, sitting in their car cause the dog is barking, or UPS where some get out and are fine and others are worried. windows in the man door, and French doors. windows in the garage door. 1 in the north, 2 in the south, 4 in the front, and 2 in the back. and 4 in the basement of the shop.

kantuckid · February 27, 2021, 07:20:11 AM

Quote from: alan gage on February 26, 2021, 09:51:35 AM
Quote from: Jeff on February 26, 2021, 07:57:06 AM
So I did an experiment this winter, but not because of this topic, but relatedto and changed my mind. I made internal foam shutters for my polebarn windows as I am geating it this winter, and I thought it would help with nighttime heat retention.

While it helped with my goal, I took them all down this week. I hated it. I had plenty of led light, but even in a 30x40 open polebarn, it was clostraphobic. I also lost the abilty to look out from the house the 100 paces to the barn and see if I forgot to turn the lights off.
That's a good test.
I've been thinking about it this winter too. Most of my shop time comes during the winter in the evenings after work, which means I'm mostly working in the shop when it's dark. So why do I need windows?
One thing I really do enjoy during nice spring/summer/fall weather is working with all the doors open during the day. The dog and cat love being able to wander in and out on their own and I like hearing the birds.
Alan

Why, cause odds are you'll not always be in yer 40's!

, :D I head for the shop on mostly bad weather days and really like the connection with the real world outside, natural light too, of course.

Old Greenhorn · February 27, 2021, 08:06:40 AM

Add me in the 'windows=YES' column. I worked my whole career in shops with few windows, too many windows (colder than a well digger in winter, hotter than heck in the summer), no windows, and one shop that only had 1 4x4' window (40,000 sq. ft.).
I need the connection to outside and like to be able to look down the driveway and see either who is coming in, or who is driving by so I can keep up with any new equipment on the road. ;D Wish I could see down the drive from upstairs, but the angle is all wrong. Might add a camera and monitor for that someday. Most (OK, all) folks miss my driveway when they come the first few times, signs rarely help for some reason, so if I see them drive on by I walk down the drive to wave the next time they go by.
I get sun coming in through the windows in the two bay doors during the day and that heats the slab up quite a bit. I like to keep an eye on the weather, keep an eye out for oddballs cruising the road for no apparent reason, Watch for delivery trucks, and I like to be able to keep an eye on the shop from the house in case something goes really wrong or I left the lights on (again).
I don't like being in a cave, did that for too many years. Can't wait until the weather is better and I can open some doors!

Ed_K · February 27, 2021, 10:59:07 AM

When I rebuilt my sugar house I hadn't found any windows on the side of the road so it's still dark with 6 medium size led lights around the arch and over the wood lathe and one end of the building where I set up a small wood working area. The wood shed is on the house side so I can't see if the lights are on either :(.

DR Buck · February 27, 2021, 11:45:43 AM

I like windows. But like Old Greenhorn posted above, I've worked the last 40 years in buildings and offices with almost no windows for security reasons and now I like to be able to see outside. However, I also like wall space in the shop.

My current shop/garage are the same building separated by an internal wall. The garage side does not have windows and the woodshop side does not have windows on the walls. However, both in this new shop and my previous on when we had the farm I put in double doors with windows that look out the front where I can see the house and driveway.

Andries · February 27, 2021, 01:47:20 PM

Windows = Yes.
How else is the shop dog going to keep track of rodents in trees?

farmfromkansas · February 28, 2021, 09:26:41 PM

I like windows for light and ventilation, but having windows and 3 garage doors, and 2 walk in doors, limits wall space. Have built shelves where I can, maybe have to add shelves above the miter saw. Running out of places to store stuff. My shop is an old pole building that was here when I bought the place, 66x26. Being a tight wad, couldn't just tear it down and build a nice building, had to fix it up.