I have my planer and jointer in my garage and would like to move it to a new carport that I'm going to build. The problem is since I have to keep it near my electric panel for power and don't want to build an enclosed building away from the house I'm going to have two sides open. I've asked Danny how he has his setup and he build a really nice enclosed room for his that I'm not planning on doing. Steve on the forum here has suggested for a long time now that I add a sheet of uhmw to my tables and the boards will slid a lot better. That would rule out rust on the table problem. Anyone here got a setup like I'm talking and found out it just not good. Covering the machines when not in use will not be a problem.
I'm not saying its a good thing but my 15" lives most of its life under an 8x8 shed roof tacked on the back of the sawshed, 3 sides wide open. Been meaning to fix that since about '95. Right now it is just out of the drip line of an equipment shed at work so we can get room to feed. Previous job it was on the porch for months. It doesn't sit too long between uses and I try to keep it a little on the luby and waxy side but it does have a patina and zero resale.
Moving from an insulated to an uninsulated shop (like mine) will speed rust. I think that matters more than walls. Walls just keep the blowing precipitation off. It's the temperature swings and moist air that seem to do the most.
It really doesn't affect performance for me, but does affect resale value. (All of my machines were well used when I got them.) If that's not a concern, then you should be fine.
You have to do what you have to do, but I'd hate to leave my stuff out like that. The humidity and temp swings will cause them to rust. That's why I finally put full time heat in my shop. When I'm not working down there the heat stays just above freezing (35 degrees) so that when I go in and turn up the heat to work everything doesn't get damp from condensation and rust.
Your plan to put plastic on the bed does not rule out rust on the table. It just makes it so you can't see the rust that will still form on the table. It also doesn't address the rust that will build up on sliding surfaces, threaded adjustment rods, and cutter heads. Don't you get fog and blowing rain in your area? Sounds like a plan to ruin cast iron machinery to me.
Condensation will bring the rust on. One cold night, then a warm humid morning, and all the metal surfaces will be covered in condensation like a glass of iced tea outside in the summer. The rust on the bed will be bad enough, the internal corrosion on the bearings will be worse. In my barn, I use automotive trouble lights laying in and on the machines to keep them warm and condensation free.
+1 on the trouble light. I've read (but never instituted) that metal lathes in an unheated area should have an oil cloth covering with a incandescent light for heat underneath them but not contacting the covering (fire danger). I would think the same for any metal tool.
Well I might have to rethink it now. Have to get a 12 pack and sit there and look again. :)
what is "a sheet of uhmw' ? Thanks.
Tough machinable plastic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-high-molecular-weight_polyethylene
This stuff works for me... Great for table saw tops...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/39553/SlipIt_Sliding_Compound~1.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1512149085)