# Weird Question...



## ladycop322 (Mar 11, 2014)

Good morning!

I live in sunny South Florida (east coast) and have very little room for my 'workshop'.  Thing is, it is outside on my screened in patio.  I do not have a garage either :frown:

I keep my drill press and bandsaw on a work table covered with a cotton sheet and my lathe is on a separate table covered with a BBQ grill cover when I am not home or not using it.  

Will the Florida weather potentially hurt the lathe?  It is way too heavy to move every day inside the house.  It takes 2 people to move it.

Any other ideas for me if the humidity or weather can hurt it by keeping it outside every day?

I was more concerned about it being stolen than anything else but I have video surveillance around my condo and I live in a gated community.  However, it still doesn't mean it cannot be taken.

Michelle


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## Ed McDonnell (Mar 11, 2014)

The easy problem:

You need to protect it from the rain.  If there is a roof on your enclosed patio and the lathe is away from the screens that would be a good start.  If the top of your patio enclosure is screened you will need to make sure your lathe cover is waterproof (and get something better than a cotton sheet for the saw / drill press...maybe a tarp).

Your covers need to be well secured to keep them from blowing off during summer thunderstorms.

The harder problem:

The biggest problem you are going to have with outdoor storage is condensation.  If you check the lathe in the morning and it is covered with dew you need to do something to prevent that.  Maybe consider an insulated box you can put over the lathe before you put the cover on it.  Even a cheap ice chest might help.

Another alternative to consider would be to get a lathe stand with wheels and buy a rubbermaid storage cabinet for your patio where you could store the lathe.

If you have a patio ceiling fan, running that at night when dew might be a problem might help.

Ed


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## Dalecamino (Mar 11, 2014)

For humidity, coat the bare metal with paste wax or, oil. If you can wrap the motor with a plastic bag. A large construction bag would cover the whole thing. That might throw the burglars off as well.


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## bjbear76 (Mar 11, 2014)

My main concern would be the humidity too.  When my parents moved to Florida, every tool he owned was coated with rust even though he had everything stored in the garage.  I would make sure to keep it as dry as possible and coat it regularly with some sort of wax to repel the moisture.


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## mredburn (Mar 11, 2014)

Wipe it down with Boeshield t9 for your greatest protection against rust from the 285% humidity here in South Florida...:biggrin:  Seriously Boeshield is your best bet.  WIpe it down after every use and everything you have touched thats metal.  Unless you use it every day and wipe it down with a light oil before you put it away nothing else will keep up.  I do not recomend wd-40.


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## Rodnall (Mar 11, 2014)

Fine woodworking magazine had an article on rust prevention. The best ranked one that didn't stain wood was CRC Industrial 3-36.

Login - Fine Woodworking

Also, capn eddie was showing on one of his videos how he mounted his lathe on the upside down lid of a large plastic bin.  Then he put the bin over it upside down. That way the lathe was inside an upside down bin and all he has to do was remove the bin and the lathe was ready to go.
Good luck, Rod


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## Rodnall (Mar 11, 2014)

Oops! You might have to subscribe to Fine woodworking to see the article. Here is a link to Capn Eddie's video where he shows his bin setup.


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## New Bill (Mar 11, 2014)

Rodnall said:


> Fine woodworking magazine had an article on rust prevention. The best ranked one that didn't stain wood was CRC Industrial 3-36.
> 
> Login - Fine Woodworking
> 
> ...



I saw that when I went to his shop to pick up some tools. Thought it was a great idea and tucked it away for later use. Great way to protect outside equipment especially in rainy areas (like La.)


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## Rodnall (Mar 11, 2014)

I don't know why the link didn't show. Here it is again.

Using a snake hollower.avi - YouTube


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## Tom T (Mar 11, 2014)

I agree with the Boeshield T-9 it really works.  I have issues in my garage here in Sanford,Fl just north of Orlando. The CRC product also works.  I am afraid to look at the inside of all my other tools the outsides do okay with the Boeshield.


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## Cmiles1985 (Mar 11, 2014)

I am going to have to try this Boeshield product. We have the same 99% humidity here on the coast of Texas as you do in Florida. All of my tools are in an outside garage, but I try to use them daily, and try to remember to wipe them down with LPS2 each night. That doesn't always happen though...


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