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My wife and I are moving to Florida so I need to pack up the shop and I'm looking for tips and advice. One thing I tried worked really !! well. Trying to protect my wood investment from a few months of high humidity, I came up with putting it in "Space Bags". These are zip lock bags with a check valve port that accepts the hose from a shop vac. I made a careful stack about 10 inches high of wood only (no stickers) with 3/4 ply wood top and bottom, then sliped it into an extra large space bag and pulled a vacuum on it. Now I have this solid block of wood protected from humidity until I get my new shop up and running. Don't forget I'm looking for any advice I can get. Chime in.

keith

protect stationary tools,e.g.. band and table saws, jointers, etc with rust proofing on exposed table surfaces, etc.

use desicant packs or rust proofing in tool boxes and on hand tools, i.e. chisels, saws, scrapers packed separately. remember cardboard boxes absorb humitity. there are commercial products which emit a rust proofing vapor for tool boxes for example.

use non-absorbent padding around edge tools to prevent damage to teeth or honed edges, etc.

store in climate controlled storage if possible. many commercial storage facilities offer this option.

the think the idea of the space bages is outstandingly innovative. wish i had thought of it during a move i made a few years ago. as an extra precaution, and if you are going to have access during storage, put one of the inexpensive electronic hygrometers in your bags so you can check to make sure you have no leaks allowing humidity in.

i'm sure the space bag idea will prove useful for those whose shops are not climate contolled!

some bubble wrab or other non absorbent padding such as closed cell foam around the corners of the stacks may also be a good idea to help prevent tears in the bag.

good luck in your relocation.

michael mcclain

Great input, I can use all of these ideas.
thanks Mike

   I just had the pleasure of moving to a new shop last year. I found that all rustable put in a plastic container. If you are going to high humidity use some campher cakes or powered mild to help absorb moisture.
   You can protect cutting tools by dipping in was or taping the edges. I went with wax dipping.
    Mark the boxes so you know what is where. And last but not least try have have a packing plan. Know what box is where and which is more important. Wood will do well with the way you did it. I would suggest to tape it or strap it so it will stay tight.
    Glues and finishes , toss the open stuff as it will not do that well in packing and storage.
Have a safe move

Keith -
I lived in Florida all my life and built guitars down there for just about 25 years. The best advice I can give that I learned the hard way is that if you really want to make instruments you must A/C your shop. In Daytona Beach (East Coast) at least it was humid all year long but the A/C seemed to keep the shop at a relative 50-55% humidity. Without a sophisticated de-humidification system that is the best you can get but I found it to be just fine. If you attempt to build in a non A/C shop your wood will go crazy and what you build will always be a compromise. Good luck!!!

_________________
Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

that is powdered milk. Anything that will absorb moisture.

Thanks John and Sylvan all good pointers.
Sylvan I'm planning to divide the shop up so that I will have an AC and humidity control in the wood storage and assembly area. AC only in the dust room where saws,sanders,jointer,and router table will be located along with the main dust collection system. AC only in the spray finish area. I know that balancing the AC flow and filtering each room will be a headache but I don't know how else to approach the problem. My goal is 45% humidity and the cleanest air practical in the assembly area where I spend most of my time. Any thoughts?   

All the time I lived in Florida I could never get the shop humidity to
something less than 50% on a consistent basis. But my shop was always
one big room and that may have been the problem. I think your idea in
dividing up the shop is a good one and may allow you to achieve your
goal in the wood and assembly area. That is very much what I have here
in Virginia except I keep the wood storage, paint room and in progress
work storage in AC/Heat and humidity control. The rest of the shop is
just AC/Heat. This has worked fine here so I think something like that
may work very well for you in Florida.

_________________
Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

Don't forget, movers tend to absorb tools, alcohol and guns.

Thanks Sylvan.
Good point Eric. I'll move the tools and guns myself,and sacrifice the alcohol to the movers. Got to let them get away with something.