As Canadians, we know most of the year is going to be on the cooler side. Maybe even downright frigid.

Skip the sunscreen this time

I’m usually reminding my kids to put sunscreen on this time of year, but as woodworkers working indoors that’s not usually a concern. It’s not direct sun that makes working so uncomfortable, it’s the heat the sun generates. It’s one thing to have to battle the heat in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, but it’s another thing altogether when you have to add a dust respirator, hearing protection, apron, protective footwear, protective eyeglasses, pants and maybe even knee pads.

The other day it was over 30° in my Peterborough, Ontario, workshop. The doors and two windows were wide open, allowing the tiniest bit of a breeze to enter my shop. But that breeze wasn’t enough to counterbalance all the protective equipment I was wearing. I was breaking out some maple and had on all the protective gear I described above, short of the knee pads. In fact, I almost could have used those too, as after a long day in the shop, the heat almost brought me to my knees.

I'm good in the heat

I spend a lot of time outdoors, cycling, cross country skiing, hiking and camping. It’s the winter months I have the most trouble with. When others are a little bit chilly, I’m having trouble feeling my fingers and toes because they’re painfully cold. I’m a wimp in the winter. I’m built for the summer, and have not once complained about the heat. I’m usually just fine at 30°, while others are complaining, but the other day I had just about hit my limit. Breakout was slow, I had zero energy when I left the shop and I feared going back the next morning. The early morning temperatures temporarily made work easy, but that comfort eventually came to a halt around noon. I got the work done, but it wasn’t pretty. Extra fluids, a few extra breaks in the shade outside and stopping a bit early made things barely tolerable.

I’m sure many others, especially those who naturally love the winter weather, feel the same (or worse) than I do. I’ve purposefully opted out of installing a visible thermometer in the shop, as I think that would just make a bad situation worse. But if any of you can send me a photo of your workshop thermometer ready to burst, I’d love to see it.

I hope this doesn’t constitute a complaint about the heat, as I really don’t want to break my “no complaining” streak. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it may get hot in the summer, especially when you’ve properly protected yourself against all the workplace hazards, but a cold drink after leaving the shop is the short-term fix and remembering the more moderate days August will bring are just around the corner, so stay strong. Unless you live on Vancouver Island, in parts of our Atlantic provinces or in the far north of our great country, just be thankful you don’t need to even consider installing A/C in the shop before next June rolls around.