Looking into making wood storage boxes for tooling?

[intrepid]

I need to protect some of my expensive tooling lathe chuck from rust and bumps. Thinking of making wood storage crates for them but I'm in the rust belt anyone have experience in a unheated humid shop? Mostly concerns of rust will coat with LPS3 or the like.

Dehumidifier is a good option if temps are above freezing but the shop dips bellow. I'm afraid the Dehumidifier will freeze and crack.

I went through all those humidity issues also. My location is very humid most of the time and also some very cold days close to 0*F. Not quite as cold as yours. I have many metal tool boxes with wood trays and also wood storage boxes. My outbuilding workshop is insulated and I have electric heat and an air conditioner. Back in Feb I noticed some nice tools including a new chuck had grown some surface rust. After weeks of research and considering heating all the time I settled on a small dehumidifier. Best move I have made. I use my shop often but sometimes may go a full week without going in. Just didnt want to heat all the time. Anyway I am comfortable with 58*-62*. The dehumidifer says good down to 37*. I set the heat to 48* and when I go in the workshop it is up to 60* within 30 min. Haven't had a issue since then. My small unit only draws 3.3 amps. The bonus is now it is dry in there and no sweating when I work. No more rust.

 

[GeneT45]

When I lived in Oregon I fought an ongoing battle with rust. My shop was not sealed well enough for a dehumidifier to do any good. I bought a fairly large one and it just pumped water out at full bore, all day and never got the humidity below 60+%. Zerust is a must for your toolboxes. For lathe chucks, etc, put them on something thermally conductive (I used a steel lift table) and add an oil-pan heating pad to it. I went so far as to add a couple 100W pads to my mill and lathe as well. Best thing I ever did in that regard.

GsT

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Dehumidifier is a good option if temps are above freezing but the shop dips bellow. I'm afraid the Dehumidifier will freeze and crack.

Freeze and crack where? How?

 

[jcdammeyer]

Over the years this leak from the corner got worse. The closed in carport did not have a perimeter drain around it and in January I had a regular river. Surprisingly, even with just a small 1500W space heater I did not have rust problems. Not on the mill, lathes or CNC router rails.




However because we're on a hill and the house concrete perimeter drain tiles had blocked up and were connected to the basement floor drain we started getting water up the floor drain so it was time to get a new perimeter drain installed and the basement walls recovered in tar. I had them also put a perimeter drain around the carport/shop.

That solved the basement water problem and no more rivers running through the shop. And then for some reason the next winter the rust started. It was everywhere even though I kept the temperature the same and the same 1500W space heater. Totally not logical.

So I bought a portable dehumidifier which also helped heat the shop and started derusting stuff. Oiling surfaces that had never needed it. Since then no more rust and I do keep the shop at about 17C to 18C.