I am setting up a shop to make cabinets and furniture. The relative humidity where I live is high. The yearly average is 83%, and summer months are consistantly 90% or better. The average temps are 89/77 for July and 57/42 for January. Aside from being comfortable, do you think AC and Heat are absolutely necessary to control RH levels in the shop? If I allow for movement while making pieces, will that be enough?
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Consider how long furniture has been made in unheated shops and how long we’ve had AC. A long time for one and not long for the other. Here’s the problem though. You can build your stuff outdoors in a shed but if your furniture moves inside to central air/ heat you’ll have drying issues.
I think if your pieces stay in your area of high humidity and you allow for wood movement as you build, that constant humidity will not be a problem. Up to the point of mold and rot of course.
However if you start to ship pieces to areas or homes that keep the RH at 14%, you’ll have lots of troubles. So plan on movement, notify your clients that wood moves, and cross your fingers.
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