Winter

Winter has come. My woodworking tends to slow down this time of year. I get most of my shop time late at night. It has already dropped below freezing a few nights. My shop is completely uninsulated. There is a large gap at the bottom of the door. I can watch the shavings dance if the wind blows outside.

I tried an electric heater in the past By the time it made any perceptible difference to the temperature I was usually done for the night. I’m worried about using a lot of other heat sources. I’m in a cramped space, with a lot of shavings. Fire risk is a concern.

The solution I hit on was to heat me, not the entire shop. I found a heated gillet on AliExpress. Its a simple padded gillet with heating panels built in. It runs off a power bank, just like the ones people keep around to give their phone an emergency charge. Usually the vests have a pocket with a USB cable at the bottom that you can connect the power bank through.

They are cheap, and not particularly well made. The first one I bought failed after a few months. The second is going strong after about 2 years. The controls are pretty basic. Usually off, medium, full power. I tend to just put it straight to full until I feel warm enough, and then turn it off. They get unbearably hot if left on for protracted periods of time.

Admittedly, your hands and feet don’t benefit a ton from this. But if you are moving around and working, they take care of themselves. I put the gillet under my normal winter coat, and it will heat me up nicely within 5 minutes. Its cheap to run.

If you want to track down something similar search for “Heated Gilet” on Amazon.com or Aliexpress.com. They seem to cost about £15 on Aliexpress or £90 on amazon for what looks like the same product. The downside to Aliexpress is the long delivery time. Sizing information there is often targetted at an Asian audience, so pay careful attention to sizing charts. I would be a Large normally, which often translates to a XXXL on Aliexpress. Bear in mind the vests usually do not include the power bank, so if you do not already have one, that will need to be added to the cost.

If you are struggling with a cold workshop, it could make a good stocking filler this year.