I don’t know if being cool is actually “safe” in the narrowest definition of the word, but I can certainly say that being uncomfortably warm in a sweltering shop or an unconditioned room isn’t maximally productive. And no one would argue that having sweat pouring off your face while setting cabinets or running a table saw is not, at the very least, a distraction.
Now, you can be cool at work when the heat is hammering, with Portacool’s Cyclone 140 evaporative cooler on wheels. Instead of refrigerants, the portable unit uses water evaporation, ambient air, and a specialized evaporative medium to create a current of cool air. It can be plugged into a 110-volt outlet or a generator, and it can be used with open windows and doors.
The company says that the unit delivers 3,900 cfm and can effectively cool up to 900 square feet—which means it can be stowed in a corner out of the way. Well, as out of the way as anything standing 5 feet tall can be. It costs about $1,000. portacool.com
