I was so gonna say you just need to snuggle your Glowforge. 
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If you want a large warming mat or just another option, search for âwhelpingâ or puppy heating pads. They are used to keep newborn pups at the right temp and are pretty safe.
Also, would a simple heat lamp work? Lots of safe options designed to use with animals and that way it wouldnât have to be in/under the GF itself.
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Can I live here next time I move???
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Sure thing! 
Maybe the cats can heat the glow forge by curling up on top?
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Thank you to all of you so far! You have all been amazing and super helpful! 
What do you guys think of blast gates? do they help keep the cold out of the machine? any thoughts?
@Jules We had looked at one of these for the room space actually! Wasnât sure how safe it was so thank you for confirming, that is really helpful! 
@jamesdhatch the heating pad idea looks like the go-to for this honestly, looks super safe for the machine too so thank you so much for suggesting it. I do think this is one thing we will definitely be doing!
@caribis2 hahaha that is hilarious! 
yes, unfortunately not as common so thanks for the alternative name suggestion. These look a lot easier to find even though I assume they are the same thing? 
@carbis2 @randy.cohen I donât think it gets any solar gains as it is a building in a lane based in Glasgow which is basically rain and clouds all winter so we would definitely be losing large amounts of heat especially considering we have no heating to begin with. We want to purchase a space heater but trying to find the best one that is cheaper to run so we can operate in within the optimal range of 16 C to 27 C. This is why I thought a heated underneath may do it some good 
@randy.cohen this is a great idea! Our day temperatures can be around -5C/23F to about 10C/50 in winter We were trying to figure out a fireproof solution to keep it operating but if it can be used at night as @Jules said it could too then this would be great. Are oil filled heaters expensive to run? or are they quite cost effective? We were thinking of going with gas but they can be so dangerous! 
@kittski thank you for the lamp suggestion! I have never seen something like this before but it certainly seems much safer as it is specifically designed for living things, surely it shouldnât set fire! I have never thought of this so this is an awesome suggestion! Thank you
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On another note, I definitely think cats should be hireable to heat everyoneâs Glowforge at night 
rentable cats anyone? 
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ChuckleâŚone other suggestion. The oil filled radiators are going to work just fine, but if you donât want to run up your electricity bill excessivelyâŚset up a small curtained off or screened off area around the glowforge work area. Those look like tall ceilings and extremely large bays. One wall, even of plywood or fabric, will help contain the heat around the machine. (Sliding screens on tracks, canvas cover if it is a high ceiling.)
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Our ceiling is 2.4 metres/ 7.9ft for reference 
We were gonna make a table out of wood with a box to cover the Glowforge at night. It would be contained in a cabinet style unit and the Glowforge would sit on top of this. There will be a hole in the unit so the Glowforge pipe can feed through to the filter unit without being seen or having a member of the public directly accessing it. Could I place the oil heater in this cabinet compartment under the Glowforge? Would this be effective at all as there is a hole to the Glowforge? or could the wood be enough to let the heat through?
How big of a cabinet? The oil heater will likely fit under a table at standing height, but you might actually have the opposite problem if you put it underneath the forgeâŚitâs going to be too hot for the Glowforge to run. Near it is better, but not directly underneath. (one of these will warm up an 8â x 10â room extremely well.)
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are you planning to be in this space for a long time? Itâs a bigger project than adding a heat mat, but you could add a raised floor with radiant heat to one of those bays.
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It will be 1.1m/3.6ft tall by 1m/3.3ft with cabinet doors so a space underneath to store things. I had thought it may get too hot do you think if I ran it for short periods of time (to save on electricity too 
), the wood table could store the heat for a while to keep the machine warm enough?
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Yeah, possibly a year or longer if all goes well but unfortunately we wouldnât be allowed to do something like that. However, I had an idea when you said that (not entirely related) but would carpet under the Glowforge table stop it from getting cold? or well cold rising up to the machine?
ROFL! No, wood is a lousy heat conductor/retainer. Youâre better off heating the air before it goes into the machine, so place the heater on the right side of the table. The air intake for the Glowforge is underneath the right side of the machineâŚmake sure the side of the cabinet is not blocking it.
That was why I was thinking large containers of water. they take a lot of energy to heat up but also take a lot to cool off so could keep from heating too much as well 
Looking as this
https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Hydroponic-Observation-Window-Growing/dp/B01DXYM98K/ref=asc_df_B01DXYM98K/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193139379506&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8686296104809925836&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012119&hvtargid=pla-311013962810&psc=1
It looks like it could be a room inside a room and even has in and exhaust ports, not great insulation but some. and a base to add more. Big enough to go inside with Glowforge during setup of project.
Nothing is going to be as effective (and efficient) as providing a small heat source inside the machine, possibly with a blanket over it when you know itâs going to get really cold.
This is more than just non-op storage (where a heater inside would be the most efficient). They also need a way to keep the environment around the machine warm when itâs in operation. So a small heating element inside the machine isnât going to do the trick. They need to enclose the space around the machine and heat that. The only real question is âhow big of a space?â. I suggested a solution thatâd keep the machine in the open and duct warm air to the intake of the machine. Or a tent placed over the machine with a heater inside the tent. The current proposal is a full man-sized walk-in enclosure. That is an attractive option I must admit. But Iâd be careful about operating the GF in a small enclosed space. The machineâs ventilation isnât perfect, some fumes escape. You wouldnât want to be breathing them in concentrated form. If you put the GF in a box that you also expect to put yourself inside of, probably worth making sure the box has active ventilation (an exhaust fan) of its own. Most of these grow tents do, I suspect, since air circulation is kind of important for plant growth (but I didnât click the link to go look).
You are venting to a filter, so I donât think it would do you any good. Cold air sinks, so an eight foot hose connected to a filter on the floor is going to act conceptually similar to the trap under your sink - cold air will flow down into it.
The same thing in design and concept, but probably different in mat size, wattage and temperature range. The main reason I suggested it is because I figured you could go to a gardening shop and talk to someone knowledgeable. Someone who would have an idea of how much you need to warm, to what temp and in your climatic conditions. The person at the pet shop not so much.
Returning to jbvâs suggestion about a heated floor, even if you donât go the heating route consider some plywood or orientated strand board (they have a different name for OSB in the UK - it is used on Grand Designs all the time) thrown down on the floor. Not only will your back thank you, but itâs amazing how much heat you lose through the soles of your feet to cold concrete. During a game in November or December in Wisconsin if youâre in a concrete stadium and donât have newspaper under your boots you wonât feel your feet at the end of the game. With newspaper and youâre okay. Maybe it wonât be that cold in there, but if you do feel your feet going numb after a few hours you know the solution.
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