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Want a Sauna? I think it was early 2005 when I first heard about Infrared Saunas from my friend, Dr. Larry Wilson. As he talked about this device, I just Knew that I had to have one; but it seemed impractical at the time. I wasn’t sure where I could put anything this large, in our crowded house, and I didn't know how much it would cost. Some months later, when we spoke of it again, it was time to figure out where to get one, and where I could put it. Dr. Wilson sent me a copy of his book, “SAUNA THERAPY, for Detoxification and Healing”, and I began to learn more about these amazing devices. His book outlines the long history of saunas, in many cultures around the world, and how they have been used for healing, meditation and spiritual rituals, and a community meeting place. The earliest saunas were made using camp fires to heat rocks, which were put into a suitable enclosure, while the more modern dry and steam versions, use electric or gas heaters. The book's primary focus is on the additional benefits available through the use of a sauna heated with Infrared bulbs. An Infrared Sauna is also smaller and less expensive than the more familiar dry air saunas and steam rooms. “SAUNA THERAPY” also explained how an Infrared Sauna should be able to deliver the benefits which I hoped to derive from this device, which I first envisioned, after my conversations with Dr. Wilson. The book said that there was a very good chance this type of sauna could help me: Reduce or eliminate my chronic inflammations Get rid of toxins in my body Improve my circulation Raise my body temperature Reduce my stress Relax my body The book discussed many other potential benefits available when using an Infrared Sauna. OK, so Where can you Buy an
Infrared Sauna?
“Sauna Therapy” includes a diagram of an Infrared Sauna that Dr. Wilson designed, and his web site, DrLWilson.com, offers this sauna for sale at a price of $549. This seems to be a well-designed unit, which could work well for me, but I wasn't sure whether it would be effective, in our house, during the colder months.  Dr. Wilson's canvas & PVC Infrared Sauna We live in a house that is almost 100 years old, so it has no insulation. In the winter time, we rarely use much heat at night, which means that the Infrared bulbs have to be able to heat the sauna to an operating temperature of 90-110 degrees, starting from morning temperatures as low as 45-50 degrees, in a reasonable amount of time. For this reason, I wasn't sure if Dr. Wilson's design, which is made of a double layer of canvas stretched over a PVC frame, would perform well enough in our demanding environment, during the colder months. I was convinced that I needed a sauna with a wooden frame and insulation. The book, and web site did recommend some commercially available wooden-frame models made by Country Ray Saunas and Cedarbrook Saunas, but they appeared to be too big for the space available in our house, and too expensive for my budget! Country Ray has a unit for about $1500, and Cedarbrook has a basic model for $800, but their high-end saunas start at about $2000, and go up from there! The only acceptable choice seemed to be to build a wooden-frame unit myself. With the cost breakdown, shown below, it is clear that a wooden-frame unit, like the design shown on this web site, can be built for a little over $200, which is very affordable! Materials List
10 - 10' 1x4's $3.39 @ $33.90 6 - 4'x8' sheets 1/8" hardboard $5.99 @ $35.94 4 - 4'x8' sheets Styrofoam $9.15 @ $36.60 10 - L-brackets $7.77 1 - piece 55" wide vinyl covered felt $18.22 3 - 250 watt porcelain light sockets $1.49 @ $4.47 3 - Infrared Bulbs $9.97 @ $29.91 1 - 6' roll of 1/2" hardware cloth $5.99 1 - plastic electrical box $1.43 1 - switch $0.54 1 - switch plate $0.22 1 - box 1/4" staples $2.79 1 - 12' extension cord $1.97 1 - 3' piece #14 solid black wire $0.84 1 - 3' piece #14 solid white wire $0.84 1 - 27" bamboo shade $13.95 1 - thermometer $4.79 1 - 15" high plastic stool $5.00 3 - 8' pieces of 1/2" molding $2.09 @ $6.27 100 - #6 x 5/8" pan-head sheet metal screws $2.89 48 - #8 x 1" hex-head sheet metal screws $5.88 16 - #6 x 1 3/4" flat-head wood screws $4.00 12 - #12 x 1" pan-head sheet metal screws $2.00 8 - #6 x 1 1/2" round head wood screws $1.00 TOTAL $227.21 The Frame Design I began with the idea of using Dr. Wilson's sauna frame design, but modifying it to use a wooden frame and insulation. His PVC frame is built in the shape of a trapezoid that is two feet wide on one end, four feet wide on the other, and five feet high. After considering how to build a frame in this shape, out of wood, I decided to use a rectangular shape, four feet wide on both ends, and five feet high, which would be easier to build, since the corner joints would join together at 90 degree angles. However, after measuring my available space, and consulting with Dr. Wilson, I decided that his shape would be the better choice, because it would take up less space, and the smaller volume would make it easier to raise the temperature inside it, and to maintain the high operating temperatures needed. If the back end is 4 feet wide, it allows enough space for a door, and enough leg room to rotate around, on a stool, in a complete circle during a session. At 5 feet high, it is high enough to allow easy entry, from a standing position, and plenty of head room when inside. Making the other end of the unit 2 feet wide is large enough to mount the three lamps, and also keeps the trapezoid wide enough to move around inside it comfortably.  Dr. Wilson's design The Details
There were many things to consider when designing a wooden frame for this sauna. The book pointed out that some materials would be unsuitable, because they might outgas toxic chemicals during operation, and others were impractical for other reasons. After considering many options, I decided to use 2x2’s for the frame, and 1/8” hardboard, attached to both sides of the frame, for the walls, bottom and top. This would leave a 1 1/2" space between the two sheets of hardboard for Styrofoam insulation, and an air gap, which should be sufficient to keep most of the heat from escaping. However, after my first visit to Home Depot, and McCoy’s, it was clear that the 2x2’s, that they were selling, were not nearly straight enough for a project like this. Their 2x4’s were somewhat better, but Home Depot couldn’t rip them into 2x2s, so this was not a practical solution, because a 2x4 frame would be much larger and heavier than needed. Finally, I found some decent 1x4’s that just might work. A frame made of 1x4's, aligned on their edges, would cut the space between the two sheets of hardboard to 3/4", but if it was filled with a sheet of Styrofoam, it should do the job. Since the inside dimensions of the frame would be 2 feet on one end, and 4 feet on the other, I needed to compute the lengths of the other two sides, and the angles for each corner. Using the fact that a Trapezoid is just a Rectangle, with a Right Triangle on either side, I needed the geometric formulas for Right Triangles to make these calculations, so I found a program that would do it for me.  This Trapezoid is just a 2' x 4' Rectangle with a Right Triangle on either side of it With this diagram, it is easy to see the 2' x 4' rectangle, and two Right Triangles, that have a 1' side and a 4' side, that make up the Trapezoid. The Hypotenuse of the Right Triangles must be determined, along with the two remaining angles, to calculate how to cut the 1x4's. The 90 degree angles of the Rectangle are already a known quantity. Using Wahoo's Kewl Calculator, available at no cost from XMLCreate.com, plug "4" into Side (a), and "1" into Side (b), and then hit Calc It, with the following results:  The calculator computes Side (c) and the two angles Now we know that Side (c) must be 4.12 feet, which is 4 feet and 1.44 inches, or about 4 feet, 1.5 inches. We also know that Angle (A) is 14.0362 degrees, and Angle (B) is 75.9638 degrees. Note, at the top of the previous diagram, that the 14.03 degree angle must be added to the 90 degree angle of the Rectangle to get the total span of 104.03 degrees. This means that the two boards in the frame, that will form this angle, will each be cut at 104.03/2 = 52.01 degrees.  Cut each of these two 1x4's at 52 degrees to form a total span of 104 degrees  Cut each of these two 1x4's at 38 degrees to form a total span of 76 degrees I knew that one of the most difficult parts of this project was going to be cutting these angles precisely with the equipment I had available. I would be using a small vise, to hold the wood, a protractor to mark it, and a hand saw to make the cuts. These cuts should really be done in a wood shop where they can measure, set and cut these angles much more precisely. Therefore, I had to rely on the flexibility of the 1/8" hardboard to bend enough to offset any errors in cutting the angles.  These two pieces form an angle of approximately 104 degrees, but some cutting error is visible  These 1x4's form an angle of 76 degrees After the boards were cut, they were screwed together with #6 x 1 3/4" flat head wood screws, and the heads were countersunk.  The #6 x 1 3/4" screws were run through the ends of each pair of 1x4's  A completed Trapezoid From this point on, the sauna has to be assembled inside the room where it will be used, because it won't fit through any standard door. The verticals serve two purposes. On one end, they form the door frame, and on the other they provide a place to anchor the three light sockets. They were attached to the Trapezoids using metal L-brackets and #8 x 1" hex-head sheet-metal screws.  L-brackets were used to attach the verticals to the Trapezoids The first vertical for the light sockets was mounted in the middle of the 2' span. The other two members were mounted on either side of the first one, spaced so that their centers were 9 1/2" apart. This arrangement would accommodate the socket spacing in Dr. Wilson's design. With this spacing, the three verticals are so close together that one vertical member had to be notched out to allow room for the L-bracket.  This is how one of the side verticals was notched out to accommodate the L-bracket for the center vertical  The top and bottom Trapezoids with all five verticals attached using L-brackets Mounting the Hardboard
4'x8' sheets of hardboard were cut 5 feet long. The 4'x5' pieces were used for the sides, even though the inside length was 4' 1.5". The small gaps would be covered later. Each 4'x5' sheet was placed inside the frame, with the smooth side facing in, and attached to it using #6 x 5/8" pan-head sheet-metal screws. Unfortunately, the hardboard buckled in at the center more than anticipated, so I decided to add an additional vertical member in the center of each side. After the hardboard was attached to this vertical, with #6 x 5/8" pan-head sheet-metal screws, the buckling was reduced to an acceptable level. These verticals were wedged in between the Trapezoids, so they did not need L-brackets to keep them in place.  This shows one of the added center verticals The next step was to cut pieces of hardboard for the ends, and then attach them on the inside of the of the frame, with the smooth side facing in, using #6 x 5/8" pan-head sheet-metal screws.  The smaller pieces of hardboard complete the front and back of the sauna The Bottom
At this point, the frame was flipped over onto its front side (door opening), a 4' x 5' piece of hardboard was placed on the floor in front of it, and then the frame was flipped back into place so that it was sitting on top of this piece of hardboard. A black marking pen was used to mark the hardboard so it could be cut to become the bottom. This piece was cut, and then used as a template to mark, and cut a piece of Styrofoam insulation the same size. The hardboard was screwed to the bottom of the frame with #6 x 5/8" pan-head sheet- metal screws, and then the unit was dropped onto the piece of insulation that was cut for it. There seemed to be no reason to glue this piece to the hardboard. The weight of the sauna would hold it in place. Wiring
I wanted to wire the sauna before I put the top on, just in case I needed to stand up in it. Dr. Wilson's plans showed this very simple wiring diagram with a switch, and three light sockets wired in parallel.  The three light sockets are wired in parallel through a switch I mounted the electrical box to the front of the sauna with #6 x 1 1/2" wood screws, and then mounted the switch in the box with the screws that came with it. I cut the female end off the extension cord, and used a knife to separate the two wires for about half its length. I cut one of the wires at this point, and connected it to one of the terminals on the switch. I took the other half of this wire, and connected it to the other terminal of the switch. Now I had two 12-foot-long wires connected to the male plug that would be plugged into a nearby electrical outlet. One wire was uncut, and the other was cut so that one half of it went to one terminal of the switch, and the other half went to the other terminal. Next, I placed the three light sockets in a triangle shape so that each side of the triangle was 9 1/2", from center to center, as shown above in Dr. Wilson's diagram. Using the #14 solid wire, I wired them together running the black wire to each brass screw, and the white wire to each silver screw.  250 watt porcelain light sockets were used  Wire the sockets in parallel with #14 wire At this point, I took the sockets into the sauna, and put them on the floor in front of the wall where they would be mounted. Then the wires from the former extension cord were connected to the light socket nearest the side of the sauna where the switch was mounted. Mounting the light sockets
The top socket was mounted 36" above the floor of the sauna, and in the center of the back wall where the mounting screws would attach to the center vertical 1x4. The two bottom sockets were positioned 9 1/2" apart, and so their distance from the top socket was also 9 1/2", from center to center. Due to the pre-positioning of the other two verticals, the #12 x 1" pan-head sheet-metal screws, used to mount the sockets, could attach solidly to them.  Two Philips bulbs came in this box  The other Philips bulb came in this box Dr. Wilson recommended Phillips, General Electric and Sli bulbs. I was able to find Phillips bulbs at Home Depot, but they were in two different boxes, however, I think that they are the same bulbs.  Note the former extension cord is coming in from the left and connecting to the lower left socket. This socket has already been wired to the other two with the #14 wire  They work! Dr. Wilson's design called for a piece of hardware cloth to be cut, bent and attached to the back wall, around the lamps, to form a cage to guard against someone accidentally touching the bulbs when they are hot. The hardware cloth was cut 18" wide, and then bent with a 2" lip on each end, that would be used to attach it to the back of the unit. Then it was bent to come out about 9" from the wall, and then it dropped about 18". Heavy duty shears were used to cut the hardware cloth, and the bending was done on the edge of an old table.  The hardware cloth is attached with six #12 x 1" screws and washers The hardware cloth was anchored into the verticals using #12 x 1" pan-head sheet-metal screws, and washers to make sure that the screw heads didn't slip through the 1/2" grid of the hardware cloth. Filling the Gaps
At this point, there were very large gaps in the corners of the unit, because of errors in cutting the angles, and other factors. These had to be filled in or covered.  There are fairly large gaps at the corners where the sheets of hardboard meet I considered many solutions to solve this problem, and looked at a wide range of molding at Home Depot, as well as other options, but in the end I decided to go with 1x4's again. I obtained four more 5', 1x4s and mounted them in each corner using #6 x 1 1/2" round-head wood screws to join these pieces to the top and bottom Trapezoids. Then #6 x 5/8" pan-head sheet-metal screws were screwed into both the edge, and the flat side of the 1x4's, every 6", to pull both sheets of hardboard in tight, and to cover the gaps.  With these additional 1x4's screwed in place, the gaps are gone Insulation
The height of the frame, from the top edge of a horizontal 1x4 on the top of the frame, to the bottom edge of the 1x4 directly below it, is 5 feet. Since each 1x4 is actually 3 1/2" wide, the space from the bottom edge of a horizontal 1x4, on the top of the frame, to the top of the 1x4 directly below it is 5' (60") - 3 1/2" - 3 1/2" = 53". 4'x8' sheets of 1/2" Styrofoam were cut to 53" lengths, in order to fit them inside the top and bottom horizontal 1x4s. After that, these 53" pieces were cut so that they would fit inside the space created between the horizontal and verticals 1x4's. Spray adhesive was applied to the face of each piece of Styrofoam, and then it was pressed against the outside face of the hardboard. After all of the pieces were glued into place, duct tape was wrapped around the sauna, starting at one edge of the door frame and running all the way around each side of the unit until it reached the opposite side of the door frame. This was repeated two more times, to surround the insulation with three horizontal runs of duct tape from one edge of the door to the other.  The insulation fits in between the 1x4's on the sides  Smaller pieces are needed for the back  The front needs pieces on either side of the door A Change in Plans My original design called for cutting, and attaching additional pieces of hardboard to the outside of the frame, to create a sandwich of hardboard, insulation and then hardboard. However, after reaching this point, in the construction process, I decided that an additional layer of hardboard would not add much more insulation value to the walls, but it would create more gaps where the pieces met at the corners. These gaps would become additional sources for air leakage. For this reason, I decided to wrap the frame with one solid piece of vinyl-covered cotton fabric, which would add a little insulation value, but not create any new gaps, and would help to seal existing gaps, better than another layer of hardboard. This material was attached to the 1x4 frame with 1/4" staples.  The vinyl-covered cotton fabric is shown stapled into place. Note the white switch in the upper left hand corner The Top At this point, a 4' x 5' piece of hardboard was placed on top of the frame. A black marking pen was used to mark the hardboard so it could be cut to become the top. This piece was cut, and then used as a template to mark, and cut a piece of insulation the same size. The hardboard was screwed to the top of the frame with #6 x 5/8" pan-head sheet-metal screws, and then the insulation was placed on top of it. There seemed to be no reason to glue this piece to the hardboard; it should stay in place by resting on top of the unit. The Door
From the very beginning, the biggest problem with my design was how to build an efficient door. At first, I thought that I could just attach a long, narrow, thick rug to the top of the door frame, and droop it over the opening. After searching for a suitable rug, however, there was a concern about the materials used in some rugs, and potential out gassing. It also appeared to be difficult to get a rug to hang in such a way that it would lay very flat against the frame so as not to create air gaps along its edge. For the first uses of the unit, I settled on a bamboo shade. It worked fairly well, but it also did not cling to the frame without forming air gaps, and it was too porous. A blanket was doubled over and hung over the shade, which helped a great deal, but the search for a real door went on. Ideally, a sauna door should be well insulated, and fit very tightly when closed from the outside, to facilitate preheating, and then fit very tightly when closed from the inside, to maintain high operating temperatures, once a session begins. After toying with the idea of building a door out of 1x4's, hardboard, and insulation, similar to the rest of the walls, it was finally rejected because I was never happy with any method of how to open it, close it, and secure it in the closed position. I looked at hinges, and some sort of pins, but these methods would probably leave air gaps unless the door was really bolted closed, which seemed a little dangerous. Hopefully, a design employing Velcro-secured canvas stretched over the inside of the opening, a 3/4" air gap, Velcro-secured vinyl-covered cotton stretched over the outside of the opening, and the bamboo shade on top of that, will do the trick.  The first door; a bamboo shade  Note that 1/2" molding has been nailed over the edge of the vinyl-covered cotton  The preheating begins Finishing The 1x4's were stained to match the color of the brown vinyl, and 1/2" molding was nailed over the edge of the fabric. Epilogue
This project spanned a period of about one month starting with the first purchase of materials, on 24 November 2006, up until my first session in the sauna, on 20 December 2006. It is very difficult to estimate how many hours it took to actually build the sauna, but I'm sure that I spent at least three times as long pondering the design and construction problems, that I ran into, as well as walking around Home Depot looking for ways to solve them. I did a lot of the work, all by myself, but many of the steps in the construction process would be difficult if not impossible to do alone, so much of this project is a definitely 2-person job. My wife was of great assistance in helping me complete the project, but she was probably even more help in critiquing my design and construction ideas, and in developing invaluable ideas of her own. For example, she had the idea to wrap the sauna in some kind of fabric, and found the vinyl-covered cotton at Walmart for me. After reading the description of this project, it may sound too difficult for some people to undertake, but it should be much easier, and go much faster for anyone who follows our lead, and does not have to figure it out as they go along, as we did. Sauna Sessions
A large towel is spread out on the floor, in the center of the sauna. The stool is placed on this towel. A smaller towel is placed over the stool, and a hand towel is put inside the sauna that can be used for wiping sweat off your body. The door is closed tight, and the lamps turned on for an appropriate pre-heat interval. In the winter time, in our house, 40 minutes is about right. In the summer, it should be much shorter. Ideally, the temperature needs to be at least 90 degrees at the beginning of a session. For the first week, 20 minute sessions are recommended. After that 30 minutes is standard. All clothes should be removed before entering the sauna. When the pre-heating is complete, the door is opened and closed as quickly as possible, to allow entry without a major loss of heat. After seating on the stool, the door is closed tightly. The timer is set for 1/4 of the total time desired, and the session is begun by sitting (for example) facing the left wall, and then starting the timer. When the time expires, rotate 90 degrees (for example) facing the back wall, and then start the timer for the same interval, again. This process continues two more times to complete a full 360 degree revolution. When facing the lamps, the eyes may remain open, but it is better not to stare directly at them. When the last segment is completed, the sauna is exited, the lamps are turned off, and its time for a quick rinse-off shower to remove the toxins that have been expelled through the skin. After that, laying down for 15-30 minutes is recommended to allow the body to rest and process any remaining toxins that have worked loose. How Does an Infrared
Sauna Effect Your Body?
Please consult“Sauna Therapy” and DrLWilson.com for a complete medical explanation of how the Infrared Sauna effects the human body. Contact us @ drs2211@houston.rr.com |
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