On 6 ,7 or 10 hour carves its just not possible, heck on 2 hour carves I can't stay in the shop watching it. Some people put a smoke detector in the shop to help alert when there is a problem. Some even put baby monitors. As far as how hot. It seems to average about 85 degrees. You can get a cheap infrared thermometer from harbor freight. However, most just touch it and can tell when its getting too hot.