Workshop electrical

[danpower]

Hello everyone,
I posted a thread a few days ago inquiring about a cement or wooden floor for my workshop in the basement. Thanks to all who responded; I'm going with the painted floor for now and maybe later, as one of the guys put it, install a wooden floor. Anyway, the studded walls are finished (again it's approximately 25' X 13'). Next, is the electrical. I will wire it myself, with a minimum of 40 amps to a sub panel. The heating is hot water radiation. I plan on putting in 6 fluorescent lights with daylight lamps. (Are they ok for shop?) Does anyone have any advice to offer from an electrical perspective. Any do's or dont's? I'm an industrial electrician, but this is my first woodworking shop. Anything that you guys would do over again if you had your time back? I welcome all comments or questions. One other thing, I plan on getting a dust collector rated at 1200 cfm and running sheet metal ducting (with blast gates) around the shop. Is that size big enough? Any hints on running the ducting?

Regards,
Dan P.

[Ken in Regina]

Dan, here's the story of the shop I built (http://gansk.sasktelwebsite.net/new-workshop.htm) a couple of years ago, complete with pictures. I spent a huge amount of time in planning the electrical, including discussions in here about various options. I think I've described my final solutions fairly well in the web page. If you have any specific questions about what I did or why, don't hesitate to ask.

I have one cool white and one daylight bulb in each fluorescent fixture. That gives me a mix that is pretty close to natural light for colours and finishes.

...ken...

[billh]

...
I have one cool white and one daylight bulb in each fluorescent fixture. That gives me a mix that is pretty close to natural light for colours and finishes.

...ken...

I did that too and am happy with it.

I used cheap flourescent fixtures and I wouldn't recommend it. They can buzz so you have to turn the music up. Friend used compact flourescent bulbs in his shop and is happy with them. I don't know about getting a mix of colour temperatures though.

billh

[GolfSteve in Calgary]

Put more 240V outlets in.

I only put one 240V outlet in, intended for a 4800 watt electric heater. I never thought I would own more than one 240V tool, so didn't think I needed more 240V circuits.

Now I have a 240V heater, a 240V bandsaw, and a 240V air compressor. The heater and bandsaw share their recepticle, but I just added a second recepticle for the compressor.

I put three 110V plugs on each wall. The three plugs on each sidewall, along with one plug on the front wall are all on the same circuit. This means that each plug on the front wall is on a different circuit, but all three plugs on the sides are on the same circuit.

I wish the plugs on the side wall were on two different circuits so that I could plug a tablesaw and dust collector in on the same side without risk of an overload.

I also put a plug on the ceiling on it's own circuit. Used to plug in the garage door opener and a retractable reel power cord. Very handy.

I put six fluorescent lights in controlled from two switches. There's no need for the two switches; I always use all the lights. I wish I had hardwired some track lighting over the bench area in addition to the fluorescents.

40 Amp is a big a subpanel as I could install, but if I had a more modern home, I would install a bigger subpanel in the garage.

I also ran a "communications" conduit separate from the power supply conduit between the house and the garage (I have a detached garage). In this conduit I ran a telephone cable, a network cable (just because), and when I had a security system put in, they ran their cables in that conduit. Having a telephone in the garage is quite handy.

[Tony in A'burg]

I am also rewiring my shop as part of a complete basement reno. One thing I did and this was Ken's idea to begin with, was to put the receptacles 4 feet high on the wall then you can lean a sheet of plywood against the wall and still be able to use the plug. Just a minor point but I thought it was a great idea.

Tony

[danpower]

Hey Ken,
That's a different way to do lighting. I'll certainly entertain that idea.......interesting. I'll get to your story of your shop on my lunch break; I'm on the night shiftat the moment, HA!

Regards,
Dan P.

[danpower]

Hello Bill,
Still plenty of light by mixing up the tubes? Also, I will go with the electronic ballast as opposed to the old magnetic type. I have the magnetic type in my garage and you'd swear you were in a substation when I turn the lights on. I do believe that these type ballasts will eventually be phased out, rumor has it anyway. Also, I think the market will change to the thinner diameter bulbs as well. Here's an interesting twist, I work on an offshore oilrig and we have fluorescent fixtures on board that cost over 1000 dollars (each)! They're a unique design. Anwway, thanks for responding.
Regards,
Dan P.

[Robin in Niagara]

I leapfrogged three 220v circuits every four feet and each outlet is 220 and 110 - 2 of each. So wherever you are the plug on either side is on a different circuit. The lighting is on a different breaker so if you pop one you are not in the dark.
Robin

[danpower]

Hi Tony,
I've read something to the same effect, only it was to keep the sockets above 4 feet in certain areas in case you wanted to install a bench there. I'm actually thinking of putting all the sockets approximately 4 feet up; something I'll delve into when I get home. Thanks for responding.
Dan

[danpower]

Hey Steve:
I can appreciate your situation. I basically am going to sit down and draw a floor plan of the shop. Then I'll start to list the circuits. 220 Volt: separate for table saw & air compressor. Probably have 2 sockets on another breaker: drill press and jointer for example. I also realize that at any given time there will be one power tool, dust collector and dust filter. Separate 110 for lighting and air cleaner. Separate circuit for sockets over the bench. Then I'll probably go around the room and alternate every other 110 socket on two separate circuits. In addition I will probably wire in a couple of 20 amp, 110 volt circuits as well. This is just some rough ideas at the moment. The phone is an excellent idea though. I may have to up the service to a 60 amp; I have to allow for spares. Better to be looking at it than for it. Thanks.
Dan

[danpower]

Hello Ken,
I checked out your shop; it must be nice to have your own space. Good job, by the way. Do you find the fluorescent lighting too much at times? I noticed that you have pull chains on them. What model Delta planer do you have? In retrospect, would you buy it again? Thanks for the reply by-the-way.
Dan

[Bri in Mtl]

Ken: "Each fixture has one cool white and one daylight tube"

Ken»Curious as to why you have the above setup?

[Chris in Mount Pearl]

I had an electrican do the install for me. Be sure to lay out the amp ratings for each machine you are planning in future. When he saw the drum sander amp requirements, he laid a heavier gauge wire for that outlet. As mentioned, place a few in the ceiling. Remember, your heater (if electrical) requires 220, air scrubbers are 110, and one more of each in the ceiling is a good idea. We often plan our machine outlets for the walls, but only give passing thought to ceiling layouts. Be sure to cover that as well. Oh, and spend the extra on industrial lighting fixtures. A little more expensive now, but will be appreciated later on. I only had to buy two for a small shop; but man, with flat white paint on ceilings and walls (unpainted and removeable plywood on the lower wall half), those give off serious light.

[billh]

I had no problems with 1 240V circuit for my tools because only 1 was running at the time. This fell apart when I upgraded my DC to a 2HP, 240V one. So allow for that.

I strongly second putting in whatever is necessary for "communications". Even though my shop is just in the basement I have a phone and an intercom. I consider both pieces of safety equipment, in case of accident. Fortunately, the only time I needed the intercom was when I managed to CA glue both hands to a bowl I was making (fortunately, it was off the lathe) and I had to punch the intercom button with my elbow to get my wife (who has not forgottent this) to spray it with the solvent.

BTW, I find the light level from the mix of cool and daylight tubes to be fine.

billh

[Ken in Regina]

I did that too and am happy with it.

I used cheap flourescent fixtures and I wouldn't recommend it. They can buzz so you have to turn the music up. Friend used compact flourescent bulbs in his shop and is happy with them. I don't know about getting a mix of colour temperatures though.

billh
Bill, I used cheap fixtures but I got T8 fixtures (all electronic) so there's no buzz and no flicker.

...ken...

[Ken in Regina]

Hello Ken,
I checked out your shop; it must be nice to have your own space. Good job, by the way. Do you find the fluorescent lighting too much at times? I noticed that you have pull chains on them. What model Delta planer do you have? In retrospect, would you buy it again? Thanks for the reply by-the-way.

Dan,

No, I don't find the lighting too much. The only reason for those pull chains is that those shop lights were the cheapest fixtures I could find ($16.88 at Wal-Mart). The chains are functional but I never use them. They are way too high in the air for me to reach them, anyway. :)

I have the lights wired with two switches by the door so I can turn on just half at a time. I do that sometimes in the daytime if I'm just popping in to grab something but if I'm going to be working in there, all the lights are on, day or night.

The thickness planer is the Delta 22-580 13" dual-speed. I love it. I would surely buy it again because you can normally find them now for much less than I paid for mine.

...ken...

[Ken in Regina]

Ken: "Each fixture has one cool white and one daylight tube"

Ken»Curious as to why you have the above setup?
Bri,

As you may be aware, you can get fluorescent tubes rated in different "temperatures". It has to do with the part of the light spectrum they favor. Some tubes will make things look redder and some will make things look bluer. The temperatures of the cool white and the daylight give me good coverage of the light spectrum so that finishes and colours look as close to natural as you can get under artificial light.

I also find it easier on my eyes than cool white alone. And the daylight bulbs seem to be brighter than the cool white. I haven't checked the "lumens" rating but I suspect that they put out more.

...ken...

[Ken in Regina]

I intentionally didn't get into a lot of gory detail on the web page about how and why I did the wiring the way I did in my new shop. I just assumed that if anyone was really interested they would ask for more details and clarification. It seems useful to this topic for me to elaborate a bit. Sorry for all the posts but this was the part of the shop planning that I spent the most time on, first understanding all the options and, second, deciding among them which would work best for my shop.

It was time well spent. I am satisfied with the results and there is only one thing I would change if I were doing it again.

The main thing I did was use split receptacles, like they do in kitchen counter wiring. You start with a double breaker, in my case 240V 15A. This breaker gives you either one 240V 15A circuit or two 120V 15A circuits. You wire to the receptacles with 14/3 wire (remember in my case it's a 15A breaker, no matter which voltage you are using). You buy a receptacle (outlet) that allows you to snap off the connection between the two plugs so each plug is isolated. Then you wire the receptacle so that one of the hot leads powers one plug and the other hot lead powers the other plug.

Voila! Now you have a single outlet that provides access to two 15A circuits. You can now safely plug in and run two appliances that add up to more than 15A into the same receptacle without worrying about blowing the breaker.

I mounted outlet boxes on every second stud. The studs are 16" on centre so the outlets are 32" apart. When I wired, I ran two strings in each wall and alternated the breaker that each outlet was wired to. The net result is that any two adjacent receptacles give me access to four 15A circuits.

There are a couple of things to remember when doing new wiring.

One: Wire, breakers and receptacles are cheap.

Two: You can never have too many outlets.

I used five 240V 15A breakers in the shop. Four of them supply the wall outlets, two across the front and down one wall, two down the other wall and across the back. The fifth supplies the ceiling.

I took a different approach to the ceiling than most people. I made a decision not to put any wire inside the ceiling. I recognized that I had absolutely no idea what I might need for lighting so I figured I would make it as easy as possible to add and change lighting as I began to use the shop. I mounted surface-mount outlets along the peak of the ceiling and ran 14/3 wire. That string is also from a 240V 15A breaker and I split the receptacles again, to get two 120V 15A circuits in each outlet. I wired in two switches at the door, each switch controlling one of the hot leads from the breaker. That way I can switch one side of each outlet with one switch and the other side of each outlet with the other.

For lighting I bought T8 fluorescent shoplights that are already wired to plug in. It all makes for a bit of a messy looking ceiling, but I never look up there, so I don't care. It's my hobby playhouse, not a show home! I have the flexibility to double the amount of light that I have and to move it around any time I feel the need. I can do it all without having to mess with wire in the ceiling and I don't have to worry about any breaks in the ceiling vapour barrier. I also didn't have to worry about making cuts for electrical boxes into any of the ceiling panels.

One advantage to doing all my 120V 15A basic wiring using double breakers and split outlets is that if I ever decide to buy some 240V tools I have the option to convert an outlet to 240V any time I want by simply replacing the receptacle with a proper 240V receptacle.

I hedged my bets for future major changes another way, too. I installed a 24-slot panel. If I ever need to install, say, a heavier breaker for either 240V or 120V I still have empty slots and I can always surface-mount the wire and outlets for another circuit. This panel was only about 10 bucks more than a smaller panel.

Now we get to the one thing I would change. I only ran one string of 12 guage wire. I put in a string of three outlets on the south wall on the 12 guage wire. I initially connected it to a 120V 15A breaker. As soon as I plugged in my tablesaw it popped the breaker from the startup surge three out of four times. So I had to immediately upgrade the breaker to a 20A breaker (easier than rewiring the saw and an outlet to 240V). Now I have three outlets on the south wall that are 120V 20A.

If I had it to do again, I would have also strung a 12 guage wire in the north wall with another three outlets on it, to give me the flexibility to move the saw to the other side of the shop without running an extension cord or rewiring it to 240V. It's a very minor issue and if I ever want to move the saw over there I'll just install another 20A breaker in the panel and surface mount some wire and outlets on the north wall.

As was mentioned already, I mounted the wall outlets high enough that I can lean a sheet of plywood against the wall without hiding them. I installed the OSB panels horizontally on the wall. I placed the boxes so that the lower panels would fit underneath without having to cut the panels. For the upper panels every cut for an electrical box was into the lower edge of a panel .. dead simple to jigsaw three-sided cuts.

Sorry for the book but I wanted to share the details with Dan and anyone else thinking of doing new wiring, because I did a number of things quite differently than most people do when wiring their shops and I'm really pleased with how all of it turned out.

Remember: You can never have too many outlets. :)

...ken...

[billh]

...

I also find it easier on my eyes than cool white alone. And the daylight bulbs seem to be brighter than the cool white. I haven't checked the "lumens" rating but I suspect that they put out more.

...ken...

The cool and warm combination also works well for plants and are a lot cheaper than grow-tubes. Those of you growing materials for funny cigarettes will still have to stay with the higher powered lamps.

billh

[billh]

Bill, I used cheap fixtures but I got T8 fixtures (all electronic) so there's no buzz and no flicker.

...ken...

Ken,
What was the approximate price? My cheap was about $18 for a 2-tube, 4 ft fixture without tubes.

billh

[Ken in Regina]

Ken,
What was the approximate price? My cheap was about $18 for a 2-tube, 4 ft fixture without tubes.

billh
$16.88 at Wal-Mart, without tubes. I had to look around for them. The store nearest me almost never has them in stock but the store at the east side of town usually as them, and when I was looking for the initial purchase for the shop I found a pallet load of them at the south store. It's Wal-Mart, what can I say.

What I really find stupid is that I've never been able to find any T8 tubes at Wal-Mart. On the other hand, both Home Depots here have a great selection of T8 tubes but they hardly ever have any T8 fixtures in stock, and the few they do have are expensive. And I haven't been able to find either T8 tubes or T8 fixtures at Canadian Tire.

...ken...

[Mike in London]

Hi Dan

I'm glad to see you changed your mind about the 40A subpanel, I'd say 60A is the minimum for a woodshop, gotta figure for the future. Say a 3hp TS @ 18A, 3hp thickness planer @ 18A, DC @ 10A, gotta have something to heat that water, say 20A, and the next thing you know, you don't have the capacity. I didn't catch where your shop is, garage or basement?

One other suggestion, I know you said you're an Electrician, but you said this is your first shop, I am as well and I've done this few times. I suggest you wire your whole system in EMT(makes it easy to expand), for 120V circuits, use 20A, 5-20RA duplex receptacles(T-slots) and allow lots of room for 240V circuits as well. I installed a 100A 24 circuit panel in my shop and it's full, next step is mini breakers to replace some of the full slot breakers.

As far as your DC ducting, keep it as large as the intake on your DC, if it's 6", run 6" main duct and you can reduce further down the line.

Have fun
Mike

[danpower]

Hello Chris,
Even though I have hot water radiation heating in the house, I'm still am thinking about putting in a small 240 volt unit to assist. I keep the temperature in the basement at about 16 deg as it's not finished yet and it's all on one zone. As far as the ceiling is concerned, I will leave that wide open. So I have flexibility to install ceiling outlets later. Thanks for the thought.
Dan P.
P.S. Is that Mt. Pearl Next to St. J's?

[danpower]

Hi Dan

I'm glad to see you changed your mind about the 40A subpanel, I'd say 60A is the minimum for a woodshop, gotta figure for the future. Say a 3hp TS @ 18A, 3hp thickness planer @ 18A, DC @ 10A, gotta have something to heat that water, say 20A, and the next thing you know, you don't have the capacity. I didn't catch where your shop is, garage or basement?

One other suggestion, I know you said you're an Electrician, but you said this is your first shop, I am as well and I've done this few times. I suggest you wire your whole system in EMT(makes it easy to expand), for 120V circuits, use 20A, 5-20RA duplex receptacles(T-slots) and allow lots of room for 240V circuits as well. I installed a 100A 24 circuit panel in my shop and it's full, next step is mini breakers to replace some of the full slot breakers.

As far as your DC ducting, keep it as large as the intake on your DC, if it's 6", run 6" main duct and you can reduce further down the line.

Have fun
Mike

Hi Mike,
The shop is in the basement. The hot water radiation system has been in place since I built the house 5 years ago. The basement heating is one of the 4 zones. I will leave that as it is; I keep the temperature at 16 deg down there as it is unfinished. I think what I'll do is to install a 3KW, 220 Volt forced air heater. So, either way, current is current. That would run 13-14 amps. As for the bigger tools, yes, I'm looking at these numbers you just put forth. I don't really want to run EMT as it is more time consuming, but that is certainly, without a doubt, the best way to do this. I am leaving the ceiling as it is. So, once the drywall is on and I find I need something else I can run maybe armoured cable (BX) down the wall and use surface mounted boxes. Again Mike, I'm on the industrial side of things and residental is not my forte. I plan on giving this whole deal here a pile of scrutiny before I start. Be rest assured that I will put in more than required. Once I figure out the number of circuits, I'll add 25% and then take the next higher number circuit panel available. How does that sound? Thanks for the advice on the dust control. Is it better to keep the horizontal DC piping high up or low to the floor. I realize the latter would would be better as far a having more suction, is concerned. Else, I can scrap the lot of this and buy you a return ticket to my home and get you to do the job for me, LOL. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Regards,
Dan Power

[danpower]

I intentionally didn't get into a lot of gory detail on the web page about how and why I did the wiring the way I did in my new shop. I just assumed that if anyone was really interested they would ask for more details and clarification. It seems useful to this topic for me to elaborate a bit. Sorry for all the posts but this was the part of the shop planning that I spent the most time on, first understanding all the options and, second, deciding among them which would work best for my shop.

It was time well spent. I am satisfied with the results and there is only one thing I would change if I were doing it again.

The main thing I did was use split receptacles, like they do in kitchen counter wiring. You start with a double breaker, in my case 240V 15A. This breaker gives you either one 240V 15A circuit or two 120V 15A circuits. You wire to the receptacles with 14/3 wire (remember in my case it's a 15A breaker, no matter which voltage you are using). You buy a receptacle (outlet) that allows you to snap off the connection between the two plugs so each plug is isolated. Then you wire the receptacle so that one of the hot leads powers one plug and the other hot lead powers the other plug.

Voila! Now you have a single outlet that provides access to two 15A circuits. You can now safely plug in and run two appliances that add up to more than 15A into the same receptacle without worrying about blowing the breaker.

I mounted outlet boxes on every second stud. The studs are 16" on centre so the outlets are 32" apart. When I wired, I ran two strings in each wall and alternated the breaker that each outlet was wired to. The net result is that any two adjacent receptacles give me access to four 15A circuits.

There are a couple of things to remember when doing new wiring.

One: Wire, breakers and receptacles are cheap.

Two: You can never have too many outlets.

I used five 240V 15A breakers in the shop. Four of them supply the wall outlets, two across the front and down one wall, two down the other wall and across the back. The fifth supplies the ceiling.

I took a different approach to the ceiling than most people. I made a decision not to put any wire inside the ceiling. I recognized that I had absolutely no idea what I might need for lighting so I figured I would make it as easy as possible to add and change lighting as I began to use the shop. I mounted surface-mount outlets along the peak of the ceiling and ran 14/3 wire. That string is also from a 240V 15A breaker and I split the receptacles again, to get two 120V 15A circuits in each outlet. I wired in two switches at the door, each switch controlling one of the hot leads from the breaker. That way I can switch one side of each outlet with one switch and the other side of each outlet with the other.

For lighting I bought T8 fluorescent shoplights that are already wired to plug in. It all makes for a bit of a messy looking ceiling, but I never look up there, so I don't care. It's my hobby playhouse, not a show home! I have the flexibility to double the amount of light that I have and to move it around any time I feel the need. I can do it all without having to mess with wire in the ceiling and I don't have to worry about any breaks in the ceiling vapour barrier. I also didn't have to worry about making cuts for electrical boxes into any of the ceiling panels.

One advantage to doing all my 120V 15A basic wiring using double breakers and split outlets is that if I ever decide to buy some 240V tools I have the option to convert an outlet to 240V any time I want by simply replacing the receptacle with a proper 240V receptacle.

I hedged my bets for future major changes another way, too. I installed a 24-slot panel. If I ever need to install, say, a heavier breaker for either 240V or 120V I still have empty slots and I can always surface-mount the wire and outlets for another circuit. This panel was only about 10 bucks more than a smaller panel.

Now we get to the one thing I would change. I only ran one string of 12 guage wire. I put in a string of three outlets on the south wall on the 12 guage wire. I initially connected it to a 120V 15A breaker. As soon as I plugged in my tablesaw it popped the breaker from the startup surge three out of four times. So I had to immediately upgrade the breaker to a 20A breaker (easier than rewiring the saw and an outlet to 240V). Now I have three outlets on the south wall that are 120V 20A.

If I had it to do again, I would have also strung a 12 guage wire in the north wall with another three outlets on it, to give me the flexibility to move the saw to the other side of the shop without running an extension cord or rewiring it to 240V. It's a very minor issue and if I ever want to move the saw over there I'll just install another 20A breaker in the panel and surface mount some wire and outlets on the north wall.

As was mentioned already, I mounted the wall outlets high enough that I can lean a sheet of plywood against the wall without hiding them. I installed the OSB panels horizontally on the wall. I placed the boxes so that the lower panels would fit underneath without having to cut the panels. For the upper panels every cut for an electrical box was into the lower edge of a panel .. dead simple to jigsaw three-sided cuts.

Sorry for the book but I wanted to share the details with Dan and anyone else thinking of doing new wiring, because I did a number of things quite differently than most people do when wiring their shops and I'm really pleased with how all of it turned out.

Remember: You can never have too many outlets. :)

...ken...

Hi Ken,
I'm not sure about splitting the receptacles; I understand perfectly how to do it but don't know of a need for it. How have you justified it so far? I think as far as my shop goes I'll put the receptacles over the workbench on one circuit, probably a couple of 20 amps as well. Then I'll alternate 110V, 15A receptacle around the shop. I'll also include separate 20 amp ckts around the shop, bearing in mind what you said, to give more flexibility in moving the bigger units around. The thing to remember here is that I'm a one man show. I'll definitely go with a better quality lighting, ie, the quiet type. Thank-you for the effort. It was certainly appreciated.

Regards,
Dan Power:)

[Chris in Mount Pearl]

Dan, That's the one. Andy Wells (St. John's mayor), would love to bring us back to the fold. Fat chance.

Hello Chris,
Even though I have hot water radiation heating in the house, I'm still am thinking about putting in a small 240 volt unit to assist. I keep the temperature in the basement at about 16 deg as it's not finished yet and it's all on one zone. As far as the ceiling is concerned, I will leave that wide open. So I have flexibility to install ceiling outlets later. Thanks for the thought.
Dan P.
P.S. Is that Mt. Pearl Next to St. J's?

[Mike in London]

Hi Mike,
The shop is in the basement. The hot water radiation system has been in place since I built the house 5 years ago. The basement heating is one of the 4 zones. I will leave that as it is; I keep the temperature at 16 deg down there as it is unfinished. I think what I'll do is to install a 3KW, 220 Volt forced air heater. So, either way, current is current. That would run 13-14 amps. As for the bigger tools, yes, I'm looking at these numbers you just put forth. I don't really want to run EMT as it is more time consuming, but that is certainly, without a doubt, the best way to do this. I am leaving the ceiling as it is. So, once the drywall is on and I find I need something else I can run maybe armoured cable (BX) down the wall and use surface mounted boxes. Again Mike, I'm on the industrial side of things and residental is not my forte. I plan on giving this whole deal here a pile of scrutiny before I start. Be rest assured that I will put in more than required. Once I figure out the number of circuits, I'll add 25% and then take the next higher number circuit panel available. How does that sound? Thanks for the advice on the dust control. Is it better to keep the horizontal DC piping high up or low to the floor. I realize the latter would would be better as far a having more suction, is concerned. Else, I can scrap the lot of this and buy you a return ticket to my home and get you to do the job for me, LOL. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Regards,
Dan Power

Hi Dan

Sounds like you have a plan. I'm more on the industrial side as well, 17 years working in maintenance, but I just finished taking a Master Electrician course to get my Masters liciense, so alot of this stuff is just floating around up there waiting for a chance to get out.:lol:

As far as how to run your DC duct, I really think it depends on the placement of your equipment. For example, if all your machines are going to be against a perimeter wall on moblie bases, so you can pull them out when needed, I'd say keep your duct low and only on one wall. But if you're going to scatter your machinery around and make work triangles, then I'd say run your duct on the ceiling down the center of your shop.

Best thing to do is to draw up with some sort of floor plan and go from there, you'll have to do it for your electrical anyways, so just use the same plan to layout your DC duct.

Mike

[Brian from Arborg MB]

I'm building a 20' X 30' shop. I have most of it wired already. 200Amp service, lots of plugs, lots of lights. I'm a firm believer in doing it once and doing it right. Now, i will have a welder in my shop (hence the 200Amp service) since i'm very handy with metal. (welding/sawdust :confused:) Anyway, i put up four double 4' ers and found it was still so dark that i could hardly find my tools. I'm changing to "lots of light" now. I agree, you can never have to many plugs and lights. I also installed a telephone wire. My shop has a loft as well, again, i have 6 plugs in my loft including a telephone plug. Might use the loft as an office/entertainment room. Have fun building. Remember, wiring is not very costly. GO DO IT RIGHT!!

Brian

[Chris Fournier]

I think that you are a bit shy of lighting assuming that you are installing 4' fixtures. You will not regret going with 8 units. As you know, the flourescents are inexpensive and you won't regret the extra $50 down the road.

[Ken in Regina]

Hi Ken,
I'm not sure about splitting the receptacles; I understand perfectly how to do it but don't know of a need for it. How have you justified it so far?
Dan,

It didn't cost me any more to do it this way, not in dollars or work effort, so there was really nothing to "justify". But perhaps that's not really what you meant?

I'm also a one-man show. I have found over the years that my tool use tends to happen in clusters. I love the fact that I can have four tools of any size up to 15A each plugged into just two outlets only 32" apart. This is particularly nice for the workbench that has the small stationery tools (grinder, 1" belt sander, etc.). It meant that I did not have to be careful about where I placed my wall-mounted workbenches and I can relocate them anywhere I want without regard to the wiring (because it's the same anywhere I move them to).

It means I don't have to go looking for extension cords as often. It means that when I plug in a corded hand tool I can just shove it into the same outlet that already has my compressor plugged into the other half of the outlet, if that's the handiest place to plug it in, and I don't have to worry about the breaker going when the compressor kicks in.

And I can have the (1HP) dust collector and my two shop vacuums plugged into the same outlets as the jointer or thickness planer or bandsaw or mitre saw. As a matter of fact, at this moment the dust collector is plugged into the same outlet as the thickness planer, the 2 1/2" vacuum is plugged into the same outlet as the bandsaw and the 1 1/2" vacuum is plugged into the same outlet as the mitre saw. Not because I planned it that way, but because those were the most convenient places to plug those things in the last time I used them, without having to get an extension cord (eg. last time I used them, I used the dust collector on the planer, the large vac on the bandsaw and the small vac on the mitre saw).

And if my son-in-law or daughter happen to be over doing something in the shop, I don't have to worry about turning on a stationary tool if they happen to have a hand tool plugged into the same outlet.

I could go on, but you should get the point. It's not one single big thing. It's just the total flexibility ... Happiness is never having to worry about what's plugged into the other half of any outlet (except my three 20A outlets which aren't split).

Would I miss it if I'd never done it? Maybe not. With the 32" spacing between outlets and alternating each outlet between breakers so no two adjacent outlets are on the same breaker, I would still have lots of flexibility.

But now that I've done it and lived with it this way for over a year, I sure would never do it any other way in the future. It has proven more useful even than I had anticipated.

I hope that answers your question.

...ken...

[J.P. Rap]

Hi Ken. I like the way you layed out your electrical and I plan on doing the same...or close to it anyhow.
I just want to make sure I understand.

I used five 240V 15A breakers in the shop. Four of them supply the wall outlets, two across the front and down one wall, two down the other wall and across the back. The fifth supplies the ceiling.

Are you using 5 double pole breakers (10 - 15 amp breakers in all) or 5 - 15 amp breakers (4 for the plugs and one for the lights)?
I believe you are using 5 DP breakers but I just wanted to check. I don't have room in my pannel for that many breakers but I could change things around a bit to accomidate. I think I have room for 8 breakers in my shop pannel but I would have to check to be sure.

[danpower]

Hello Ken,
I hope I wasn't being too blunt there on my first comment. I guess what I was trying to ask was if you found it more beneficial to wire in split receptacles, and it's quite obvious that you have. I can see from the comments from everyone that the general point is to allow yourself lots of room for power. So, I've already change my mind from a 40 to a 60 amp service and a much bigger subpanel to boot. Mike, from London, raised a good point, and that's to install mini breakers in his panel; which, is already full.
Thanks again Ken,
Dan P.

[Gary in Niagara]

Hi Ken. I like the way you layed out your electrical and I plan on doing the same...or close to it anyhow.


JP I did something like this too but I only ran a single 14/3 wire and instead of split receptacles I used double boxes with 2 plugs. I also spaced the boxes a little farther apart because I thought that I could save cutting around quite as many boxes.Every time I ran the 'R'ed wire to the right plug and the b'L'ack wire to the left so it follows this pattern throughout the wall. I find that I don't need more than 2 - 15amp circuits most of the time and if I do I can run from the other wall (ie shop vac has a long cord). After reading Mike's suggestion of EMT I think that may have been the easiest way, if it is on the surface you don't have to cut holes, you don't have to worry about vapour barrier and you can make changes.

One thing that you may want to consider with your lighting is hang your fixtures where you think you may want them and connect them temporarily, you can fine tune the placing before running the cables.

[J.P. Rap]

I plan on surface wiring just about everything. I'm not using EMT but I may go with BX. I know there is a certain hight , if the wires are above it, they don't need to be protected but I have to check the code for that hight. I have miles of wire here that I would like to use up (provided it's legal) before I go out and buy more but it's not BX.

[danpower]

Hey JP,
That's why I'm leaving my ceiling open in the basement, because once the walls are done I can use surface mount boxes with BX cable. Leaves room for a bit of flexibility. What are you installing for lighting? Just Fluorescents?
Dan

[ArtMulder]

Dan, there has been a lot of good points raised in this thread.

Are their young children in your house? If so, you may want to consider a cutoff or lockout box on the subpanel, so that you can kill power to the shop when you leave.

For those people who don't have a subpanel feeding their basement shop, another method I've seen suggested (By Michael Kampen from Port Alberni) is to wire your tool circuits first to a switch just inside the door (up high) and from then on to the tool. This gives you a short row of switches by the door that can be flipped off when you're done for the day, killing switch to the major tools.

I have neither of those, as I didn't get those ideas given to me until after I'd started using my own shop.

However, I did put in a cutoff switch for my tablesaw - the tool that "scares" me the most, especially in regards to my kids. My saw is wired for 120v, on a dedicated circuit. However, I terminated the circuit in a 2-gang box and wired it up so that there is an illuminated switch controlling the outlet.

First, when leaving the shop, I can see if there is power to the saw, as the light will stand out in the dark shop after I cut the lights. (and I've ingrained the habit to look around before leaving.) Second, when changing a blade I can just kill the switch and not have to unplug the saw.

best,
...art

[J.P. Rap]

Hey JP,
That's why I'm leaving my ceiling open in the basement, because once the walls are done I can use surface mount boxes with BX cable. Leaves room for a bit of flexibility. What are you installing for lighting? Just Fluorescents?
Dan
Dan, you can check out this thread (http://www.canadianwoodworking.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15870) for my lighting plans. Maybe you'll have some input.
My ceiling will be insulated and drywalled. I doubt there will be any issues with surface mounting Romex at the peak for lighting. I may install outlets on the ceiling as was suggested.
Im hoping I can run Romex along the top of the wall and just drop down to each outlet. That way I can use up the miles of Romex I have hanging around here and not have to spend more money on BX or EMT.
It will be quite some time before I get to that stage.

[J.P. Rap]

Are their young children in your house? If so, you may want to consider a cutoff or lockout box on the subpanel, so that you can kill power to the shop when you leave.

Art

Good point Art. In my old shop everything was unplugged before I left the shop but I was never completely comfortable with that.
My new shop has a sub pannel with a main breaker. There are also 2 (maybe 3) circuits coming in from the house that were originaly used for outside lights. At least one of those will be used for coach lights. I think I might use one for the garage door opener and maybe another light. That way I can turn off all the power in the shop and still have power to the door opener and one light. Im not completely sure how Im going to lay it out yet. My heat will likely require power for a fan so I'll have to have another circuit for that in the winter. It's been so long since I've been out there, I don't remember what is there.:oops:
I expect to get back at it as soon as the temps get above 0.

[Brian @ Muir]

welding/sawdust :confused:) Anyway, i put up four double 4' ers and found it was still so dark that i could hardly find my tools. I'm changing to "lots of light" now.
Brian

Brian.. I have the same problem in relation to finding tools. It has nothing to do with light and is probably due to me keeping a messy shop. Good luck with your lights.

Brian

[danpower]

Dan, there has been a lot of good points raised in this thread.

Are their young children in your house? If so, you may want to consider a cutoff or lockout box on the subpanel, so that you can kill power to the shop when you leave.

For those people who don't have a subpanel feeding their basement shop, another method I've seen suggested (By Michael Kampen from Port Alberni) is to wire your tool circuits first to a switch just inside the door (up high) and from then on to the tool. This gives you a short row of switches by the door that can be flipped off when you're done for the day, killing switch to the major tools.

I have neither of those, as I didn't get those ideas given to me until after I'd started using my own shop.

However, I did put in a cutoff switch for my tablesaw - the tool that "scares" me the most, especially in regards to my kids. My saw is wired for 120v, on a dedicated circuit. However, I terminated the circuit in a 2-gang box and wired it up so that there is an illuminated switch controlling the outlet.

First, when leaving the shop, I can see if there is power to the saw, as the light will stand out in the dark shop after I cut the lights. (and I've ingrained the habit to look around before leaving.) Second, when changing a blade I can just kill the switch and not have to unplug the saw.

best,
...art

Hey Art,
I can certainly appreciate this advice. I plan on putting a lockable breaker on the main panel feed to the subpanel. I do have a 9 year old daughter and the extra cost is worth the peace of mind. I work a 3 week on and a 3 week off rotation. While I'm away the doors will be locked to the shop, the main breaker at the sub panel will be shut off, all equipment will be unplugged, and the subpanel feed breaker will be off and locked. That should secure things. Thanks for the input.
Dan

[Ken in Regina]

Hi Ken. I like the way you layed out your electrical and I plan on doing the same...or close to it anyhow.
I just want to make sure I understand.

Are you using 5 double pole breakers (10 - 15 amp breakers in all) or 5 - 15 amp breakers (4 for the plugs and one for the lights)?
That would be five 240V/15A breakers on 14/3 cable. I'm pretty sure they are what you called "double pole" breakers .. requires a slot that connects it to both legs in the box .. two hots and a neutral out but one handle on the breaker. Right?

I was doing new wiring so I installed a 100A 24 slot panel, sans breaker. It was, like, ten bucks more than an itty-bitty 60A panel kit so it was pretty much a no-brainer.

If you already understand how to wire split receptacles for a kitchen counter to current code you don't need to read further.

Each breaker provides two hots and a neutral. I ran 14/3 wire through the walls. When the wire gets to the outlet box I pigtailed it to go into the box. The neutral goes to one side of the receptacle. I break off the bridging tab between the plugs on the other side of the receptacle and connect one hot lead to one plug and the other hot lead to the other plug.

That provides approximately the same connection as if I had run two 14/2 cables to the outlet from two 120V/15A breakers (single pole?), popped the bridging tabs off both sides of the receptacle and connected each 14/2 to one plug (I don't even think that's legal .. I just use it for comparison). The difference is that if one side blows it takes out the whole breaker so you lose the other plug at the same time. This is not an issue for me.

I hope that answers the question.

...ken...

[J.P. Rap]

Yes , it does answer the question.
5 240V 15 A breakers. That means 10 power lines coming out of the box. I don't have the capacity for that but I can come close.
Thanx.

[Ken in Regina]

Yes , it does answer the question.
5 240V 15 A breakers. That means 10 power lines coming out of the box. I don't have the capacity for that but I can come close.
Thanx.
J.P.,

That's still only 5 wires coming out of the box, not ten. Five runs of 14/3. A 14/3 wire has four wires in it: two hots, one neutral and one bare copper ground.

When you get to the outlet box with the 14/3, you connect the neutral to one side of the receptacle. Doesn't matter which screw you connect it to because it will be bridged to both plugs.

On the other side of the receptacle you take a pair of needle nose pliers and twist off the tab that bridges between the two screws. Then you connect one hot lead to one screw and the other hot lead to the other screw. This is why it's called a "split receptacle" .. you've split the hot side of the receptacle.

(The bare copper ground goes to the outlet box, as usual.)

I suppose you could do the same thing with dual runs of 14/2 by stuffing the two neutrals into the same neutral connector on the breaker. But I'm not sure why you would.

...ken...

[Glenn at Raven]

With regard to phones in the workshop. I have a Uniden PowerMax 5.8Ghz cordless phone with two charging cradles. With the master phone plugged in in the house it transmits very well to the satellite phone out in the shop - about 300 feet away from the house.

[Ken in Regina]

With regard to phones in the workshop. I have a Uniden PowerMax 5.8Ghz cordless phone with two charging cradles. With the master phone plugged in in the house it transmits very well to the satellite phone out in the shop - about 300 feet away from the house.
Hi Glenn,

I do the same. My last phone set (four handsets) was a 2.4GHz setup. Current one (three handsets) is a 5.8GHz. I should have held out for a four-handset outfit because now one of the handsets has to go with me from my computer room to the shop. I'm of an age where the handset is usually in the place that I'm not. :rolleyes:

I gave it a lot of thought over the year and a half that I planned the shop. In the end, I didn't run any wire, other than electrical, into the shop. We've been using wireless phone systems for years, with good success and my computer router is wireless-capable. If I ever decide to move my second computer into the shop I'll just toss in a cheap wireless network card to connect it.

...ken...

[J.P. Rap]

J.P.,

That's still only 5 wires coming out of the box, not ten. Five runs of 14/3. A 14/3 wire has four wires in it: two hots, one neutral and one bare copper ground.

...
Yep. Got it. Five cables ...10 power lines, two in each cable.