Shop wiring

[Ivan Vegvary]

Finishing up my 'woodshop' area within my larger shop. Size is about 12'x3=

6'. =20

Will be moving in the following equipment: Table saw, Radial arm saw, 8" jointer, 5HP Planer moulder, chop saw with st= and, 6' workbench, 12" bandsaw, vacuum dust collector & 14 used kitchen cab= inets.

Want to do some pre-wiring even though I don't know the final layout. All = the walls are 7/16" oriented strandboard, painted white. Will hang 8 4-tub= e flourescents. Lights will all be on one switch, however like in my other= shop areas, I install pull (string pull) switches on every fixture so I am= only using light where needed. =20

Will be doing all my wiring in surface mounted conduit. Got the knack of b= ending it and got loads of 12ga stranded wire on the cheap at garage sales.= =20

Anyway, I'm tempted to put 4plex outlets say about every 5 feet along all t= he walls. Outlets would be about 36" off the floor thereby being below any= cabinets but above typical counter height. I also plan to pull some 10ga = through some of the conduit, drop off some extra empty 4x4 boxes wired for =

220v. The moulder runs better on 220 and I'll probably need 3-5000 watts o= f electrical heat. Obviously the table saw will sit somewhere in the middl= e of the floor and I will have an extra run couduit along the length of the= ceiling ready for 220v.

Short of doing a detailed layout of all the equipment I'm hoping the above = will leave me with opportunity to change my mind many times. =20

NOTE: I'm not an avid woodworker but merely trying to make a separation be= tween my metal machining equipment and this messy 'wood' stuff.

All comments and suggestions appreciated.

Ivan Vegvary

[Josepi]

Check your receptacle heights over your kitchen counters. I would imagine a workbench or surface would want to be similar, in height. If you grab a counter top it may have a backsplash on it too and your receptacle height may be behind it.

Finishing up my 'woodshop' area within my larger shop. Size is about

12'x36'.

Will be moving in the following equipment: Table saw, Radial arm saw, 8" jointer, 5HP Planer moulder, chop saw with stand, 6' workbench, 12" bandsaw, vacuum dust collector & 14 used kitchen cabinets.

Want to do some pre-wiring even though I don't know the final layout. All the walls are 7/16" oriented strandboard, painted white. Will hang 8 4-tube flourescents. Lights will all be on one switch, however like in my other shop areas, I install pull (string pull) switches on every fixture so I am only using light where needed.

Will be doing all my wiring in surface mounted conduit. Got the knack of bending it and got loads of 12ga stranded wire on the cheap at garage sales.

Anyway, I'm tempted to put 4plex outlets say about every 5 feet along all the walls. Outlets would be about 36" off the floor thereby being below any cabinets but above typical counter height. I also plan to pull some 10ga through some of the conduit, drop off some extra empty 4x4 boxes wired for

220v. The moulder runs better on 220 and I'll probably need 3-5000 watts of electrical heat. Obviously the table saw will sit somewhere in the middle of the floor and I will have an extra run couduit along the length of the ceiling ready for 220v.

Short of doing a detailed layout of all the equipment I'm hoping the above will leave me with opportunity to change my mind many times.

NOTE: I'm not an avid woodworker but merely trying to make a separation between my metal machining equipment and this messy 'wood' stuff.

All comments and suggestions appreciated.

Ivan Vegvary

[Ed Pawlowski]

walls. Outlets would be about 36" off the floor

I'd put them at 48". My workbench is about 36" or so and I want them to be above it. If you plan to lean any sheet stock against the wall, make them 50" high.

[Larry Jaques]

walls. Outlets would be about 36" off the floor

I'm with Ed. 4' spacing and 52" above the floor (bottom of outlet), so you have clearance for sheet goods. I ran 2 240v outlets, too. Two together on one long wall, one on the other long wall. 75' of 10/3 extension cording became three 25' pigtails on table saw, bandsaw, and DC. It can be run overhead or behind the scenes as needed.

-- In an industrial society which confuses work and productivity, the necessity of producing has always been an enemy of the desire to create. -- Raoul Vaneigem

[SonomaProducts.com]

Sounds like a great setup.

For my recent build-out I ran some cables overhead (I have a 30' high barn roof/celling) so I could run cords and drop in from overhead to machines out in the middle of the floor. I added a few extra loops of cord hanging at the machines so I can unfurl it and roll the machine around the shop when needed.

[Scott Lurndal]

Hmm. Not many homeowners use #12 THHN, nor do they use stranded as a rule. Are you sure the wire wasn't *hot*?

The most useful outlet in my shop is the 25' retractable cube-tap mounted to the ceiling in the center of the shop.

You don't mention a subpanel. With the number of 240v loads you have, you'll probably need one. The heater should be on a separate circuit. You might be able to get away with the TS, Jointer and shaper on a single circuit so long as you don't use them all at the same time. (the shaper will require a 30A branch circuit (as will the heater if you go 5KVA).

scott

[Twayne]

If I might add a couple thoughts:

-- Well labeled for serving breakers

-- Each box with 220 in it can split off to single 110 so if you ever need to ad a 110, it should be easy to do if there are enough 220's.

-- Single, Dedicated breaker or breaker pair for ALL equipment. Never allow a light to go out if a tool pops a breaker on either 110 or 220.

-- Use no 14 ga; 12 or heavier throughout.

-- Keep good track of your neutrals & how they pair with their hots; do not spread them out!

-- You might be too far along for this once, but have a MAINS switch to the shop that will kill ALL power in the shop in case any get left on accidentally. I used a couple of 4-pole shop switches for this except for lights; they can be turned on/off independently. Same for garage door opener, which power runs thru the shop.

-- Don't forget well placed GFCs.

Thin wall conduit is an excellent choice and makes maintenance later on a breeze! Plus it's not very expensive. Do not rely on it for an earth ground though; still use a third green/bare wire for all equipment. A fish tape s worth its weight in gold.

Good luck!

Twayne`

[Lew Hodgett]

Table saw, Radial arm saw, 8" jointer, 5HP Planer moulder, chop saw with stand, 6' workbench, 12" bandsaw, vacuum dust collector & 14 used kitchen cabinets.

------------------------------------ Is that 5 HP moulder a single phase or a three phase load?

Lew