Power for tablesaw in shop?

[nospambob]

Initiated a new woodworking shop endeavor last week and have "anything goes" on electrical from the contractor and wonder where the "typical" power source is for the TS whether 110V or 220V. Currently have 110V TS and it was plugged into a ceiling receptacle and was happy with that not having to step over a cord on the floor but inquiring minds wonder what other alternatives exist. Got the X10 for dust collection that was utilizing the same circuit and enjoyed it muchly. Small compressor can use either voltage but will probably convert to 220V for efficiency. Shop/garage will be 24X30 with 9' ceilings with half bath and drain board/sink adjacent and 3 windows with 18' garage door and person door. Anxiously awaiting completion! Anxiously awaiting responses also.

[Eric in North TX]

It probably depends on how much you use it. I inherited my dads wood working equipment, and most of it is 220v but, he used it a good portion of every day, so it made sense to have it on 220v for the savings on electricity. I will say they are more powerful than before he made the motor switch, you just can't lug down the belt sander, and the table saw is like a hot knife through butter. I don't know if he upped the HP when he made the change, but they are sweet machines now.

[Clint]

AFAIK, there is no energy savings to be had, running 220(240?) instead of

110/120. There may be less voltage drop when running 220, but no energy savings.

DAGS for "120v 240v difference", and have fun. :)

Clint

[Leon]

I would say most, including me simply, use an extension cord. I have used an extension cord since 1981. In 1999 I upgraded to a cabinet saw and use a

10-3 extension cord 30' long. I have never tripped over either. Until I have a larger shop with a stationary and permanent position for the saw, I will continue using the extension cord.

[<aemeijers]

Can&#39;t address the power question, but if this is a &#39;clean paper&#39; setup and the slab hasn&#39;t been poured yet, I&#39;d tuck a 3x3 shower stall in that half bath, especially if there is a SWMBO in the picture. If you are doing a big project and get all sweaty and sawdust covered, they get real cranky when you track that into the house. If this fancy shop isn&#39;t at home, it is real nice to be able to clean up before meeting people for dinner.

aem sends....

[hallerb]

run conduit in floor install floor outlets for fixed tools like table saw.

install at least a 100 amp sub panel for your new shop with lots of convenience outlets.

[C&S]

I would make sure that the feed is a dedicated outlet. Then you can change the voltage from 110 to 220 by just swapping out outlet an breaker. I would also go with 10 guage wire just in case you want to move up to a 5HP machine some day.

The one outlet that I had to "add" in my (20x25) shop after constrution was the 110 under the saw outfeed table (my saw is in the middle of the room). I now have a power strip there so I don alway have to plug in on the perimeter of the room.

-Steve

[JoeM]

[Rich]

Yes the amperage is cut in half because it&#39;s split between two circuts not because your drawing halve the wattage. The wattage stays the same and that is what your paying for.

[Mark Lloyd]

And it&#39;s be good to have a phone in there too. Maybe one of those you can answer without touching it.

[Greg O]

While we are dreaming, don&#39;t forget the separate room, with the big screen TV, surround sound and a pool table! Oops! Don&#39;t forget the beer fridge and wet bar too! Greg

[Jonesy]

Go for the 220, I faced the same dilema but was very glad I went to

220. I also made an extension cord for the 220 because I roll my TS out onto my driveway on a good day. elieve me you won&#39;t be sorry on those thicker cuts.

Dave

[Clint]

To continue what Rich said, around here we pay for electrical power by the kilowatt-hour. Wattage = voltage * amps. So if your tablesaw draws 15 amps at 120v (15A * 120V = 1800W), it&#39;s the same as 7.5A @ 240V (7.5A * 240V =

1800W) in terms of actual power used, and therefore cost.

BTW, when replying to (and quoting) someone else&#39;s post, it&#39;s poor practice to include the same quote identifier in front of your text. Makes it hard to pick out what you&#39;re trying to say. This is simply my opinion, unlike some people who will try to what an "Internet Standard" is (regarding top/bottom posting).

Clint

[Robert L Wilson]

The wattage used by the motor would stay the same, if the voltage to the motor were the same, although even this is ignoring resistive losses within the motor. But the phrase "There may be less voltage drop when running 220, but no energy savings." does not make much sense: The voltage drop amounts to turning electricity into heat in the wiring, wiring in the building and in the power cord etc., and it unless you want to count that toward heating the building it is exactly enery lost, so if there is less of it at 220 then there is energy saved. There are lots of details if you want to go into them, such as the back-emf generated by the motor and how that falls off with load, but overall more of the electricity you are paying for will go into making sawdust at 220 than at 110. Going back to the first sentence, note that a different voltage drop makes for different voltage to the motor, so nothing here is simple. Bob Wilson

[Mark Lloyd]

And virtual racetrack.

[Jim]

If it were my shop, I would install a 220 receptacle because the extension could be twice as long before the voltage drop across the extension would become a problem. FYI, I plug my saw into a 120 receptacle.

O well, the saw never gets more than 20 feet from the receptacle.

Jim

[Stormin Mormon]

Work is accomplished by watts. You pay for watts, not amps. There is no savings with 220 volts.

[Stormin Mormon]

Watts equals amps times volts.

Lets see. Twice the volts, and half the amps. Multiply by two, and then multiply by 0.5.... see what happens. Try it yourself, it&#39;s a real surprise.

[Glen]

Yes, amperage is cut in half but since power is product of amps and volts, watts are still same. My electric Co. bills on watts (kilowatts). Does yours bill on amperage?

[lwasserm]

Hey, you left out the servant&#39;s quarters!