Shop layout question (woodshop)

[Ivan Vegvary]

Finishing shop electrical, all in conduit. Shop is 36 feet long with the f= irst 24 feet being 10ft.=B1 wide and the last 12 feet being 12ft.=B1 wide.

Two questions:

1) Shop floor (concrete) slopes 1 inch per 10 feet. Not noticeable until = you find out that the OSB sheets nailed to the vertical studs need to be tr= immed top and bottom. BTW the area described above is all within a larger = shop. What do you guys do with your benches and counters. Shim them up le= vel? I suppose items on stands such as planer, jointer, band saw, table sa= w etc. will simply just sit on the sloping floor.

2) The table saw will obviously go out in the middle of the floor being at= least 8 feet from the end walls so full size sheets can be managed. How d= o you run power to said freestanding saw. Do you drop a line from above an= d keep fighting it while you cut sheets? Do you drop from above but far en= ough to the sides so that interference is minimal? Do I saw-cut the concre= te and try to feed the saw from below? That would certainly limit my choic= es if I ever want to change layouts.

All comments, help appreciated.

Ivan Vegvary

[Puckdropper]

Ivan Vegvary wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I usually don't care about level. Level is much less important than flat and true. As long as my bench was flat and true, and only a little off level (so a pencil or screwdriver doesn't want to roll off), I'd leave it.

1 in 120 inches isn't a big grade, so it might not be worth attempting to shim up a work area.

My jointer, planer, and TS all feed from a power strip (they're never used at the same time) that is run across the floor. The cord lays flat, and hasn't been much of a tripping hazard (for me). The cord does provide a place for dust to gather and has to be moved any time I'm sweeping the shop.

I plan on changing this, however. I'd rather have the cords come down from above to totally eliminate the hassle of a cord on the floor. The way I've got the shop set up, a line can come down between the planer and jointer (and run a few feet over to the saw) with little issue.

If you decide to saw cut the concrete to run power, go overboard. If you install a bunch of outlets, you'll still have some flexibility and it's really not going to cost all that much more vs having to cut more outlets in later. If water is an issue, this is very likely a /Bad Idea/.

Puckdropper

[Pat]

Two questions:

1) Shop floor (concrete) slopes 1 inch per 10 feet. Not noticeable until you find out that the OSB sheets nailed to the vertical studs need to be trimmed top and bottom. BTW the area described above is all within a larger shop. What do you guys do with your benches and counters. Shim them up level? I suppose items on stands such as planer, jointer, band saw, table saw etc. will simply just sit on the sloping floor.

2) The table saw will obviously go out in the middle of the floor being at least 8 feet from the end walls so full size sheets can be managed. How do you run power to said freestanding saw. Do you drop a line from above and keep fighting it while you cut sheets? Do you drop from above but far enough to the sides so that interference is minimal? Do I saw-cut the concrete and try to feed the saw from below? That would certainly limit my choices if I ever want to change layouts.

All comments, help appreciated.

Ivan Vegvary

I power my tools with a heavy 50 amp extension cord running on the floor. When I am finished I hang it on the wall.

[krw]

24 feet being 10ft.± wide and the last 12 feet being 12ft.± wide.

find out that the OSB sheets nailed to the vertical studs need to be trimmed top and bottom. BTW the area described above is all within a larger shop. What do you guys do with your benches and counters. Shim them up level? I suppose items on stands such as planer, jointer, band saw, table saw etc. will simply just sit on the sloping floor.

Easy to say, but if my floor were out that far, I'd raise and level the floor. I did that in an attic that I was converting (and it wasn't that bad).

least 8 feet from the end walls so full size sheets can be managed. How do you run power to said freestanding saw. Do you drop a line from above and keep fighting it while you cut sheets? Do you drop from above but far enough to the sides so that interference is minimal? Do I saw-cut the concrete and try to feed the saw from below? That would certainly limit my choices if I ever want to change layouts.

I feed mine from the left side, about 6' behind the rear of the saw. That way I can walk to that side of the saw without interference. The right side is clear all the way around. I'd probably reverse, ideally, but that's not the way my shop lays out (want the DC between the saw and the SMCS.

[Leon]

first 24 feet being 10ft.± wide and the last 12 feet being 12ft.± wide.

find out that the OSB sheets nailed to the vertical studs need to be trimmed top and bottom. BTW the area described above is all within a larger shop. What do you guys do with your benches and counters. Shim them up level? I suppose items on stands such as planer, jointer, band saw, table saw etc. will simply just sit on the sloping floor.

least 8 feet from the end walls so full size sheets can be managed. How do you run power to said freestanding saw. Do you drop a line from above and keep fighting it while you cut sheets? Do you drop from above but far enough to the sides so that interference is minimal? Do I saw-cut the concrete and try to feed the saw from below? That would certainly limit my choices if I ever want to change layouts.

Do nothing with the slope, IIRC I have double that and never notice it. It is only a problem if your mobile equipment rolls away from you. ;!)

[dpb]

first 24 feet being 10ft.± wide and the last 12 feet being 12ft.± wide.

...

being at least 8 feet from the end walls so full size sheets can be managed. How do you run power to said freestanding saw. Do you drop a line from above and keep fighting it while you cut sheets? Do you drop from above but far enough to the sides so that interference is minimal? Do I saw-cut the concrete and try to feed the saw from below? That would certainly limit my choices if I ever want to change layouts. ...

I tried the overhead drops and gave it up except for the planer -- If you can't/don't want to go to the trouble of raised floors to run utilities underneath, then I've run floor conduit runs w/ strategic ramps to avoid trip; run carts, etc....I've found it workable.

The one thing about the raised floor besides the convenience of hiding all the duct work as well as power is that you can have warm air under (if not a heated slab) and the cushion of wood is nice after a while on concrete...it is a larger expense, granted. I raised a portion where the TS and jointer were in the old shop in VA independent of the rest and was pleased there w/ that arrangement as well...

--

[Steve Turner]

first 24 feet being 10ft.± wide and the last 12 feet being 12ft.± wide.

least 8 feet from the end walls so full size sheets can be managed. How do you run power to said freestanding saw. Do you drop a line from above and keep fighting it while you cut sheets? Do you drop from above but far enough to the sides so that interference is minimal? Do I saw-cut the concrete and try to feed the saw from below? That would certainly limit my choices if I ever want to change layouts.

Mine is dropped from above right next to the dust collection ducting; behind the tableboard and to the right of the right-most position of the fence. I've yet to have that cause a problem.

[dadiOH]

Personally, I drop from above. I have a saw, router table, joiner and drum sander in an island arrangement, all are fed from above. The saw is from a

220v, the others from a standard 110-120v outlet in the ceiling; there is only one drop from it to a duplex outlet in a cabinet that has the sander; the other machines are daisy chained from it.

I have NP with the drops getting in the way as they are past the side of the saw. I would not care for floor outlets, too much sawdust.

[dpb]

On 8/23/2012 8:02 AM, dadiOH wrote: ...

When ran the floor conduits, the outlets were not on the floor but came up at the base of the various work stations. I'd not want in-floor outlets, either...

[Dr. Deb]

Ivan, I have a shop about the same layout, except mine is 24x12 all the way down, with a 11x13 addition across the back (needed a place for the lathe). I ran my power around the top of the studs on the top plate, then dropped off that to the wall sockets, both over the bench and for the sationary tools. The table saw (I assume you will have an extension on it) I ran the power down the wall, under the extension table over to the saw. Out of the way and keep the plugin short.

Btw, be careful of what type benches you put in your shop. Back when I first built mine, not having a clue what I was doing, I built a long bench somehwat like you would seen in an auto shop (dad was a mechanic and it was all I had ever seen). It did not take too long to begin to realize this was not the best layout. Building the Roubo style work bench was one of the best investments in the shop I have ever made.

Also, if you can dump your DC outside, you can do away with the filter bags and increase your CFM by almost a factor of two.

Deb

[SonomaProducts.com]

2.)... Do you drop a line from above and keep fighting it while you cut sheets? All comments, help appreciated. Ivan Vegvary

I use drops from above. For the TS I have a drop that comes down equal to the far end of the fence\table it has never been a problem.

For tools out in the middle of the room I have drops but leave about 8' of extra coil that hangs on the side of the machin but can be uncoild so I can roll them quiat a way in any direction if needed.

Stuff along the walls are mostly plugged to the wall nearby but for my 3ph stuff I have one huge cable running along the floor with outlets as needed.