Help with 220V Ceiling drops

[Frank Trinkle]

The Hubbell cable supports look like the ultimate drop supports.

That being said, my electrical contractor was unable to schedule me in before I had to go back to work in Nigeria, and I won't be back in the US until the day after Thanksgiving. This has given me some time to reconsider how I plan to set up both 110 and 220 outlets in the shop.

First, I am a one-man DIY, hobby woodworker, and I'm in the process of fully renewing and replacing my tools and machines. There will never be two 220-240V machines running at the same time, except for the Dust Collector. The plan is to buy "Lifelong" machines in the shop vs. those that I might want to upgrade later. As I said in the OP, my shop is about 960SF, of which more than two thirds are dedicated to machines and assembly.
The shop has now, or will be adding shortly, a Sawstop PCS with 52" Incra fence and will be upgrading to a 5HP ICS with the same fence; Dedicated Incra router table with Incra Wonder Fence; Laguna Italian 20" Bandsaw with Driftmaster; Laguna 14X14 SUV Bandsaw; Hammer A3 41 Jointer/Planer with Silent Power cutter (December), Laguna REVO 24-36 Lathe (December), JDS 3HP Cyclone DC; JDS HP Air Filtration; Delta 18-900L Floor Drill Press; Jet 22-44 Oscillating Drum Sander; Laguna 6" Belt Sander; Grizzly large downdraft table; 2 Festool MFT/3 tables; most hand power tools being changed to Festool products; Festool CT36 Dust Extractor; and if I have the room after the previous tools... a German CNC-Step CNC machine and 3D Printer from Holland.

I am looking to have all I need except for supplies and consumables by the time I retire from flying and my income is severely reduced. Now is the time, before prices go up, and while my wife and I have a substantial income to support the purchases. The machines and tools will be there for my 6-year old son later as well. (He loves "helping" in the shop!)

SO.... My original intent was that in addition to adding a subpanel and then fifteen 110V outlets to the garage (There are only four at the moment!), I was going to add eight 220V outlets; four of which would be ceiling drops. I am now reconsidering the plan.

I have spent a lot of time at my German Festool Dealer's mega tool store, where I have been purchasing a number of Festool and other Germany-made products including some that are not available in North America. I have been studying the Festool ASA 5000 Boom Arm that Americans don't have access to. This is a great product that SHOULD be available in the U.S., but Festool probably thinks there would not be enough sales to justify the endeavor (including all the licensing and UL certification process). That being said, I CAN buy the boom and Power/Air unit in Germany without tax, and let the military ship it back to the USA with my household goods when my wife is reassigned next summer. The boom will reach any of the machines that I will be putting in the shop from the far wall, and would eliminate the need for ceiling drops. My plan is potentially to replace the Euro 220V outlets on the power box with one U.S. 220V outlet, and two 110V outlets. The box also has provisions for supplying the line from an air compressor with pressure adjustments right on the box. Finally, 37MM hose to the CT36 with auto-on switching for the hand Power tools is a snap from the box. I "think" I could also run a 6" DC hose along the boom that I could use for DC on the big machines; somewhat eliminating the need for full ducting all over the shop.

What's left is fewer 110V outlets on the walls, and only three or four 220V wall outlets for the DC, Lathe, and Table saw (so cords don't get in the way of large pieces).

I still have some time to think this all over, but I'm leaning towards the boom. Your thoughts??

Pics from the net of the boom and box, and my shop just after moving and before starting the upgrade process:

Boom Arm Power_Air control.jpgBoom with power box.jpgboom-arm-asa-5000-.jpgWorkshop1.jpgWorkshop2.jpg

[Jason White]

Ah, yes -- I'll definitely get a couple of those!

Jason,

Sorry no picture (can't get it to post), but if you go to the Kellums catalog they are listed as "I-Grips". They are basically the same Chinese finger trap design for gripping the cable, but with attachment rings to connect to the screws on the rear clamp part of Hubbell style cable plugs and connectors.


http://www.afielektrik.com/pdf/urunl...l-wiring/t.pdf



Charley

[Jason White]

This is definitely the WRONG way to do it. No way an electrician did that work. Get some strain reliefs on them puppies!

Also, at least one of those junction boxes looks like it's overcrowded.

Like some of the others, we just used junction boxes & covers. We cut holes in the covers & used standard box connectors.
We have several around the shop. Many of them have been in use for over 20 years without any problems.

[Chris Rosenberger]

This is definitely the WRONG way to do it. No way an electrician did that work. Get some strain reliefs on them puppies!

Also, at least one of those junction boxes looks like it's overcrowded.

Maybe it is wrong in the state you live in.
An electrician did all of the wiring in my shop.

[Charles Lent]

Did the electrician's work get inspected before you paid him? It should have.

Just because an electrician did it, doesn't mean that he did it right, and to meet the code. If the work is inspected after it's completed, work done like this will fail inspection and he will have to
do it over to correct the deficiencies before he gets paid. All construction work, not just electrical, should be inspected to assure that it has been done properly using the proper materials and latest practices. It's the best way to assure that the customer gets their work done properly.

The code that I'm referring to is the "National Electrical Code". It is used throughout the country as the standard by which all electrical work is required to meet. Some of the larger cities and more populated areas also have local codes that they enforce which are sometimes even more stringent than the National code and the local inspectors will turn down work that does not meet at least these minimum requirements.

Charley

[Jason White]

Sorry, Chris. My intention was not to insult you in any way. Just want you to be safe.

Maybe it is wrong in the state you live in.
An electrician did all of the wiring in my shop.

[Phil Thien]

Sorry, Chris. My intention was not to insult you in any way. Just want you to be safe.

I'm not sure what was pictured (pics gone now), but someone mentioned a clamp above was for "ROMEX" and not suitable for cord. I imagine the pics Chris posted were similar.

Many of those types of clamps are UL-listed for round cord, and are suitable (at least as far the UL and the manufacturer are concerned) for cord drops. My own informal testing indicates the clamps often provide greater holding power than the constricting type of clamp.

[Doug Jackson]

Hi Jason,

Hope you are staying safe and healthy.

I'm new here. In fact I created my account so I could see the pics you have listed! And now I see you have to pay to see pics... that's a little silly I think.

I am in the process of building my dream shop in my backyard - 24'x24', and My table saw and jointer will be close to the middle of the shop, and I will have to do a 240V drop from the ceiling for them. I don't want any trip hazards on the floor in this shop.

I was hoping you could PM me, or send the pics to me so I can get an idea of how you did it. I know it may be different where I live, but it'll be a good jumping off point.

[Jim Becker]

Hi Jason,

Hope you are staying safe and healthy.

I'm new here. In fact I created my account so I could see the pics you have listed! And now I see you have to pay to see pics... that's a little silly I think.

I am in the process of building my dream shop in my backyard - 24'x24', and My table saw and jointer will be close to the middle of the shop, and I will have to do a 240V drop from the ceiling for them. I don't want any trip hazards on the floor in this shop.

I was hoping you could PM me, or send the pics to me so I can get an idea of how you did it. I know it may be different where I live, but it'll be a good jumping off point.

The $6 a year Contributor membership helps keep the lights on here. It also gives you access to the photos, private messages and Free Classifieds.

Jim
Forum Moderator

[Frank Pratt]

Hi Jason,

Hope you are staying safe and healthy.

I'm new here. In fact I created my account so I could see the pics you have listed! And now I see you have to pay to see pics... that's a little silly I think.

I am in the process of building my dream shop in my backyard - 24'x24', and My table saw and jointer will be close to the middle of the shop, and I will have to do a 240V drop from the ceiling for them. I don't want any trip hazards on the floor in this shop.

I was hoping you could PM me, or send the pics to me so I can get an idea of how you did it. I know it may be different where I live, but it'll be a good jumping off point.

There are lots of good pics of what you need in the earlier posts in this thread.