New Workshop On The Way, Looking For Ideas And Help Please!

[Marion Smith]

After 35 years of working out of a basement and/or garage space, my wife just surprised me with a 16x32 out building! It's a gable type with 8' walls and engineered trusses, and will have 2x6 T&G flooring. One end will need to remain 'open' to store the Miata during the winter.
My first question is, has anyone with this type floor given it a bit of sanding then finish with a few coats of poly? Good idea? Bad idea?
Secondly, but hardly last!, what should I run for wire? I will need 220, and for sure want to split lighting and power circuits. I work alone, nothing I have has more than 1-1/2hp, and I can't see any more than lights, the dust collector, and one tool running at the same time.

[Justin Ludwig]

If you finish with poly it can get pretty slick. I, personally, wouldn't do anything to the floor, other than sweep when needed. What wood for the T&G?

12-3 wire would satisfy your needs over those distances. I'd run 10-3 to the DC location and a couple spots "just in case" you got to upgrade something to a larger motor. The initial cost is less than having to upgrade it later.

Congrats on the upgrade.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I'd run 10-3 to the DC location and a couple spots "just in case" you got to upgrade something to a larger motor. The initial cost is less than having to upgrade it later.

Welcome to the Creek!!!!

Way cool on the new shop.

As you fall further into the rabbit hole, 1.5HP won't be the standard for long. Put in the 10/3 to the locations of your big machines, so their successors are already taken care of. DAMHIKT.

What will be the inbound amps of your main box?

[Jim Andrew]

I'd build a lean to on the outside for the dust collector and the air compressor. You will have to return the air to the inside from the DC unless you vent outside. Nice to get the noise out of your shop, plus free up the space. I cut a hole in the wall and put a tiny window in front of the DC hose, so I can see when it fills. I put a trouble light on the drum so it lights up the hose.

[Marion Smith]

Thanks for the replys!
T&G floor is treated pine.
I'm thinking 30A @minimum.
50A is perhaps a better choice, even if I never pull it?
It will be a rather long run from the Main Panel to the inside of the building.
Approximately 175'.
I don't foresee any new tools with huge motors, I have all the tools already.
The only thing I may add is a planer, and I don't need one that will deforest the county!

[Mike Henderson]

Thanks for the replys!
T&G floor is treated pine.
I'm thinking 30A @minimum.
50A is perhaps a better choice, even if I never pull it?
It will be a rather long run from the Main Panel to the inside of the building.
Approximately 175'.
I don't foresee any new tools with huge motors, I have all the tools already.
The only thing I may add is a planer, and I don't need one that will deforest the county!

I'd go 50 amps at a minimum. Other people have made some good suggestions on wiring. It's always easier to wire before you close the walls. I'd definitely use 12 gauge wire.

Mike

[Also, the suggestion to get the DC out of the shop is a good one. Really helps with the noise.]

[Mike Heidrick]

Welcome.
Join the forums at garagejournal too.

How do you plan to heat and cool the building. What insulation will you use?

[Marion Smith]

At this point, I have no plans to insulate or close in the walls.
It will have 11ft of doors to open for letting air in.
I have a propane torpedo heater I used to warm up the garage a bit when I needed to fire up a tool or two for a project. I doubt this will be a viable option for the new space however.
I usually don't do a lot of winter woodworking, but that may change since I won't have to spend an hour or so getting set up just to rip a board or turn a small lathe project.
Working in the cramped garage space is a total joy killer.
I'm currently compiling my tool list and storage needs. Current storage consists of a hodgepodge of stuff stacked up on top of stuff!
Figuring out where to put everything may pose a challenge, since I've never had this luxury previously.

[Rick Potter]

I see that you do not intend to sheet the walls, BUT................One of the best pieces of advice I have seen on new shops is to put a race on the wall, just above where a 4' sheet of drywall or whatever would come to, and put all the wiring and outlets in that. If you decide to cover the walls at some point, it will be easy to do, and the outlets will be above bench and tool height, and below hanging cabinet height. A simple cover on the race, and you can always get to the wiring. You also never have to worry about putting a screw into a wire you forgot was there.

Not my idea, but I wish I had seen it sooner.

[Gary Yoder]

Thanks for the replys!
T&G floor is treated pine.
I'm thinking 30A @minimum.
50A is perhaps a better choice, even if I never pull it?
It will be a rather long run from the Main Panel to the inside of the building.
Approximately 175'.
I don't foresee any new tools with huge motors, I have all the tools already.
The only thing I may add is a planer, and I don't need one that will deforest the county!

This weekend I am burying wire out to my barn/shop and it's 175 feet total run. I'm running #2 Aluminum, which can get me up about 75 Amp at that distance. #4 Aluminum could get you 50 Amps I believe. You will not regret going a little high on your power. Lights, Compressor, planer and dc, you could push 40 amps pretty quickly.

I bet it wouldn't cost more than a $100 to upgrade your wire to 75 amps. And when you look at that compared to the whole cost of your building....

Good luck!

[Jim Andrew]

I installed a 100 amp service to my shop. The panel was cheap, and you only do it once. If you decide you need AC, you have enough power to run the AC, DC and your one machine at a time. The older I get, the more I appreciate air conditioning. The cost of cooling a small shop would not be a lot. Even if you use a window unit. Make it comfortable, and you will get a lot more out of your shop.

[mike mcilroy]

I usually don't do a lot of winter woodworking

If you don't work in the winter and don't plan to heat be prepared to move glues and finishes to a heated spot.

[John K Jordan]

I agree with Jim, run more power than you need now since you will most likely need it later. I ran #1 copper underground 250' to the shop I'm finishing now down by my barn. It should pull a full 100 amps with less than 3% voltage drop. No light dims when one of the 5hp motors kick in, even when the HVAC was on aux heat! (HVAC may seem like a luxury until you get to be elderly and feeble!)

I dug the trench with my backhoe and put the wire in 2" conduit. If you do this consider running an extra, empty conduit in the trench with a rope inside. This way you can pull another wire or cable in the future if needed. (I also ran ethernet in a separate conduit for WiFi in the shop.)

Having more power than you need hurts nothing. Having almost enough is a real problem.

I'm sure you will enjoy your new shop! I was working in a one-car garage for 10 years. Now I'm enjoying a 24x60 space with concrete floor, 6" insulated walls, 1/2" plywood for paneling, with room for woodworking, machining, welding, vehicle maintenance, and office. It took a couple of years to build but that is the problem with being too cheap to hire it out...

JKJ

[Mike Wilkins]

Congrats on the new shop space. Consider insulating those walls and ceilings; this will make year-round woodworking a possibility. With insulation you could utilize a smaller heater and AC unit to make the space comfortable. And since we all like space, consider getting a good-quality car cover for the Miata and put him outside.

[Marion Smith]

I'm having a great time planning out how I might configure my new workshop. One thing I saw was a "Bench Tool Lazy Susan" . Has anyone here made one of those? I don't know how to post a pic, or I would have!