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Thread: New Workshop, New TS, Need a ton of advice.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
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    Lynchburg, VA
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    New Workshop, New TS, Need a ton of advice.

    Firstly, I apologize for the length of this post.

    We're building an addition, with laundry and MBR Suite above, workshop down below. Estimated dimensions are 18' x 34', exterior, but will lose ~4' off the 30 for a staircase (Open or closed, haven't decided yet).

    My current shop is 15'x11', shared with a hot water heater and an overly large workbench that I use because it was there when we bought the house. I've never had anything bigger, so I'm a little intimidated by the process of designing something new. I've read a ton of articles and seen pictures of other shops, but I'm hoping for some general workflow and preconstruction tips that may save me in the long run.

    Some of my thoughts (numbered for reference, not priority):

    1. I haven't built much yet, some built-in bookshelves and a few rough tables. My goals are to build gaming tables and bookshelves.
    2. I currently use a job-site TS on wheels, but want to upgrade to the 3HP 1ph 230v PCS31230 Sawstop. I was thinking about getting the 36" T-glide table, as I like the additional capacity for the larger sheets of ply, though I've seen some really nice setups that surround the TS and double up as assembly / outfeed. Is that recommended or is there something special about the 36" that is more compelling?
    3. Currently I use a shopvac, though I've read about most DC's, pros/cons etc. What I haven't seen much about is the ductwork. Is this something I should consider before we build? I think the DC will live in the main shop space, unless I build a room for it, but what's something I should tell the builders as this process goes? Leave me metal strapping suspended from the ceiling?
    4. Right now, my ceilings are 6'10" but I'm planning on the new ceilings being 8-9, with resilient channel and a bunch of batted insulation and 5/8" drywall. Any other tips on this or for the walls?
    5. I've read the lighting guide by Jack Lindsey, and plan on going with a T8 system, but wasn't sure when it was written and didn't know if LEDs had made any large advancements in the space since it was written?
    6. How do you handle electrical runs for equipment in the middle of the room? Do you do in-floor conduit when you pour? Pull downs from above? Cords across the floor and cover? I believe the addition will be receiving its own service panel, but wasn't sure how that might affect things? Given the saw I'm looking at, it doesn't require 6/2 wiring, does it? (I'm comfortable running my own 110 outlets on 12gu wire, but don't know jack squat about 220 requirements)
    7. I plan on getting an epoxy finish on the floor. Any strong, negative thoughts on that?
    8. What's the maximum height that you recommend for horizontal wood storage? Right now, I keep my wood propped up and under a tarp outside......
    9. Any particular materials or things I should avoid anywhere? (more of a generic question)
    10. Since I *might* vent outside at some point, what size hole should I have built in (or should I just do that after the fact if and when it comes up?)
    11. I have no idea what to do about HVAC. Addition will be heat pump, not sure how to separately control the basement. Motorized vents for its own zone?
    12. My workflow for lumber tends to be Joint -> Plane -> Joint -> TS cut. Any suggestions about the layout in regards to the door?
    13. Speaking of the door, I can't decide if I want the door along the broad or narrow wall. (Broad will have a deck up above, narrow is furthest away from driveway). Any suggestions? Any doors to recommend? Any to avoid? The wall they'll be going in will be block.


    Thanks in advance for any help/advice!

  2. #2
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    Here are a few of my thoughts.

    2. You'll love the Sawstop. My old saw had a 52" fence, but that took up a lot of room & I rarely used the capacity. My Sawstop has a 36" & I find that's plenty

    3. It's nice to have a closet for the DC & compressor to keep the noise down.

    4. Go at least 9' - 10' for the ceiling. Mine's 9' 6" & I wish it was more.

    5. As an electrician & lighting junkie, I can tell you that LEDs are great. But T8s are still provide better bang for the buck if you want lots of high quality light (good CRI).

    6. I prefer cord drops. Floor outlets can be a nuisance if they're not in exactly the right place & they're hard to move. The 3 HP saw requires a 20A, 240V circuit (12/2).

    Good luck, it'll be a great space.

  3. #3
    Once you have your machines in their proper places, you can wire the ceiling to fit your layout. I have a cord hanging to the right of my tablesaw. My neighbor was an electrician, and he told me to wire to a box where I want the cord to hang, then cut a piece of 12-3 cord to the proper length, then tie a knot in one end, and let the cord hang on that knot in the box. Don't use wire, too stiff. Think if I were in your place, would use a ceiling material you could just hang on your joists, so you could take it out if you need to change your wiring. Thinking of I joists, as they have a ledge on both sides, and you could easily cut 4' pieces of ceiling material and just hang the pieces on the ledges. If you use lumber, just put some 1x2's on the lower edge, and carry your ceiling on those.

  4. #4
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    Jim,

    The knot in the wire trick will not pass code. It's dangerous. The proper method is to use a Kellums grip. It's kind of a Chinese finger trap style piece with an electrical box connector on one end. It grips the cable outer jacket insulation and will not cut it if the cable should ever be pulled. Use type SO flexible cable from the box to the outlet for flexibility.

    Charley

  5. #5
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    Mar 2013
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    Dayton OH
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    For your drops use Kellem grips electrical supply houses can get them for you don't tie knots in your cords. We used ceiling fan boxes with 110 and 220 extension cord wire you could play Tarzan off of mine.
    image.jpegimage.jpeg

  6. #6
    I used to use a table saw with large rip capacity but I find a smaller table saw + a track saw to work much better. It's hard to manuver full sheets of 3/4 through a stationary saw and much easier to move the saw near the sheet. Cut quality with the track saw is as good as a table saw. But you will need a cutting surface for the tracksaw. Mine is a 3x7 workbench that is also outfeed support for the table saw and my general work surface. It is based upon Ron Paulk's ideas (google him).

    I have had two shops now with a long wall where I have my RAS and CMS and flip stops. In the current one, I have long board storage above the saws on pieces of electrical conduit that are secured in holes in the doubled 2x4s of the wall. The wall ended up with lots of doubled 2x4s because of the addition of the shop garage so I only had to add a few to do this. It is very sturdy and provides a lot of storage. I have drawers under the saws where most of my tools rest when they are not being used. The wall space under the lumber where there are no saws is for my most frequently used tools. The cabinets that support the saws is 7 inches lower than the desired saw height. I used shims to raise them. Where there is no saw, I built a 7 inch tall Paulk style worksurface. So I have storage inside that too.

    Bottom line is I think you need at least one long wall for an arrangement like this. I have a garage door on one end of my little shop and a regular exterior door on the other end. The cross ventillation is nice. Both my doors are on the short walls of the garage/shop.

  7. #7
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    As mentioned above try to get more ceiling height. Can they dig deeper so you can get 10 ft? Can the narrow door be made bigger and can you get a solid walkway between that and the driveway to move wood, etc?

    I suggest a wood floor. 2x4s face down give enough room to run wires, etc plus the floor will help with moisture and comfort. Add walls with insulation and a moisture barrier to keep the place comfortable. Since there's living space above some sort of soundproofing may be good. Don't forget AC if you live in a hot area.

    For electrical put 110 and 220 outlets around the whole shop. This provides the most flexibility. Maybe one 30 amp outlet on each wall would be good. You can always put longer cords on the machines.

    Cant wait to see the finished product.
    Don

  8. #8
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    The ceiling height is especially important if you are going to run duct collection ducting.

  9. #9
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    Expanding on what Jim said, I buy a 100' 12 gauge extension cord for raw material and just cut off what I need for extension cords and drops and things.

    My ceiling is 8' and I'm tall so I can just put a box in the ceiling and plug stuff in. The disadvantage of a drop is that you need both hands.

    Wiring the Sawstop is easy. It has the overarm guard and dust collector. I dropped my power cord down and taped it to the arm on the guard and then to the base of the saw.

    I think the 36" rip capacity is gobs. I get better results ripping plywood by using a tracksaw with a nice blade than by trying to pilot it through the table saw. Something just bigger than 24" is probably just fine. I forget what the SS choices are. I've almost never run my fence out to the limit.

  10. #10
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    Nov 2015
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    Quote Originally Posted by Don Jarvie View Post
    As mentioned above try to get more ceiling height. Can they dig deeper so you can get 10 ft? Can the narrow door be made bigger and can you get a solid walkway between that and the driveway to move wood, etc?

    I suggest a wood floor. 2x4s face down give enough room to run wires, etc plus the floor will help with moisture and comfort. Add walls with insulation and a moisture barrier to keep the place comfortable. Since there's living space above some sort of soundproofing may be good. Don't forget AC if you live in a hot area.

    For electrical put 110 and 220 outlets around the whole shop. This provides the most flexibility. Maybe one 30 amp outlet on each wall would be good. You can always put longer cords on the machines.

    Cant wait to see the finished product.
    Yes, we should be able to dig deeper. While it may not be the best looking thing, I may even be able to squeeze out 11', I'll have to see what pricing looks like. I like the ideas for the outlets. I think I'm kinda messed up regardless of what I do for the door based on the deck that will inevitably wrap around, but I'll manage.

  11. #11
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    Thanks for the tips, Frank. I think I'll try and build a small room in the corner for the DC & compressor. Any ideas what a good size would be?

    I'm gonna try and go for an 11' ceiling. Especially since I will have overhead duct work. I concur on floor outlets. Ty for the wire numbers, that helps a lot too.

  12. #12
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    5. I had a bunch of T-8 fixtures from my old shop but replaced them all with LED units. It's the best lit shop I"ve
    10. Keep in mind that whatever air you vent to the outside has to be replaced. You want to control how that air is replaced and from where.
    13. Proximity to the driveway seems important to me. We just moved into a newly constructed house with a basement shop. We kind of waffled on putting in a legal egress (giant window well) in front so some subsequent owner could finish the basement. I'm really glad we did it because that window is ideal for sliding lumber into the basement. Now I don't have to carry long boards around behind. I just sort of shove them down the hole. You might think about a window well with some sort of window that you can lift up on the inside so you can pass long skinny stuff into and out of the basement. That way, aren't under so much pressure to put the main entrance where it's convenient.
    7. You have to weigh the benefits. Epoxy looks great but it won't cushion your feet. If it sweeps easier, it might be more slippery with sawdust. In the end, I opted for just concrete. Some swear by wood floors.
    6. I have my own breaker box with a service disconnect between it and the main panel for the house. In my basement, there is some minimal lighting that is supplied from the main panel. That's good enough for when I'm doing wiring to my panel. Everything associated with my shop comes from my 70A breaker box and my box is easily isolated from the main panel. I freely acknowledge that my wiring is amateur hour and probably wouldn't pass code. I think an inspector would probably agree that I won't burn the place down but that I don't do things quite kosher. So I like the extra layer of safety provided by the service disconnect.
    You have a little more breathing room to plan. When we built this place, they turned the house over to us and it was moving day and all my shop equipment came out of storage and sort of got dumped. A month in and I'm still sorting through things.

  13. #13
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    Roger, thanks for the input! I've seen some comments about leds similar to yours. I hadn't thought about intake when thinking about venting. That's a good point.

    I'm afraid that the general layout of of my property is what's restricting my driveway situation. My driveway comes down the left hand side of the house. I will then have a small amount of space to round the corner...at which point I'll be facing the broad side of the addition. I think I just answered my own question, ha. That's pretty much the only way to go, I guess. I plan on putting rubber mats down around my machines, so I I'm not too stressed about it. I do plan on getting a subpanel, just wasn't sure how big it needed to be. It will likely share the top part with top part of the addition, so I'll get the bottom slots. Panels are pretty cheap by themselves..maybe I'll get two separate runs, or have the shop daisy chain off the upstairs? Is that even up to code?

  14. #14
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    Mine's about 4' x 10' & holds the cyclone, compressor & some storage. It could be smaller, but that's just what fit in the corner of the basement that was available. I built it with all kinds of sound proofing & it's very quiet.

    Quote Originally Posted by John Collins View Post
    Thanks for the tips, Frank. I think I'll try and build a small room in the corner for the DC & compressor. Any ideas what a good size would be?.

  15. #15
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    john, I see that you are in Lynchburg, VA. Do you ever get to the DC area? I have a 50A subpanel with service disconnect that I would give you. I posted it here for sale once and got no takers. This thing is ready to mount on the wall and has about 30' of feed wire to go to the main panel.

    It's a Cutler Hammer panel that I had in my old shop. I upgraded to a 80A panel with the new house. It has about 20 breakers in it. Some 15's, some 20's and a couple of 240v. It came from a shop so you should be good to go.

    If you would like to drive to Falls Church, it will fit in the back of your car easy. I work from home so can accomodate a visit just about anytime. PM me if you are interested.

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