Franks Workshop: Electrical Plans

[Frank Pellow]

This thread is a spin-off from the thread entitled "Frank's Workshop Construction Project" (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=7769).

I plan to do all of the wiring except the actual hookup of the 60 amp auxiliary box to my 200 amp house service. I am reasonably experienced in house wiring but have never done anything other than a clothes drier with 220 volts.

I am attaching a diagram with my current plans and solicit suggestions. For easy reference purposes, I will repeat my shop layout diagram as well so that folks can see what I plan to do with the electricity.

[Jim Becker]

Looks good, Frank. My only concern would be with your lighting. Be sure you have things arranged so you get good, even light distribution, particularly at night when you will not have the benefit of the skylights. Much of your lighting appears to be pushed out to the edges and unless those incandescents in the middle something special, you may get a lot of shadows.

[Dick Parr]

Frank, you note that you have 4-220 volt outlets, but only show 3? Two in the floor and one in the wall by the drill press. I wish I had put at least 1 220 volt outlet on each wall for future tools down the road. I have 2 in each side wall but none on front or back wall. Wish I had one on the front wall so that I didn't have to run a 220 extension cord to my planner that sits up front of the shop.

Just a thought while you are in the thinking stage. Put at least one in each wall so that it will make it easier to arrange tools at a later date if you add any.

[JayStPeter]

Real good job planning there. I agree w/Jim on the lights. I would also put another 220 outlet on the long wall. Just in case you want to move stuff around. You won't have to run a 220 extension cord all the way across the shop.

Jay

[Steven Wilson]

Nice layout job but I would nix the incadecent bulbs and run some flourencent fixtures down the middle. You might also consider running appropriate sized conduit and wire for your 220V circuits. Once you've finally layed out the machines then you can locate the outlets and wire up the circuits. For simplicity you might want to use 10ga wire and then you can easily change from a 20a to a 30a circuit by just changing the breaker.

[Bob_Hammond]

You might want some 110 outlets in the middle of the shop. I have an overhead reel that I use this a lot for things like the palm sander or the electric drill. You could probably put floor outlets instead.

Bob

[Larry Browning]

Frank,
I would second the ceiling outlets. Think about over the workbench with a retractable reel. And If you are planning a ceiling mounted air cleaner, an outlet for that is real handy. As others have said you should put quite a bit of thought into the lighting. My main shop area is 30x30 and I have 4 rows of 8' T8 florescent fixtures. This provides good even lighting with hardly any shadows. Do not skimp on the fixtures! I spent over $800 on light fixtures and have never regreted it for 1 second.

Larry

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks, I have received lots of good advice, just as I hoped that I would.

• Jim, Jay, Steven, and Larry, I will look at my lighting again. In particular, I except that there will now be a row of florescent tubes near the ridge and a reduction in incandescent lights.

• Dick, there are four 220 volt outlets -three for tools and one for the dust collector.

• Dick and Jay, I will add at least one more 220 volt outlet. That will be in the middle of the back wall. I will think about more but at the cost of one circuit each, I think that I will probably stop at 5 outlets.

• Bob and Larry, I will probably put in an overhead 110 outlet with a retractable reel over the proposed location of my woodworking bench and another over the proposed location of my assembly table.

• Steven, I can't imagine that I will ever require a 30 amp circuit, but I will give your suggestion re conduit some thought.

[Jim Becker]

Frank, unless you invest in the more expensive tubes that have the proper coloring for light output, don't eliminate most of the incandescents as they add "warmth" to the lighting. The more common tubes are way too cold and "blue". Regardless, do buy quality fixtures, however, with low-temp ballasts. Those inexpensive "shop lights" will cause you all kind of trouble and you'll be spending good money after bad. And make sure that all your fixtures either have guards or that you put the tubes in the plastic protectors and use coated bulbs in the incandescent fixtures. It's amazing how much damage a long board can do in the blink of an eye!

[Chris Padilla]

Frank,

I attached a pic with the lights I have in my garage (circled in white). Personally, I can't stand flourescent bulbs due to the flicker I sometimes see and the hum I sometimes hear.

I have these halogen lights I picked up from Northern Tool: http://tinyurl.com/2t48m

I see the cost has gone up. I paid $20/light about 8 months ago.

One word of warning, whomever packages these lights often forgets to tighten anything down. I had to dismantle every light to retighten stuff...not difficult but time consuming. I complained to NT about some missing hardware in one package...they just sent me a whole new light! I guess it was cheaper that way for them...so I got 5 lights for $80 plus shipping.

The light these suckers produce is wonderful. One bad thing about them...they get hot...very hot. However, they are pretty far above my head so that isn't too big a deal.

[JayStPeter]

Frank,

Why a circuit per 220V outlet? Is that code?

If so, you can get rid of one of the floor ones and just make a 220V power strip to run your TS/jointer/planer. You wouldn't be able to run them at the same time, but you leave some panel expansion.

Jay

BTW, I like your efficient use of dust ports around the TS/jointer/planer.

[JayStPeter]

Chris,

Good to see you keep all the shop towels nice clean and folded.

Jay

[Chris Padilla]

I need a new pic, you guys are too observant!

[Rob Russell]

Frank,

I've got several comments.

1) Remember that you need to maintain 3' deep x 3' wide x 6.5' tall clear "working space" in front of your panel. You may not have anything permanent sticking into that space. That space may not be used as "storage". These are NEC requirements and your inspector should red tag the installation if it's violated.

I'd try to find a place other than the corner where the panel will get buried in stuff. The wall just to the right of the double doors looks like a good possibility.

2) Install a 100 amp subpanel, not a 60 amp. It won't cost that much more and the work is the same. You're just running a larger set of conductors from your main service panel out to the workshop. I'd install a 40 slot panel. Again, the cost difference just isn't that huge and it means you won't run out of slots for breakers.

3) On your 120v outlets, consider running multiwire circuits. That would mean you could "splitwire" the receptacles and give you access to a 15 (or 20) amp circuit on the top outlet and a second 15 (or 20) amp circuit on the bottom outlet. It means you can plug a 15 amp router and shop vac into that one receptacle and you're pulling from 2 different halves of the circuit. You'd need to use 2-pole breakers if you have different hot legs on the same yoke. I would anyway. The 2-pole breakers will eat up panel space and is another reason to use the 40 slot panel.

4) Use a SquareD "QO" series panel - best quality.

5) I'd move the thermostat away from the gas heater on basic principle of not wanting it misread based on proximity to the heater.

Rob

[Chris Padilla]

3) On your 120v outlets, consider running multiwire circuits. That would mean you could "splitwire" the receptacles and give you access to a 15 (or 20) amp circuit on the top outlet and a second 15 (or 20) amp circuit on the bottom outlet. It means you can plug a 15 amp router and shop vac into that one receptacle and you're pulling from 2 different halves of the circuit. You'd need to use 2-pole breakers if you have different hot legs on the same yoke. I would anyway. The 2-pole breakers will eat up panel space and is another reason to use the 40 slot panel.

Rob

Rob,

I am trying to understand this better. For the two-circuited 120 V outlet (forgive my non-electrician's terms), you can run a hot black and a hot red to the outlet and return on the (single) white. In the breaker box, you would have the 2-pole breaker with 1 red and 1 black going into it. So, it is like a 240 V circuit but split off to get 2 120 V circuits. Is this correct?

Sorry, I don't follow what "different hot legs on the same yoke" means. What is the yoke referring to exactly?

I've had ideas to run a double outlet (4 120 V plug-ins, 4 separate circuits, if you will) but returning on a single white doesn't seem right.

Please correct my thinking here. Thanks!