Ron Swanson Jr. Posted June 29, 2018 Report Share Posted June 29, 2018 11 minutes ago, mat60 said: What's funny for me is now that I have had my 3HP saw for quite a while there are times I think I would like a 5. Do I need one. NO. man, I hear you. I finally hit a point a few years ago where I just had to pump the brakes on buying WW stuff. Thankfully, that period of insanity ended when I discovered the joys of turning, and the endless tools, chucks, tapers, lathes, and blanks that come along with it brought that to a real quick end! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted June 29, 2018 Report Share Posted June 29, 2018 Me too. I had a delta 1 1/2 hp contractor saw. Built my own oak base. It worked. But I trained on better. So when I got my Delta 3 hp unisaw, I was better. I also upgraded my Asian jointer for my 3 hp delta 8" at the same time. There are better jointers, but I can't complain. I never liked the sweeping and cleaning out sander bags and saws etc. In my wonderful informal apprenticeship, on my first day the boss recites a poem "around the house around the house behind the kitchen door". I didn't know what he was talking about. He wanted me to get the broom and sweep. He always repeated the poem if he wanted me to sweep...He had the very best tools...A 1940's unisaw and all the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Swanson Jr. Posted June 29, 2018 Report Share Posted June 29, 2018 14 minutes ago, curlyoak said: So when I got my Delta 3 hp unisaw, I was better. I also upgraded my Asian jointer for my 3 hp delta 8" at the same time. I like your style. Go big or go home. I currently only have 120v service in the shop. When I was putting the shop together i ran a few new circuits with 4-plex outlet boxes waist high and every 4 feet. That was a good move. When I pull the trigger on that SawStop I will obviously have to go up to 230V service. I can see that being very dangerous as suddenly my 6" jointer will not be powerful enough. Nor will my dust collectors. Nor will my <fill in the blank>. Actually, though - Table Saw and Jointer and lathe are really the only 3 that I would want the bigger motor on. And maaaaybe a monster dust collector. Aside from those, my bandsaw, drill press, routers, planer, miter saw and whatever else I am forgetting are fine for me on household current. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted June 30, 2018 Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 Around 1995 I was able to refi my house, lower my monthly, build a shop and furnish it with top end tools. All the big stuff is still working well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JayhawkCRNA Posted July 9, 2018 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted July 9, 2018 Thanks for all the replies. Been busy with the new house and shop. The shop door wasn’t installed properly and was leaking under the threshold which necessitated me putting in a new door. I took your advice and put a couple coats of white paint on the walls and ceiling to brighten it up. It helped but I think I will be putting in a few more light fixtures once I figure out how my workflow will be. Still needing to move some things back to the shelves after painting but I am excited. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Swanson Jr. Posted July 9, 2018 Report Share Posted July 9, 2018 You've got the beginnings of a great shop, and the one thing you can never have enough of: SPACE! It's good to think about lighting. I mainly use 4' fluorescents in my shop. The other thing to think of is electrical needs. When I built my shop in my 2-1/2 car garage, I installed seven 4-plex outlet boxes, about 4' up on the 2 walls that are my primary work area - and a few on the roof joists - all on their own circuit. That was the best move I made, as I always have an available outlet no Matter Where I am or what configuration my machines are in, and they don't share power with everything else in the shop. I can run any tool and dust collection simultaneous without issue. Anyways, sorry about the tangent. Great Looking start on your shop and it's so great to see someone come into the craft with enthusiasm and a great area for a shop. Best of luck! AJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted July 9, 2018 Report Share Posted July 9, 2018 What a difference.. Doesn't look like the same place jayhalk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Swanson Jr. Posted July 9, 2018 Report Share Posted July 9, 2018 Here is a pic to show why outlets are important and where they sit is even more. I have a 4plex above my bench, another one very near and 24 outlets along the wall that a lot of my machines sit next to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayhawkCRNA Posted July 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 13 minutes ago, applejackson said: You've got the beginnings of a great shop, and the one thing you can never have enough of: SPACE! It's good to think about lighting. I mainly use 4' fluorescents in my shop. The other thing to think of is electrical needs. When I built my shop in my 2-1/2 car garage, I installed seven 4-plex outlet boxes, about 4' up on the 2 walls that are my primary work area - and a few on the roof joists - all on their own circuit. That was the best move I made, as I always have an available outlet no Matter Where I am or what configuration my machines are in, and they don't share power with everything else in the shop. I can run any tool and dust collection simultaneous without issue. Anyways, sorry about the tangent. Great Looking start on your shop and it's so great to see someone come into the craft with enthusiasm and a great area for a shop. Best of luck! AJ Yeah I will need upgrade the electric when I get bigger tools in the future. Currently each wall has 3 double-outlets and are on separate circuits, however only 15 amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayhawkCRNA Posted July 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 4 minutes ago, mat60 said: What a difference.. Doesn't look like the same place jayhalk. What made the biggest difference as far as aesthetics was ripping some osb down as the crown molding and painting it with some extra charcoal paint we had laying around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 OSB crown. Looks fine. Great way to use up leftovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 Nice! Between the paint a few more lights you will have it nailed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 Looks good ! I don't have any experience with the recent models but my work took a big step up when I replaced my Craftsman saw in the 80's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 The makeshift crown looks great. I've always been a fan of LED lights. Menards has some that aren't terrible that i can buy for $19 on sale and they put out 4200 lumens. They are 48" bars and work great. I don't' direct wire them just put one of those light socket adapters that has 2 outlet plugs on either side and plug them into existing fixture. Then if i ever leave the house the lights come with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayhawkCRNA Posted July 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 So I picked up a 1924 JA Fay and Egan Jointer to be put into the shop but now I need to put in some new electrical. The jointer is single phase and could be run on a 20amp circuit but I figured I would put a 30 amp just Incase. I want to get a dust collector on the future as well as other larger 240volt tools(sawstop, planer, dust collector, bandsaw). How many circuits and what size would you all recommend? I figure I should put atleast an outlet on each wall and maybe one in the ceiling for the table saw. I am looking for the best option to try and futureproof myself as much as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Swanson Jr. Posted July 18, 2018 Report Share Posted July 18, 2018 The best recommendation I can make is to sit down and make a list of your ideal shop machines. And their electrical needs of course. And be realistic to, my ideal table saw would be a 3-phase 7.5 horsepower sawstop, but I'm never ever going to have three phase power in my garage so that's not realistic. 220 is though. So make yourself a list of what you have now, and what you realistically could see yourself moving into in the next 5 to 10 years and then simply count the machines and plan Outlets accordingly. In terms of how many circuits, probably 2 to 3 would be sufficient for most shops. If you're putting in 220 and make sure that you put in a couple other outlets besides where that machine is currently located to allow yourself to reconfigure in the future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Most codes and utilities won't allow true 3 phase to residential addresses. Phase converters can work but 220/240v is plenty for 99% of woodwork. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a 220 single phase machine but think hard before even looking at 3 phase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Swanson Jr. Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 @wdwerker that was my point, that I'd never ever get 3 phase service in my garage, so wanting such a machine is unrealistic. It was a pseudo-facetious example of what not to plan for As you try and anticipate your electrical needs in the future. Maybe it didn't come across that way. I'm more comfortable working with a nice stick of bird's eye maple than I am with a keyboard! Thanks for weighing in though, take care and work safe, sir. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Thanks ! I just wanted to warn against the tempting low prices 3 phase machines can bring. Swapping a motor on a big machine is not child's play nor cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Swanson Jr. Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 1 minute ago, wdwerker said: Thanks ! I just wanted to warn against the tempting low prices 3 phase machines can bring. Swapping a motor on a big machine is not child's play nor cheap. Fair enough, amigo - appreciate the thoughtful comment! All the best AJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 I have a seperate circuit for the lights and I strongly recommend this. If you blow a breaker you don't want to loose the lights, too. I have 4 different 20a 110v circuits for general power. There are two circuits on the N wall and 2 on the S. Each quad outlet then has one pair of receptacles for one circuit and another pair for the second circuit so I can spread the power draw around. The quad boxes are probably every 10 feet, but I wish I had spaced them closer. 220v you may need more of than you think. Each circuit should only supply one outlet so first comes the question of what locations. Then there's how many pieces of equipment. Table saw; jointer; planer. But don't forget DC, "experts" say you need 3 to 5 HP. Are you doing electric heat? That'll be another 220. Oh and did I mention that the big bandsaws are often 220. Not trying to make this sound impossibe, but as to future proof, that's a tall order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Many folks will recommend having a sub-panel installed in the shop, to help faciliate future growth and/or changes. A typical home hobby shop, even with multiple 220 machines, can do fine with a 60 amp panel. We don't typically run more than 2 big loads (DC + cutting or milling) at one time. Seems like Marc may have gone for a 100 amp or larger panel, but even in his shop, that's probably overkill. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Moore Posted July 19, 2018 Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Ok I do overkill My shop is 22 x 24 I installed 150amp panel with 15 20amp circuits and a 15amp light circuit. Four are 220v the rest are 110. My logic is I can turn any of the 20amps into 220v just with a breaker and plug change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayhawkCRNA Posted July 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2018 Thanks. The shop has its own 100amp panel. Currently each walls outlets are on separate 20 amp circuits, lights on own 15 amp circuit and a 40 amp circuit for the heater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chashint Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 Well you are starting out with a space that's better than what I have been using for the last 30 years. Good for you, it will make everything funner. To my eye the white paint makes it a completely different environment. You may not think it was worth the effort but I do...LOL If you have the cash for all the new / used tools you're getting / planning to get go for it. Speaking from experience though, financing this hobby (or most anything else that falls into the frivolous categories) isn't worth it. The tools you inherited are plenty good tools and it's worth learning to use what you already have before jumping into the upgrade rabbit hole. I fight the upgraderittis syndrome very often myself, sometimes I come to my senses, sometimes I don't. A few others have recommended doing the traditional crawling, walking, running progression and I fall into that camp too. You have a terrific foundation in place already. True up your tools, build yourself a really accurate crosscut sled for the tablesaw. Build some shop cabinets / tool carts with drawers to start honing your skills. Good luck to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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