Hello Gang,
I am finally getting ready to run electric to my workshop(garage) for all of my major woodworking tools. I was wondering how many of you guys use those drop down hanging outlets for their tools that sit in the middle of their shop. I’m sure that my termanalogy is not correct on this, so I hope that you can understand my question.
Thank’s-Cordless
Replies
Hi Don,
I use them - saves the hassle of extension leads.
eddie
For the bigger stuff like 3horse or better I always run overhead right to the machine. I use that new plastic flex pipe for the sheild--it just snaps together. You use less wire and get more amps to the machine-- than running around the room. If that makes any sence?????????
I have two cord reels in my shop. They are very handy for corded hand tools. Never used them for any large equipment.Tom
Douglasville, GA
I put outlets in the ceiling, then drop short cords (very heavy guage) to the machine.
Pretty much the same, but gives me flexability.
Jeff
My machines that are not set up near a wall have drop sockets or in the case of one of the jointers & a pedestal drill, connected thru an infloor conduit.
I found that dropping both single & three phase allows plant to be shifted as the occassion arises (coz no matter how well you plan your layout you will, at some point in time, move one machine or another). The power usually comes down close to the DC ducting so it doesn't get in the way.
As I built my workshop before cordless tools really took a hold I also put in 4 travelling lines with a drop socket on each (just a power cable suspended on a wire close to the ceiling on small pulleys available at electrical wholesalers). Only 2 now get regular use as cordless tools do the donkey work & the other 2 now power stationary machines. These however are, IMO a better option than extension leads as they don't get damaged, are quick to locate & use & easy to store by pulling back to one end or the other.
Don
I have outlets in the ceiling, but mostly for flourescent shop lights.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood
I have a power strip suspended over my workbench, powered by a heavy gauge extension cord. Both can be unhooked and moved out of the way easily if the job requires. This is very handy when using multiple tools, not at the same time but in a sequence. Drills, routers, sanders, etc. that dont have to be unplugged constantly. Maybe a few drawbacks but it works for me.
Lefty - Lurker without an attitude or a clue
I have two short drops over two work stations where I usually work with small power tools.Routers,drills,sanders Etc.THese have a hanging female receptacle on the lower end.(No pun intended) Reduces the need for extension cords.
Allow me to digress.I have threatened to cut the long cords off these portable tools and leave a short stub with a receptacle .Thes would allow a single extension to be used for several tools and reduce the hassel of winding all these long cords when the tools are stored.So far,I have lacked the courage to do this radical surgery.
Work safely¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬PAT¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
I did that a while back to my tools and it was a mistake in my mind. The power cords handle better than extension cords. Now I put long power cords on with a plug.
I know I will get flack for this but I use two wire (not grounded) and a small male plug.
Just a thought on your proposed 'cord surgery'. If you cut your cords to a short length, the tools will store neater; however, there are two disadvantages in my opinion. 1) The plugs that are attached to the cut end, never seem to be as durable. The wire clamp seems to get loose and doesn't usually have a stress relief extension. 2) When working, you will be dragging the connection between tool and extension cord into and around a lot of work-in-progress. This can cause unplugging and rubbing or damage to your work.
It sounds like you are a tidy person. Wish I had the tidy gene in my DNA.
It was a passing thought.I doubt that I will ever deface these tools in this fashion. My wife was reading over my shoulder. When she saw the reference to "neatness",she thought that someone else had been working in my shop. When I worked in a shop with other patternmakers,we put every thing away at the end of the day. Now that that time is past,if I did the same I would never be able to find anything again. Work safely ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬PAT¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
We have 2 overhead receptacles in the shop (nee garage) and while one of them is in a pretty inconvenient place, I use the other one (centrally located) quite a bit. Right now, there is just a 12-gauge, stubby 3-outlet cord hanging from it (about 9" of cord I'd guess). Comes in very handy, as would one of the retracting cord wheels I'd think. One thing to keep in mind, you don't want a reeled cord overheating when you use it.
forestgirl Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Hi ya F-G,
Hope things settle down around here for a bit so I can chat with you all. Can you answer me one question which may seem dumb to some..........You wrote about a cord reel overheating ? How and why. I thought these BAD Boys were made to take a beating. Can you help me on this one . Thanks Rick.
Hi Rick, how are ya? I got your email, but right at the end of the workday. This weekend's busy, what with Valentine's Day and hubby home :-)) Great fence, by the way!
An extension cord can overheat if it's wound tight, as with a reel and a long cord, and being used to power something that's drawing a lot of amps. The heat in the cord isn't able to dissipate when it's under layers and layers of itself. Not a problem if you're just runnning a drill or small motor, but if you're pushing the limits of the cord you want to be sure it's able to dissipate heat. At least some, maybe all, reeled or wound cords will have a cautionary note about this on the package.
forestgirl Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 2/14/2004 2:06:54 PM ET by forestgirl
I have duplex boxes in the ceiling for items not against walls. I have duplex 110 and 220 sockets in each box. You can get duplex 220 sockets; they are pricey at $8 - 10 each and there are times when I'm glad I have them. I also use a drop reel over one end of the work bench to feed power strips on the bench and for hand tools when needed. I have 4 - 30 amp 220 circuits and 4 - 20 amp 110 circuits. Sounds like overkill for a one man shop but the lights never dim regardless of how much is running at the same time.
Doug
Yep. I have one hanging just off the edge of my work bench and another for my TS. I used flexible metal armor tubing and ran my 12/2 through it. You can buy the tubing by the foot at most hardware stores. It is very strong stuff and secures well to the steal box attached to the joist above and the steal box containing the outlet with special clamps.
Safety was a concern. I have children around and while I have instructed them in the potential danger, and to stay out of the shop, for that matter, I am realistic enough to realize the outlets may need to support the weight of a child. I pulled and yanked on them (before connecting the circuit) darn hard and they held fast.
I prefer the flexible armor tubing over stiff conduit because I can lift them out of the way if needed.
BTW -- Consider running machines on separate circuits from the lights. It stinks to trip a breaker AND be in the dark.
Disclaimer: I'm not an electrician.
I don't think that the flexible armored conduit is recommended for this application. While it will work for a time, if subjected to twisting, the spiral armor could unlock from its adjacent coils. An alternative that would work better would be the spiral, armored conduit that is encased in a plastic-rubber sheath. This is designed for burial and is a bit more rugged; however, more expensive.
the armored conduit you suggest is actually what i was envisioning. thanks for the clarification.
m
A manufacturer's name for the rubber/plastic coated armored conduit is 'Metallic Liquid Tite'. Note that it uses special connectors which are more expensive than the bare metal armored conduit connectors (I think this is called BX). You don't really need the liquid resistance, but it adds durability to the conduit.
i'll have to see what they have available locally. i was thinking i would have to flare the end of a 1.5" length of suitable diameter of copper pipe, insert it thru the box and into the conduit, then use one or two hose clamps to secure it. hopefully i can accomplish the same thing as well or better with an off-the-shelf setup. thanks.
m
I put 4-4x4 boxes in the ceiling each on it's own 20 amp breaker and a 2x4 in the center for my reel. I only use the reel for drills and sanders, nothing heavy duty. I drop short heavy cords down to equipment and to a couple 15amp multi strips.
i like your idea of the flex conduit drops- about how high off the floor would you consider ideal? ease of reach (i'm avg ht- 5'10") vs. not too low and in the way or longer than necessary? my shop has a 9' ceiling. thanks.
m
Thanks Mitch. I can not think of a single answer, of course. I'll tell you that mine were hung at the height necessary to accommodate their function. The surface of my workbench, for example, is 34" high. So the bottom of the electrical box hanging beside it is just above that. I wanted it to swing freely without hitting the bench, but be as low as possible. Since it hangs just beside the bench, it is not in a walking path. Same for the TS. That surface is a little higher, so the outlet is higher. Consider, in this case, making it sufficiently away from the table to avoid it being in the way when cutting panels.
When I think about making them high enough so that they are not "in the way", I don't think that's reasonable and have them still maintain their benefit over ceiling outlets. Given your 9 ft ceilings, however, I can imagine you can not readily reach ceiling outlets, so perhaps just hanging them down to a height of 6.5 ft would meet the need. Think, however, about plugging in portable tools (a sander) and the length of that cord. Would plugging it into an outlet 6.5 ft off the ground give you a sufficient working radius without an extension? (And I know we all like to avoid extensions.)
food for thought. on the other hand, a well-positioned overhead outlet might be kinda nice to keep the cord of a sander from dragging and hanging up...
on a related note, i'm also designing in a lot of bench front outlets so the cords won't be laying across the countertop running the length of the wall.
m
I have drop boxes that come down about 12 inches from my 8 foot ceiling. One day as I was spraying a cabinet I realized I was also spraying highly flamable solvents at an outlet 12 inches about the cabinet. So now I don't have any plugs in the same area that I finish.
Mike
When I built my new shop addition, I added a seperate finish room.
No outlets at all, in room.
I wired the walls before closing up, if I change my mind.
Jeff
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