220 Volt ?

[Jim Ketron]

Hello everyone I hope to have the outside of my shop done this weekend!
Then to do the wiring I dont have any 220 volt tools but I plan on wiring for it what do most 220 tools have for a plug? big like a dryer or the normal size plugs? Why Im asking Is for what size box I need to install for future use? I plan to run all the wires and boxes for everything so I can sheetrock!
Jim

[Donald Hofmann]

When I built my shop, I put in 110V and 220V outlets. You can "gang" two boxes together and have a 110 in one side and 220 in the other side.

In other words, a 220V outlet will fit in a standard box. The only difference is that you only get ONE 220V outlet v.s. the TWO 110Vs that will fit in the same space.

If you want to run something large like a 50A welder, then you need to put in a double box, which will handle this one outlet.

hope this makes sense,

Donald

[Cecil Arnold]

Jim, generally I think most people are using twist lock plugs in their outlets and tool cords and any extensions they have to add. While I'm not an electrician, my impression is that most power tools we use do not pull a lot of amps at 220v. I am using 15 amp 220v plugs on both my table saw (3 hp) and my mm16 (another stelth gloat) that MM says is 3.6 hp. I have not had a problem with either. I am using a 12-14' cord from the wall plug to the table saw since my small shop makes it necessary to constantly turn the table for ripping and cross cutting (the shop is full and is only 23x11), which is 12 ga and resembles what you might see at a marina supplying large boats. Unless you are going to run something really big, 10 ga wire is all you need and 12 ga is accptable and much easier to work with.

Hope that's helpful

[Jim Becker]

Jim, most 240v tools don't come with a plug! You get to pick...my choice is usually twist locks which cost a little more, but I like the security they afford. The only exception was for the DC since I needed compatibility with a 240v 20a blade-style receptical on the remote switch. Do make careful note that 20a twist locks and 30a twist locks LOOK exactly alike, but are slightly different sized. Don't mix them up when you buy if you choose them and don't trust the labels on the bin they come out of...folks always mix them up. Read the bag and the markings on the product, itself! The blade style 240v plugs and recepticals look remarkably like a single round 120v unit with one or both blades turned sideways, depending on the amperage.

I'm glad you're thinking about this now as it's much easier and neater to put in some wiring and boxes for these "future" connections now while everything is wide open, even if you don't put in the breakers and outlets until later. Some folks run 10-2 rather than 12-2 for these connections to make them useful for both 20a and 30a tool requirements without pulling new wire...this 10 guage wire is often color code with an orange jacket these days, rather than the yellow that 12 guage typically is from some suppliers, like HD.

[Jim Ketron]

Thanks Men !
I love this place!
Jim

[Rob Russell]

Jim,

To echo some of the comments and add my own twist ...

run 10/3 NM for your 240v circuits. If you ever have a need to run a 120v accessory off of the machine (a work light, for example) - you'll need the neutral. It also means that upgrading to 30 amp circuits is just a breaker swap in your panel.
I agree with twistlocks. I used them for my Delta equipment and have a bunch for the new 3-phase stuff. I like the Hubbell brand. It's top quality, but pricey. Keep an eye out en Ebay. I got all my Hubbell stuff that way and paid less than $10 per plug/receptacle, and that's for 3-phase.
You probably need to GFI protect the 120v outlets, if this is in a garage or basement. I'd suggest (2) 120v its for general use outlets. Either alternate them as you run around the shop or put in 2-gang boxes with a receptacle on each circuit in the box. If you go with the 2-gang box approach, I'd use a 2-pole breaker so both circuits are killed when you open up a box to work on it. Use 2 different colors for the outlets (like white/ivory), matched to the GFI receptacles that feed the circuits. That way if a GFI trips, you can easily identify which one it is.
During your rough-in, use the largest boxes you can. It makes it much easiser to have extra space in your box to work and it's safer (less tendency to cram conductors into the box, overbending them). The NEC requires at least 6" of conductor for connecting devices.
Before you sheetrock, take pictures of the rough-in wiring so you can locate everything once the sheetrock is up.
Given a choice of doing extra wiring now or fishing wires later, put the extra in now. Even if you just rough-in the wire to a box and leave it with a blank plate and the cable labelled in your panel and not connected to anything, it gives you the ability to easily power up that circuit later.


Rob

[Chris Padilla]

Jim,

For my wiring in the garage remodel, I'm putting in 3/4" steel flex conduit everywhere that I can. I haven't figured out everything yet but this is what I know right now:

I will have 2 separate 120 V/20 A circuits for tool plug-ins. One for each long-side of the garage, roughly.

I will have 2 separate 240 V/30 A circuits for the bandsaw (4.2 hp), j/p (4.8 hp), table saw (3 hp), and drill press (gonna rewire it for 240 V per Tyler's nagging). One for each long-side of the garage, roughly.

The dust collector gets its own 240 V/30 A circuit. It runs a 5 hp Leeson motor.

Haven't decided if my compressor should get its own 120 V circuit. It doesn't really need it RIGHT NOW but in the future, I may wish I had done it this way so I probably will put it on its own circuit.

The shop lights get their own 120 V/15 or 20 A circuit.

I bought 4 500' spools of #10 red, black, white, and green stranded and I am going to run that until I ain't got no more. It will be overkill for most applications but I don't care...I'm not buying #12 and #14 to run lower amp stuff...too much wire, too much money.

I plan to use the 4 11/16" sized-boxes (forget their depth...maybe it varies?) everywhere. My local HD doesn't seem to stock 5/8" mud rings for these babies, however....

Hubbell and Leviton plugs/outlets will be used. Twist-loks for the 240 V/30 A stuff.

I'm pulling all my shop/garage circuits directly from the main panel on the side of the house. I'm lucky in that the previous owners of my house upgraded from the standard 100 A service to 150 A service (for the pool equipment and A/C I'm guessing). My mains are 2/0 Aluminum.

The small partition for the washer/dryer/water softener/water heater/blower/furnace is run from the house panel, which is also contained in this area. The new A/C will be run from this panel, too (was originally on the main panel). I have a #4 feed from the main panel to the house panel.

[Rob Russell]

... I will have 2 separate 240 V/30 A circuits for the ... drill press (gonna rewire it for 240 V per Tyler's nagging).



I'd put up with the nagging. You'd have to nag me a whole boatload to convince me that rewiring a drill press to 240v is gonna buy you anything you'd ever notice. If your DP has a 3HP motor - fine. Wanna really do something to the DP? Replace the motor with a 1 HP 3-phase 1800 RPM motor and add a VFD. That would buy you something.



Rob

[Chris Padilla]

Rob,

The only thing it'll buy me is lower current in the wires feeding the motor. That is it. It may even be convenient depending upon where and how I wire everything up. We'll see....

[Jim Becker]

Chris, I'm with Rob on the DP...it's a real good "tool corral" candidate and having a standard 120v plug on it will make it a lot more convenient to pull it out for use anywhere in the shop and park it out of the way later. The VFD upgrade would be the only reason I'd ever convert this tool in my own shop...and I have almost anything that "can" run on 240v setup that way!