Floor electrical outlets

[Thomas Wilson]

I am going to need 110 and 220 power in the middle of my shop floor and I am looking for ideas for outlets. The floor is 3/4 oak flooring over 2 layers of 3/4 plywood. I have a basement for access from below. What solutions have you seen that are good at keeping dust out? Also, I have not found any 220 floor outlets. Should I make a squat little square box and mount conventional wall boxes in the sides? Ideas?

[Jim Becker]

Personally, I'd use a short pylon for this purpose. It would only require a hole for conduit though the floor which means if you need to relocate it in the future, the repair to the floor will be minimal using a tapered plug and glue. A pylon would also allow the receptacles to face horizontally which helps mitigate dust. I wouldn't use any outlets facing vertically in a shop like this...they are hard enough to use in a residential setting when it comes to dirt and debris. A single pylon could easily support both 120v and 240v receptacles.

[Gary Ragatz]

No experience with it, but an outlet in a woodshop floor doesn't sound like a good idea. Could you put an outlet in the ceiling? Or if the ceiling is high, maybe suspend an outlet, using some conduit, to get it to where it would be accessible (but above head-height)? My Dad had something like this in his shop (sorry, no pics - that was years ago).

[Charles Lent]

I would not put any outlets directly in or on a woodworking shop floor because they will fill with saw dust too easily, but a short post with the outlets placed on the sides about 1' above the floor wouldn't have so much of a problem. If you ever decide to move it, the holes left in the floor would be smaller and easier to patch too. Just my opinion.

Charley

[Lyndon Klassen]

No experience with it, but an outlet in a woodshop floor doesn't sound like a good idea.

I have experience and it's a great idea. I have multiple floor outlets. Just mind blowing.

[Tim Bridge]

And the pylon would be a good spot for speakers or a holder for adult beverages.

[Nike Nihiser]

Jim Becker, don't you mean you wouldn't have any outlets facing horizontally, not vertically?

[Tim Bueler]

I have both 240v and 120v conduits coming through the floor at my table saw (and air, too). The 240v outlet is screwed to a very simple plywood L bracket. I built the bracket tall enough to screw a plywood "roof" over the top of the outlet so dust settles on that and not the outlet box. The conduit on the 120v line is long enough to reach the edges of the tablesaw extension. I have 2 outlets under the extension, 1 facing front and 1 facing rear.

I also brought electric and air through the floor into my workbench/assembly table. I placed heavy duty multi outlet strips along each edge under the top and have multiple air outlets. I'm a bit anal that NO cords or hoses lay on the floor unless absolutely necessary.

[Allan Dozier]

My shop with hardwood floor is over a basement. The perimeter machines have dust collection ducts through the floor and all my machines that are out in the middle have dust collection and electrical outlets through the floor. There are no problems at all and I can't imagine going back to cords running all over the floor again.

[Rod Sheridan]

A floor receptacle should use a proper box for that purpose or even better a box mounted vertically with a wet in use cover to protect everything.........Rod.

[Jon Snider]

Personally, I'd use a short pylon for this purpose. It would only require a hole for conduit though the floor which means if you need to relocate it in the future, the repair to the floor will be minimal using a tapered plug and glue. A pylon would also allow the receptacles to face horizontally which helps mitigate dust. I wouldn't use any outlets facing vertically in a shop like this...they are hard enough to use in a residential setting when it comes to dirt and debris. A single pylon could easily support both 120v and 240v receptacles.

Jim, is this the same as a pedestal receptacle?

[Jim Becker]

Jim Becker, don't you mean you wouldn't have any outlets facing horizontally, not vertically?
No, I wouldn't want them vertically because dust and debris can easily fall in them. I'd want them perpendicular to the floor which is what I meant by "horizontally". Sorry for any confusion there...

[Jim Becker]

Jim, is this the same as a pedestal receptacle?

It could be, but for the stated purpose of supporting both 120v and 240v, it's probably easiest to build an appropriately sized pylon/pedestal so both types of circuits could be supported in one place with one floor penetration. That would kinda be a like a tiny, short, narrow wall. :) I suspect a lot of the commercial pedestal receptacle constructions will not be very generous with wire space as they are often "office focused". I could be wrong about that, however...I've never looked for something like that.

-----

BTW, Thomas, if/when you run your 240 v circuits, use 10 gage so you can support both 20amp and 30 amp tools. You never know what the future can bring. It may also be a good idea to bring them each out to a generous j-box under the floor and then send the runs to the receptacles from there as that makes changes in the future a whole lot easier...something I learned on the second of several shop changes I made.

[Thomas Wilson]

Thanks guys. I have been traveling from the Mountain Kingdom back to the Cave, (Norris Lake to Atlanta). I have an evening engagement with Janicewhokeepsmehumble. I will get back to the group with some questions. Construction of the HotMK is moving fast. I will post some pics in the morning.

TW

[Thomas Wilson]

Thanks for all the responses. One of the most helpful ones was the one referencing "pedestal" boxes. "Pedestal" is the key search term to find what I am looking for. One has to comb through RV pedestals which is an entirely different thing and apparently the more common searched item to find those floor warts found in open offices.

Here is the thing I thought I wanted to use that I found through everyone's help. It holds two receptacles back to back. Faceplates for standard duplex and single outlets are available. The single hole faceplate only fits a 20 amp 240v receptacle. I will run #10 wire anyway but use a 20 amp breaker to protect the outlet. Let me know what you think.


https://www.hubbell.com/hubbell/en/Products/Electrical-Electronic/Fire-Rated-Poke-Throughs/Pedestal/FR80AL/p/1532023

I would appreciate pictures of some floor installations that people have used or seen. I don't think I want an outlet face that is flat to the floor surface because of dust but am interested in experience. Early in my woodworking career, dust collection was just not available. I usually swept up when it got ankle deep with knee deep drifts. This shop is going to have dust collection so maybe the flush mounted outlets do work despite the shop environment as some people have reported.

My tool layout will probably consist of a central tool area for the tablesaw, planer, and jointer in the middle of the floor where the floor outlets are needed. At least until I am satisfied with the arrangement of these three tools, the 2 HP Oneida portable DC will be in the same cluster and I will have the existing flexible hose to move from tool to tool. Basically that is what I did for the last shop. The rest of the stationary power tools can be distributed around the perimeter with wall outlets. I will just space them around every 4 to 6 feet. This was sufficient In my last shop, I had handy boxes attached to steel post in the middle of the shop and outlets around the perimeter. It was about 13x27 and very crowded. The dust collector, planer, drum sander, track saw, and 6" belt sander lived in the garage.

All of those four central tools require 20 amp or less and the cords are compatible with that style of outlet. When I get the tools in their final resting places, the DC will move to the basement and I will cut holes for duct work through the floor to eliminate visible duct work in the shop. I am interested in people's experience with basement dust collection. I am expecting to have the DC in a basement closet with a grill for a return air. The basement will not be heated. But that closet will have free air exchange with the shop. I am concerned about overfilling the DC drum and not realizing it. The bin sensor on the DC is not reliable or at least I have never gotten it dialed in. I have not used it much since I bought it about 4 years ago.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Check the local code as far as the floor outlets.

[Tom M King]

Since there is access underneath, I'd put the receptacle box below the floor, and drill a hole in the floor only large enough for the SOOW wire. Plug can be put on the end of the cord after it's passed through the floor. If things get moved later, just plug the hole with a wooden plug. I would want neither a floor box, or a pylon.

[Tim Bridge]

Since there is access underneath, I'd put the receptacle box below the floor, and drill a hole in the floor only large enough for the SOOW wire. Plug can be put on the end of the cord after it's passed through the floor. If things get moved later, just plug the hole with a wooden plug. I would want neither a floor box, or a pylon.

You just suggested what is a violation of the National Electric Code.

[Frank Pratt]

You just suggested what is a violation of the National Electric Code.

Same with the CEC. It's not permitted to run portable cord through a wall or floor.

[Tom M King]

Yeah, I know, but I still did it that way on my first shop, and it's still that way 38 years later-tools are in same place. I don't worry about it with SO wire. I wouldn't do it with NM, or even SJ. I don't feel scared that it's more dangerous than a floor box, and didn't want posts sticking up, or even conduit.

Since the Inspector has final call on "interpretations", mine didn't flag them, and I had it all hooked up, and was using it, since it has a subpanel from the main panel in the house, when he came. If I'm remembering right, that was 38 years ago.

edited to add: My reason for doing it like this was because the wire can be tucked in somewhere that it's no trip, or stumbling hazard. Also, I remembered that the SO goes into junction boxes under the floor, that are fed with NM from the panel, rather than having the extra cost of receptacles, and plugs. I don't know that it would have mattered in my case though-the Inspector didn't crawl under the floor to look. It's over a crawlspace, rather than another room. The wire to the Jointer is just NM, and comes up under the machine base into the cabinet where the motor is, so there is no external wire visible anywhere, on that one.

[Rollie Meyers]

Yeah, I know, but I still did it that way on my first shop, and it's still that way 38 years later-tools are in same place. I don't worry about it with SO wire. I wouldn't do it with NM, or even SJ. I don't feel scared that it's more dangerous than a floor box, and didn't want posts sticking up, or even conduit.

Since the Inspector has final call on "interpretations", mine didn't flag them, and I had it all hooked up, and was using it, since it has a subpanel from the main panel in the house, when he came. If I'm remembering right, that was 38 years ago.

edited to add: My reason for doing it like this was because the wire can be tucked in somewhere that it's no trip, or stumbling hazard. Also, I remembered that the SO goes into junction boxes under the floor, that are fed with NM from the panel, rather than having the extra cost of receptacles, and plugs. I don't know that it would have mattered in my case though-the Inspector didn't crawl under the floor to look. It's over a crawlspace, rather than another room. The wire to the Jointer is just NM, and comes up under the machine base into the cabinet where the motor is, so there is no external wire visible anywhere, on that one.


Just because a inspector passes something does not make it right.


I used floorboxes in the shop.

https://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa308/RFM959/Picture493.jpg (https://s197.photobucket.com/user/RFM959/media/Picture493.jpg.html)






And the same in the back room.

https://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa308/RFM959/IMG_0155.jpg (https://s197.photobucket.com/user/RFM959/media/IMG_0155.jpg.html)

Earlier view.

[URL=https://s197.photobucket.com/user/RFM959/media/IMG_0092-1.jpg.html]https://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa308/RFM959/IMG_0092-1.jpg[/URL

[Tom M King]

I use floor boxes in concrete too.

[Thomas Wilson]

Just because a inspector passes something does not make it right.


I used floorboxes in the shop.




Did you have 240v outlets in the floor?
TW

[Rollie Meyers]

Did you have 240v outlets in the floor?
TW

In the shop, and back room, both have one 20A, 240V Twistlock® in the floor boxes.

[Thomas Wilson]

Thanks. I will check it out.

[Roger Feeley]

Floor outlets remind me of my days teaching drafting. I had a room with a bunch of flush floor outlets from when the room was used for something else. No one knew that those outlets were live and we never thought to check. One day, without provocation, a pillar of flame erupted from one of the outlet just inches from a students leg. I made a beeline for the breaker box and killed the outlets. Later, we had an electrician in and make it more permanent. It turned out that the janitors were dutifully wet mopping that floor and regularly waxing. over time, something seeped in and it just chose that moment to short out.

If memory serves, the kid that was sitting there is now senior pastor at the worlds largest Methodist Church.

My point here is that flush mounted outlets in a shop are probably a bad idea. At least put your outlet in some sort of box that allows for liquid spills. For myself, I'm a fan of ceiling mounted outlets. It's less attractive to have a forest of wires but it is easier to re-arrange things. It's also less of a trip hazard. On my table saw, I have an overarm dust collector/guard. I simply run the wire up the side of the guard tube. If I want to cut something wider than 4', I would have to remove the dust collector tube. I can untape the wire as well. But that won't happen.

[Jon Nuckles]

I have seen a lot of pop-up outlet boxes for conference tables, desks and kitchen counters/cabinets. I don't know if something similar is available for floors. If it is, you could pop it up when you need it, but keep it down and safe from dust and feet when you don't. Just an idea, and I have no idea of the code violations it could cause.

[Tony Leonard]

I've had floor outlets in my shop for 20 years or so. Love 'em. Mine were put in when the floor was poured. The covers are brass with doors covering the outlets when not in use. Never had an issue. I hit them with the shop vac once in a while. The covers came out just above floor level. That would allow for thin flooring. Probably helps keep the debris out too.

Tony

[Bill Dufour]

I have seen boxes conduit mounted on a floor flange total height about 6-8 inches. I have seen a few flanges tube and outlet boxes all cast as one piece of cast iron. These were in old science labs.
Bill D

[Bill Dufour]

Interesting extrension cord female end here.
Bill D
https://www.chairish.com/product/1197558/1920s-standing-art-deco-cast-iron-standing-four-outlet-extension-cord

[ray grundhoefer]

stub a piece of 3/4 steel ridgid conduit up through floor. securely fasten it the floor joist below so it cannot move. then screw an aluminum bell box onto it . you could even put an in use outside rec cover on it if you were really concerned about sawdust

[Rollie Meyers]

stub a piece of 3/4 steel ridgid conduit up through floor. securely fasten it the floor joist below so it cannot move. then screw an aluminum bell box onto it . you could even put an in use outside rec cover on it if you were really concerned about sawdust

A single conduit is not suitable for support of a box, either a 2nd conduit or other means of support would be required.

[ray grundhoefer]

Yes I know, been an electrician for 40 years. Silly thing is all you have to do is attach box to floor with an L bracket and then its legal

[mark mcfarlane]

For my stationary tool locations I put round floor boxes in my concrete floor without any receptacles. The machines are direct wired. They are probably never going to be moved or unplugged, and if they need to be unplugged it only takes a minute to remove a few wire nuts.

By my workbench I have a couple of receptacles in the floor that I rarely use, I'm too lazy to bend over when there are high receptacles on the back bench 6 feet away.

If you are worried about dust in unused receptacles consider putting in an outlet plug (https://www.amazon.com/Mommys-Helper-Outlet-Plugs-Count/dp/B00081J3N6?th=1).

[Thomas Wilson]

Thanks, Mark. I have always had my tools on wheels and have needed them to be mobile to line up temporarily with doors for long stock or to get the tool out of the way to use the floor space. But this is a bigger shop than I have had before. Maybe if the tools find a comfortable place to rest where they do not have to be moved, I will do as you have.

TW

[Tom Bender]

Since you have a basement you can mount outlets in the basement ceiling. Then make a hole and drop the cord thru it, go downstairs and plug it in.

[Jim Becker]

Since you have a basement you can mount outlets in the basement ceiling. Then make a hole and drop the cord thru it, go downstairs and plug it in.
Yes, that "will work", but it's not kosher, AFAIK.

[mark mcfarlane]

Yes, that "will work", but it's not kosher, AFAIK.

i.e., any electrical wire that goes through a floor/ceiling/wall penetration needs to be rated for that particular kind of installation.

Extension cords in a wall (or thick floor ceiling assembly) are a no-no. An extension cord run inside a floor/wall doesn't dissipate heat as well as one in open air. The selection of the insulating material used in an extension cord is based on being used only in open air.

Inside a wall (or floor or any other contained or semi contained space) the wire can't dissipate heat as quickly as in open air, increasing the chance that the insulation melts and you get an electrical short.

Apparently a lot of homes burn down every year from people pulling extension cords through the wall to feed a wall-hung tv.

[Tom Bender]

Good point, be sure to oversize the cord and don't run it in the wall or floor, just thru the floor and in open air to the outlet. I would feel safer with this than a flush in the floor outlet.

[Brad Friesen]

This was my solution - basement shop so couldn't come up from under the floor. built around support pole and ran to electrical box - planning for a 3 hp 220 saw in future.409218409219

[Thomas Wilson]

Back when I had a basement shop, I also attached my mid floor outlets to the metal column. I used surface-mounted conduit and shallow metal handiboxes. Functional but not attractive. I like your solution.

[Mike Kees]

When I built my shop I ran two conduits to locations where I knew my jointer and planer were going to be and my tablesaw/saws. After I poured my concrete floor ,and I talked to my electrician we did indeed install two steel RV pedestals. I have a double 110V outlet on one side and wiring for the machines coming out the other side. Since I have bought and sold several machines since The first set up it has come in handy to switch stuff around. I really like the pedestals in the middle for extension cords,I use a 15' cord so way less laying around to trip on.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Here, the building inspectors would give you a really hard time with floor outlets, which generally have to be at least 15 inches from the floor to the top of the box. There are exceptions and the box is raised slightly with a tight fitting brass cover. Plastic is allowed here, and is especially desirable considering the cost of such covers in brass, about $40.

[Rollie Meyers]

Good point, be sure to oversize the cord and don't run it in the wall or floor, just thru the floor and in open air to the outlet. I would feel safer with this than a flush in the floor outlet.
You cannot pass a cord through any opening of the building finish, the cord, plug, receptacle must be in the same room.

[Thomas Wilson]

I awoke this morning in Atlanta with not much on the agenda. I have a long simmering project in the Neanderthal shop or I have some photos of installing electrical floor boxes at the shop that I could turn into a post for the Sawmill Creek community. The deciding factor is on our last trip to Atlanta, the shop was converted into an art studio for the granddaughter and the painting is not quite finished.


She may come over to play this afternoon (soccer game was cancelled). I thought I would leave things as she left them.
476116

Instead, I am resurrecting an old thread in which I asked for the collective wisdom of the group about electrical floor outlets in the shop. I appreciated the education and after a long delay, I am finally installing them. This post is to report on what I used, how I installed them, and the problems encountered. First, the boxes. I bought boxes designed for installation in a wood floor. Apparently, boxes installed in concrete in an office cube farm are more common. Boxes for concrete are plastic with molded fittings for plastic conduit and not designed to be hung from a ledge in the wood floor using Romex. I spent several days searching. I first found Hubbell brand boxes online but they where phenomenally expensive, more than $400 per box and are just not available for order anywhere. Then, I found another high quality but still expensive brand, Legrand, at about half as much as Hubbell. The company must have changed hands several times in recent years as I found the same boxes listed as Wiremold, Walker, and Legrand. They are sturdy and nice looking. The system consists of four parts: metal electrical box, receptacle, flange and cover plate. The flange and cover plate are heavy cast, solid brass and look very nice.
476117

The box has ears that are recessed into floor that support box. The flange is a standard component for all cover plate. The cover plate fits within the flange and can be selected for duplex, rectangular, 220v 20 amp, various communications plugins, etc. I got three rectangular (Decora-stye) GFCi 20 amp, 110 V and three twist-lock, 20 amp 220v receptacles. I ordered these quite some time ago at least 10 weeks. The last items on the order, coverplates for the 20 amp 220v receptacles, have still not arrived. I went ahead and cut the holes for the boxes which is sort of a woodworking project.





As in most things at the shop, I had never done this before and apparently no one on Youtube has either. I was left on my own to make up a procedure. I wanted the recess for the flange to be snug and the hole in the boxes to allow for adjustment without reducing width of the lip for supporting the box too much. I made several practice holes in plywood to check the fit. A 1/32 gap around the flange was too much, so was 1/64. On third try I went for exact fit and tapped the flange into place for a snug fit. The ledge for the ears and the hole for the box were sized for 1/16 clearance. That seemed to work without having to adjust any holes.

I wanted to use routers and guide bushings with templates to make the hole for the box and the recesses for the flange and ears. The templates themselves are also cut with router inside a four-sided outline made up of track saw tracks and crosspieces that are screwed down. The base of the router is the guide bushing for cutting the template. I cut cross pieces to precise lengths to set the dimensions for cutting the templates. To set the spacing between the side pieces, I used two spacers that were removed for cutting the hole. This is one of very few times I wished for a CNC router to cut the holes. After several holes, I had a system of marking templates but it was slow.

476118

It is always a good idea to test templates all the way from start to finish. I made a practice hole in plywood, actually several as I tuned the fit. The first try I discovered that the installation instructions were a bit off. The recess specified in the instructions was too shallow and farced the flange retention screws to stick up too high for the cover plate to screw down flush. All that was necessary was to cut the recess for the ears 1/8” deeper.
476124
The offending screw head.
476125
The finished test hole looks pretty good.
476130476131

After cutting the box hole, I needed a way to locate the templates for flange and ears centered exactly over the box hole. I made a two-piece alignment plug for each template. The bottom piece fits precisely in the box hole and the top piece is sized to fit within the template.

476126



More to come. This post has hit the picture limit.

[Thomas Wilson]

Here is the bottom of the alignment plug. I made a plugs for the ears and flange recesses.
476132
To cut the floor holes, I marked the center of the hole with a 3/8 hole drilled from the basement to be sure the hole was not on a joist. I used the template to mark the hole outline and ran a washer and marker around the inside of the hole to mark the waste to be removed by jig saw. Then, I drilled a hole in each corner and cut out the waste.
476133476134476135476136

More to come. I have to go play with the grandkids.

[Rod Sheridan]

Yes it is, often referred to in the trade as a “monument”….Regards, Rod

[Thomas Wilson]

Yes it is, often referred to in the trade as a “monument”….Regards, Rod
Did I miss something?

[Rollie Meyers]

Did you have 240v outlets in the floor?
TW


A rather slow reply on my part, but yes. Used 20A genuine Twistlock® receptacles for the 240V ones, in the main shop there is a duplex receptacle, & a 20A 125V Twistlock®, in the back room, there is a duplex receptacle & a 240V Twistlock®, all 120V receptacles are GFCI protected.

[Thomas Wilson]

A rather slow reply on my part, but yes. Used 20A genuine Twistlock® receptacles for the 240V ones, in the main shop there is a duplex receptacle, & a 20A 125V Twistlock®, in the back room, there is a duplex receptacle & a 240V Twistlock®, all 120V receptacles are GFCI protected.
Thanks Rollie. I stumbled into the same choices. I am really looking forward to not having extension cords strung across the floor.

[Thomas Wilson]

This post will bring the thread up to the current status. I am awaiting the electrician to come finish the wiring connections at receptacle and at the panel. Wires are in place but not connected on either end.

The rest of the installation went pretty quickly and smoothly. I put packing tape on the template to make removal of the double-sided tape easier. Then, I put some squares of XFasten double sided tape (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BBL4JXJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BBL4JXJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)) to hold the template in place. I also knelt on the template while routing. I had no issues with the template slipping or with removing the template and tape. I used fresh tape for each hole/recess. I also vacuumed carefully before taping template down.

Here is a picture of the template with the tape applied to show the pattern. The orange backing paper has not been peeled off. The adhesive is white and sort of thick. It conforms to the slight unevenness of prefinished flooring. To remove, one corner of the template can be lifted. The tape residue can be rolled off without leaving a trace on the flooring or template.

476186
Here, I am ready to rout the box hole. The blue tape on the corners helps to align the template after jigsawing out the waste.
476187

Repeat for the ears and flange. Here is a picture of the alignment plug and template set up for the flange recess.
476188
The finished hole with box, flange, outlet and closed cover plate.
476189476190476191476192


I finished all the box installation about two weeks ago and called the electrician to finish the wiring. He has not called back. Of course, I could wire it myself. I would rather the builder be able to tell the inspector that all electrical work was done by a licensed electrician than some by the owner.

I am working on the connections for moving the on/off controls and bin sensor and alarm for the dust collector through the floor. That will be another thread.

[Thomas Wilson]

Yes it is, often referred to in the trade as a “monument”….Regards, Rod

Did I miss something?

I figured it out. You are referring to the electrical pedestal that looks like a grave stone or "monument". I am a bit slow.

[Jim Becker]

Thomas, do "they" make these floor accommodations to fit things like 240v twist locks for machinery? Maybe it was mentioned and I missed it...

BTW, that's a really nice, clean install in the floor. Bravo!

[Thomas Wilson]

Thomas, do "they" make these floor accommodations to fit things like 240v twist locks for machinery? Maybe it was mentioned and I missed it...

BTW, that's a really nice, clean install in the floor. Bravo!
Yes, the standard 240v twist lock receptacles fit the flange and box. A round hinged cover plate goes on top. The ones I ordered have not come in yet. It would be a bummer if they never show up.

You will likely be building on a slab and would probably use PVC boxes and conduit. The same flange and cover plates in aluminum or brass can go on top. The metal box can be used in concrete too but maybe not in a grade level slab.

[Jim Becker]

I actually do not intent to have any in-floor resources. My space, despite being larger than the old shop, will likely need to be a bit flexible until I figure out the best workflow. I was just curious if the L6 20 and 30 could be accommodated in those beautiful brass in-floor setups since they are kinda essential for a woodworking shop these days. (I prefer twist locks, but support for straight blade for folks who like that is also nice)

[Rollie Meyers]

I actually do not intent to have any in-floor resources. My space, despite being larger than the old shop, will likely need to be a bit flexible until I figure out the best workflow. I was just curious if the L6 20 and 30 could be accommodated in those beautiful brass in-floor setups since they are kinda essential for a woodworking shop these days. (I prefer twist locks, but support for straight blade for folks who like that is also nice)


Floor boxes accommodate locking receptacles with ease "Twistlock®" is a registered trademark, just like "Romex®". There are 3 in the floors of my shop, a 120V Twistlock that I never use, and a 240V receptacle my Unisaw is powered from, + a duplex receptacle that took a month or so to get the cover for, the backroom has duplex & 240V receptacles in the floor boxes, Most of the floor boxes were steel & cast iron made by Hubbell. As to debris collecting in the boxes I blow them out & put the caps back in place & they have been trouble free for 29 years.

This the cover I used for my Twistlock® receptacles.

https://www.amazon.com/Hubbell-Wiring-Systems-Combination-Diameter/dp/B00C43VJUQ/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=hubbell+floor+box&qid=1647910011&sr=8-10

Hate to think how much it costs now, back in '93 paid around $30 for this.

https://www.hubbell.com/wiringdevice-kellems/en/Products/Electrical-Electronic/Floor-Boxes/In-Floor/Covers/1-Gang-Cover-Round-Duplex-Threaded-Screws-Brass/p/1531446

Edit: Better then $60 now.
(https://www.hubbell.com/wiringdevice-kellems/en/Products/Electrical-Electronic/Floor-Boxes/In-Floor/Covers/1-Gang-Cover-Round-Duplex-Threaded-Screws-Brass/p/1531446)

[Jim Becker]

I figured that, Rollie...'was just curious to confirm that the appropriate receptacles were available for that format.