Power to table saw

[Dale Critchlow]

I am wiring my new shop and am trying to decide how to get power to the 10 cabinet saw (240V) with a router (120V) table attached. The saw stands in the middle of the shop floor. The floor is wood so I could run power lines under the floor.

I would be interested in seeing what others have done.

I see several options.

1) Run the cables over the floor which is an inconvenience and a hazard.

2) Install a 240V outlet and a 120V outlet in the floor by the saw. These fittings are expensive ($60 a piece plus the cost of the outlet device) and from what I have read, putting outlets in the floor of a woodshop is not a good idea. (Another possibility might be to use a three wire plus ground cable with a four terminal outlet similar to the way clothes dryers which use both 240V and 120V are wired.)

3) Run 240V and 120V extension cords under the floor which I don't think would meet code.

4) Bring the power from the ceiling which will get in the way.

5) Install a "permanent" outfeed cabinet for the saw to which the 240V and 120V outlets from under the floor wiring could be attached.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Dale

[Mike Schwing]

I went for option 5 pretty much and installed a separate breaker box to which I ran 10/3 wire in a rated conduit along the wall at 15" high from the ground (code here). I've 2 30 amp breakers in there in case I wind up with a second device that might need 220 and be run at the same time as my cabinet saw - only thing I can really think of though might be a 240v DC, it runs on 110 now. I had plenty of 15 amp service throughout.

I'd be wary of installing the outlet in the floor - dust / water / etc.

That said - I have VERY little experience with electricity in this manner.

[Jamie Buxton]

Dale --

A major question is whether you expect to move the saw. You're considering your option 5, which indicates you never expect the shop floor to turn back into an open space. If that really is the case, you might just bolt the saw down, and use conduit to bring power from under the floor directly to the saw's switchbox; that's how it'd be done in many big cabinet shops. While you're doing that, bring in both the neutral and the ground so you can also put a 110 outlet on the side of the saw.

Don't go the ceiling-drop route. I've worked in a shop like that, and the wiring always gets in the way.

Those floor-mounted outlets (with the outlet pointed up to the sky) are a bad idea. What happens when you spill some fluid into them? If you must use a floor-mounted outlet, build it so that the plug's axis is horizontal, not vertical. You build a little well into the floor, with a trap door covering it. The outlets are in the walls of the well. The door can have a hole or two on the edge so that cables can feed out even when the door is closed. This scheme keeps stuff from falling into your power.

And, of course, you can always do what most of us do: stumble over power cords and extension cords lying around the shop floor.

[Von Bickley]

Dale,
My out-feed table is approximately 4' X 6' and doubles as an assembly table. I have outlets on 2 sides for plugging in hand tools such as my ROS. Option 5 would be my choice.

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

I move my tools occasionally for one reason or another and so I have my power feed to the saw on the floor. However I take a 1' X 8" the proper length and dado a 1/2" X 1/2" slot in what will be the bottom. Then I cut slants on either side of the top beginning 1/2" from the center and ending about 1/16"thick at the edge. I duct tape the power wire into the slot and lay the board down between the wall and the saw. I have never tripped over the board and things roll easily over it. Works for me.

[Dale Critchlow]

Thanks for the suggestions. They will be very helpful in my deliberations.

I may discuss it with the electrical inspector when she does the inspection of the rough installation.

Dale

[Mike Evertsen]

I ran conduit from the ceiling down the lumber rack across the floor (about4')
to a 4 gang box attached to the cabinet that runs the router and both table saws,

[Scott Coffelt]

I have a small basement shop, after many years of trying to reaarange things, the saw always finds itself in one spot. I have cement floor and did not want to cut the floor and run conduit, so I had two options (1) lay on floor thorugh some sort of rubber transistion or come from top. I also had to get dust collection to the TS.

I do not use the extension for anything other than cutting wood, so I brought my electrical and duct collection down from the ceiling on the far right corner of the saw. It does not get in my way at all because I planned for it. If you are running DC ducting you have to get it there somewhere, this beats the floor. If I had a big enough shop where space wasn't an issue, I would have probably placed my saw along the wall and it would have been an easy decision.

Here is old pictures. I recently changed out to 6" spiral pipe. You can also see that I have maximized space by placing my 12" planer on custom stand on the same side. I attached a metal box to the rail of the saw and used 220V twist lock connector and socket. The 110V feeds through the box and a pigtail is tied into a Belkin heavy duty power strip on the outfeed table.