How do you run your power cords & DC hose?

[Doyle Alley]

For your freestanding machinery like table saws, jointers, and planers that are usually positioned in the middle of the shop, how do you run your power cords and dust collection? Obviously, the best way is under the floor, but let's take that off the table for now. I've thought about ceiling drops, but I'm leary of doing that without having some sort of post to tie it to. The other way would be a run across the floor, but I don't want to worry about tripping over things.

Right now, I'm still in the roll-out-the-machine-and-plug-it-in stage but I want to get past that. As usual, help from those who have gone before will be appreciated.

[tod evans]

doyle, once you know where your machines will sit then pull both down from the ceiling. a post isn`t a bad idea for attaching both power and d/c. i ran my d/c, air and electric for each piece in the same location here`s a couple of pics of my mess...tod

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[Steven Wilson]

For power to my combo machine (which sits in the middle of the floor) I use a very heavy duty extension cord that I made up (SJOOW 10ga) with locking plugs and recepticles. I run the cord in an area where I don't walk when using the saw. As for DC, I run a 6" pipe overhead and drop it down to two 5" gates where the saw/shaper meets the jointer/planer. The DC hose to the blade guard is suspended from the ceiling with block and tackle and the DC hose to the jointer, planer, shaper cabinet, saw cabinet, shaper fence just drops down and doesn't get in the way. The only time I have a problem is if I'm working with a full 4x8 sheet of ply and have a lot of ply hanging over the machine top, then I need to add another 5' section of flex and use a stand to hold the flex hose out of the way. All in all it works great.

[Steve Clardy]

Almost all of my ductwork, electrical is under floor.
I have a couple of electric drops, one dc drop, from ceiling. Tied to the rafters.
No extension cords running on top of the floor. Nope. Won't do it.

[Tim Matherly]

My home shop is 24x24. My DeWalt 746 sits in the middle of the shop and is angled towards the drive in door for ripping anything over 8'. My jointer is along the right wall and so is my lunch box planer. I have 4" PVC running along the wall and on the floor to connect these to my 1200 cfm dust collector which sits in the corner. I have a seperate 650 cfm collector that sits under and is connected to the TS. No hoses across the floor and the only extension (SP?) cord on the floor is to the TS.

[Jim Becker]

I generally prefer over head for power/DC for centrally located tools, primarily because of the flexibility it offers for the shop rearrangement that WILL happen over time...and more than once. In floor, at first seems "wonderful" but it's terribly inflexible and can even pose maintenance problems if stuff is physically embedded in the concrete. That said, if I did want to move power and DC "down below", it would be in floor channels with removable covers. Best of both worlds to a certain extent.

[Doyle Alley]

I have a seperate 650 cfm collector that sits under and is connected to the TS. No hoses across the floor and the only extension (SP?) cord on the floor is to the TS.

I really had not thought about a stand-along DC just for the table saw. Nah- the wife would shoot me for trying to justify two DCs.

[tod evans]

i`ve had the d/c in the floor of my last building and won`t do it again! i`d much rather the dust be sucked up and across to the seperator than down under the floor then across the shop then uphill to the seperator. it seems as though i was chasing problems like clogs crawling under the building lots more than i am with the ductwork overhead..02 tod

[Steve Clardy]

i`ve had the d/c in the floor of my last building and won`t do it again! i`d much rather the dust be sucked up and across to the seperator than down under the floor then across the shop then uphill to the seperator. it seems as though i was chasing problems like clogs crawling under the building lots more than i am with the ductwork overhead..02 tod

Probably a couple of them coons under there also tod?:eek: ;) :D

[Larry Browning]

It seems to me that one of the magazines had and article on building a raised floor type central unit with all the major tools connected to it. The power and DC would come into the center and be distributed from there. I remember browsing thru the magazine at the news stand one day so I don't remember much more than that. It looked interesting though. It may have been one of those special issues on shop ideas. Fine Woodworking or Wood, maybe. Sorry for being so vague.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I am finishing my DC installation almost as we speak. My combo machine gets fed from overhead with 5" terminated at the floor sweep which I've screwed to the concrete floor. All the fittings are screwed together and appear very stable. (pics soon)

mjh

[John Hemenway]

Seems like the answer is somewhat dependent on the size of your shop. I'm in a 20x24 garage that I share with one car. DC for TS is along one wall and runs across floor to TS. Same as Norm does in NYW. I have become very skilled at stepping over the 6" line as I pass between TS and miter saw station! :) I don't have room to bring lines down from above, the saw and extension table just fit between wall and 'car space'.

I'd either be committed or shot if LOML caught me trying to go under the floor for the connections! :)

[glenn bradley]

Just price the best ducting, hangers and remote-controlled blast gates you can find. then show the cost comparison to SWMBO and go buy a second DC. Man, I can talk myself into anything; it's everyone else that has common sense.

[John Bush]

I wired individual circuits and outlets for each 220 machine and located them above the usual spot the machine will stay (they are all mobile) The DC ducts are all suspended from the rafters and the flexpipe drops to each machine have the custom extension cords tied on so there is nothing in the way or underfoot. I added the luxury of Ecogates and ran that wiring along the ducts back to the central contrl box. Much better than moving and stepping over hoses during the pre-cyclone days. JCB.

[Jim O'Dell]

I've placed overhead 120v and 220v locking receptacles everywhere I will have a machine. The 6" ducts drop from the ceiling also. Time will tell (when I actually get it all running) if I need to do any supports for the ducts.
On the TS, the cord and duct come down at the far right back corner of the
extension table so it is out of the way on everything I would be using the fence with.
Good luck! Jim.