Originally Posted by
Greg Parrish
Makes perfect sense in your case Jim, since you are designing a new shop around your tools. 30 amps gives your ability to have larger motors/equipment. But in the average small hobby garage shop, the larger 30 amp circuits and associated cords can be more challenging than 20 amp circuits. Regardless, I’m happy to have 20amp 3hp and under equipment and circuits for everything now.
Yes, that's true. But the lesson I learned with the old shop is that one doesn't need a whole bunch of circuits. I spent a lot of money on that and it was a waste in hindsight. For the new shop, I've chosen the "least common denominator" for my single "shared" machine circuit that's used for everything that will never be running at the same time as something else. One breaker; a bunch of outlets. This works even for a small shop. A 30 amp breaker is about the same cost as a 20 amp breaker; the #10 wire is a little more but the cost of the receptacles and plugs is about the same. Only the CNC, Compressor and DC have dedicated circuits. However, the same thing would apply if everything was only 20 amp and that was the desired setup for sure.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...