Workshop progress

[Bas]

Progress on the new shop has been a bit slow, this "work" thing keeps getting in the way! And there are always also some other projects around the house that need to get done.

I think this is the scene I last posted:

View image in gallery​

From here, demolishing the rest of the walls to get to here wasn't too difficult. Just LOTS of drywall dust and debris everywhere. Why on earth did the installers use both drywall nails AND screws?

View image in gallery​

Until finally all the superfluous walls are gone:

View image in gallery​

Now, for demolition, you can't beat the Sawzall, but when it's time to start putting things together, I highly recommend you get a Phil. It comes with all the accessories, it's super easy to work with and it's amazing how much progress you're making all of a sudden. I realize Phils are not widely available, but it's definitely worth finding out! :rolf:

(thanks again Phil!)

View image in gallery​

Pocket doors are not the easiest option, but they are certainly great for a workshop. I now have double doors all the way to the outside, which means bringing in large sheet goods and/ or tools will be a LOT easier. :eusa_danc

View image in gallery​

View image in gallery​

Last week my friend the electrician came by to help installing a new subpanel. The hard part was wrestling 1AWG cable past the usual obstacles such as walls, joists and girders. Hero of the day was the Harbor Freight multitool :tool:, that thing is great for cutting through drywall and wood when space is tight. I also repaired the wire I cut accidentally during demolition (nothing like someone running a wire diagonally between studs to catch you by surprise!) so all the outlets work again.

View image in gallery​

All that hard work paid off, since I am now the proud owner of a new subpanel, finally enough power for whatever I plan to buy. In my old shop I only had one 240V outlet, this is going to be a real luxury. ccasion1

View image in gallery​

Next stage is to finish the drywalling, patching all the holes I cut everywhere to run the wire, tape, mud & paint, and then I can run the conduit for the wiring.

BTW - I've been looking into whether I should get stranded or solid. I don't plan to run anything over 10AWG and my runs are fairly short, so pulling the wire shouldn't be too hard. Anyone have any experience to share here? I've also been looking at fluorescent lights. The nicer T8 wraps (with 4 4' bulbs) aren't cheap! Is there a better place than Lowes or Home Depot for this in the area?

I really hate drywall dust BTW. :BangHead::BangHead:

 

[scsmith42]

Bas - looks like things are progressing well! Can I borrow your "Phil" when you're done?? :rotflm:


Re the wiring, if you're running it in conduit, usually it's easier to pull stranded versus solid. If you're using Romex, solid is probably the way to go.

Stranded is a little bit more finicky when you wire up the outlets (some of the strands like to pop out from underneath the screws) too.

As far as the 4 bulb T8's are concerned, are you looking at 4 foot fixtures or 8 foot fixtures? My 4 bulb 8 footers were $43.00 when I bought them, and I understand that they have dropped to around $38.00. Be sure to get the high CRI and high lumen bulbs - it really makes a difference.

Scott

 

[Bryan S]

Nice progess and it sure does look like getting a Phil has been a big help :gar-La;. I only spoke with him briefly during the move but seemed to be a great guy.

As far as the wiring If you are going to keep it in the wall romex would be best. If you have to run conduit attached to the wall then go with stranded. Easier to work with. If I would have know I could have laid my hands on 12 more T8 2 and 4 light fixtures from an area in the hospital that was being renavated a couple of months back.

I dont like sheetrock dust either:no:

 

[Bryan S]

Stranded is a little bit more finicky when you wire up the outlets (some of the strands like to pop out from underneath the screws) too.


Scott

Scott is right about the strands not staying secure but I use outlets that allow you to backwire that is the wire slides in a slot behind the screw and a spade clamps onto the wire as you tighten it verses side wiring which is when you wrap the wire around the screw. They cost a little more but instalation is easier because your eliminating the step of twisting the wire around the screw. Both Lowes and HD have them.

 

[Phil S]

Bas, Looks like your coming along. Before you know it you will be done and then you will buy a new tool and have to reorganize again - at least that is what happens to me. As far as wire and conduit, I would install 3/4" or even 1" conduit so that you can pull more wire thru when you need another circuit. I would use 12 gauge solid thhn wire which pulls easier than other and solid seems to make better connections.
For lighting, can you use the normal 2' x 4' 4 tube fixtures that are used in suspended ceilings? - they can be mounted with toggles to your hard ceiling. I have at least two but probably six that I could get fairly easy. They may have the typical 277 volt commercial ballast but I also have a bunch of the new multivolt electronic ones that will work for you, you will just have to swap them. Just give me a call. Phil

 

[froglips]

Fantastical progress!

Love the pocket doors. Maybe you can get one of them Star Trek magic eye automatic door openers!

Did you go with the cordless or compressed air Phil? I have a small stack of pancakes compressor that might not be enough to feed a Phil.....

Jim

 

[gator]

Bas -

I'm not totally sure, but, I think that "CODE" says that you cannot run Romex in conduit but have to run individual wires. Either way I would go with solid. Solid is not that much harder to run (especially if you use individual wires through conduit) and you don't have to worry about the strands at the end of the run, easier to get under screws at the panel and the outlets/switches.

Looking good so far.

George

Edit: I forgot to mention, I agree that if you use conduit, use a larger size AND put a run of cord in each one so you can pull the next wire (the one you left out or forgot) when the time comes. When you pull the next wire just attach another cord with it and you will always have a pull cord in the conduit.

 

[Trent Mason]

Bas, that's coming along very well. Just think how helpful all of this work will be when you build your shop addition in 6 months. :rotflm:

 

[TracyP]

Nice progress, you'll have it up and running in no time.

 

[Ken Massingale]

Fantastical progress!

Love the pocket doors. Maybe you can get one of them Star Trek magic eye automatic door openers!

Did you go with the cordless or compressed air Phil? I have a small stack of pancakes compressor that might not be enough to feed a Phil.....

Jim

I don't think a compressed air Phil would be pleasant to work around!:no:


The shop's looking great Bas.

 

[DonnellyJT]

You can run Romex in conduit. Look for one labeled SIMPULL. Its coated with a slick substance that makes it easier to pull thru the conduit. You don't need to run wire in conduit if its inside the wall or ceiling. Only need conduit if its exposed. If its in the attic, you run it between the ceiling joists. SIMPULL or not, its hard to pull solid Romex in conduit. Especially #10 wire.

 

[toolman]

Looking Good Bas!!

 

[Gofor]

Outstanding job, Bas.!! Don't you love it when a plan starts coming together!!

Ref romex in conduit: Romex can be run by code in conduit, but the amount of wires allowed is reduced, as heat can't dissipate as well in a conduit and the additional sheathing on the romex aggravates that. A positive is if you have a lot of flex conduit. Romex provides a bit more protection against a sharp edge on the end of the flex. If I am not mistaken, tho, romex is a bit more expensive than single strand.

Go

 

[Gotcha6]

Bas, don't forget to use stud guard plates if you you use Romex. They are required if the wire bore is within 1-1/4" of the stud face & they'll keep the stray screws or nails out of the wire.
Looks like you're making good progress:thumbs_up:thumbs_up

 

[toolferone]

I have worked a "Phil" before in my shop, and I agree they are really great :rotflm:!!

It is coming along great Bas!!

 

[Bas]

Stranded is a little bit more finicky when you wire up the outlets (some of the strands like to pop out from underneath the screws) too.

I'm using conduit and individual wires. I think I prefer ease of making connections over ease of pulling. Each run is going to be interrupted every few feet for a junction box (to drop to an outlet), so pulling shouldn't be too hard.

As far as the 4 bulb T8's are concerned, are you looking at 4 foot fixtures or 8 foot fixtures? My 4 bulb 8 footers were $43.00 when I bought them, and I understand that they have dropped to around $38.00. Be sure to get the high CRI and high lumen bulbs - it really makes a difference.

That's a great price! The 4x4' fixtures I saw at Home Depot were ~$65.

Nice progess and it sure does look like getting a Phil has been a big help . I only spoke with him briefly during the move but seemed to be a great guy.

That's all it takes to figure that out, a brief conversation

If I would have know I could have laid my hands on 12 more T8 2 and 4 light fixtures from an area in the hospital that was being renavated a couple of months back.

Yeah, timing is everything! But thanks anyway.

Scott is right about the strands not staying secure but I use outlets that allow you to backwire that is the wire slides in a slot behind the screw and a spade clamps onto the wire as you tighten it verses side wiring which is when you wrap the wire around the screw. They cost a little more but instalation is easier because your eliminating the step of twisting the wire around the screw. Both Lowes and HD have them.

I know it's easier, but I am not a big fan of backstabbed connections. Maybe it was the installer, but I've seen quite a few come loose over the years. Bending the wire around the screw can be a royal pain at times, but it will NEVER come loose once you tighten down the screw.

Bas, Looks like your coming along. Before you know it you will be done and then you will buy a new tool and have to reorganize again - at least that is what happens to me.

A shop is never finished, it's just in varying states of disarray

As far as wire and conduit, I would install 3/4" or even 1" conduit so that you can pull more wire thru when you need another circuit. I would use 12 gauge solid thhn wire which pulls easier than other and solid seems to make better connections.

Great, that's been my plan, 3/4" & 12 gauge. I want to wire one 30A outlet with 10 gauge, but that will be a straight run which should be easy to do.

For lighting, can you use the normal 2' x 4' 4 tube fixtures that are used in suspended ceilings? - they can be mounted with toggles to your hard ceiling. I have at least two but probably six that I could get fairly easy. They may have the typical 277 volt commercial ballast but I also have a bunch of the new multivolt electronic ones that will work for you, you will just have to swap them. Just give me a call. Phil

Phil, that's a great offer. It would probably work, but if I recall correctly, these fixtures tend to be taller than the regular "wraps" by several inches. I want to conserve as much height as possible (I'm sure you can appreciate that!). But, the more modern ones may not be as bulky as the old "troughs" I remember. I'll give you a call this week.

Bas -
I'm not totally sure, but, I think that "CODE" says that you cannot run Romex in conduit but have to run individual wires. Either way I would go with solid. Solid is not that much harder to run (especially if you use individual wires through conduit) and you don't have to worry about the strands at the end of the run, easier to get under screws at the panel and the outlets/switches.

This is a murky subject. The electrical code does allow Romex in conduit, but because heat dissipation is reduced you can't run as many conductors. Plus, it's sort of belts & suspenders running Romex in conduit. I've gone back and forth between solid and stranded, and I think I'll go with solid.

As for adding on to the shop in 6 months...I will probably still be busy assembling the shop in 6 months for the first time! That's one advantage of working slowly, it takes longer to run out of room :gar-La;

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback. Put me on the list for the Shop Crawl 2010.

 

[Travis Porter]

I wouldn't mind having a Phil myself.....

 

[Canuck]

It's looking really great there, Bas!!:icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum

Movin' right along! You'll be out there tool shoppin' before you know it!!!:gar-La;

Wayne

 

[SteveColes]

Bas, take a look at this chart

 

[Bas]

Bas, take a look at this chart

Thanks Steve, that's a great chart. If only the rules related to temperature and ampacity derating were that simple. For now, I'm sticking with "no more than three circuits per conduit" guideline.