Shop ideas to consider

[MapleLeafFarmer]

metal pail w/ lid full of water for dirty rags. Here it is code and I know a work shop just a few weeks ago that had a rag fire because pail was not full of water and did not have a cover.

timer on the Air compressor so it shuts down after you leave. Depending on size if a small 120 a simple bathroom fan timer works perfectly. Otherwise also 240v timer cheap. Some are mechanical so simple twist of the knob. Others are digital just press a button and will be active for whatever programmed.

Motion detector flood light. Great when I walk in the barns at night no fumbling for a light switch and a little extra security.

if electric garage door going to be used don't forget a 120v plug on the ceiling near where the door opener will be mounted.

split receptacles at the work bench so multiple things can be plugged in on different circuits.

isolated ground receptacle for the radio as I hate the static while i am listening to tunes.

multiple height work benches as I got older sometimes I need stuff higher / closer to my face as I don't see well as I used to. Don't need to bend over as much when bench surface 5' high for fine duty work.

I also like a small fan on a timer. I installed a small fan from a hog barn on a timer and and if I want to vent the shop for a couple of hours after I leave and lock up a quick twist of the timer and the fan runs for a couple of hours after I leave then shuts off automatically

 

[MossRoad]

I dislike Multiwire branch circuits.

For one, if one circuit trips, it trips two circuits, as the two breakers must be tied together with a tie bar or it has to be a double pole breaker.

All it saves is one additional neutral. While that can add up to big bucks in a large installation, it's a small hill of beans in a home shop.

It can also save on conduit sizing, as less conductors = small conduit. However, again, in a home shop, that's small potatoes.

It can also reduce voltage drop, which is a good thing, however, again, almost negligible in a home shop.

I've been bitten by improperly configured multiwire branch circuits twice in the past 7 years. The breakers were not tied together. I put my non-contact voltage detector on an outlet. It detected voltage. I went and shut off the breaker. It no longer detected voltage on the outlet. As soon as I removed the neutral wire, I got shocked with 220V.

Some coworkers had a similar thing happen. As soon as they removed the neutral from an outlet that they had turned the breaker off for, it turned to 220 and smoked some equipment in the room.

So... yes, multiwire branch circuits can be used for money saving on one conductor per two circuits, and maybe some smaller conduit, and maybe some smaller voltage drops over long distances, but in my opinion, it's not worth it VS just using an extra neutral and single pole breakers in a home shop.

For 10 circuits, you're only going to save 5 neutral wire runs.

 

[WinterDeere]

I know some people don't like the multiwire circuits but I used them in my building and it worked well.

What's not to like about multiwire branch circuits, other than occasionally arguing with stupid inspectors who often don't know the code as well as they should?

Again, the only mistake I made with it was to bury the wiring in the wall. Doing it over I would put it in surface mount conduit and it would be a lot simpler.

I disagree on surface wiring for regular 15/20A circuits, as the conduit is sometimes in the way, and these regular circuits shouldn't really need reconfiguration, ever. I run dedicated motor circuits for 3hp and larger in EMT on the surface, because these dedicated circuits need to be changed as the shop is reconfigured or machinery changes out. But regular 15/20A stuff is fine in the walls, at least for me.

I didn't paint my OSB and it's been fine. I have a white metal ceiling and that seems to be more important for lighting.

I've had it both ways, and trust me, you don't know what you're missing! Yeah, I lived in an un-painted OSB shop for 13 years, and I survived just fine. But my off-white painted OSB shop is infinitely nicer, with much better visibility, especially as my eyes age and require more light.

 

[WinterDeere]

For 10 circuits, you're only going to save 5 neutral wire runs.

Plus grounds, as most running without multiwire are just pulling separate 2+G NM-B to each box for each circuit. So, 10 wires for 10 circuits, times number of outlet boxes on the circuit.

You give a valid point on the misconfiguration, but thankfully I'm not an idiot, and I'm the only one configuring any wiring in my own shop! I will agree they have more potential for misconfiguration, if others who don't know what they're doing get in there.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'll just add to the list that everyone has come up with a few outdoor things to consider. There never seems to be enough outside outlets. I want an outlet on every outside wall. And at the main shop door, one on either side.

Same thing with water spigots. At least one at the main shop door, but also a few around the outside of the building. Especially if something is going to be parked or worked on outside the building.

I also like to have an air line that goes through the wall. I keep a 100 foot air hose on the wall so I can air up a tire quickly, and not have to open the big shop door. It's also nice having it there when I want to work on something that I can't fit into my shop. When I build the shop that I'm dreaming about, I'll have air hose connections outside every wall, just like outlets and water spigots.

I think insulation is something that doesn't get enough attention. Here in my part of East Texas, code for a house is R40 for the ceiling. I personally like to max it out at R60, which is about 2 feet of blown in insulation. After R60, you're not gaining anything. I did my parents garage at R60 and it's been shocking to see how cool it remains in there during the heat of summer!!!!

 

[bdhsfz6]

I use my shop intermittently and hate the hassle of lighting the wood stove for heat. It wasn't a big deal working in the heat or cold when I was younger, but now, I can really feel it. Being cold or warm limits the time I can work comfortably.

The best shop addition I ever did was adding a ductless heating & A/C unit. Cost about $3200 for a 18000 BTU system, which I installed myself in about a day.

The system is WiFi enabled, so I can control it with my smartphone. I turn it on from the house, about a half hour before going out, and it's at the perfect temperature when I get there.

Life is good!

 

[walhondingMF]

Other than what runs through the attic, which I can easily get to, I ran all of my wall receptacles through conduit. Very happy I did it this way. Since complete the wiring 2 years ago, twice I have ran an additional receptacle off of the metal box for a heater fan and a bandsaw. I also recommend using larger receptacle boxes. Just makes wiring that much easier.
I used 12g wire and 20amp breakers for everything rather then 14g and 15 amp.
I also have to strongly agree with the white walls/ ceiling. Mine are metal, which at the time, was the cheapest way for me to go. It would be hard to make it much brighter in there.
Lots of heating options. I went with a ceiling mounted Mr. Heater garage heater. It was on sale form Northern Tool. I use about 1 100# tank a winter. Well worth it. Flip the switch and workable in 15 minutes even at 10 degrees outside.

 

[KennyG]

I've had it both ways, and trust me, you don't know what you're missing! Yeah, I lived in an un-painted OSB shop for 13 years, and I survived just fine. But my off-white painted OSB shop is infinitely nicer, with much better visibility, especially as my eyes age and require more light.

You are probably right, but at this point I've got so little exposed wall I'm not sure how much difference it makes. And I know the place is a mess, but every time I start to clean up I get distracted by things I WANT to do or NEED to do instead of things I SHOULD do.

 

[MossRoad]

....

I also like to have an air line that goes through the wall. ...

The first week I had my new tractor I put an air line pass-through port in the side of my garage with my toothed bucket....

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

 

[D&D]

I'll just add to the list that everyone has come up with a few outdoor things to consider. There never seems to be enough outside outlets. I want an outlet on every outside wall. And at the main shop door, one on either side.

Same thing with water spigots. At least one at the main shop door, but also a few around the outside of the building. Especially if something is going to be parked or worked on outside the building.

I also like to have an air line that goes through the wall. I keep a 100 foot air hose on the wall so I can air up a tire quickly, and not have to open the big shop door. It's also nice having it there when I want to work on something that I can't fit into my shop. When I build the shop that I'm dreaming about, I'll have air hose connections outside every wall, just like outlets and water spigots.

I think insulation is something that doesn't get enough attention. Here in my part of East Texas, code for a house is R40 for the ceiling. I personally like to max it out at R60, which is about 2 feet of blown in insulation. After R60, you're not gaining anything. I did my parents garage at R60 and it's been shocking to see how cool it remains in there during the heat of summer!!!!

I use corded reels inside the overhead doors to reach inside or out. IMO, makes life a little easier, quick to take out and really quick to put away