Whoa! Lots of great info here. Thanks. I'll fill in some questions:
I don't know what machines you have, what you plan to run simultaneously, etc.
I would be running my DC and one other tool at a time, no more than that. As far as machines:
- Delta Table saw (110 only)
- Steel City 1.5hp Dust Collector
- 2 lathes (Nova Galaxi, Rikon Midi)
- 25-50 Drum Sander
- Rikon 14" bandsaw
- 16.5" floor Drill press
- Delta 13" lunchbox planer
- Rigid oscillating spindle/belt sander
- 20 gallon air compressor
- 6" Rigid jointer
- 12" Disc Sander
- Shop vac
- 12" Milwaukee miter saw
- Fisher Scientific Isotemp Lab Oven (kinda like a big toaster oven. Used for doing wood stabilizing curing Cactus Juice resin)
- Assortment of corded handtools, routers, etc.
A few of those can be converted to 220, but I'm not planning on it. I'm squarely in the hobbyist category, and no plans on going pro
Do you have a 200 amp sub panel? How far is your main panel from the garage? Do you plan on getting larger tools or welding?
I do not plan on getting larger tools or taking up welding. All my tools have to be mobile as well since my wife's parking spot (which is non-negotiable!) is in the middle. When I work, I back her car out and then move tools off the wall.
My main panel is outside on the same side of the house as the garage. Straight shot from the main to the garage under the crawlspace is probably 20-25 feet.
I should point out that my main panel is full, and the 100amp subpanel in the house is also full. Electrician can probably make some adjustments there. Some things are unlabeled and others I have to figure out what & where they are.
This is the main panel:
And remember to have the overhead lights on a separate circuit from you machines....you don't want to lose power to a machine and have the lights go out at the same time.
Definitely. The lights are already on a different circuit than the existing outlets. I'll be keeping those intact, but adding an additional circuit for more overhead lights is a good idea. The existing lighting is pretty poor - just two 4' fluorescent fixtures and the garage door opener (which doesn't really count). Plus the light switch for those is in the house. Would be nice to have a light switch *in* the garage.
- bumping to 60A service if you think you may feed a future heater or ac system in the garage.
- go ahead and install a couple of 220V / 20A outlets. Your intentions may not include 220V tools but that could change later plus, if any of your current tools are 115/230v convertible you may choose to switch them over down the road. Convertible tools run better and cooler at the higher voltage.
- install boxes for plenty of lighting in the ceiling.
- install an outlet in the ceiling for a cord reel. That’s proven to work well for me and perhaps would for you too.
I had a cord reel on my xmas list and no one got it for me :-( but that's a good idea. I may have to judge how it is in the summer (we only moved in late September) but so far the recent cold temperatures haven't been bad in there. Door is insulated and there's living space above. I put up a thermometer in there over xmas during the really cold temps and it didn't get below about 55 in there. A mini split AC wouldn't really be an option due to how the garage is oriented, unfortunately. The outdoor unit would have to be in the front of the house. Guaranteed not to fly with the HOA.
Side note: Thanks to Duke Energy's Christmas Eve blackouts/power outages, I got to real-world test the Generac house generator that the previous owner had installed. That thing is awesome. Our area was out for 10 hours and we stayed comfortable.