Clearing Floor Space

After using the space for a while (if you could call it that) it became clear that the biggest obstacle to progress was the unfinished walls. Working without electricity, and in cold weather, became onerous so it was time to focus on the service aspect of the shop.

I installed a sub-panel (a standard load center with a 200A capacity) in the West corner of the shop. I placed a 100A main breaker in the sub-panel but used a 90A circuit breaker to feed it from the house’s main load center. This was a suggestion made by an electrician who looked at my plan, and the reduced breaker amperage in the main panel served as a backup safety device. I added two 30A, 240 Volt circuit breakers to power my table saw and dust collector. I installed eight boxes for receptacles and wired them to five 20A breakers, making sure that the four boxes on the Southeast wall (where the workbench sat) were on two circuits and adjacent receptacles would never be on the same circuit. The idea behind that decision was to reduce the chances of tripping a breaker under load. The Southwest wall housed two receptacles, both on the same circuit, but the Northwest wall was wired with two receptacles on individual breakers. I used the plug in the center of that wall for my jointer and router table while the receptacle in the North corner was dedicated for use with my chop saw.

In the end, I was very pleased with the electrical decisions I made. I don’t think I could have wired the shop more efficiently. My careful and extensive planning allowed for a flexible electrical system that met my needs regardless of the changes to the layout. It was also easy to make alterations to the system; it’s important to be able to upgrade or add circuits when necessary.

After completing the wiring, the walls could be insulated and covered. All walls were insulated with R-13, Kraft faced, fibreglass insulation. The Kraft facing was rated for use as a vapour barrier so I didn’t need to add plastic sheeting. I decided to cover the walls with T1-11 exterior plywood siding because, with a thickness of 5 /8 of an inch, I would be able to nail or screw shelves or other wall hung storage devices easily. It is much harder to make cut-outs for electrical boxes in plywood as compared to drywall but there is no taping or sanding required. It makes for an elegant bead board look as well.

I never finished the panelling. Once I had the Northwest wall covered (remember the Southwest wall was covered with drywall) I could install my wood racks and move things into a more permanent position. By the time I got around to the bench wall, I was tired of insulating and panelling and decided to do some woodworking.