Electrical service for timber framing/wood working shop

[esarratt]

I am about to set up electrical service for my home.  I will have a small wood working shop to do timber framing behind the house.  I am a residential customer.

I want to plan for the future.

I currently have one piece of 220v equipment (2500W @ 230V @15 Ampere).

It takes this type of outlet.



 

1) What other types of outlets would be good to install?
2) What type (amp) of service would be good to install?  Up to 400 amps is offered in our area.
3) Any other suggestions would be useful.

I am a utility contractor, but I don't know residential electric like a licensed electrician.  I plan on having a licensed electrician look over my installation, and I will have everything re-permitted.

Thank you all for your advice.

Edit: I suspect I will acquire additional 220v/240v pieces of equipment in the future.

[scsmith42]

Personally I would consider a 400A service to the house with a 200A subpanel in your shop.  

For wiring, I'd run multiple runs of 1" conduit under the slab from your load center to each wall so that you can pull whatever wiring you need in the future, as opportunities and needs arise.

I did this in my shop and have needed to reconfigure it a few times in order to accommodate new equipment and revised layouts.  Having the conduit makes it much easier to change the wiring around.

[Den-Den]

I won't recommend a specific size service but will offer some things to consider.
Assuming you will be working in the shop by yourself, most power needs are one tool at a time but some exceptions are:
* HVAC
* Air compressor
* Dust collector
* lighting

If you size the service so that all of the above can run while a 5hp tool starts, you should be fine.
If this is a commercial shop with multiple users, get professional design help.

[cib]

I am about to set up electrical service for my home.  I will have a small wood working shop to do timber framing behind the house.  I am a residential customer.

I want to plan for the future.

I currently have one piece of 220v equipment (2500W @ 230V @15 Ampere).

It takes this type of outlet.



 

1) What other types of outlets would be good to install?
2) What type (amp) of service would be good to install?  Up to 400 amps is offered in our area.
3) Any other suggestions would be useful.

I am a utility contractor, but I don't know residential electric like a licensed electrician.  I plan on having a licensed electrician look over my installation, and I will have everything re-permitted.

Thank you all for your advice.

1. You'll want some 120v outlets as you'll find the need to run things and dropcords suck. Also I'd recommend getting a rough idea of the shop layout for tooling as this will tell you what items you want and where the wiring should be. I'd recommend going with the newer Nema 14r outlets. They are capable of providing 120 or 240 volts which is what much of the newer items are migrating towards. Allows lower voltage for electronics but higher voltage for the motors etc...
2. Amperage is hard to say. It depends on what you run. Think about what you have now and what you plan on getting in the immediate future. Then give yourself headroom of about 20%.
3. You'll want conduit to protect it from damage by being pinch when moving things around. Don't forget lighting. It is important in a shop and often overlooked.

[mattgancz]

There are a lot of variables here, and, though planning an infrastructure that is flexible and allows for growth is important, this needs to be balanced by your means.  I know this is obvious, but in our bigger is better society, it is not always practiced.  Around here you can bring in 200 amp service --- this is length dependent --- using 4/0 conductors.  300 amp service requires 350 MCM.  I don't have 350 amp service available, but I believe it requires 500 MCM wire.  Go to the supply house and ask for the price per foot for these wires in a service configuration (two hots and a ground,) and the corresponding conduit.  This may answer some questions for you. 

Another option, though it is atypical, and may not be allowed in your jurisdiction, is to pull your main service to the shop, and run a sub-panel to your home.  This is definitely not right for every situation, but it can be the right tool for the job is some instances.  Definitely check with a licensed electrician; it is really hard for the average Joe to know all of the details in the NEC.  Licensed electricians basically have a master's degree worth of time invested in their profession, and their knowledge will help to point you in the right direction. 

[Kylewh94]

In our area you are aloud to have more than one electrical service, even as a residential customer. It may make sense to have a 200 amp service to your shop and a separate 200 amp service to your house depending on the situation. You would end up with separate electrical meters and bills. Just something to think about

[Al_Smith]

As a rule of thumb in this area a 200 amp service is standard .It's not 220 volt  BTW even if it's called that ,it's 240 volt .As far as that with 200 amps unless you have huge machinery what are the odds it's all going to be operating at the same time ?

[kantuckid]

My wood shops 150 yards from the house and has it's own service. I went with a 150amp box as a buddy who taught the electricity class at our Vo-tech school had several leftover from contracti9ng days-and I was also very broke at that time- otherwise I'd have done 200amp. 
I've used my shop for many purposes, so my larger machines are all mobile. The service drops hang from the ceiling and utilize twist & lock style plugs for table saw, bandsaw which are 220v & jointer. For years I had a radial arm saw against a wall until motor (NLA) went kaput and a 220v outlet. Jointer is 110v as I had a motor that voltage and also hanging plug-in. It's post build and every 6x6 post has outlets except a large wood rack where they would be blocked. Lathes are all 110v on walls. 
FWIW, I pulled the wood stove as it killed my insurance per their rules for uninhabited structures can't be wood heat and use only an overhead electrical heater now-220v of course. In a one man shop it's easy to avoid a big service as few machines run together other than heat, one machine and the dust collector. KY Farm Bureau will actually cancel your home insurance if you have wood heat in other bldgs on the policy! True from other companies as well, so I learned when I shopped around. 

[Al_Smith]

My wood working stuff at the house the power comes from a sub panel from my main panel which is 200 amp .The sub is fed from a 60 amp breaker. I've got a 3 HP air compressor, a 9" radial arm saw ,200 amp buzz box welder old as dirt .A 12.5 " DeWalt planer and a 12" table saw which is 4 HP .The point is they don't all run at the same time so 60 amps is plenty .
Now then my actual shop 60 by 70  and 22 miles from the house is another story .It's like a small machine shop .Several metal lathes ,a Bridgeport milling machine ,several drill presses two welders one is a 400 amp DC machine rewired from 3 phase to single .That plus a 5 HP two stage air compressor .Those don't all run at the same time either .It's got a 200 amp service and the wiring is all industrial but bear in mind I did that for a living.
That 200 amp service is 250 MCM copper in 2.5" ridged conduit ending in a large industrial breaker box with bolt in circuit breakers .All that was salvage from industrial jobs over the years so all I have in it was my labor .I'm an old dumpster diver from a real early age in life .