mk e wrote:
….A buddy (and maybe way back someone here) suggest I add outlets on the ceiling for pull down cords rather than extensions laying all over the floor. I might do that so at least the outlets are there...like between the bays. That might be a good plan for air too? I need to think about that.
In the basement shop I ran 20A 120 outlets. Here I was planning the more standard 15A, 1 circuit per wall...its just a lot easier to work with 14g wire and the outlets are like 50 cents each but while using the chop saw to cut stuff for the door install I popped a breaker so now I'm scared about the 15A idea....it was on the last outlet in the chain and I also had a 50 or 100ft extension cord so lowest voltage possible......but I never popped a breaker in the basement doing anything so I'm torn between a breaker that also protects the tools which are never over 15A and the bother of resetting breakers when I abuse my tools.......hmmmmmmm
On the wall outlets, I did all the wiring with 12 gauge and used 20 amp circuit breakers. Yeah, it's a pain to wire with 12 gauge, but it seems really worth it to me. I have already popped one 20 breaker when my table saw bogged while also running my (old, dying) shopvac.
It seems to me that an important consideration is locating the outlet boxes: you can't have enough. Likewise, at each location, I ganged 3 boxes and receptacles so that I can plug 6 things into any location. I probably took it over the top, but I have no regrets. The place where I have a lot of stuff plugged in around the workbench (lights, USB chargers, Foredom, battery chargers … and even tools!). In California, I had to run GFCIs. The 15 amp GFCI receptacles are rated for 20 amp pass-through.
I only have a 2 car wide (and 2 car deep) garage so my situation is different. Regarding pull-down cords and compressed air piping, I decided against it. I don't move around a lot so Ijust drag around my 12 gauge extension cord or air hose when necessary.