Mike: I was actually thinking of a light blue as blue is a calming color, and I go into my shop to relax and get away from the stresses of life. Besides, it'll help calm me and keep me from throwing something when I scrap a part I've got a lot of time into. You really recommend gloss white eh? hmmm... Gotta think more on that one.
SteelDriver: If only it were that easy. This shop has been a snowball project, not from hell, but you get the idea. I originally bought a small 110 Chinese Jet lathe and Rutland Tool mill/drill and thought I'd finally achieved the machine shop I'd always wanted. As they say, one thing lead to another and I found myself with a Bridgeport mill and a VERY trick Hardinge toolroom lathe, both of which required 220, of which I had none. The garage in which the shop is located also had a mickey-mouse not to code 30 amp sub panel that a previous homeowner had installed that needed fixing. I'm no electrician and the idea of getting into the main 200 amp panel and possible burning down the house, and the attendant grief my wife might give me, if that happened, meant that I had to get an electrician involved. I then realized that if I was going to go as far as getting the sub panel fixed (and upgraded of course) to bring in a couple 220 lines for these machines, I might as well plan for the future. The future could well include a small surface grinder, a bandsaw and the belt grinder I'm building at the moment which will probably eventually all need 220 as well. So I looked at the two walls that make up my corner of the garage (wife has a laundry area and storage in the other part) and determined that it would be hard to fit all that stuff on those two walls when the equipment appears, and it would be all jammed together, so the best thing would be to spread them around the shop area which had been pretty loosely defined at that time. The situation required walls! Places to mount 220 lines, and more 110 lines too, because, well, you get the idea. And if I was going to go so far as to add walls, why not put a lid on it to keep the noise in, and the chips and dust out of the wifes unmentionables, being laundered nearby!
So as it stands now the shop is fully enclosed, 12x14 x 8.5 in the far corner of the garage with 5 220 outlets, each on their own breaker, about 8 4x 110 outlets strewn about the perimeter and four separately switched 110 outlets in the ceiling for lighting with another 110 in the ceiling in the middle of the shop, just in case..
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So be careful when you ask how much a 220 line costs, so far mine has cost a little over 3K.
John: You bet Ill post pics when its done. Id post some now, but all youd see are some large objects wrapped in blue Harbor Freight tarps coated in drywall dust.
John
I'm really glad I covered the lathe, mill and tool boxes with well taped tarps before the drywall work started.
