Roger Tulk
Member
- Messages
- 3,018
- Location
- St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
As I've mentioned before, I do my woodworking in the driveway. My power comes from an outlet on the porch which is on the same circuit as three quarters of the basement. Usually this isn't a problem, as I run only one tool at a time, but I've tripped the circuit breaker a couple of times when I've tried to run my shop vac attached to the bandsaw or whe I overload the table saw. As it is, the lights all dim for a second when I turn on the bandsaw. I would like to be able to connect the vacuum to the primitive dust removal system the previous owner put on the bandsaw, as I end up with dust drifts about my feet when I do a lot of cutting.
Now, I ran into an old friend and licensed electrician a week or so ago, and had him come to take a look at installing a couple of outlets on the side of the house, on separate circuits, one circuit per dual outlet. As an afterthought, I asked him if he could make one of the outlets a 20 amp circuit, which would allow me to run the vac and the bandsaw at the same time. He said it wouldn't be a problem, but as I know little about house circuitry, I am wondering if there is anything fundamentally wrong with having a 20 amp circuit for my tools. I'm thinking there isn't, as I run stuff that uses a lot less than 15 amps on a 15 amp circuit all the time, and the only comment my friend made was that we would use 12 gauge wire for that one. I will discuss it with him again, but can someone lay my fears to rest?
Now, I ran into an old friend and licensed electrician a week or so ago, and had him come to take a look at installing a couple of outlets on the side of the house, on separate circuits, one circuit per dual outlet. As an afterthought, I asked him if he could make one of the outlets a 20 amp circuit, which would allow me to run the vac and the bandsaw at the same time. He said it wouldn't be a problem, but as I know little about house circuitry, I am wondering if there is anything fundamentally wrong with having a 20 amp circuit for my tools. I'm thinking there isn't, as I run stuff that uses a lot less than 15 amps on a 15 amp circuit all the time, and the only comment my friend made was that we would use 12 gauge wire for that one. I will discuss it with him again, but can someone lay my fears to rest?
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