OK, so the inspections went well — though it took 3 visits from the inspector. Mostly little stuff — but Jay promptly dealt with all of the issues and we finally made it.I’m now working on getting the shop “in shape” before moving all of the tools in. This includes building a 4′ x 14′ loft 7′ 6″ from the floor at the far end. I ran conduit and wiring for (2) ceiling mounted cord reels and a track light. I still need to tape and plaster the seams and screws before I can paint it and mount the extension cords and lights.
A couple weeks ago I picked up a used (circa ’89) WoodTek 2100CFM dust collector from a guy in Indiana for $200 (Craiglist is very cool). The first thing I did was replace the power cord — which is a good thing as the ground wire had apparently become disconnected.
Last weekend I extended some of the “old shop” (a.k.a – the garage) power into the addition. I ran (1) 20A 120v, (1) 240v 15A and (1) 240v 20A circuit into the room. The 240/15 is for the tablesaw and/or bandsaw. The 240v/20A is temporarily being used with the dust collector — I plan to keep it in the shop while I build the cabinetry and fixtures. After the cabinets are complete I will be running duct work so that I can move it to its permanent home in the street-facing “closet” in the front of the shop. I’ve also installed a smoke/CO detector in the shop as well…should make it a bit easier to sleep at night after a late night in the shop.
Today I’ve decided to build an overarm blade guard/dust collector for the table saw as well. So the next steps are – complete the loft “ceiling,” build the overarm collector, build the cabinetry and workbenches.
Considering my limited amount of “free” time, I suspect this will take me through the end of the year and a bit into 2008 before I move the rest of the stationary tools in. Then there’s the shelving/upper cabinets, drawers, etc to do before the small power and hand tools are organized. This could take a while!