Add welding to woodworking shop

ctpres · Jan 28, 2007

Built woodworking shop several years age and now want to add welding. Need help with increasing amps to sub panel. Details: distance 75' main panel to sub, built 20 foot deck over 1/2 inch pvc, sandy soil, area between shop and main blocked by house, deck and driveway, no codes to worry about. Could I pull thru existing 1/2 two thhn #6 and a bare #6 or could I use tractor to pull a 3/4 inch thru 25 foot of sandy soil using old 1/2 inch as pull? Any other ideas

EddieWalker · Jan 28, 2007

How many amps do you have at the sub pannel? Do you have 240 volts?

If you will only be using the welder and no other tools except for maybe lights, you probably have enough power already.

If nothing else is on, then you are not useing any power. Most people only use one tool at a time, so it's very common to have a much larger load on a panel than the amount of power available at the panel.

Figure your load. Lights on will use how many amps? The welder will use how many amps? What else will you have on when welding? Radio? Fan? Refrigerator?

Eddie

ctpres · Jan 28, 2007

Eddie_I wish. Built house, shop and cleared land on slim budget. Had to use existing material if avail. So 10/3 was used for 220. Runs 220 compressor and all wood tools ok, but not enough to weld.

mopacman · Jan 28, 2007

I would leave the old service in place and add new service to run the welder and compressor. Might try to hook a water hose to end of new conduit and push it under the concreat. I have seen my dad do stuff like this and it worked good............. Larry

wushaw · Jan 28, 2007

This site says no. CONDUIT SIZE vs

valleydweller1 · Feb 2, 2007

I did a similar thing about a year ago. My garage had a total of 3 separate feeds; 120v for the outside motion lights, 120v for the inside lights and outlets and 220v for the well pump. I put in a 2" conduit with wire big enough for an 80 amp max draw (50 amps for the welder and 30 amps for the well), and I rarely run the welder above 60% power. I don't remember the wire size, it's about a 30' run from panel-to-panel, I remember looking at the table requirement and then going up a size.

After I had my sub-panel in I just hooked up the previous circuits to their own breaker each and added a 50 amp 220v breaker for my welder. I ran the wire to a centrally-located 50 amp outlet through 1" conduit. It works great.

Greg

sandman2234 · Feb 2, 2007

Now this ought to be interesting!
A welder in a shop that has several years of woodworking dust in the cracks and crevices. One little spark and your going to start over on that garage building project!
Hopefully you have thought about that and plan on doing ALL of your welding outdoors, away from any doors of the shop.
Think safe, and be carefull,
David from jax

Ken_CT · Feb 2, 2007

I agree with Sandman2234. Also when you do woodworking, you make a mess, but it's a "clean" mess. Sawdust and wood chips aren't really dirty. if you track some into the house it's no big deal. Metal working, welding, grinding, etc. makes a dirty mess. If you get grinding and welding dirt on your shoes and then walk across your rug.....well, it isn't going to be pretty

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sandman2234 · Feb 3, 2007

And what about the next step, the milling machine? The chips from that get me in trouble all the time, and it is 50 feet from the mill to the backdoor step.
Messes are one thing, but welders splatter hot little sparks and balls of molten metal all over the place, and one landing in a small crevice of sawdust can mark the end of your nice pretty garage.
David from jax