Tool Time

[LittleBen]

So I managed to basically destroy my belt/disc sander. It was the porter cable one, which I thought was great until it stopped working well. I don;t think these benchtop rigs are meant for actual use ... more for a guy who is going to sand 1 or 2 pieces of trim in a lifetime.

I'm debating buying a more serious belt/disc sander .... i need something because I'm horribly dependent on power sanding.

Heres my dilemma, the Grizzly G1014 is like $400-500 ...  id prefer to get an edge sander, and it's in the budget, but my new garage is rented, and it has precisely 15amps being delivered to it at 110 measly volts.

So do I buy a decent belt/disc sander now, and hold off on the edge sander/other tools for longer ... or do I buy another cheapo belt/sander and suffer with it for a year or so until I have power for some real tools when I buy a place of my own?

My tool situation is pathetic right now ... basically I think I can get the accountant(wife) to approve $500-$750 in tools ... I have no sander, and I have only a 9" bandsaw, and a 1/4hp lam grinder ... where would your money go?

Lastly, I might be able to recover the porter cable if I buy/replace all the bearings ....

I'm in a power tool desert and need advice

[Roy from Pa]

Buy the cheap O. 15 amps won't run much.

[Wolftrail]

I use a homemade disk attached to my 3/8 electric drill, it sure hogs of material it spins at 2400rpm.  Seriously it works great I have sanded many tapers with this and never had a glue joint fail becasue of uneven surfaces. Drill cost $20.

I would buy a good belt sander you can always build a jig to mount it for doing what a disk sander does. More versatile.

[bamboo]

15amp total?--not much wiggle room there!

my edge sander [grizz] has tripped a lot fewer breakers than my baby drum--and the drum is listed to draw fewer amps!

[ianpc]

I love the rigid spindle belt combo for a small sander

[PEARL DRUMS]

Id do the 14" band saw Benny. It can be used for 10x more than the rest you mentioned.

Any sander under $150 will last a year or two if you use it. I smoked a 4 x 36 Delta and a 4 x 36 Craftsman so far. I'll spend $400-500 next time and never buy another.

[LittleBen]

I appreciate all the good advice and experience.

Chris, I definately agree a bandsaw is critical, unfortunately I am too reliant on sanding for a lot of operations. I think my plan is to try and repair the 4x36 I have, struggle along with that for a while. I think I just need a full set of bearings but who knows.
In the meantime I'll probably be looking for a deal on a decent bandsaw. Really need to be able to resaw lams or I'm gonna be dead in the water soon.

[Robertfishes]

I have had good luck buying off of Craigslist.. My first purchase was a $50 12" Craftsman bandsaw that I still use to cut out glass and wood risers..years later I got a 16" grizzly bandsaw and 1140 edge sander and put them in storage because I didn't have enough power to run them. Until I got the power upgraded in my shop I also had about 20 amps of 110v.. I used a Craftsman 6x48" vertical belt sander combo and I bought the little rigid combo sander. I did OK with the 110v tools but wasn't resawing or cutting staves.

[eflanders]

If you are going to spend any serious amount of time in your workshop, then run the 220 volt line to it.  It is not an expensive operation to do assuming your breaker box is up to it.  Most are.  Why?

Sanders are notorious dust makers and thus a decent dust collection arrangement will be needed. Running both a collector and a decent sander will use twice as much electricity on 110 as it does on 220.  Any decent piece of machinery can run on 220 if it is currently setup for 110.  The directions are right on the motor and it is as simple as 3 wire nut connections.

Do the electric upgrade now, then shop for good used equipment.  It takes time to find it, but it is out there and at a good price far below retail.  

Think long term and you will be money ahead!

[canopyboy]

I agree that upgrading power in a shop is a great investment and the best path forward if you can do it. Then you can run the tools you need/want without compromising due to wiring limitations. Of course the cost of an upgrade can be substantial if you're not comfortable doing electrical work or local codes require a licensed electrician.

However, I think Ben said he was in a rental. Tough to upgrade when you're renting. Depending on the location of the shop space and configuration of the main panel, an upgrade for those who own their own place definitely can make sense. But sometimes getting new wires to a shop or upgrading an old panel that is maxed out is not easy. I've dealt with a lot of panels that simply do not have an easy way to free up a double spot for a new 240V breaker. Plus, there still needs to be a 120V circuit in your shop or you can't operate all of your smaller tools.

As for twice as much electricity, I think we need to clarify what you mean. Often people refer to electricity as what you're getting billed for, which is KW-hr (energy.) The machinery takes the same amount of power and will use the same amount of energy over a given period of time regardless of whether you run them on 120 or 240. What is reduced when running on 240 is the amperage required. This has the advantage of lower line losses (a function of current) and the ability to run a smaller wire to do the same job.

[Robertfishes]

The 220v tools I got were a big improvement for me, I bought them used but they were in good to excellent shape. My house was built in 1963 and had a 100amp service. 2 years ago I had to hire a licensed electrician to pull permits and to the work..I had him put in a 200amp service, and new panel box in house and shop. I now have 60 amps in the shop. It was an investment and I had to work a bunch of overtime to pay for it..but in the end I have a Safer more productive work shop.

[LittleBen]

Yes, Dave hit it on the head. It's a rental and the way they set up the breakers makes an upgrade impossible. It's 15amp because the garage is on the same breaker as the second bathroom (don't ask why cause I agree that's it's mental). Therefore they put a 15amp GFI circuit in. I have a feeling that it's a code issue there although I haven't determined for sure.

I've been considering the dust collection issue as well. I think I need to be able to run my small shopvac and a small tool, so for right now it's going to have to be a small 5amp bench top unit, and my small 9" bandsaw for tools.

Just keep saving the money so when I buy a place I can outfit a nice shop ..... With 220.

[Robertfishes]

I didnt catch the part that the shop is a rental, upgrading the electric may be a problem.. I should add that my shop is a portable 12x24 building that I have moved from my old house to our new address. I will move it again if we upgrade to a better property..

[WESTBROOK]

Ben, code requires a 20 amp circuit to a bathroom GFI and it can serve no other part of the house...it can go to another bathroom GFI but no other part of the house or garage.

[WESTBROOK]

Canopyboy is correct...the power company sells kwatts...volts X amps = watts...÷ 1000=kwatts. 20 amps at 120V is same as 10 amps at 220V. Motors like the highest voltage possible...they just work better and are more efficient especially with frequent starts.

[LittleBen]

Originally posted by WESTBROOK:
Ben, code requires a 20 amp circuit to a bathroom GFI and it can serve no other part of the house...it can go to another bathroom GFI but no other part of the house or garage.

Interesting. Maybe I can get them to gimme 20amps. At least then it'd be reasonable. Couldn't quite figure out why they only ran 15 to the garage and 20 everywhere else.

FWIW, little trick for renters who want things fixed, or just to jab their landlords .... You can always call in the town/city inspector about code violations as a renter ... That tends to get your landlord moving fast. It will also get them to not renew your lease, so tread lightly and at your own risk.

[canopyboy]

It depends on the state and county that you're operating in, and I'm sure rentals come with their own set of rules. However, 20A dedicated GFCI circuits have not been code since the beginning of time. And therefore depending on the age of the place you're renting, the current configuration may be grandfathered in. Once some work is done (remodel, etc.) though, that part of the house would generally need to be brought up to modern code. IE, a bathroom remodel that included permitted electrical work would trigger the need for a dedicated 20A GFCI circuit. But that would still leave 15A in your garage, just without the bathroom attached to it.

[WESTBROOK]

Dave is correct as far as being grandfathered in..you don't have to update a house everytime the codes change...3 years for the NEC.


If the garage is attached to the house you should be able to get a 30A 240V sub-feed to the garage for not a lot of money. The issue a lot of times is the main service panel...if its real old or obsolete breakers can be costly. A newer panel you can add a couple tandems to make room for a 2 pole breaker.

I would contact an electrician my self and get an estimate for a 30A 240V subfeed to a 6 circuit panel in the garage and a few plugs. Then propose that to the landlord..share the cost or whatever...lots of times landlords just don't want to mess with it...but if you do the legwork and share some cost they may go for it.