Setting up shop.. questions..

[parrotlady]

Hi all,

I am in the process of setting up a heated, insulated, large room in my barn for a plasma and shop... Before I get too carried away, I wondered if anyone out there had anything they wish they had done to their shop, or any tips or advise on how to set it up.. For example, what kind of wiring (60 amp breaker?) do you have? Also, I have ready various tidbits of info on grounding the unit? Do you have to do this? If so, would something like laying down wire mesh under the concrete do? I may be totally out to lunch, but thats why I ask you guys!

Thanks so much

April

[AnotherDano]

Hi back at ya, April

I was having problems with electrical line noise and tech support suggested I try plugging my computer and the PCam into outlets on separate Circuits. That fixed the problem, but resulted in wires laying in different directions, allover the floor.

Yo may want to give your plasma area some really hard thought to avoid that result. It will cost you in wiring but save a lot of hair pulling. Next time, I'm planning to run two circuits onto a 4-plex box and have several just in case.

A 'drop-box' is also a good idea to keep the wiring off the floor. That's just an outlet that hangs down from a rafter/ceiling junction box, over the computer/PCam table. Keeps the wiring off the floor. I have my table set up with walking space all around it, to snag those drop-outs that don't make it to the floor.

Plan ahead for an exhaust system with an outside vent or a really good fume/smoke eliminator. These things really blow some smoke and it settles everywhere!

It probably won't be long until you start thinking about powder coating your work. Read up on the requirements and plan for it, just in case. Powderbuythepound.com has a great forum with helpful people on it.

And, we want pictures of the build-out!

[AIRFLOWKID]

April,
Welcome,lay your future shop out on grid paper so you can visually see the layout and be able to walk around and pretend to be working to see if you will have any problems.Things to keep in mind-----where will you unload material in relationship to your PlasmaCam(should be close by)
I use a hoist to lift heavier material up then roll PlasmaCam under material,lower then roll back.
AS mentioned earlier you will need exhaust system,but don't forget makeup air. 3000 cfm's works well
You may want to consider seperate electricial service to barn since you will use more power than you think and for future growth
Heating your shop with radiatant floor heat is not only cheap but maintains a huge thermal mass for greater recovery after running
exhaust fan.
Water will be needed cleaning your work, to apply your finish and for emergencies.
Don't Be Fooled GROUNDING IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE!!! Ground your table and fan to a seperate ground rod. 8' rod use a
rotary hammer drill set to hammer if you have one to pound in rod.

This is a good start-lots of things to think of!

Sincerely, Tim Reamer
Red Robin Creatives

[parrotlady]

Wow, thanks so much everyone! You guys are awesome. I will print those replies out and give it to my Dad, as he is helping me with the wiring and everything. He keeps asking me to ask you guys these questions, and I am sure it will make sense to him, even if its a bit greek to me.

Yes, we are installing another whole breaker panel, as my barn is made up of seperate rooms which house my animals (parrots, monkeys and other fun stuff) My largest concern is the the smoke and exhause system. Parrots especially are very sensitive to air quality, and although they will be completely seperate, the birds all have outdoor flights and I dont want any stray particles to find them. That being said, we are inventing a "collection" of sorts on the other side of the exhust system with water and furnace filters to catch most of the nasty stuff.

Thanks again for all your help, and I am sure you havent seen the last of my questions..

April

[Scratch]

I was also having problems with grounding once, but only in the winter. The pads on the bottom of the legs of my table were getting ice down there I guess, and on really cold days, my height control would go wonky on me. (I think wonky is a real term...?) I have an outdoor wood burner with radiant heat in the floor now but that did cause me some problems on really cold days.

Also, if you have the room.... or rooms.... maybe consider making a CNC table room only. I have a 10'X16' room and the only thing in it is my 5X10 table, and lots of dust! Oh, there's also a computer monitor in there. I bought one of those monitor splitters from NewEgg.com, and a 30' wireless keyboard/mouse combo things. It keeps the dust away from my PC and office where I do my drawings, and I can still bring the keyboard and mouse into the next room if I need to and look at the same monitor.

I also got a free sliding glass door, used only the sliding door part, and mounted it sideways at window height between the two rooms. Now I have a 36" high 80" wide "window" to watch my table if I need to.

Running wire mesh in the concrete isn't going to help much in the grounding department. It'll certainly help in the strength department though. Although you may not need it if you're pouring concrete with fiberglass mesh mixed in which is common nowadays. I ran a separate copper wire through the wall to my copper grounding rod like was mentioned above.

If you haven't poured concrete yet, and know where your table is going, maybe throw a tube of PVC pipe in there so your table cables could go underneath the floor and back up to your PC and power. It would keep them from getting stepped on or something dropped on them. Just another idea....

[Scratch]

Yeah too bad I didn't think of it before I poured.....

[jeeplogic83]

April,
One thing nobody mentioned is, that what ever size shop you think you need now Double it if you can afford it, you will grow into it. I wish I would have listened to by buddy when he told me the same thing.