On 6/15/2010 10:40 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:54:08 -0700 (PDT),
wrote the following:

Hello:

I've always been interested in woodworking since 7th grade when I took
shop, but I've never had the time, money or space to get into the
hobby. But now that I'm in my mid 30's, own a house and some land, and
have some disposable income that She lets me spend I am finally going
to get started.

Congrats, Dave. Welcome to the club. We're way weird here, but
you'll get used to that.


I live in the burbs, on a 110 X 60 plot, in a house with no garage or
basement. The old shed I had was tiny, barely enough to get the lawn
mower inside, but this weekend I am getting a brand new 12 X 12 shed
from Shedsusa.com. I opted for the Gambrel roof for extra storage, and
the heavy duty flooring. Style is classic, with the 40 inch doors in
the front.

That'll be nice. Did you have windows put in, or will you do that?
Natural light beats electric, and fluorescent beats incandescent.
And you'll need the extra ventilation for dust control, exhausting
wood finish solvents, and temperature mitigation.


So, my question to you wise people is this: How much work can I get in
this shed? Will I have enough room to do any work?

I'd say about 12x12' worth, wouldn't you? Less occupied space for
machinery and you, of course.


Also, should I wire the inside with electrical cable? I was imagining
putting in a light switch and some outlets around the shed, an dmaybe
putting in an outlet into the work bench I am going to build. I can't
legally run a circuit to the shed,

If you can't legally run a circuit to the shed, you can't legally
prewire the shed. But you could dig a trench and lay 2" pipe and fish
your extension cord through it. Do it to code and you can also pull
your real wiring through it when you upgrade.


so the best i would be able to do
is drag a 12/3 extension cord to the shed and plug it into a jack to
power the shed.

That can works. I'm a handyman and live on a single 12/3 cord most
days. It'll pretty much limit you to one machine at a time, but
that's the norm, anyway.


Has anyone else done something like this before that has any
experiences they want to share?

Some day VERY soon, you'll want to buy a book on electrical work, do
most of the work yourself, then pay an electrician to get a permit and
hook it up for you.

Some books to peruse: Landis' _The Workbench Book_, _Setting Up Shop:
The Practical Guide to Designing and Building Your Dream Shop_ by
Sandor Nagyszalanczy, _Smart Workshop Solutions_ by Paul Anthony.

_Making and Modifying Machines_ by Fine Woodworking Editors
I have an extra copy of this if anyone is looking for one.
$15 delivered. If you're low on discretionary funding after having a
shop built, etc., building your own machine is an option.


If you are in the situation like the original poster, where the
regulations prohibit a per permanently wire shed, could you get around
the regulation with a pedestal like in an RV park. The pedestal
installation would meet all code to provide the amps needed to operate
your power equipment. ie an outlet on a yard light.

When you were working you could run a high quality extension cord from
the pedestal to the shed to supple the power to run your equipment.

It may be legal, and satisfy the building inspector and your power needs.