Electrical outlet strip behind work bench...

[EmptyWallet]

Any thoughts/ideas?

I was thinking of going this route:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006B81J/?tag=atomicindus08-20

It's got 24 outlets, and I think Tripp Lite is a pretty decent company.

Thoughts?

EDIT - It's 72 inches long, so that's almost total coverage for my 8 foot work bench.

 

[wb2vsj]

24 outlets! Holy connectors Batman!

If you used every outlet, your bench would be covered in the things you have plugged in!

Just be aware of how much total power your are drawing when start plugging things in.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Yeah, remember they are only rated for 15 amps... I usually don't like to leave tools plugged in for safety reasons...

I do have a couple similar power strips like that, I think they are maybe 8-16 plugs? But I got it because it went in a closet with a ton of electrical stuff mostly using those little wall-wort power supplies so I needed a decent gap between each plug. Each device only uses a fraction of an amp too...

If you ever pop one of those power strips open you will say to yourself, "I paid how much for this?!?!?" It's just a bunch of plugs in sheet metal, then they run copper wire along the length and solder them to each lead in one big line. Nothing complicated...

 

[EmptyWallet]

LOL, I knew 24 sounded like a lot!

Anyone have any better options? I figured it was just a bunch of solder and wire.

 

[Screw Loose Dan]

I got two similar Tripp Lite strips after reading recommendations here on GJ. Two of my benches have them and they work very well so far (several months now). Bought mine through Amazon as well.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Depending on where your wall outlet is located, usually just the standard 6-8 plug power strip is more than adequate for power tool use + battery charging + radio or whatever small things...

 

[sselander]

The long power strips are used in server cabinets in a corporate environment.
A server is like a PC except they are flat and long, They pack a lot of them in the rack.

 

[KU_MechE]

I just bought this and it seems well made:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_145278-3353...L=?Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

 

[welder4956]

That is a good deal and a nice power strip. I recently purchased this one with 10 outlets and mounted over my 5 ft. workbench for about the same price:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...Id=10053&cm_sp=BazVoice-_-RLP-_-100664237-_-x

 

[EmptyWallet]

That is a good deal and a nice power strip. I recently purchased this one with 10 outlets and mounted over my 5 ft. workbench for about the same price:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...Id=10053&cm_sp=BazVoice-_-RLP-_-100664237-_-x

Got any pics? That looks really nice!

 

[MikeN]

This is an OLD picture... a few weeks after moving in and before I got all the cabinets up.

 

[Vvmvbb]

Tripp Lite strips are pretty nice. I have a shorter one. It's not so much that you'll use all the outlets but that there will be one where you want it. I wish the mounting brackets where sturdier. They won't fail, but they wiggle some.

Here's a pic:

 

[WWIIjeep]

LOL, I knew 24 sounded like a lot!

Anyone have any better options? I figured it was just a bunch of solder and wire.

You don't have to fill up all 24 outlets.

The advantage to a plugmold strip is with it running the length of your bench, there's always an outlet nearby, instead of with the typical foot-long power strips, where you end up with a half-dozen plugs in one place, and possibly not where you actually need one if you happen to be working at the other end of the bench or at multiple places on the bench.

 

[EmptyWallet]

Should I mount it to the front the of the work bench, so all the wires would be out of the way, or mount it just on top of the back edge of the bench below the peg board?

Mounting it that way though.....I'd have wire running across whatever I was working on unless I used a plug further down.

 

[Outlawmws]

Should I mount it to the front the of the work bench, so all the wires would be out of the way, or mount it just on top of the back edge of the bench below the peg board?

Mounting it that way though.....I'd have wire running across whatever I was working on unless I used a plug further down.

This^^^ ...

I have a 4 plex box at each end of my bench, (and a Box hanging down from a rafter within arms reach of where the vise is, but that was an accident; I wired two boxes from the rafter so I'd have power handy on each side of the race car back in the day...)

 

[Conor]

i havent mounted mine yet but when i do i think im gonna mount it under the workbench because that way metal dust and stuff wont get into the outlets as if it would when sitting on the top of my workbench.

anyone else think that way as well?

 

[WWIIjeep]

Should I mount it to the front the of the work bench, so all the wires would be out of the way, or mount it just on top of the back edge of the bench below the peg board?

Mounting it that way though.....I'd have wire running across whatever I was working on unless I used a plug further down.

No single location is perfect. It depends on how you work, or what you're working on.

At work, we had strips in both places--on the wall behind the benchtop and on the front edge.

If it's also your power source for working in front of the bench, on saw horses on on the floor, then the front edge of the bench would probably be better. But the cords sticking out from there can get caught on things, or you can bump into them, unless you plug in alongside where you're standing.

I prefer the back of the bench, below the pegboard, but with an additional twist. My pegboard is inside a 6" deep cabinet. under the cabinet is a fluorescent strip and a plugmold strip, tucked into a recess.

This photo was just to show the pegboard for another discussion, but you can see one cord plugged in, and just a hint of the plugmold strip. It's worked to my liking in that location for over 40 years.

 

[Outlawmws]

i havent mounted mine yet but when i do i think im gonna mount it under the workbench because that way metal dust and stuff wont get into the outlets as if it would when sitting on the top of my workbench.

anyone else think that way as well?

It depends on what you can expect to spill on the bench and potentially get over the edge.

I think the best way to keep debris out of an outlet is to mount it so it faces downwards, but that makes it a hassle when under the edge of a bench. less hassle is under the front edge of a cabinet if you have them above the bench, as it is closer in reach, and is still pointed down for keeping crud, filings what-have-you out...

 

[Danglerb]

I like a power strip that takes standard duplex outlets with real wire going to them, otherwise I generally use a generic cheap power strip

 

[cgv69]

I would highly recommend that you install the power strip in front of the work bench. Ideally, one in both locations would be ideal but if you are only going to have one, I found the front of the workbench is more convenient and keeps you have having to have power cords draped across the bench top and potentially in your way. Here's mine (freebie from work that I recessed into the front cross member)

 

[Steevo]

I don't have enough room between the electrical outlets above my bench to fit a power strip in there

 

[EmptyWallet]

I don't have enough room between the electrical outlets above my bench to fit a power strip in there

Wish I had that problem!

Seems like some people love the strip being above the back of the table and some people like it being in the front.

 

[BD1]

Is your bench built yet ? Leave enough room to clamp things at the edge and
add some handy boxes in the front below the top. Post a picture of bench and area. As for the back, just use 1900 boxes with outlets and hard wire. You can use part of a extension cord for the tie in. The male end will go into a existing outlet and then take the bare end of cord and wire to your new bench outlets. I have seen guys take a new cord, cut off the male end and wire it to the outlet box so the cord is always there and hot.

 

[jeffmoss26]

cgv, that is a very nice setup. At home, I have outlets around the shop mounted to the wall. My computer rack has 2 power strips mounted in it for all of that gear. It's nothing to write home about, but it works for me.

 

[kar298]

didnt need anything like that in my old garage i had duplex outlets wired every 2.5 feet along all the walls. never needed to hunt for any outlets

 

[metaleltr]

I would highly recommend that you install the power strip in front of the work bench. Ideally, one in both locations would be ideal but if you are only going to have one, I found the front of the workbench is more convenient and keeps you have having to have power cords draped across the bench top and potentially in your way. Here's mine (freebie from work that I recessed into the front cross member)

Who made those screwdrivers, and what is that tool at the top left?

 

[Steevo]

Who made those screwdrivers, and what is that tool at the top left?

 

[metaleltr]

Huh, never knew they made screwdrivers like that. How do they hold up?

 

[RedAggie03]

I just ordered two of these, one for each side of the bench. The benefit of these are they are surge protected and have $50,000 coverage. Not that I plug anything that valuable into them, but they are more protected that just a strip. These have mounting holes so I plan on mounting them where I can pull them off if I need to move them around since they have a 12' cord.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000511U7/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Jack Olsen]

It's hard to have too many outlets. On my main bench, I have three clusters -- two at the top of the bench and one at the bottom. The nice thing about having one by your hip is that the cords don't have to travel over the bench.

I've also got a couple of Tripp Lite strips (they've worked well) around the shop.

A cord reel is a great thing to have, too. It gives you a lot of flexibility in moving around the shop and it keeps the cord up, so you trip over it less.

 

[NUTTSGT]

For some the 24 outlet wouldbe nice, for others, it's job security. It's a place to plug in an extention cord to another outlet strip to another outlet strip for more extention cords to more outlet strips and more extention cords and more outlet strips.

 

[EmptyWallet]

For some the 24 outlet wouldbe nice, for others, it's job security. It's a place to plug in an extention cord to another outlet strip to another outlet strip for more extention cords to more outlet strips and more extention cords and more outlet strips.

I sense a slight amount of sarcasm.

 

[cgv69]

cgv, that is a very nice setup. At home, I have outlets around the shop mounted to the wall. My computer rack has 2 power strips mounted in it for all of that gear. It's nothing to write home about, but it works for me.

Thanks - That's actually my man cave in the basement storage room (or the fox hole as the family likes to call it) but basically it's were I do my gun building\cleaning\smithing (and hopefully reloading soon)!

Who made those screwdrivers, and what is that tool at the top left?

Like the photo posted by Steevo shows, the screwdrivers are ChannelLock screwdrivers but don't bother looking for them, they are Chinese junk. I'm actually looking for a decent but affordable set to replace them with.

The other tool is an adjustable torque handle (10-70 in-lb). Not sure who it's actually made by but it's sold by Brownells

 

[metaleltr]

Well I have no use for torque screwdriver or a crappy one, but I do like the looks of them.

 

[sberry]

Look at this snot.