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planning outlet boxes with inside wall tin?

BFalfa

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Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
105
wanting to start wiring my shop and plan to finish the inside with white tin. how are you guys figuring out how to space and install your boxes so they don't fall on the high rib in the tin?
 
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BFalfa

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
105
tough crowd? how else would you think it could be done without measuring?[

how else?? that is why I posted the question. there a lot of good ideas on this site and thought someone else may have come up with a clever way of doing this without measuring everything, but I guess that isn't the case and ill have to measure out each box.
 

600SL

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Joined
Apr 26, 2012
Messages
1,794
Location
Connecticut
My interior ribs are every 6 inches. I gave up on the idea of running conduit inside, especially with nothing inside to hold them. This is a lot tougher than it sounds. My rib spacing is supposed to be 6" but in reality its really 6 1/8". and you will need to know before hand where you are going to start a rib, which was a learning curve for me because if you start them wrong the corner trim doesn't fit.

My recommendation is to not do this.
 
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wssix99

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Joined
Mar 2, 2011
Messages
5,160
Location
Chicago, IL
You can put a square or rectangular block on the wall around the outlet, projecting it past the highest point of the sheet metal. The sheet metal can then be cut around the block. The sheet metal may fluctuate on how it intersects that block, but the outlet will be on a consistent, flat surface.

I'd do it similar to outlets on an irregular exterior surface:
mounting_block_outlet.jpg
 

NakeDiesel

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Joined
Sep 6, 2007
Messages
2,747
Location
oklahoma
I second the surface mount system, that's what I did in my shop much easier than trying to cut out for outlets
 

Tyberius

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Joined
Nov 26, 2013
Messages
312
Location
Wilmette, IL
I don't think he has the tin yet. So any work now will have to work on some imaginary tin that may not even be in existence when he has time to buy.

And if he surface mounts it now, he will still have to deal with ribs if he wants to retrofit the tin around it later.

So: pipe it in with 4" boxes and do exposed work covers. Then when its time to install the metal, get mud rings. Mud rings come in almost any depth. You can even get adjustable ones if you want to fine tune something. Then bend a cover where needed or for all if you want a uniform look, like ws six shows above.

ETA:

Just some quick calculations:

Assuming 12" seamed tin and studs 16" on center, from a corner, left to right, you could have an outlet box on the right side of the 1st and 2nd stud, and then your 4th stud becomes your 1st stud and you count again.

So on the 3rd stud, the seam comes to the right of the stud and hits the box.
 
Last edited:

warner41

Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2014
Messages
18
Location
Northern NY
I just did this on my garage build. It's a bit of a pain but my father (retired electrician) came up with a system that produced very nice results.

I was planning on surface mounting but with his disdain for bending conduit and his pride in workmanship (no matter the pain incurred during the process) I let him run with it. The interior was sheeted with 7/16" OSB then the finish is low profile Ideal Canadiana metal which has the ribs 6" on center with a 4 1/8" valley. So there was obviously measuring involved but between j channel and "stretch" and stud placement (uncontrollable) the traditional method of stud mounting was out.

Being commercial we had to use metal boxes and mc cable for everything which added to the process. I marked the "bays" where I wanted my receptacles/switches etc and we ran the mc to each location per usual and "stubbed" them loose. Closed cell foam (1 layer of 2" and 1 layer of 1") was installed where each box would be located to facilitate working with the mc. When we hung the OSB we bored a 2" hole and pulled the mc through it. When the tin went up we again bored 2" holes at each location, though we measured it was sometimes off a 1/2" or so, you want the hole in the tin to be in the center of the "valley".

Now to finish he made a pattern/jig with angled edges out of 1" pine board to fit in the valley and cut a 2"x4" hole in it where we wanted the boxes located (48" OC from the floor). He then used the pattern and a roto-zip to cut the hole for the 2"x4" metal box connected the mc to the box per usual then inserted the box into the cavity, screwed it to the OSB, installed the receptacle and plate.

By the end it was taking him 15 minutes per box, he is 67 years old and would get tired but I am very happy. I used "Antique Linen" for the colored metal and the ivory receptacles/plats look nice.

The several 240v boxes we surface mounted 4" deep boxes due to the size of the wire being an issue in the 2" boxes but all of the receptacles and switches are surface mounted.

Attached are some pics. I don't have a pic of the pattern/jig but if I didn't ditch it I'll snap one and post it for you. Good luck.
 

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