110v tools in home workshop

[dickm]

Much the same as others; bought a 110V drum extractor years ago which had a huge transformer with it, too heavy even then for me to lug around. It now sits in the workshop, with a flying lead to a fixed socket outside on the wall. Used mainly to run an 18" Stihl E220 chainsaw for logging, but very handy for dusty jobs, and as others say, much safer for outside use.
Son in law in America has rather the opposite problem; everything is 115V, which either means much heavier cable or lower power for appliances, so they have to pay to install big enough 240v supply to run anything heavy in the kitchen.

 

[2sheds]

I have the same question as the OP. But for those of you who do use 110v in the workshop, how do you hardwire them? Is it as simple as running a couple of sockets off a transformer and keeping the transformer out of the way somewhere? Presumably the transformer gets quite hot so needs good air circulation? And do you need to turn the transformer off when not in use?
I’m soon to start writing up my workshop so would like to have the facility to have permanent 120v sockets as well as 220v.
Thanks
Steve

 

[2sheds]

Oops last sentence should read ‘wiring up my workshop’ not ‘writing up my workshop’. Duh!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I turn mine off because anything that gets and stays warm or hot must be using power to do so.

 

[Dave Moore]

Hi Guys,

anyone using 110v tools in a home workshop?

I know 110v tools are usually used on jobsites but would they work as good as 240v for workshop use? (i have a transformer)

Hi,
The only issues you are likely to have with 110v is if you are using really duty equipment. Some 9” grinders need 30amp supply as the 15amp trip out causing the trip to burn out. Some of the 110v welding plants need a good supply and won’t work very well if you try to put an extension lead from th3 supply to the weld plant although extending the weld cable gets around this. We recently experienced this on a conveyor where we took a heavy duty petrol generator for convenience. At home I dont think you will have any problems other than the normal ones of too long extension leads or coiling up leads that are too long.

 

[MadMental]

Hi Guys,

anyone using 110v tools in a home workshop?

I know 110v tools are usually used on jobsites but would they work as good as 240v for workshop use? (i have a transformer)

Course they do

 

[Spectric]

Also, on jobsites, 110V tools are often going to be powered from a generator or a shared transformer via one or several long extension cables.

All depends on the site and the number of people using tools, it will have changed a lot now as many use cordless but I never had any issues. Some of the 230 to 110 site boxes are very heavy, often on a big site there would be a couple at ground level and then they would feed distribution boxes on each floor, on other sites there would be 230 to 110 boxes on each floor that fed local distribution boxes.

Not done large sites for a number of years, all these cordless tools need chargers and they don't seem to do them in a 110 volt version so must use something.

 

[Spectric]

If you want to hardwire then you need a site type transformer, a box with no sockets that supplys 110 volt, in your case mounted sockets on the wall but on site they supply distribution boxes.

https://www.superlecdirect.com/site...l-meynell-enclosed-transformer-15kva-230110v/

The only issues you are likely to have with 110v is if you are using really duty equipment. Some 9” grinders need 30amp supply

Most if not all 110 volt 9 inch grinders will be 32 amp and even a 110 volt Trend T10 router needs a 32 amp socket. Personally I would not bother hardwiring but if you do then use a 32 amp system and 4mm Csa wiring if the runs are not to long. For your 16 amp tools you could either use an adaptor like this 110v 32a Plug to 16a Socket Converter - Generators Direct or just fit 16 amp sockets as well as 32 amp ones. Any protective devices would need to be two pole, there are two 55 volt lives with respect to ground so a normal single point is no use.