I have a small workshop in my one-car detached garage, and I'm facing a challenge with dust collection. The garage only has a single 15 amp circuit for all the electrical outlets, which limits what I can do. I mainly use a miter saw and a table saw that create dust, along with a handheld orbital sander. Unfortunately, I can't run my shop vac at the same time as these tools without tripping the breaker. Installing a new circuit is too expensive for me right now, so I'm looking for suggestions on how to improve dust collection given these limitations. Currently, I try to mask up and use the shop vac for cleanup, but it's not effective. Any tips would be appreciated, thanks!
3 Answers
If you want a more techy solution, consider investing in a portable power station like an Ecoflow or Jackery. These can give you more power and allow you to run both your table saw and dust collector simultaneously while getting charged from your single 15 amp outlet. Just something to think about!
One quick solution is to use an extension cord to run your shop vac from a different circuit, if you have access to one. Longer term, consider installing a pony panel with multiple circuits for better flexibility. It might cost a bit upfront, but it can be worth it in the long run for all your tools.
You could also set up some fans to blow dust out of the garage while you work. They usually don't consume a lot of power, which means you could run them alongside your tools without tripping the breaker. If that's not enough, running an outdoor extension cord from the house might be a decent workaround for now!