One of the things I want to do this winter is run juice out to my 10x14 shed. I'm thinking of just running one 20 amp circuit out there.

I can't foresee ever welding out there since I don't have a welder, don't know how to weld, and it's a wood floor.

It's 20 amps going to be enough? I can run my compressor on a 20 amp line. I just don't know what else I might try to do out there later....

Any ideas?

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if i was you i would run 30 amp because u never know some of the tools that people comeout with. but im sure that 20 amp would be good for the every day use

How far is the shed from your service panel?
This is the main factor in figuring out what you need to meet your power requirements.
You may need larger wire to get 20 amps more than 50 feet.
I can look in my little book, and tell you what size wire you will need for your distance and amperage requirements if you want.

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I think the run would be about 20' from the panel. About 10 feet out, and 10 feet across. I'm thinking I'm probably okay.

What tools would you run on a 30 amp line? I already said that a welder is out because of the wooden floor.

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Since you rarely if ever run more than 2 power tools at the same, what can't you run? My whole wood shop was ran off one 20 amp breaker for years because of this and I never once popped a breaker.

You should have no problem using #12 wire with a run that short. #12 wire is standard for most 20 amp use. #12 wire will allow you run tools, etc. up to 2400 watts, with about a 500 watt safety factor.
As Squid said, you will be able to run nearly every 120 volt tool with a 20 amp circuit.
Most table saws, skill saws, planers, drills etc. run about 15 amps. You may run into a little problem if you wish to run 2 tools at the same time. You can tell when you are pushing the limits when you notice that your saws start a little slower.
If you think that you may want to run more amps in the future, you can go with #10 wire and a 30 amp breaker. #10 wire will give you 3600 watts plus a good safety factor. The cost difference between #12 and #10 is negligible, and where I live 20 and 30 amp breakers cost nearly the same.
If you are not going to run wire in conduit(PVC,etc.) you may want to consider Spending a few more $ and get wire with UV protection, romex doesn't hold up real well in sunlight etc. You could also look into using aluminum wire instead of copper, it is cheaper, but you will need use one size larger than if you used copper. Aluminum is also much lighter(but much less flexible) than copper, which is something to consider when you are making long overhead runs.

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2007 Tundra, Limited DC, 4X4,5.7L
NAV, TRD,TOW
Xlerator Exhaust
aFe Stage 2 CAI
Desert Sand Mica

I'm going to run the wire down the joists in the basement, then knock a hole in the cinder block and put it in conduit for the exposed outside run.

I'm thinking I'll bring it in on the back of the shed, at about the 5' mark and run it into a surface mount 3 gig metal box.

Then make the remainder of my splices inside the shed (I'm thinking I'll put in 8 outlets, 4 in 2 boxes on either side of the shed. Then maybe run a second wire for lighting or something....

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05 KC SE Smoke
01 Suzuki 600 GSF
88 Fiero 2M4

id play it safe and run a 30 amp imo, tools and lights, and whatever future tools u may get, only reason im saying that is if u happen to get sumthing bigger in there, its better to have the extra capacity now, than have to upgrade later...

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So if I run 10-2 on a 30 amp breaker, do I need any special outlets? I realize that there is a difference between 15 and 20 amp outlets.

Running the single 30 amp line is probably the best choice as I'll be running lighting off the same circuit for inside the shed.

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05 KC SE Smoke
01 Suzuki 600 GSF
88 Fiero 2M4

well, personally, id run 10-2 or 8-2 from your main panel with a 30 amp breaker into a small breaker panel in the shed, then have your 15 amp breakers on that and seperate the circuits, then you can use 12-2 or even 14-2 for each curcuit i.e. 1 for lighting, 1 for outlets etc. thats the safest way for it to be done

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