Wiring a shop can be as simple or as fancy as you want - and can afford. And a little thought on how you will use it can help decide on that wiring.
My personal shop is a pretty "temporary" affair - a couple sheets of tin for a roof with some plastic tarps covering the sides down to about 2 feet from the ground. For electric power I have two "circuits" fed by extension cords from plug-ins on breakers. These feed the lights, radio, forge, power hammer, and any power tools. Yes, I can only use a few selected things at any one time, but you learn and adapt. It's simple, crude, basic, but my shop works for me. Altho, all that natural ventilation does get a bit ... chilly ... during the winter.
In the end, it's not the shop and tools, but how you use them.
A note about flouresant lights. They produce great area lighting, and often with less glare. But they operate like a strobe light - flashing on and off, but at a very fast rate. Most people never even notice it. That "strobing" can be noticed and can affect some people - especially when doing things like hammering or chopping. Just something to keep in mind when lighting your shop.
Just some humble thoughts to share.
Mike Ameling
p.s. Yes, several of my friends are "horrified" at how I use drop cords to provide electricity in my "shop". But I trip the breakers less than once a year. My big "problem" is always having to unplug one tool to plug in the next I need to use. But my "shop" was wired for less than $100, instead of $1000+ to do it properly. Actually, I don't have much more than $100 in my whole shack/shop (lots of scrounged materials).
p.p.s. Check with you local zoning and building codes. Many of them do spell out the minimum standards for wiring buildings and shop areas. The local codes in my area do cover wiring in my house, but not in my "temporary" shop.
