No, you are not. I've put in subpanels and wired two shops, and always went with 20amp circuits, 12/2 wire; increased cost is negligible, and make sure you buy outlets rated for 20amp, premium outlets like Hubbell, you'll be glad you did. Also, per code, if the line is not a single outlet dedicated line it must be GFI, so buy a GFI outlet rated for 20amps, you only need one outlet per circuit. Also, mount your outlets about 52" high on the walls so they won't be covered by things like sheets of plywood stored against the walls. Also, put your lighting on a separate circuit, if the dust collector blows the breaker you don't want to be in the dark with a spinning tablesaw. . .
Oh, best book on the subject is "Wiring a House" I've bought at least two of the editions since 1999; worth getting if you are doing the work yourself. Best $20 I've ever spent, and covers lots of other topics as well, soup to nuts. I refer to it often. Good luck
And/or Wiring a House Completely
Personally, I'd run a subpanel into the shop area, and do the dual circuit thing from that, and you'll also have room for some 220 circuits when you need them. Always 20A, with GFI outlets. Put a lighting circuit for overheads on a separate breaker, if you pop one its nice not to be in the dark. Spend the extra $$ on Hubbell outlets, you'll be glad you did.
Edit: spend $20 and buy this book. https://www.amazon.com/Wiring-House-Completely-Revised-Updated/dp/162710674X
I've used it to wire two of my shops, with subpanels. Excellent resource, you'll be glad you did.
I put in an 100 amp subpanel; ran one 110 circuit for lighting (you always want to have lights on a separate circuit) and two 20 amp GFI circuits for outlets, along with two 220 circuits. I spit my cellar into two parts with a wall, and put outlets 4.5 feet high, every 9 feet along each wall, with two 220 on each side with two outlets on each circuit; figure you will run a dust collector and a stationery machine at the same time, max, and one circuit will do that just fine. You have to think ahead, and an extra outlet doesn't cost much. I hired out the subpanel, and did the circuit and outlet work myself, its not hard. Buy this book:https://www.amazon.com/Wiring-House-Completely-Revised-Updated/dp/162710674X, it is excellent, I've used it for years.
You bet.
If you want to learn more, this is a great resource: https://www.amazon.com/Wiring-House-Completely-Revised-Updated/dp/162710674X
I got it after buying this 1940 house and learned so much. I hired a pro to install a new panel on day 1, but I've done all subsequent electrical myself, using what's in that book. It's very well written. Cheers.
I don't know what it is, but my knowledge of how circuits work went completely out the window while I was looking at these numbers... As /u/lavacano suggested, I did a load calc a while back and am within the limits of normal usage. Not to mention, I am going to be removing some significant loads.
I am aware of the limitations of where I live, and I have gone through the entire Wiring a House book a few times now. For some reason, my school knowledge did not sync up with my experience doing electrical work (80% DIY).
I am planning a complete rewire of my house, room by room. I wanted to arrange the panel out on paper to make sure everything that I want is feasible since almost all of the breakers are mislabeled, and a couple of them aren't controlling lights or sockets in the house.
Thanks for the reassurance.
Get this book and thumb through it. Also, your definitions of line and load are reversed. Line is the hot conductor (in a black sheath) that comes from the circuit breakr to the gangbox. Load is the conductor that goes from the switch to the appliance. The load conductor is usually also in a black sheath. The neutral conductors (in white sheaths) for all your circuits should terminate in a neutral bar in your circuit breaker panel. In older installations, the neutral bar is bonded to the ground bar at the panel.
Just a couple of days ago I received my copy of "Wiring a House" by Rex Cauldwell (http://www.amazon.com/Wiring-House-5th-Pros/dp/162710674X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412972971&sr=1-1&keywords=wiring+a+house). Though I haven't read it in-depth, I already feel like I can highly recommend it, especially for your situation. He has an approach he calls "Above Code" where he makes recommendations that go a step beyond the code requirements and he points out areas which might vary from location to location. He also specifically addresses many situations that arise when you are doing retrofitting and renovation. The 5th edition was just released and is up-to-date for 2014 code and should be good until 2017.
Electrical : Wiring a House: 5th Edition (For Pros By Pros) https://www.amazon.com/dp/162710674X
I'd probably just pick up and read a couple of manuals that are designed as "here's the basics of what you need to know" -- Two that I have and use for electrical, for instance, are:
Following all of those and being willing to work with inspectors and correct anything they spotted helped me pass all of the inspections. City of Austin also posts checklists on their website.
I would pick up a copy of this book. If your on a budget you can sometimes find older editions for $5 .
If you're doing residential, Wiring a House by Rex Cauldwell is a good non technical supplement to your textbooks