MAPLE CREEK, Sask. – Easy access to power and air in a shop is always a challenge. Tripping over extension cords and air hoses leading from a workbench can be dangerous.
Having worked in shops all his life, Ken Sawby wanted to set up his own shop with a convenient and safe system that allowed access to 110 and 220 volt power, plus air, right in the middle of the shop.
Sawby had a central pedestal in mind when he started building his farm shop. He wanted it built right into the floor, so all the planning and design work went in before any concrete arrived.
Read Also
VIDEO: Green Lightning and Nytro Ag win sustainability innovation award
Nytro Ag Corp and Green Lightning recieved an innovation award at Ag in Motion 2025 for the Green Lightning Nitrogen Machine, which converts atmospheric nitrogen into a plant-usable form.
“It was all set up and prepared before the shop floor was poured. We laid three inch black plastic pipe from the southwest corner where the big (electric) panel is. We fed all the wires and hoses through, with steel stakes to hold it. Then we poured cement around it,” said Sawby.
The pedestal itself is made from a piece of eight-inch square tube. A metal frame was made to hold the pedestal, with reinforcing bar welded to the frame to help anchor it in the concrete.
“Four or five pieces of rebar were welded on each side and one out each end, so when we poured the cement, it’s in there solid.”
Sawby used quarter-inch by 10 inch steel plate to make the frame, then added angle iron around the top to prevent the surrounding concrete from chipping. The angle iron is flush with the floor.
“That’s a fold-down pedestal, hinged at the bottom. You pull the lid up, pull the pedestal up, drop the lid and it holds it vertical. When you want to put it away, just grab the lid, hold it up, fold the pedestal down, drop the lid and it’s covered. You don’t need any tools,” he said.
“We’ve got it wired so there’s a double standard 110 plug, but there’s a different breaker on each part of the plug. We don’t have power quitting on us that way. There’s a 220 plug-in for a welder, plus an air chuck.”
Sawby likes how the pedestal can be hidden away.
“It folds down flush with the floor if you’ve got something big that you’ve got to get it out of the road. Then when we’re doing our normal work, we have it up all the time. It takes all the cords and stuff away from the bench so you’re not walking on them….I think it’s one of the best features in the shop.”
Sawby and his son, Jason, operate Skyline Farms near Maple Creek. They also run High Desert Enterprises, a custom manufacturing and repair business for farmers and the local oil industry.
