I am adding lights to my barn and have run ac to each light . I want to have a separate switch for each light and be able to use any or all at any time. Can you give me a diagram.

Can you provide a diagram of the barn and show where you want lights and switches.

Basically it is an old horse barn we are converting to a multi station workshop. Each stall will be a work station with power and lights. One light in each stall with it's own dedicated switch. I'm a little confused since all the lights will be on the same power line and we need each light to be controlled by it's switch only.

You could consider a lighting control system, but it could be overkill.
Could give you control of each light and even a single control that says "all off".

You didn't say how many stalls or the wattage of each light.

You did not mention how things are wired. Plastic box, conduit, metal box etc.

Basically, your correct in daisy chaining power to each light first.
I'd use 14/3 to each light from the switch. It would allow you to upgrade to timers and other kinds of controls in the furure.

Conventionally, you would run 14/2 to each light. In each light, lets start with white wire nutted to white and black wire nutted to black.

Ideal makes pigtails with wire nuts that make this job really.
Easy. Take a white pigtail/wirenut and attach to white. (2 wires and 1 unterminated pigtail) This goes to neutral on the light.

Connect black and white to the switch and run to light. Tape the white wire black to mark the ends as a black wire on both ends.

Take the white re-identified as black wire from the switch and wirenut it to the blacks (always hot) wires in the light junction box. (3 wires).

Take the black wire (hot to the lamp). You can use a Wirenut/pigtail device for this too.

So, you;ll have a white wire taped black which is the hot of the lamp, and a white wire which is the neutral and a ground to connect to the lamp fixture.

Ideal also makes quick disconnects for fluorescent ballasts.

By taping black, I mean that a layer of black tape is placed on the insulation. It's a way of re-marking a conductor use.

14/3 will have white/red/and black. You would connect the white in the fixture and cap it off in the switch. Use black as HOT and red as switched HOT.

The Neutral will be available for use by timers/home automation systems etc at a future date.

Put the lighting on separate circuits. If there are two lamps per stall use two separate circuits daisy chained. Purpose, is if lighting circuit blows only half the shop lighting goes out in each stall and if your using equipment, it's a big plus.

Ground may or may not be necessary. There is a wirenut/pigtail for this application too.

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Harold:

Your right. The re-identified white wire is hot. http://forum.doityourself.com/archiv.../t-395360.html

Thanks guys. I'm not sure why this stumped me, I've wired a lot of switches just not that many on one line. Bob

It sounds like this may end up being a commercial environment. I would advise that you check with local code enforcement as to the wiring requirements.