5hp Deluxe Xacta wiring ?

[Tim Phoenix]

I just picked up a 5hp deluxe xacta table saw from Jet. I will have it on a 40amp breaker. I also picked up some 10/3 wire to hook up to the back of the saw. I was told that is the best gauge wire to use.

Only thing is... the wire is too thick to fit into the mini electrical box mounted on the back of the saw. There is a hole at the bottom of the box made to accept thick cable but it looks like it will only accept 12 or 14 gauge.

Is it best to modify the box (with a dremel) or pick up cable that is smaller than 10 gauge?

[Tom Welch]

I just got a 3 hp Jet Deluxe Xacta saw. I had the same problem. Except the "hole" your talking about would not fit the 12 gauge cable I got at HD. (I think it was made for 14 gauge) So I just went back to HD and got a penatrator that would fit the larger cable and used a rat tale file and opened up the hole just a tab bigger to fit the penatrator. I did remove the terminal strip first so I would not damage it with the file. (this envolved removing the drawer to access the nuts on the back side of the terminal strip) Good luck. It was real easy to do and you should not have any problem. By the way, your going to love that saw. I know I do.

By the way, throw away the bolts for the front rail. :( (the counter sunk philips) and go buy some good counter sunk allen bolts. It will make aligning up and tighting the front rail so much easer.:)

[Ken Garlock]

Congrats on the new table saw:cool:;)

While I can't help you with the wiring into the saw electrical box, I do have one major item.

Forty amp breaker is entirely too big for 10 ga wire.:eek: Ten gauge is rated at a max of 30 amp(30 amp breaker), and for reasonable safety you should not exceed 80% of that, 24 or 25 amps. Your best bet is to look on the motor faceplate and get the FLA, full load amperage. For a 5 hp motor, I estimate that it will be in the order of 22 to 24 amps.

My IR 5 hp air compressor calls for a 40 amp breaker. I have run it on 10 ga, 30 amp breaker for 5 years and never popped a breaker. The 5 hp Marathon motor says that the FLA is 22 amp.

Enjoy your new saw, and as always be careful.

[Thomas Syrotchen]

I don't have the NEC tables in front of me but I believe you need a conductor rated at 28A*1.25 = 35A if memory serves me correctly which I believe that requires 8 AWG. There are a lot of people in the forum that seem to be experts in the NEC that will hopefully check my memory.
Don't change conductor size to meet the capacity of a box, change the box to meet the requirements of the conductor size. Try and pump 500 GPM of water through a straw and see what happens. The same holds true somewhat if you undersize a conductor.
If wiring it becomes a struggle, I'll take it off your hands and pay shipping:). I've had a 5hp jet that I bought used and it's given me 10 years of loyal service. I hope you enjoy your jet as much as I have enjoyed mine.
Not to insult anyone but not poping a breaker really isn't an indicaiton of correctly sizing a conductor. I know plenty of folks that just make the fuse bigger until the fuse don't blow. As Jeff Foxworthy might say, if you've ever used a bullet as a fuse, you might be a ... Because the motor's FLA given in the example is 22A, its likely right on the edge of tripping a 30A breaker and hence the recommendation of sizing the breaker at 40A by the manufacturer. More likely than not, they sized it based on the NEC tables and would rather you oversize the conductor to handle 40 A so as the motor ages and approoaches that 1.15 SF you don't start tripping that breaker.
FLA should be used to size overloads on a motor, NEC tables should be used to size the conductor. Just because one 5HP motor runs fine on a 30 Amp breaker doesn't mean everything works on a 30A breaker.

[Rick Christopherson]

... Because the motor's FLA given in the example is 22A, its likely right on the edge of tripping a 30A breaker and hence the recommendation of sizing the breaker at 40A by the manufacturer.A 30 amp breaker will not trip at 22 amps, nor does the NEC suggest this. A 30 amp breaker will take a 30 amp load (plus more depending on the time and temperature considerations). The NEC is riddled with contradictions and inconsistencies, and circuit breaker derating is one of them.

For example, no single load can occupy 100% of a breaker, but you are still permitted to have multiple loads on the same circuit that can occupy 100% of a breaker. However, a single load can occupy 100% of the breaker if the breaker is rated for 100% load.

The motor tables are also a huge contradiction. Two products (tablesaws) could have identical motors from the same manufacturer, but if one of those products has a UL sticker, then you are permitted to use the motor's nameplate data for sizing the circuit, instead of using the over-inflated table data.

The biggest problem with the table data in the NEC is that is was written for commercial applications, where a motor is assumed to always be operating at its maximum load, because that is how a system should be designed. It does not take into account the fact that something like a tablesaw operates half of its life at idle (50% amperage), and when it is under load, is almost always below 80% load.

With all of that said, for a home workshop tablesaw, there is no reason to exceed a 30 amp circuit with #10 wire for a 5 hp tablesaw.

[Tom Welch]

This is all great information. That's one of the benefits of this forum. You get information from experts in their fields. It is always good to have input from different people on subjects, especially safety. But I think the main question was adding the saw's cord, not the wiring run from the breaker. Tim never mentioned what AWG size the run was. It could have been #8 AWG thus the 40 amp breaker which is correct. Remember the breaker protects the wire not the machine. Then of course he could be hard wiring in to the breaker. Just not enought info.

[Rod Sheridan]

I just picked up a 5hp deluxe xacta table saw from Jet. I will have it on a 40amp breaker. I also picked up some 10/3 wire to hook up to the back of the saw. I was told that is the best gauge wire to use.

Only thing is... the wire is too thick to fit into the mini electrical box mounted on the back of the saw. There is a hole at the bottom of the box made to accept thick cable but it looks like it will only accept 12 or 14 gauge.

Is it best to modify the box (with a dremel) or pick up cable that is smaller than 10 gauge?

Holly cow, that must be one poor 5 HP motor to need a feeder that large.

What does the motor nameplate indicate for input current?

In Canada #12 AWG cab tire with two current carrying conductors is rated for 25 amperes. I doubt if your motor draws more than 20 amperes.

That's probably why the # 10 AWG doesn't fit in the box connector.

Regards, Rod.

[Thomas Syrotchen]

[QUOTE=Rick Christopherson;1184746]A 30 amp breaker will not trip at 22 amps, nor does the NEC suggest this.

Actually the NEC clearly suggests this in regards to motors. Its clearly the reason they offer two forms of protection overload and short circuit. The overload is sized to protect the conductor, the short circuit protection or breaker is allowed to exceed the rating for the conductor. While I realize that to most this seems confusing within the NEC code in fact it is not its the entire reason that the NEC references nuissance tripping. I agree with most previous post, most homeshop equipment is not really loaded, and therefore it takes litlle time for a motor begin to spin up and as result the startup current is not the same as some industrial environments. So, lets look at a motor with 22A listed as FLA. According to the NEC, that motor must be sized at 125% of FLA for conducor sizing in a circuit. 1.25x22=27.5. Considering that the NEC at times allows for up to 250% of the HP ratirng for breaker sizing, it is likely as I suggested that the oversizing the breaker was suggested per the NEC to prevent nussiance tripping because by code, the overload should not exceed the FLA x the Service factor. The overload will provide current limit protection for the conductor per the NEC. The breaker or fuse will provide short circuit protection. The problem with a motor circuit is for a very short time, it looks like a dead short and at times may trip short circuit protection hence trip a breaker. Ask any mechanic in an industrial environment what they reset, it will almost alway be an overload because the overload is protecting the circuit.

[Rick Christopherson]

...in the example is 22A, its likely right on the edge of tripping a 30A breaker... At issue is that you stated that a 30 amp breaker is close to tripping at 22 amps. This is not true.
... So, lets look at a motor with 22A listed as FLA. According to the NEC, that motor must be sized at 125% of FLA for conducor sizing in a circuit. 1.25x22=27.5.... it is likely as I suggested that the oversizing the breaker was suggested per the NEC to prevent nussiance tripping because by code, You've already derated the circuit to 80% and found it to be less than 30 amps, but you then want to derate it again for a tool that rarely ever sees FLA? Why? How often have you seen a properly operating 5 hp tablesaw tripping a 30 amp breaker? This is not a condition known for nuisance trips.

Understanding the NEC is not simply a matter of memorizing passages, but more importantly, understanding the reasons behind them.

[David Christopher]

I have a 5 HP unisaw and it is on 10 ga wire and a 30A breaker and has been for over 10 years... there has been times when a piece of wood would bite the blade and stop the motor completely, turned of and on all day for small projects and milling 2" thick slabs for hours and during this time I have never triped the 30A breaker