MM16 - extension cord or hard wire ?

[Howie French]

Hi,

having received delivery of my new MM16 bandsaw, and surviving the task of getting it into my basement, I am now ready to proceed with set-up.

I am wondering how others have handled the wiring issue. My first thought was to add a male twist lock connector to the exisitng pigtail, then make up a 10/2 extension cord with a male and female twist lock connectors. The issue with this approach is the expense of the conectors, a male and female connector combination alone costs over 50 dollars. This has me thinking of hardwiring the cord instead. Has anyone done this ? are there any issues I need to be aware of ? Will a 10/2 cord fit throught the existing grommet ?
Do the borgs carry flexible 10/2 wire ?

I am curious what others have done.

thanks, Howie

[Rob Russell]

Howie,

If you hardwire the saw, you will need a disconnect within sight of the saw. I believe the circuit breaker will cover that. If not, you need to have a rated disconnect switch capable of carrying the amperage of the saw.

If you shop on Ebay, you can find the plug and connector bodies for cheap prices.

FYI, the flex cord (SO for 600v rated and SJ or SJO for 300v rated) would be called 10-3. The grounding conductor is counted when you're referring to this cable, unlike NM-cable (aka "Romex") where you would refer to it as 10-2 but that means 2 current-carrying conductors + the bare grounding conductor.

Rob

[Bruce Page]

I just removed the original pigtail and added a new 10' long, 10/3 cord and twist lock plug to mine.

[Jim Becker]

I use the pigtail with a male twist lock plug on it along with a 6' rubber cord I made up with a female twist lock on the saw end and a male on the wall end. I happen to like the pigtail arrangment as it allows me to use the shortest cord necessary while retaining flexibility and ease of moving the machine should it be necessary. I also didn't feel like screwing around with replacing the pigtail... ;)

My cabinet saw uses a similar arrangement.

[Howie French]

Howie,

If you hardwire the saw, you will need a disconnect within sight of the saw. I believe the circuit breaker will cover that. If not, you need to have a rated disconnect switch capable of carrying the amperage of the saw.

If you shop on Ebay, you can find the plug and connector bodies for cheap prices.

FYI, the flex cord (SO for 600v rated and SJ or SJO for 300v rated) would be called 10-3. The grounding conductor is counted when you're referring to this cable, unlike NM-cable (aka "Romex") where you would refer to it as 10-2 but that means 2 current-carrying conductors + the bare grounding conductor.

Rob



Hi Rob,

I think I used the wrong terminology, what I meant by hardwire was to do what what Bruce outlined - replace the pigtail with a new flex wire "wired directly to the saw", I did not know that 10-2 would be referred as 10-3 regarding flex cable.

thanks, Howie

[Howie French]

I just removed the original pigtail and added a new 10' long, 10/3 cord and twist lock plug to mine.


Bruce,

is this a straight forward operation, I don't want to mess anything up.
Is it easy to get access to this connection ?
Where did you get the flex cable ? borg or electrical suppy store ?

thanks, Howie

[craig carlson]

Hi,

Yep, the borgs do carry 10-3 flexible cable. I now run my uni-saw, jointer and new bandsaw off of an extension cable with twist lock connectors. A lot cheaper, faster and easier that dedicated wiring. So, you are concerned about $50.00 of wiring after spending $2000 for the saw?:D

Craig

[Howie French]

I use the pigtail with a male twist lock plug on it along with a 6' rubber cord I made up with a female twist lock on the saw end and a male on the wall end. I happen to like the pigtail arrangment as it allows me to use the shortest cord necessary while retaining flexibility and ease of moving the machine should it be necessary. I also didn't feel like screwing around with replacing the pigtail... ;)

My cabinet saw uses a similar arrangement.

Jim, this was my first thought as well, but when the parts priced out at $100, I started to question if I this was the approach I wanted to take.


thanks, Howie

[Howie French]

Hi,

Yep, the borgs do carry 10-3 flexible cable. I now run my uni-saw, jointer and new bandsaw off of an extension cable with twist lock connectors. A lot cheaper, faster and easier that dedicated wiring. So, you are concerned about $50.00 of wiring after spending $2000 for the saw?:D

Craig
Craig,

I was waiting for a comment like this:D
I really do try to save a dollar when I can - I am still not sure
how I actually broke down and purchased this saw:rolleyes:

Howie

[Doug Shepard]

I struggled with the same decision last weekend. I ended up hardwiring a cable and plug onto the saw due to the cost of the twist lock plugs. I bought 10/3 cable at Lowes and got the water resistant stuff which has a thicker rubber jacket. I got it to work but not without a slight modification to the nylon (plastic?) strain relief fitting. If you want to duplicate my steps, here's what I did:
1) Remove the switch cover then the 4 little screw clamps at each corner of the switch box.
2) Unscrew the outer SRF (strain relief fitting) nut and slide it off the pigtail to remove it
3) Push the pigtail through and draw it out the other side through the switch box opening
4) Reach into the frame and remove the inner SRF nut, being VERY CAREFUL not to drop it as it took me about 2 hours to fish it out of the frame column.
5) Remove the SRF fitting and take out the inner rubber sleeve
6) Remove the narrow lip inside the SRF. The cable wont fit through the SRF with it in place. I think it's only purpose was to hold the rubber sleeve anyway, and that's not necessary with the thicker cable. I originally tried filing this away but it went too slowly. I grabbed a 1/4" carving gouge and had the lip cut away in a couple of minutes, then used the file again to smooth out any rough spots.
7) Reinstall the SRF onto the frame and screw on the inner nut.
8) Slide the outer SRF nut onto the end of the new cable and push the cable end through the SRF fitting. You'll probably have to wiggle it a bit and/or spread the small fingers on the SRF to get the cable started, but once in, it will slide through easily but it's still a bit snug.

It's up to you how you want to handle wiring the new cable to the switch. One look at the squarish crimped on ends of the pigtail wiring convinced me to leave the pigtail connected to the switch. The switch terminal clamps looked like they might work better with the square shaped connectors than anything I had so I never touched anything at the switch. I then just connected the new cable to the pigtail with crimp connectors and pushed the excess pigtail back inside the column frame.

If you don't get the water resistant type cable, you might be able to skip the SRF modification. It might be narrow enough to fit through without removing that inner lip. I'd already bought the cable then realized it wouldn't fit and resorted to the modification.

[craig carlson]

Howie,

I have been known to spend $10 to save a buck! It drives me nuts! I guess it's a guy thing or a cheap skate thing or I don't know what, I just don't want to buy something and feel like I've been ripped off afterward.

Craig

[Doug Shepard]

I just remembered that I had a pic with the cable installed. Nothing about the modification is visible and once the outer nut is tightened down, it's just as snug on the cable as with the original pigtail.

[Bruce Page]

Bruce,

is this a straight forward operation, I don't want to mess anything up.
Is it easy to get access to this connection ?
Where did you get the flex cable ? borg or electrical suppy store ?

thanks, Howie
Howie, it wasn't hard. Just loosen the wire lock nut on the back side of the column and remove the two screws holding the front push button plate. There are four little dog leg “keepers” (for lack of a better term) that hold the switch & switch box. Loosen the keepers being careful not to drop them into the column, and pull the switch box out. Disconnect the pigtail, feed the new line in from the back, connect the new line and reassemble. I bought the flexible 10/3 and the plug from the borg.

edit - I just read Doug's excellent discription of the process and remembered that I also had to modify the locknut to get the line to pass through. I didn't have any problems connecting the new line directly to the switch.

[Randy Meijer]

Hang in there, Howie!! For those on a tight budget, 50 here and 50 there makes the difference between being able to afford a high quality tool or going without. Some people have more money than they.......never mind. :D

[Aaron Montgomery]

I just removed the original pigtail and added a new 10' long, 10/3 cord and twist lock plug to mine.
That's exactly what I did on my MM16.

[Ken Garlock]

Gents, I have run my MM-16 for several years on a 20 amp 240 volt circuit without ever having a problem. I use a 10 ft. length of rubber covered 12/3 wire from HD. The receptacle and plug are the standard 20 amp with one prong vertical, and one horizontal. Twist lock is a waste of money, you can buy nice BS blades for the cost of twist lock plug and connector.

Remember, if you are drawing too much current, the circuit breaker will let you know, that's what it is there for:(

[John Tarro]

I have never direct wired a machine in my shop . . ever. When I work on replacing a blade or making any other adjustment, that puts me at risk. The cord is disconnected and the open ends are in full view. I don't think it is to your advantage to direct wire to a disconnect or panel. Too easy to make a mistake.

[Chris Lee]

Ken,
That may be true for an older MM16 but the new ones require a 30amp circuit. The only thing I could find in a 30amp plug was a twistlock. I suppose an electrical shop may be able to order a special plug but it will probably cost the same or more.

Howie

I removed the pigtail and the 10/3 I got from the borg just barely fit through the fitting. I crimped connectors on the wires and all went together well. I too went this way because of the cost of 2 more plugs. If all my machinery ran on it then I would make the investment, but the MM16 is my only 30 amp tool right now.

Chris

[Ken Garlock]

Ken,
That may be true for an older MM16 but the new ones require a 30amp circuit. The only thing I could find in a 30amp plug was a twistlock. I suppose an electrical shop may be able to order a special plug but it will probably cost the same or more.

Chris

Yep, you are right, 3.6 HP, 16.8 Amp.

When I was wiring up my cabinet saw, I found my twist lock connector and plug at Lowes for considerably less than HD.

When I installed my 5 HP(true rating,) IR air compressor, IR said it needed a 40 Amp. circuit, I had only a 30 Amp available so I used it. I have never, in 3 years, had a circuit breaker pop because of the compressor starting up. Oft times what is called for is not really what you need.

In the final analysis, go with what you feel comfortable with:)

[Charlie Plesums]

I like the far more flexible wire in extension cords, rather than the heavy abrasion resistant etc. cords that the borgs sell by the foot. Therefore I bought a 30 amp extension cord and cut it up as power cords for my machines... and it also costs less than the heavy duty cords. Maybe I will have to replace it sooner (in 20 years rather than 40) but the fact that it lays flat and kicks easily is worth it to me.

Be sure to get 600 volt insulation for "240 volt" service. The 240 is "RMS" - a fancy average of the voltage over the sine-wave cycle. But you need to insulate for the peak voltage. The 600 volt insulation is the most common, but occasionally you see something rated 300 volts, which should only be used with 120 volt circuits.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, this was my first thought as well, but when the parts priced out at $100, I started to question if I this was the approach I wanted to take.


thanks, Howie

Um....that sounds like a LOT more than I paid!! (At the 'Depot...) You don't need the gold-plated version, Howie! Seriously, don't skimp on the electricals, not just for personal safety, but wiring done right lasts a lot longer and is better for your very expensive tools.

[Dan Oelke]

Just to add my 2 cents - try http://fruitridgetools.com for connectors and recepticals. I found them via an ebay auction (I think....) and while their website stinks, the stuff I bought through them has worked well for me.

And I'll second the idea of using an extension cord for your cord. I have often been able to buy a good 25' extension cord cheaper than buying 25' of the wire off the rack. And that is making sure it is a good cord, with the 600V insulation, abrasion resistant, etc. etc. Just cut the ends off and pitch them and wire on the new plugs.

[Howie French]

Hi,

I really appreciate everyone's comments, I just purchase 10' of 10/3 flex cord, 600 volts. $1.45 foot from home depot. I will connect 1 end to a 30 amp male twist lock connector - $18.50. I will then remove the pig tail and wire directly to the saw - thanks Doug for the excellent instructions.

This will eliminate the need for an additonal male connector and a female connector (30 amp female connector alone - $32.50) .

It's great to have a forum like this to learn from others!

Thanks, Howie