220V Tools & Extension Cords

[James H Bennett]

I've had two homes over the past 25 years and in both cases all my power tools have been run on 110 volts. An upcoming move has afforded me the "opportunity" to buy a new table saw (a SawStop cabinet model) and start from scratch with my shop setup. Unfortunately, as before, my shop will be shared with two cars in a three car garage. In the past I've had all my equipment except for my lathe mounted on heavy duty casters and after backing out one or both cars I positioned my equipment for good work flow. Since I never ran any of the power tools at the same time except for the dust collector, I simply had each one plugged into a heavy duty extension cord, normally 25 feet or less.

When I set things up at the new place I'd like to use 220 volts where possible. I plan on ordering the SawStop as a 220 volt unit, and re-wire my Jet 14" band saw to run on 220. My Delta dust collector also has the ability to be re-wired for 220 volts. If we have a house built I want to have the builder include several 220 volt outlets in the garage. However, they'd be wall-mounted and not anywhere near the middle of the garage floor, where the table saw and band saw would be moved to for operation. Is there any problem using a 220 volt extension cord to run these units? The 110 volt extension cables I used previously were 12/3 and never longer than 25 feet. Running the equipment on 220 volts would draw half the current that it would on 110. I see extension cables on Amazon that use 8/3 wire which seems like that is way overkill for my equipment - they appear to be aimed at welders.

Any suggestions? Are any of you running your 220 volt tools with extension cords?

Thanks, Jim

[Tom M King]

I have for over 45 years, including coming into the houses I was building from a temporary service. Make up cords with a larger gauge wire than the minimum, out of some variation of wire that starts with the letters SO .

If the wire is heavy enough, there's really no difference to the load from a good cord, and a long run of Romex in walls. They just warn people against using extension cords because some idiot with use a 100' 16 gauge one.

[Bruce Lowekamp]

I buy a 12/2+G extension cord from the hardware store and replace the plugs on the end. I think I recently bought a 10' prewired cord when I realized it was cheaper from amazon than buying the plugs separately. (I use the twist-lock plugs in my shop and always replace the ends of new tools if they don't as well.)

There's nothing different about using an extension cord for 220 vs 110 (other than using the correct plugs so you don't confuse the two). Wire size is based on amps and length. Unless the garage is already further away from the panel than it should be without a subpanel, I wouldn't think twice about having some 25' extension cords around.

My tablesaw is in the middle of the shop, powered by a more-or-less-permanent extension cord run across the ceiling.

Bruce

[Rod Sheridan]

14/3 flexible cord is rated for 18 amperes.

It's what I use for 240 volt extension cords for my machinery as my largest machine is 16 amperes (4HP saw/shaper).

You could also use 12/3 if you wanted which is rated at 25 amperes.................Regards, Rod.

[Clark Hussey]

I run both my bandsaw 220v and my SawStop pcs on an extension cord.. I have never had an issue

[Jim Becker]

Like Tom, I make up cords to fit the situation without extra slack. I also do pigtails on the machine. That adds some cost due to the extra connections (and I use twist locks), but it provides more flexibility.

[Kevin Womer]

+1 with same saw

[David Jurincie]

I run mine with a heavy duty extension cord as well.

[Wes Grass]

I've run my Felder bandsaw and table saw, both 4hp I think, off a dryer outlet using a 25 foot extension cord from HD. I cut the socket end off and wired a twist lock socket on it.

[Sam Force]

I have a 220 drop down from the ceiling to run my bandsaw, I just wired it as one would if it was a wall outlet

[Bruce Wrenn]

They just warn people against using extension cords because some idiot with use a 100' 16 gauge one.Tom, ever been in a Lowes just before a hurricane, and watch people buying a 5500 watt generator and a couple 16ga extension cords to "run the house?" Thankfully most don't lose power and return both generator and cord sets. I only own one cord set that's 14ga, the rest are either 12ga, or 10 ga, with the exception of one my son gave me. It's 75" long and 6 ga. Seldom does it ever get used. Do own a 100', 3 wire plus ground 10 ga. We use it with ministry to run an electric stove over at the fair grounds

[Matthew Hills]

I've been using extension cords(10 gauge w/ SJOOW), with a twistlock to a pigtail at the tool.

You might be able to minimize floor clutter by adding a power drop in your ceiling, if you already know where you're likely to be using your tools.

What are you doing for dust collection? (that tends to be the other thing that impinges on free movement around the shop)

Matt

[John K Jordan]

James,

Sorry, I didn't have time to read the other responses.

The connectors on an extension cord have to match the outlet(s) wired into the shop and there are several types for each amperage. I don't use 220v extension cords in the wood shop, preferring instead to put 220v outlets at every machine that needs it, but a cord is easy to make. - you can get the flexible cable in any size and the connectors from an electrical supply company (local to almost everyone).

I did make an extension cord to use my welders and plasma cutter outside the shop when working on farm equipment. I made one good for 50amps, about 25' long if I remember correctly. It's pretty heavy!

JKJ

[James H Bennett]

Folks - thanks for the great replies. Now I feel confident that using some 12/3 extension cables will be OK.

Regards, Jim

[Rod Wolfy]

Jim, I have a SS and a 220v dust collector running off of 220 extension cords. I bought 50' of 12/3 at HD and cut it in half, then put on the same plugs as the SS and they work great. However, if you're having a house built, why not have the builder put a few lines into the ceiling? I had an electrician put a panel in my garage (where they usually are, but my house it was in the basement 100' away). I ran some 12/3 romex from the panel, up to the area above the garage and then installed outlets in the ceiling. Single wire run per outlet, so three runs. When the house is being constructed, it shouldn't cost any more that $150.

On my extension cords, I just put in 220v ends. On my ceiling runs, I put in turn/lock 220v outlets, so they don't come out when bumped. That's how my SS is run now, the drop is right down at the back left corner of the saw (after a year or two, the extensions become a tripping hazard).

[Wayne Cannon]

I second the suggestions to buy ready-made 12-2 cords and replace the ends. The existing ends are cheap, even for 220 V.

Also for the suggestion to drop from the ceiling instead of running along the floor. Use a hanging strain relief or, in my case, a retractable cord reel ($$, but worth it) so the cords remain handy, but out of the way when used for cars. Don't keep all the extra cord on a reel that's dedicated, e.g. for your table saw. Cut it to only the length you will need and avoid the extra voltage drop of the long cord.

Don't hard-wire the fixed end of your cord -- use a plug and receptacle; otherwise your cord picks up a bunch of additional code restrictions.

[Bruce King]

Extension cords are not to be used on a permanent situation except tools that don’t run for hours at a time. 5hp tools really should have an extension cord built from appropriate size wire and quality ends.

[Rob Sack]

Always use extension cords with larger gauges than needed. Many power tools draw momentarily many more amps on start up than they are actually rated My air compressor, rated at 22.5 amps at 240 volts, actually drawers for less than a second on startup over 100 amps. I also use a whole house vacuum unit for my panel router. It's rated for 25 amps at 120 volts. When measured with a meter, it draws over 50 amps on start up. I originally had it on a 30 amp - 120 volt breaker with 10 gauge wire. It eventually cooked the breaker and fried the lug on the panel. I am re-wiring the circuit with a 50 amp breaker and no. 6 wires.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

You're building a home, and the electrician has to visit anyway. When I had my sparkie wire up my garage/shop, we ran a sub panel and he wired 110 and 220 into both the walls and the ceiling.
Life saver! Short drops to the saw, bandsaw and dust collector, plus lots of outlets for portable tools.

[Chris Hachet]

I run both my bandsaw 220v and my SawStop pcs on an extension cord.. I have never had an issue

In a one man two car garage shop, this is how I run two planers, two table saws, jopinter, lathe, 220 bandsaw, etc. The benifit of doing it this way is that at the end of the day you can walk away knowing everything is de energized by pulling one plug. I don't like leaving amchines energized in my shop.

Chris

[Chris Hachet]

Always use extension cords with larger gauges than needed. Many power tools draw momentarily many more amps on start up than they are actually rated My air compressor, rated at 22.5 amps at 240 volts, actually drawers for less than a second on startup over 100 amps. I also use a whole house vacuum unit for my panel router. It's rated for 25 amps at 120 volts. When measured with a meter, it draws over 50 amps on start up. I originally had it on a 30 amp - 120 volt breaker with 10 gauge wire. It eventually cooked the breaker and fried the lug on the panel. I am re-wiring the circuit with a 50 amp breaker and no. 6 wires.

I have a friend with an OWWM 24 inch jointer that pulls 90 Amps on startup, startup current is nuts on some motors.

[Chris Hachet]

You're building a home, and the electrician has to visit anyway. When I had my sparkie wire up my garage/shop, we ran a sub panel and he wired 110 and 220 into both the walls and the ceiling.
Life saver! Short drops to the saw, bandsaw and dust collector, plus lots of outlets for portable tools.

This is my eventual goal.

[Frank Pratt]

I have a friend with an OWWM 24 inch jointer that pulls 90 Amps on startup, startup current is nuts on some motors.

Startup current on induction motors is commonly 10X FLA. If you put a good meter on it, I bet you'd see that it draws a lot more than 90A

[Bob Hinden]

Folks - thanks for the great replies. Now I feel confident that using some 12/3 extension cables will be OK.

Regards, Jim

That's what I do as well.

[Alex Zeller]

You can buy wire at the big box stores. My suggestion is to use SOOW over SJOOW. The "J" has a thinner cover on the wires (and is only rated for 300 volts). It's not the voltage rating but the durability of the wire itself. If you are sure you are never going to run over it with a mobile base or damage it in another way then the "J" would work. The last time I bought cord from the blue store they gave me 6 gauge, not the 12 I asked for. It felt heavy but I just threw it in the cart. It wasn't until I got home that I realized while trying to strip the wires that they were a lot fatter than they should be. But it makes for a nice 25' 40 amp extension cord.