Router table switch

[David Gunn]

I want to mount a switch for my router table. I sell electric supplies, so getting all the wire and such won't be a problem. I want to have two outlets, one to plug my router in to and one to plug in my shop-vac. Then I want that duplex receptacle to go to one switch that turns them both on. So what do I need to do.

I need details on how to wire it up. What wires and where to put them. I know all the materials I need, I just need to know what wires to put where.

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[John Terefenko]

Dave

You wire the outlets as if you are wiring a light. You need a 4" box with a mulberry cover that has a switch and duplex recptacle. Use a 20 amp rated switch and a 20 amp rated receptacle. You need a piece of SJ cord about 6' You can make it longer. Don't worry about code restrictions on the cord. Use #12 cord. Squeese connector for cord and cord cap. Some yellow wirenuts.

The wiring goes as this. From the cord the white goes to the silver terminal of the Recpt. From the cord the black wire goes to the Switch terminal. Then you need a jumper from the other switch terminal to the gold screw of the recpt. The green wire from the cord needs to be spliced with tails from the green screws of the recpt. and the switch and also from a ground screw on the box. So there should be 4 wires with the green. That is all. Good luck. One other thing on the male cap the white wire goes to the silver terminal and the black goes to the gold terminal and the green goes to green screw.

[Brian Dormer]

This probably isn't what you want to read - but....

Electricity isn't something to play around with - your best bet is going to be to find someone locally that can teach you what you need to know. An email or two isn't going to cut it. If you wire it incorrectly (or just in an unsafe manner) - you could electicute yourself and/or start a fire. It might even seem like its working - then have something bad happen.

See if a local homecenter has a "wiring an outlet" seminar or something like that to learn a littla and/or find an "expert". All you are really doing is wiring an outlet.

Failing that - get a licensed electrician.

[David Gunn]

I know the basics of electricity. I know how to run wires and such. I just didn't know how to connect the switch to the receptacle. I will use John's advice plus anybody else that would like to help.

[Ron Wessels]

John's instructions are correct. However, I'll add a few points.

When attaching a wire to a screw terminal, loop the wire so that the wire goes clockwise around the screw. That will mean that the wire is drawn in, rather than pushed out, when the screw is tightened.

You're going to have 4 ground (green or bare) wires going into a wire nut. Make sure each one of them is secure in there. After twisting on the wire nut, give each of the 4 wires a good tug. If any one comes out, start over. They all need to be solidly connected.

Depending on the wires you use, you might need a bigger sized wire nut to handle all 4 wires.

Buy a recepticle tester. It should have 3 lights on it: two green and one red. Use it to test each of the outlets with the switch in both positions. Both outlets should behave the same way: with the switch off, there should be no lights. With the switch on, there should be two green lights. Do not plug in anything other than the tester before you have tested the outlets.

[Rod Sheridan]

One item not mentioned, is to make sure that you purchase a motor rated switch (it will have an HP rating stamped on it).

The last thing you want is a cheap switch with a welded contact when you are trying to turn the router off in an emergency.

[jonathan snyder]

David,

I had planned to do the same when I built my router table. I had the recepticle, switch, boxes all set to go, and them I wandered into Sears. For $20.00 I got a nice router table switch with a paddle switch on the front and two outlets on the back. I inlet the unit into the cabinet door, about knee height, so I can turn it off with my knee in a hurry if need be.

Jonathan

[John Lucas]

It isnt the cheapest way but I ike the security of the yellow handle emergency shutoff.

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=3812

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[David Weaver]

David,

I had planned to do the same when I built my router table. I had the recepticle, switch, boxes all set to go, and them I wandered into Sears. For $20.00 I got a nice router table switch with a paddle switch on the front and two outlets on the back. I inlet the unit into the cabinet door, about knee height, so I can turn it off with my knee in a hurry if need be.

Jonathan

I agree. I was planning on doing without for a little bit until I could put something together and stumbled across one at rockler for about 12 or 15 bucks. I didn't have any supplies yet to do it, but it wouldn't have been any cheaper than that, and installation on the front of my table was all of two screws into one of the wooden legs. For the price of a lot of the simple stuff that gets sourced to Taiwan, you can't even get the parts as cheap to make it yourself.