Power to Table Saw

[Chris Leacock]

Good morning, everybody!

I’m getting ready to supply power to my table saw, which is temporarily located in my garage, and I need a little advice. To start with, here’s the info from the motor plate:

Make: Baldor
Frame: 145TC
HP: 3
Phase: 1
Volts: 230
Amps: 15
RPM: 3450
HZ: 60

And here are my initial thoughts:

I’ve got a dryer outlet that’s not being used right on the other side of the wall where I was going to put the outlet for the TS. It uses 10/3 wire and runs directly to the main electrical panel where it has a 30Amp breaker.

My plan is to replace the current receptacle with an L6-30 locking receptacle and move it to the garage side. Then for the power cord (which I have to make), I’m going to buy 10/3 that has rubber on the outside and an L6-30 locking plug to match the receptacle.

Does that sound about right? Anything I need to be aware of?

Thanks in advance for all the help!

[Joe Mioux]

Sounds right to me.

Are you going to remove the dryer receptacle and patch the hole or leave the dryer receptacle unattached to the wire inside the wall?

[Chris Leacock]

I'm going to leave it unattached in the wall. That way, after I build my shed/workshop out back, I can put things back the way they were.

[Tom Esh]

If it's 10/3+gnd (common for dryers), just be sure to secure the unused 110 neutral. It'll be the one with zero V to gnd and 110 to either of the other two legs.

[Tom Veatch]

...Then for the power cord (which I have to make), I’m going to buy 10/3 that has rubber on the outside ...

You will only need 2 conductors + ground for the power cord. Since the power cord will probably be relatively short, a length cut from a 12ga. heavy duty extension cord or the equivalent would work quite well if you add the proper plug. I seriously doubt that the "stock" power cord for the saw was any heavier than 12ga.

[Scott Haddix]

I think you'll also have some maximum length that the power cord should extend, but I cannot tell you what that length is, unfortunately. Any electricians in the group know the answer to that one?

[glenn bradley]

I'm running a 3HP jointer on a 12/3 extension cord that I built (borrowing the outlet from the BS for a bit). I thought the wire should be heavier but got so many responses stating that 12 gauge was adequate that I went for it. I have had no problems with this temporary setup.

[David G Baker]

If your cord run is short you can probably get by with #12 but I would use #10 if you are going to power a 3HP motor and the wire length is much longer than a cord supplied with the motor.

[Chris Leacock]

Thanks for all the great info! The wire in the wall had 2 conductors + ground so I didn't have to worry about securing a neutral. Also, since the cord has to be a bit long for the time being, I used the #10.

After that, I finally got to fire it up for the first time which leads me to hijacking my own thread. :p

There seems to be some sort of intermittent rattle while it runs. Actually, it's more like an audible vibration than a rattle. And it's pretty consistent; on for a second, off for a second, on for a second...etc.

I've made sure the miter slot was aligned with the blade, aligned both pulleys and made sure the belts were tight (although I have no idea how much tension should be there).

Does anyone have any ideas about what could be causing this sound? Or is that normal?

[Rob Russell]

If your cord run is short you can probably get by with #12 but I would use #10 if you are going to power a 3HP motor and the wire length is much longer than a cord supplied with the motor.

David,

FYI - if the conductors are protected by a 30-amp breaker. you must use at least #10 copper conductors - you aren't allowed to use #12.

Rob

[Tom Veatch]

David,

FYI - if the conductors are protected by a 30-amp breaker. you must use at least #10 copper conductors - you aren't allowed to use #12.

Rob

That is true for the circuit wiring, but not for devices plugged into the receptacle. Look at the (UL listed) power cords on your tools. Circuit breaker protection doesn't extend past the receptacle.

[Rob Russell]

That is true for the circuit wiring, but not for devices plugged into the receptacle. Look at the (UL listed) power cords on your tools. Circuit breaker protection doesn't extend past the receptacle.

Valid point - I was thinking if the circuit needed to be extended to relocate the receptacle. In this case, that's probably not needed.

Yeah - what's on the machine is a whole different story.

[Lee Koepke]

one thing I did for my TS is put a disconnect switch upstream of the plug. that way, when i need to change the blades, i throw the disconnect rather than plugging and unplugging everytime. to me, it makes 'doing the right thing' easier. I can also shut the power off when I leave the shop and no incidental activations of the saw can happen.

[Chris Leacock]

I've been thinking about adding a disconnect switch but I'd like to also have a light that lets me know whether the power is on or off.

The only problem is that I haven't found something that works with anything other than normal house current.

[Lee Koepke]

I've been thinking about adding a disconnect switch but I'd like to also have a light that lets me know whether the power is on or off.

The only problem is that I haven't found something that works with anything other than normal house current.
i am not an electrician, but .... you CAN wire 110V to a 220V circuit, electric ranges for example use both voltages. you could wire the light down stream of the disconnect....but for MY situation, looking up on the wall and seeing the handle DOWN means power is off ...

[Michael Liechty]

I did the same thing on my last place. Basically just extended the dryer outlet into the garage and replaced the outlet with a twist lock. Put a blank cover plate on the existing dryer outlet and made up a length of extension cord with the correct plug.

ML

[M Toupin]

I've been thinking about adding a disconnect switch but I'd like to also have a light that lets me know whether the power is on or off.

The only problem is that I haven't found something that works with anything other than normal house current.


120v - $13.00, 240v available too
https://www.c3controls.com/13mm-indicating-light.cfm

Mike