Any benefit in running my bandsaw on 220 instead of 110?

[mreza Salav]

motor power will be the same, it just comes up (a tiny bit) faster to speed. You can use thinner wires then (as the amp will be almost half).
There will be a tiny (very small) amount of advantage over heat generated/wasted as the amount of reduced amp on wires means less power wasted.

[John Lankers]

My old d/c is a 1.5 hp General 120/240 Volt (prewired 120) and the dedicated 20 Amp breaker it was on tripped maybe 20% of the time when I turned the motor on, installed a new breaker - same thing. Then I figured I had nothing to lose and rewired it to 240 Volt (2 240 Volt outlets near by) - start up is effortless and much smoother now. Go figure.

[Mike Henderson]

My old d/c is a 1.5 hp General 120/240 Volt (prewired 120) and the dedicated 20 Amp breaker it was on tripped maybe 20% of the time when I turned the motor on, installed a new breaker - same thing. Then I figured I had nothing to lose and rewired it to 240 Volt (2 240 Volt outlets near by) - start up is effortless and much smoother now. Go figure.

Yep, when the circuit feeding the motor is insufficient, you won't get good performance. When you went to 240V you had an adequate circuit feeding it.

As many people have said many times, in this thread and in earlier ones, the motor will perform exactly the same on either voltage if it is fed by an adequate circuit.

Mike

[John Lankers]

Yep, when the circuit feeding the motor is insufficient, you won't get good performance. When you went to 240V you had an adequate circuit feeding it.

As many people have said many times, in this thread and in earlier ones, the motor will perform exactly the same on either voltage if it is fed by an adequate circuit.

Mike

12 ga. wire 20' from the panel shouldn't be a problem

[Wade Lippman]

To wire the light to turn on and off with the switch is very doable if you elect to go with 240. It will take a different switch setup and return for the 120.
Yes, you will probably need a new power cord. The one you have is more than likely undersized for the application.

If he keeps the light on 120v he will need a new power cord because it has to include a neutral; but it will certainly not be undersized.

[Mike Henderson]

12 ga. wire 20' from the panel shouldn't be a problem

The fact that you were tripping the 20 amp circuit breaker is a definite indication that something was wrong. A 1.5HP motor would draw somewhere in the range of 12-13 amps at 120V when the motor is fully loaded. On startup, it would draw significantly more for a very short time. Your's is drawing more than 20 amps long enough to trip the circuit breaker. Check the voltage at the motor when you startup the motor and see if it's going down an significant amount. If so, you have a wiring problem.

With an adequate circuit, a motor will perform exactly the same on 120V or 240V.

Mike

[Of course, it could be your motor. At 240V you will draw half the amps. And I'll bet that 240V circuit has a bigger breaker than 10 amps. Your motor may be drawing a lot of amps at startup but your 20 amp breaker (I'm guessing on the size) on the 240V circuit is big enough that it doesn't trip.]

[Bryan Cramer]

Batteries+Bulbs handles bulbs rated at 220 volts. You have to special order them and buy 6 at a time. PM me and I will send you a bulb for a few $ plus shipping. They are 40 watt bulbs.

[Mike Cutler]

If he keeps the light on 120v he will need a new power cord because it has to include a neutral; but it will certainly not be undersized.

Wade

Exactly! It will need to be a four wire setup.
The OEM wiring is probably 2/C 16 AWG. It conforms to UL, but would be inappropriate for a 240 cord. For Mike's theoretical application it should be 3/C, 14AWG, SO cord if he elects to go with 240vac.

[David Ragan]

Hey-thanks for all that!

Sometimes I feel like nobody reads my posts....

[Mike Cutler]

Hey-thanks for all that!

Sometimes I feel like nobody reads my posts....

No worries pal, I like reading your posts.

[Rod Sheridan]

I just texted my friends, who are commercial electricians, set power poles, are certified, own their own Company here, etc, and they both say go with the 220 cause first, less power consumption, the second is "potentially more torque, in the sense of not binding or dragging when cutting through knots or tough lumber..."

Hope that helps

Your electricians failed.

Motor losses are identical on 120 or 240 volts.

In fact if it's a dual voltage motor, it is 2 X 120 volt windings, so the motor windings always are running at 120 volts whether they're in parallel for 120 volt application or in series for 240 volt application.

Regards, Rod.

[Mike Dowell]

Alright, 110 it shall remain then! That definitely keeps it simple, and, if nothing else, I've definitely learned a little about AC current! Thanks!

[Curt Harms]

Alright, 110 it shall remain then! That definitely keeps it simple, and, if nothing else, I've definitely learned a little about AC current! Thanks!

Note Mike's qualifier:

With an adequate circuit, a motor will perform exactly the same on 120V or 240V.

IMO, that means a 1.5. h.p.+ motor plus maybe a lamp should be the only thing on a 120 volt circuit when it's running. If lights dim or there are other effects when a machine is started I'd question whether the circuit is adequate.

[Mike Gresham]

Andrew

They are just colloquial expressions. US residential electrical is ~ 120 vac, and ~ 240 vac. I've been putting power to the grid for thirty years now.

So ~ that back in the 50's electrical devices came labeled 110-120 or in some cases 115. The grid seems to be a little more robust these days.

[Wade Lippman]

Alright, 110 it shall remain then! That definitely keeps it simple, and, if nothing else, I've definitely learned a little about AC current! Thanks!

If you learned anything, it should be to stop saying 110; it is simply wrong. If you ever get 110v from your utility, you should complain immediately because it is way out of the allowable specs. It is much like referring to 120 grit sandpaper as 110 because that is what your father called it.