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Thread: Extend power cord on PM 60HH jointer

  1. #1
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    Sep 2013
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    Extend power cord on PM 60HH jointer

    I have a PM 60HH jointer coming my way, and will need to plug it in further away than its cord length. The manual talked about extension cords and recommends gauges, but frankly I'd rather replace the whole cord with a longer one. The manual doesn't talk about that possibility. Has anyone done a cord swap on this jointer, that can tell me if it's an easy enough swap (like, removing a cover, unscrewing three wires, and replacing them with three other wires), or whether this would be a more involved project?

    Thanks

  2. #2
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    Could require crimping on a couple lugs, but can't imagine anything more complicated. If you want to go to code, you should have a mechanical disconnect where the flex cable terminates on the wall.

  3. #3
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    Thanks Richard. I do have an outlet at the wall, just wanting to avoid an extension cord.

  4. #4
    Same difference, really.

  5. #5
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    Same difference but, no double-plug to trip over. I have done both. If you keep your eyes open Costco, Pep Boys and others will have 12 gauge extension cords on sale for less than you can but the cord for. I pick them up whenever I see them for a stupid low price and I don't have a couple in the wings. Never been sorry that I had a spare cord around. Making your own extension or changing out the cord is very economical this way.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  6. #6
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    I've replaced cords on almost all my machines as they're too short or some didn't come with cords..........Rod.

  7. #7
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    Thanks folks! Looks like I can use an extension cord with one end cut off - good idea.

  8. #8
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    Another idea championed here (I don't recall by whom), is to make an extension cord with a twist-lock receptacle. You can start with a commercial extension cord, or make your own, but as mentioned above, you can often purchase the extension cord for less than the materials in it, even if you don't use the stock receptacle end. It is often the case that, by the time you get an extension cord with sufficiently gauged wire, the length is considerably longer than you need, so you should trim it to the length you do need, and while you're at it, change the receptacle.

    Then cut off your machine's power cord short enough that it does not reach the floor, and put a mating twist lock plug on it.

    This way, the tool's plug never gets damaged by stepping on it, or rolling a machine over it. And the twist-lock pair, once fully mated, is not going to come loose on its own.

    -- Andy Jones - Arlington TX

  9. #9
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    Carefully price the new cord end and receptacle to match. Try to choose a common 240 outlet for the shop that is not too expensive and is carried by the box stores.
    On big machines like this I like to cut the cord to the motor and install a twist lock so i can pull the motor in the future without dealing with wiring under there. For this I buy any matching twist lock I can find at Habitat or yard sales(remember when those were legal?). Often easy to do with the machine half apart anyway. I definitely do it if I have to pull the motor for bearings or pulley changes. I cut the cord close to the motor and leave it long from the switch gear. Add a new short cord from the motor on the bench. Makes bench testing easy if needed.
    Bill D.

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    What Andy describes is how I prefer to handle my machines...a short pigtail with a twist lock and then a cord that's the appropriate length to get from that pigtail to the outlet. Yes, it costs me a little more that way, but it's what I prefer.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  11. #11
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    My preference, as well, and my big tools have been set up like that for decades. It makes it much easier to move them.

    If you live in a state that allows people off the street to buy from dedicated electrical suppliers, their prices will be much less than the box stores.

    Buy some variety of type SO cord. It will most likely have other letters behind the S, and O, such as SOOW, but those don't matter much for a woodworking shop. Some of my SO extension cords are 35 years old, and still perfectly fine.

  12. #12
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    Why not just open the switch box, crimp on connectors to new power cord and replace new with the old? No need for pigtails, extension cords, etc. I always feel the less connections, the better.

    I have done this on Grizzly, Jet, Powermatic, Sawstop, big machines, small hand held power tools and never found it difficult. Cords on quality tools and machines is a maintenance item and they are designed to be replaced.

    As someone mentioned, supply houses and using 12 gauge extension cord from Costco nets a much cheaper cost than Home Depot/Lowe’s which make a hefty profit on what they sell their plugs for, however, the spade or

    Just something I learned from the tradesman in the family going back generations.

  13. #13
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    I also use pigtailed machines and extension cords. The convenience when moving is nice but for me safety is the biggest advantage. The ability to easily disconnect power right at the machine makes it a lot more likely that I do that when I should.
    Beranek's Law:

    It has been remarked that if one selects his own components, builds his own enclosure, and is convinced he has made a wise choice of design, then his own loudspeaker sounds better to him than does anyone else's loudspeaker. In this case, the frequency response of the loudspeaker seems to play only a minor part in forming a person's opinion.
    L.L. Beranek, Acoustics (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1954), p.208.

  14. #14
    I’d like to resurrect this thread. I’m aiming to get a new jointer and I need to put a longer cord on it. It’s the g0858 and the motor is 3hp 12 amp 230v. It seems this is a fairly common practice, but I called grizzly and they didn’t like the idea. I mentioned I’d like to put a 15 to 20 foot cord on and the tech winced a bit and said it could damage the motor due to amperage drop. I would use a 12 gauge extension cord with the right 220 plug with one end cut, this seems ok to me and other people I’ve asked, but I thought I’d ask the crowd here.

    Thanks

  15. #15
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    Jason, there are plenty of folks who have done what you propose, either with a cord replacement or with an extension. If it's constructed and sized properly, you should have no issues, especially if you are not an industrial user that will be working the machine hard and constantly. If you want to hedge, use 10 gauge cord material. Voltage drops are really not going to be a factor for what is a relatively short pathway. Remember, the circuit, itself, has some amount of length to it, too. If it were a hundred feet? Yea...not kewel. But 15-20 feet?
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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