what advantages if any are there to wiring a table saw for 240 rather than 120?
my ridgid belt drive tablesaw has wiring diagrams for both with some minor changes inside the motor housing
other than the wiring in the motor and changing the plug is there anything else involved, other than providing a proper receptacle?
advantages/disadvantages?
saw is stationary and providing a suitable receptacle is no problem
caulking is not a piece of trim
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Replies
It'll crank up to speed a bit faster, and maybe tend to not stall as soon..not much gain.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I'll just do it>
240V draws less current, with less voltage drop on the wires, so you get (slightly) more power delivered. Also, running at 240 helps reduce the light-dimming that occurs when you start up.
Obviously, the 240V setup must be wired to a 240V circuit, with 240V plug/socket, and 240V circuit breaker.
This is a frequently posted question. Do a search and you will get many opinions. If you are not on a long 120 run 120 is normally acceptable. That said, usually things are not all that ideal. A 12awg dedicated circuit will spin the saw fine. Throw in a poor connection, 40 or 50 feet of wire, a sloppy receptacle, other things on the same circuit and things deteriorate quickly.
I run my Ridgid TS 3612 as it came in my garage with no problems. When I get it to it's final resting place in my shop I will convert it. On the Ridgid site they go through this discussion often. You are still using the same amount of juice, line loss just sort of goes away. Most say it will do as was said, run cooler, start quicker, not bog as easily.
Love my 3612.
Bob
thanks bob, just what i thought!!
my 3612 came out of a fire job i did a while ago, for 100 bucks, other than a new cord and switch, damage is cosmetic only
based on your opinions, i will convert to 240, and run a separate circuit for the saw, wind up to speed seems a little slow, but with the big blade stiffeners from leevalley, thats lot surprisingcaulking is not a piece of trim
Fire damaged saw? You may find that any electrical gear exposed to smoke from a fire has a shot life. Reason being that most houses contain a lot of plastics. When this stuff burns it produces smoke and fumes loaded with hydrogen sulfide gas. This combines with moisture in the air to form hydrochloric acid. This acid, with some other components and acids, attacks wiring and electrical gear.A few times I have been told to just inspect panels after a fire. They look and test OK. Several months later the breakers go bad, this can be a major safety issue if they fail closed, and the panels suffer from buss bar corrosion. Often so bad they need complete replacement. A friend I used to work with used to get a lot of fire recovery jobs. As part of this, and because the insurance companies often write off all the contents, he gets a lot of stuff cheap. He noticed most of it wouldn't last long. Mostly because of internal corrosion. We got to gether and I suggested rinsing the equipment out. He would hose the electrical and electronic gear out with a water hose gently but thoroughly. Idea being to dilute and wash away any contaminates or acids. He would gently blow the units dry with compressed air and then air dry them in an attic for a month or more.He said that once he learned to keep the water out of the bearings most of the stuff ran well. He has recovered a stack of microwaves, TVs, machine tools, etc. All of it works well and has, as far as he can tell, lasted for a reasonable amount of time. He contributes a lot of these units to his church for poor families just getting on their feet. They are often coming from living in a shelter or car and are glad to get a TV or microwave even if it isn't new.Of course no guarantees either way. Something to consider.
Good info 4lorn1! Thanks.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. Although I have a lifetime of framing experience, all of it is considered bottom of the barrel by Gabe. According to him I am not to be counted amongst the worst of the worst. If you want real framing information...don't listen to me..just ask Gabe!
thanks for the info, of course an electric motor would much more rugged than a piece of electronic gear
the saw sat outside for almost 2 months in all types of weather, so the motor should be well rinsed out. i did install a new cord and switch however, and the motor seems to run fine
cleaning the table top was the biggest job!!caulking is not a piece of trim
Here is the Ridgid shop talk site. Join the forum and you can get lots of questions answered by guys that have them. You can download manuals, parts lists, etc.
http://www.ridgidforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum&f=6&DaysPrune=1000&submit=Go
thanks for the info, i now have the operating manual, with lots of good adjustment info and reapir parts listed, dont need them yet!!, but may later of coursecaulking is not a piece of trim
Good score on the saw. Even if the motor were to shoot craps they are easy to replace. I bought a TS 2424, put it together and found out about the 3612. Took it back and got the 3612. HD did me right and made me happy. Out of $599 retail I ended up with $450 after considerations and discounts and errors. The learning curve helped on the second assembly.
I just switched my Delta over to 220.
Mine seems to run a bit stronger. Name plate says it boosts the HP from 1 1/2 to 2 but I've read elsewhere it's a numbers trick. But there are bonuses:
Runs cooler as it draws less amps
You can run a longer extension cord over 50ft of 12ga gives ample at 220 not at 110
Dedicated 220 outlet in my case opens another 110 for other tools.
Faster starting and Smoother running ( these 2 are debatable but it seems so)
I was rippinjg some full sheets of 3/4" plywood the other day and at 110 if I slightly twisted the board (hard not to) it would burn and I could hear the saw labor. At 220 it cut right through. Of course I could just be getting better at handling large sheets<G>
BTW I spent $12 and got the 220v male and female plugs. I snipped the 110v off at the end and installed the male there. I then used 50' of 12ga extension and put a dryer plug on one end and the female 220 on the other. This'll make the switch back to 110 easier if I ever have to and lets me store a long cord elsewhere.
HTH
Cor.
Steve
I have to agree that wiring your saw to 240v will save you money on your electric bill and you shouldn't get any light dimming like you would if it was wired to 120v. BUT if you are every going to need to take the saw to a jobsite, then you will want to wire it for 120V. It is usually very difficult to find 240V at the jobsite and you won't want to rewire the saw for every situation.
But if you only us it in your shop, then this is not an issue at all and I would recommend the 240v method.
giz
> It is usually very difficult to find 240V at the jobsite and you won't want to rewire the saw for every situation.
IIRC, on mine the changeover consists of two pair of terminals. You put them in parallel for 120 and series for 240. This could be done using a double pole double throw switch. Of course, you'd want to provide some sort of lockout to keep it from accidentally getting flipped to the wrong position. That plus a pair of plug adapters, and you're good to go.
-- J.S.
No technical advice here but I have a Delta contractors saw that is 1 1/2 hp. It is on about a 50' run of wire and when it was running 120 it was basically a dissapointing saw. I switched it to 240 and it is a substantionaly better saw.
OK- Y'all done convinced me to rewire my Delta contr. Found the diagram on the nameplate, already have dedicated 240 outlet. Do I need a new switch, also? I currently have the basic toggle that came with the saw, and am assuming that needs an upgrade.
Stash
Check the switch. For 240V both sides of the line should be switched. If the switch is already doing that, or if it's got an extra set of contacts you can use, you don't need a new switch.
You need a double pole switch for a disconnect.But internally you only need a single pole switch.
A single pole switch in a 240V appliance sounds like a really bad idea to me. Way too easy for some trusting soul to flip the switch off, open up the enclosure and give himself a shocking surprise.
Edited 1/7/2005 5:14 pm ET by Uncle Dunc
okay its done!!
ran a new dedicated circuit with a double pole 20 amp breaker, 12 ga solid copper to the outlet box and the correct receptacle and plug
the power switch is the next issue, due to fire damage, the origanal was scrapped and replaced with a normal wall type switch which of course only works on one leg, so i ordered the correc t replacement switch from ridgid
meanwhile i'll just unplug it when not in use
it does come up to speed remarkably quicker and after heavy work, the motor is definitly cooler
caulking is not a piece of trim
No new switch is required when rewiring the motor for 220V.
Motors start much faster, run cooler at load, and produce more power when fed with 220V.
Mine stays in my shop mostly, but my electrical sub is happy to run me a pigtail to a box with the kind of receptacle I need, if I am setting up on site. I have always used a special plug and receptacle, so as not to confuse myself or anyone else.
Thanks for the info. Here's an update and question. Pulled the switch, it is indeed a 2pole switch, ready for the upgrade. I opened up the cover to look @ the wires and......WTF? It was already wired per the diagram for 240, but the supply plug is the standard 120 3prong i have on most of the rest of my shop.(It was purchased as being set up for 120) Could this be why the power has been disappointing ? Ive been running it this way for~ 20 years---what a maroon! Its never run hot or cut off' and Ive learned to live with what I had. I'm psyched now- new cord and a twist-lock and Im gonna be in hog heaven. Question- has any damage been done? Be kind to me- Im just a simple landscaper.
Stash
Be sure to double-check that diagram before you plug it in to 240V.Running on double voltage would almost certainly cause damage.Running on half voltage certainly could have caused overheating and damage when under load. In fact, one wonders why this didn't happen, except that you were maybe really easy on the feed.