Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't find it any more difficult than how high you should build the workbench, or what color you should paint it, or how flat it should be. All are personal adult decisions based upon your personal needs. It's not rocket science.
On a double insulated tool, what are you going to connect the ground wire to? The plastic case?
It depends.
But, for simplicity's sake, I've built mine by taking the longer dimesion of my shop (26' as it doubles as a garage (and no, my super charged S2000 does NOT live outside)) , halving it and adding 4'. Rounded up that's 18'. Everry cord can reach a socket.
My method.
Regards.
Tom
You bet, that is what I do, buy a 25 foot 12 gage cord and cut it up. For example, I rewired my table saw and needed only a 6 foot cord to make a
4 foot connection(used the end with the plug), then cut a 6 foot piece for an extension and used the remainder (about 13 feet) for another extension cord. The most expensive part was the two male and two female connectors. With the regular wire and a 6 foot and a 13 foot extension cord I can select what I need to get the minimum voltage drop.As far as how long you make cords, your should make them whatever is convenient for what you have now or expect to have in less than 1 year. If you need to slightly extend them later, put on a new cord, or make short extension cords.
If good practice is what you want then you will make sure no cord is smaller than 12/2 with ground. And to connect the cord cap use a twist lock . So many people go cheap cheap. And one of these day it will bite you. May cost an extra $50 to do 10 or 12 gauge wire and twist lock but these are not cords that are in an area of gentle use. How many times have you ....... never mind . How many time have you seen someone just yank on the cord to unplug it ? If you want to screw around with cheap go ahead but when someone gets hurt ....... lets just hope it is not life threatening. And if you use any of these tool on a construction site with smaller than 12 wire it is against osha regs. Yup screw osha you know better. Maybe a short list in order of importance should be. Safety Quality durability price And in that order. Sorry for the rant but it hurts to see someone get hurt using cords with duct tape or spliced with wire nuts .
Get a higher current extension. Simple as that. Sounds like the 100' (assumed it was foot not inch) was a 16 when a 12 was needed. Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH, NRA Life NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
Allen Parks wrote:
The hot socket wasn't the extension cord issue - it was the socket and plug issue.
I suspect the socket was a bit stretched and wishy washy. Those heat up. And the socket was a 15 amp socket (and plug) not a 20 amp socket and plug.
If the welder didn't function well - low arc... that would mean the copper loss or simple ohms law voltage drop in the wire = current in the wire * resistance of the wire. So simply have lower resistance (larger wire) and you get less voltage (drop).
Sometimes if you baby step up from 18 to 16 - when you need 12 - the drop is about the same as the machine starts to work more and takes more.
Martin
Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH, NRA Life NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
granpaw wrote:
RV's have pretty large cords. My travel trailer is only 30 amp, but I think the cord is either 10 or 8 gauge, Don't know what trailers and motor homes with 50 amp service use, but it has to be a minimum of 8 gauge, maybe 6 gauge. Course most are only 25 feet long.
According to J :
O.K. I was scratching my head over the "TS" above, thinking "A powered Tailstock on his lathe?" -- and then I noticed that this is cross-posted to the woodworking newsgroup. (I'm reading it in rec.crafts.metalworking.)
Particularly nice with a drop from the ceiling to power a given tool
Enjoy, DoN.
According to Mike Marlow :
That depends on the tool, of course. There was a mention of a table saw being wheeled outdoors somewhere back in the thread (though I think from some other than the OP), and some of those can be a significant current draw. Most things which can be a serious draw in my shop tend to be rather stationary (lathes, mills, etc). But if he is using a serious sized welder on wheels, the current draw may call for significantly larger wire.
From my own point of view, stationary tools want a cord just the right length to reach neatly to the wall outlet or the permanent wiring box. This might mean that it drops to the floor, runs flat, and then up to the outlet, or that it goes to a strain relief on the ceiling, across the ceiling, and down the wall to the outlet.
Portable tools may want a longer cord -- especially if the weight of the cord and a plug in line can make manipulating the tool more difficult. Such things as die grinders, Dremel tools (Foredom will have a flex shaft, so that does not apply), soldering irons and similar. For fine circuit work, it is nice to have the soldering iron's cord supported by a pivoted overarm.
However -- tools likely to cut their own cord are better with a short cord -- short enough so that the connector will be unable to get into the path of the blade. And for those, a twist lock (as suggested elsewhere by several) with a *good* strain relief for the cord are probably the best choice.
As someone else mentioned -- what will you do with the ground wire on double-insulated hand tools?
Something light enough to normally live in one place (say a bench drill press), but to be possible to move at need, might want a short cord with twist lock, joined to a longer cord to actually reach the wall outlet. That way, when you move it for a special job, you leave the existing power cord to the wall behind, and simply plug it into one of the prepared extension cords.
If you go with the twist-lock -- make at least one short one with the twist-lock male, and a standard duplex quad outlet box on the other end for newly-acquired tools which have not yet been modified, or for ones which have been borrowed or rented, and for which the actual owner would not appreciate getting it back with a twist-lock connector. :-)
Anyway -- next hamfest, I'll be looking out for more good twist-lock connectors. I'm slowly converting certain things to twist-lock, including the floor-standing drill press, which is now powered from a box screwed to the ceiling, with the other end plugged into a normal duplex on the wall for the moment.
Enjoy, DoN.
I like to use long cords that are a just a little too small a gauge for the tool. That way I can wrap them around the base a couple of times and provide a free space heater to keep my feet warm.
JP
For the sake of easy and neat storage, you might consider putting just a 6" cord on each tool. More often than not I have to pull out an extension cord anyway, so it's not much extra work. It is definitely nice not to have to deal with a bunch of loose cords on the tool shelf.
I have thought of this approach...how has the long term reliability of the rewind units been?
TMT
Yes,, but that's pretty much a given.
Why did the motor over heat? Does the loss of voltage across the line automatically cause a motor to overheat? I am sure it did, but it is not something that I would intuitively think.
May I say something else. Get a great power cord. Do not settle for cheap crap. I accidentally ended up with 250 feet of 14/3 rubber armored (not steel armored) cable. It was included in one of those military surplus lots "batch lot on a pallet". It is very thick and super well armored and very flexible. I was so stupid as to offer it on ebay, but, fortunately, no one bid. I am now very glad that no one took it from me. It makes superb power cable, extension cords, and such. It is indestructible. You can probably buy something like that for not too much if you look hard enough. I use it as power cord for my grinding station that is on wheels.
i
Makes sense, except I'd make it a bit longer so the connection isn't in the way. Probably the worst choice is 6' which is the length of many original cords.
A motor needs power to do the job. P=V*I. If the voltage sags the motor draws more current to make the same power. The higher the current the more the motor heats up.
In general, long enough to reach an outlet in the most likely places it will get used. Different tool family, different lengths, most likely. That -might- result in a re-think of the shop wiring: I've found overhead outlets handy in the extreme. I use the conduit type with the swinging ball joint at the ceiling box. Keep them above head level and out of the way of wood movement though or plan on tying them up out of the way. I put one purposely where it'd be inthe way and then bungee'd it up out of the way - no problem at all for the functionality I gained. I also added two 25' reeled cords; also very handy. Then I placed the Master switches in the shop just inside the door to the laundry room - so I can know ALL power is off out there without having to walk out. Painted all non-switched outlets reddish orange, and added something noisy or that puts out light to each one. Plus, a set of motion activated lights to walk-thru on th eway to the garage. I think I'm FINALLY read to start actually using my shop again now! Wonder what I missed? Oh yeah, surface mount all wiring in conduit; you won't be sorry down the road; made it real easy to rewire a couple of things.
JM2C
"Too_Many_Tools" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com... : In about a month, I will be replacing a significant number of power : cords on a variety of metal and wood working machines. : : So how long of a cord should a person replace them with? : : It's a harder question to answer than at first glance. It's like asking : "How high should I build my workbench?"..it depends. : : Of course one should replace the cord so the new one reaches the outlet : but how much extra cord should one allow? : : Over the years, machines have come with a variety of lengths in : relation to their power cords so just replacing it with what it had may : not be a good approach. When copper was expensive, the cords got : shorter to save costs. And over the years, cords are replaced because : of damage or old age. : : As a matter of good practice I will be installing wire adequate for the : currents needed, using grounded plugs, appropiate insulation types but : the simple question of "How Long?" is one I would like to have your : opinion on. : : Thanks in advance for suggestions. : : TMT :
Thanks Chuck
I just did not think that 50 volts (whatever) would do much of a job trying to push current through a cct designed for 110V.
I thought the rule of thumb for power cords was the "Damn!" rule.
You know the one.
"Damn . . . if this cord were only six inches longer . . . . " :)
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