Odd Plug on Radial arm saw

Oct 11, 2006 7 Replies

The saw has a plug that has two flat terminals not parallal. Is this a



220?

The saw has a plug that has two flat terminals not parallal. Is this a

220?

Does it look like this? if so an UK 240v

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Might be. Might not be. You didn't provide enough information to tell.

There's a NEMA plug and receptacle configuration chart at

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should enable you to tell what you have.

The best way to tell is by looking at the plate on the motor. Though, the plug may or not be the correct plug for the type of power required and could have worked for a variety of reasons, including the fact that someone took an inappropriate plug and receptacle and jerry rigged the wiring to make it all work.

Be careful

My guess would be that its a "NEMA 6-20P" 20 amp plug. The terminals are at a right angle to each other to prevent plugging the saw into a 15 amp outlet.

But it could also be a "NEMA 5-20P" 20 amp plug, which has the opposite blades at right angles, and for the same reason.

Doug's right, the answer to what SHOULD be there is on the motor plate. But I would also point out that if it's a convertible (120/240V) motor, I would look in the junction box on the motor to see which it's wired for.

Does it have a center prong in addition to the flat prongs? Looking at it on-end, if it looks like this it is 220:

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If it looks like this but is the same size as a regular 120V plug, it is for a 20 amp 120 V circuit:

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Of course, if this is a used machine that you have no prior experience with, it would be best to check the motor for the proper voltage.

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