Work light

[DavidR8]

I made the same mistake wiring the mill and lathe by not pulling in a neutral
Do not use the ground as a neutral the ground is bare copper and will be conducting current
Can you change to a 3 wire feed easily?
I did not too hard to change I use separate 110 feed for my pump and feed motors

I have a full spool of 12/3 that I can use so I think I'll make that a priority job.

 

[DavidR8]

As a complete aside, in less than 40 minutes I received seven helpful responses. What a great place this is!

 

[pontiac428]

I'd just break out the wires to the lamp and put a 110v plug on it with a lamp switch (if needed), then plug it into the wall. No other reason to keep it tied into the machine's electrical box, it is just auxiliary equipment.

 

[matthewsx]

You'll need 12/4 unless you have 12/3 with a separate ground. There's also a L14/30 plug that will go up to 30 amps, if your welder draws more that that you will need a larger plug and wires sized accordingly.

Doing home wiring isn't hard but some research as to what your local codes require. In most places it's legal for non-commercial property owners to do their own work although permits may be required. For short runs in your shop you can probably get away with not pulling permits but working to code is definitely best.

If in doubt get a licensed electrician and make sure they're getting the right permits and inspection. If work is done wrong and there's a fire your insurance might not pay....

BTW, I'm watching an ABYC electrical webinar right now


Cheers,

John

 

[DavidR8]

Thanks John, for whatever reason the wire I have is labelled according to the number of conductors. So 12/3 is three conductor plus ground.

I do have a code book and work to it at all times.

 

[Nigel123]

Thanks John, for whatever reason the wire I have is labelled according to the number of conductors. So 12/3 is three conductor plus ground.

I do have a code book and work to it at all times.

If you rewire with 12/3 wire give some thought to a emergency stop on the mill
a mushroom maintained stop sw
If things go a little south when machining you can quickly stop the mill
and any powered cross feeds instantly
No good just to stop the milling head and still feed sideways
Just a thought easier done when first wiring

 

[DavidR8]

If you rewire with 12/3 wire give some thought to a emergency stop on the mill
a mushroom maintained stop sw
If things go a little south when machining you can quickly stop the mill
and any powered cross feeds instantly
No good just to stop the milling head and still feed sideways
Just a thought easier done when first wiring

Good idea. I want to eventually replace the 1ph motor with a 3ph but will implement an E-stop button in the mean time.

 

[Aaron_W]

I may be more worthwhile just to run a 120v outlet or power strip over to the the mill. If you ever add a power feed, or DRO to the mill they are also usually 120v.

 

[DavidR8]

I may be more worthwhile just to run a 120v outlet or power strip over to the the mill. If you ever add a power feed, or DRO to the mill they are also usually 120v.

Indeed as my lathe is nearby and I have a DRO on the mill already...

 

[C-Bag]

To each his own, but a older style work light is more of a hinderance than an asset to me. Early on I tried a reg work light and the thing was always in the way and never seemed to have enough actual light, not to mention burning me. In my search I came on where different RF30 guys had mounted an automotive LED "angle eye" on the quill effectively giving light all the way around exactly where I needed to see. Then not to long after that in a thread somebody mentioned these little magnetic LED sewing machine lights and I've got them mounted on my vert bandsaw, drill press and the 3n1. They are only $9 and put out a ton of light and a really small head. Just love LED's.