220 volt light bulbs

[Frank Sharpless]

I recently converted my Grizzly band saw to use 220v. Where can I find a light bulb that will work in the light fixture?

Many Thanks

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I recently converted my Grizzly band saw to use 220v. Where can I find a light bulb that will work in the light fixture?

Many Thanks

Frank, just wire it into one leg of the 220. That will get you the normal old 110. Probably it is wired that way right now, especially if the factory did it.

[Jamie Buxton]

Getting a real 110 volts from 220 requires that it be a four-wire 220. In a four-wire 220, there's two hots, a neutral, and a ground. In a three-wire 220, there's the two hots and the ground. Ground is purely a safety wire, connected to the chassis of the saw. There should not be current flowing in it. So if you have a three-wire connection, you can't get 110.

Four-wire connections are supplied for appliances like stoves where there may be 220 volt subsystems and 110 volt one. Woodworking machines generally only get three-wire connections.

McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) has some 220 volts bulbs. Dunno exactly what size and shape you need.

I looked at the same issue, and put a step-down transformer on my 220 volt bandsaw to make 110 volts to run the work light. The transformer is a cheap little thing sold to people who want to take their 110 volt appliances to countries where 220 volts is the norm. IIRC, it cost ten or fifteen bucks, and I got it from a travel-products web site.

[Rollie Meyers]

I recently converted my Grizzly band saw to use 220v. Where can I find a light bulb that will work in the light fixture?

Many Thanks

If this saw is in a shop attached to a residence, you cannot use a 240 lamp, you are limited to 120 volts. There may be wiggle room depending on the circumstances.


See 210.6(A) 2008 or 2005 NEC, Text copied from 2008 which is unchanged from 2005.


210.6 Branch-Circuit Voltage Limitations. The nominal
voltage of branch circuits shall not exceed the values permitted
by 210.6(A) through (E).
(A) Occupancy Limitation. In dwelling units and guest
rooms or guest suites of hotels, motels, and similar occupancies,
the voltage shall not exceed 120 volts, nominal,
between conductors that supply the terminals of the
following:
(1) Luminaires
(2) Cord-and-plug-connected loads 1440 volt-amperes,
nominal, or less or less than 1⁄4 hp



A small transformer with a 240 volt primary and a 120 volt secondary is a good choice, plus no special lamps are needed.or a 125/250V 4-wire receptacle & attachment plug also would give you a neutral for lighting, a cheap choice is a second cord for your light.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I'm pretty scheptical that Griz, or anybody else would make a factory wired light anything other then 120 volt, agree? And yes, it does work to do it like I said, and you don't need a transformer, as long as you have a neutral rather than just a ground, as Jamie pointed out.

[Tom Veatch]

I'm pretty scheptical that Griz, or anybody else would make a factory wired light anything other then 120 volt, agree? And yes, it does work to do it like I said, and you don't need a transformer, as long as you have a neutral rather than just a ground, as Jamie pointed out.

The work light on my Jet 17" Drill Press is wired in parallel with the motor such that whatever voltage the motor sees, the light also sees. Since the motor can be rewired for 240v, running it from a 240v circuit puts 240v across the light socket also.

Actually, I'd be surprised to see any other configuration on a dual voltage tool since making provisions for a simultaneous single voltage work light and a dual voltage motor would introduce complications and extra cost into the tool's wiring harness and require a 4-wire power cord and NEMA 14-X plug.

I have to confess after finding that the diameter of the 240v bulb I obtained from a local source was slightly too large to fit inside the work light cavity in the DP chassis, I wired my DP as you suggested even though I know better. But, it's an accident waiting to happen and my next order from McMaster will include a couple of 240v bulbs. Hopefully they will have a globe diameter no larger than the "standard" 120v bulbs.

EDIT: The 240v McMaster bulbs are 100watt, 2 5/8" dia. I need 60watt no larger than 2 3/8" dia., so they won't work for me either.

Yeah, I know. What's the point of running that small motor on 240v. It's a long story, but at the time I was vitally interested in minimizing the amperage to my shop and haven't changed it back to 120v simply due to inertia.

[Jeff Nicol]

Did you move the saw to a new location? If not use the 110 power source and mount a separate switch box for the lighting circuit. Might be easier than haveing to run all new wire to the 220V outlet.

Good luck,

Jeff

[Ed Kilburn]

Try this site, they have 60 watthttp://www.buylightfixtures.com/220-...ght-bulbs.aspx

[Rollie Meyers]

Try this site, they have 60 watthttp://www.buylightfixtures.com/220-...ght-bulbs.aspx

You are all referring to 110 & 220 volts where the standard voltage is 120 & 240 volts. If the lamps shown are actually "220 volt" they are going to have a very short life on a 240V supply.
Another thing to consider is, the screw shell will be live on North American 240 volt power, VS 220V 50 HZ where there is a line @ 220/230*/240V and a neutral.

*230/400V is the EU standard now.

[Todd Franks]

I looked for a standard screw shell 240V bulb for a full dust bin indicator on my cyclone awhile back and came up with very little like you also discovered. You might look at some LED type bulbs. I came across some that are universal voltage 120-240V, but from what I remember they were brutally expensive.

Another thing to consider is, the screw shell will be live on North American 240 volt power.

I'm diverging way OT here but I've wondered why all table lamps are not required to have polarized plugs for the same reason. You have a 50/50 chance of having a live screw shell on a 120V table lamp with a non-polarized plug. Maybe it is required nowadays and I just have old table lamps.

[Rick Christopherson]

If this saw is in a shop attached to a residence, you cannot use a 240 lamp, you are limited to 120 volts. There may be wiggle room depending on the circumstances.

Rollie, this section of the NEC is not applicable to the tool. This is referring to the lights installed in the structure, not to lights as part of a device.

[Leo Graywacz]

Use to light bulbs and wire them in series. You could set up a proprietary duplex outlet so that one of the gold screws is connected to one of the silver screws on the other receptacle. You would need to plug two lights in to make it work. If you are not familiar with electrical wire don't try it.

[Rod Sheridan]

I can't remember who made the drill press, however I converted one for my friend from 120 to 240 volts.

I purchased a 240/120 step down transformer with primary fuse for the lamp.

It would have been so much simpler to simply power the lamp from another supply cord plugged into a 120V receptacle.....Rod.

[Rick Christopherson]

Use to light bulbs and wire them in series. You could set up a proprietary duplex outlet so that one of the gold screws is connected to one of the silver screws on the other receptacle. You would need to plug two lights in to make it work. If you are not familiar with electrical wire don't try it.

I was going to make the same suggestion. However, the two silver screws (neutral/shell) are the ones to be connected together, and the brass screws are connected to the supply wires.

It is a series connection where the voltage across both fixtures is divided, and each fixture sees only 1/2 of the total. However, note that both light bulbs need to be the same size.

[Chip Lindley]

Its ALL semantics Rollie!! All I ever grew up hearing was *hun-dirt-n-ten* AND *two-twenty* !! Whatever the actual voltage that my local utility provides, 110 and 220 circuits are the colloquial "norm". What about 115v and 230v?? You forgot these!