110v vs 240v

[Dan Friedrichs]

The main reason to send out electricity at extremely high voltages is that it saves cost in copper. You more or less said this: higher voltage, lower current...lower current, smaller wires to carry it.

Chris, you forgot to mention skin effect!

(it's not a good SMC electrical discussion if all the engineers don't severely over-complicate it, right? )

[Curt Harms]

is they have more on them. For example, table saw, lights, tv. vacuum cleaner running at the same time upstairs etc. 1.5 h.p. motors running at capacity need dedicated circuits, or nearly so. 240 volt circuits tend not to have extra stuff on them. No power strips, 16ga. or 18 ga. extension cords and all the other things we tend to do with 120 volt circuits.

[Tom Adger]

Last year I purchased a Ridgid jointer and table saw. I already had a dedicated 220v line to my shop for my compressor, so I converted both to 220. I knew it wouldn't make the tools more "powerful". I did it so when I turned on shopvacs, lights, etc, it wouldn't place too large a draw on the 110.

[Rod Sheridan]

Chris, you forgot to mention skin effect!

(it's not a good SMC electrical discussion if all the engineers don't severely over-complicate it, right? )

Excellent point Dan...........Regards, Rod.

[Chris Padilla]

Chris, you forgot to mention skin effect!

(it's not a good SMC electrical discussion if all the engineers don't severely over-complicate it, right? )

At 60 Hz??