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Thread: Table Saw use with Generator - Issues

  1. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyle Kaldor View Post
    John, do you agree that it is only the on/off switch that is bad? I just can't imagine that the entire mag switch is faulty if it works by pushing the blue bar.
    I don't know what's bad. My guess is that the on switch is bad. That said, Grizzly is not a on switch supplier...the switch is part of the magnetic switch. It would be like trying to buy a knob for a radio from Best Buy....they don't sell knobs....they sell radios.

  2. #32
    Join Date
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    Kyle

    I would try to bring the saw to the house and see if the performance changes.
    As for running a saw off a portable generator question; While it's not an ideal setup, it is done everyday across the country with generators nowhere near as nice as a Honda. Cement mixers, air dryer fans, table saws, water pumps, dewatering pumps, trash pumps, etc. I've seen them all run off generators. (You oughta hear a generator try to start a cement mixer if it already has the cement in it. Whoa!!!!! You'll only make that mistake once.)
    The only caveat I will add is that you should be monitoring your voltage with a meter. Make sure the motor isn't drawing down the generator output excessively. You should see a momentary droop to about 190 vac and then come back to a nominal 220-240. If the voltage stays low, with the saw running , you have too stop and find out why. The lower the voltage, the higher the current for a given load in general.

    It's not outside the realm of possibility that the mag switch is trashed. The blue bar you're pushing in may be the external relay contact indication. Most contactors of that type have a similar bar. It's not supposed to be used to energize a circuit, it's an external indication that a relay is picked up. In an industrial application the relay contactor has a seperate thermal control device. This device performs a couple of functions. It monitors for excess current over time, which is adjustable,and it monitor for excess inrush current and will fault the contactor to protect the load and the contractor. In a small inexpensive application, like your switch, this feature is integrated into the contactor assembly and is not adjustable.
    You do not need a mag switch to power a table saw. It is a very nice safety feature, but any 2 pole, 240 switch, rated for the proper current, will work. One of these switches will cost $20-$30 for a quality switch.
    I work on motor contactor devices, and motor control/ protective circuits virtually everyday. It's what I do.
    Last edited by Mike Cutler; 02-23-2013 at 7:32 AM.
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  3. #33
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kyle Kaldor View Post
    The garage that I'm running my saw in is at least 200 feet from the nearest good power source (house). The gentleman that originally built the garage had no intention of running anything with significant power consumption. So, he buried a 12 gauge wire in the ground from another garage. So, under current conditions, if I have my lights on, a portable compressor will blow the breaker in the garage. Let's just say that this wiring situation is not ideal. I do have plans to add additional power to this building, but in the winter, it probably is not possible with the power company.

    I think I'll look into running a LONG cord to the house.
    That would be a VERY LONG EXTENSION CORD! I'm not sure 200' is very doable with an extension cord. I'd check an online calculator at minimum, and a electrician would be even better, to see what guage wire you would need to use to keep the voltage drop within tolerance. It is possible that the wire could be re-purposed to the shop when you do the electrical work there, but would probably be way overkill. (I kinda like overkill personally. In fact, I took the 14 guage pigtail off my 691 and ran 10 guage directly from the outlet to the mag starter. Have contemplated subbing some 10 guage for the mag switch to motor pigtail, but haven't ventured that far....yet)
    Is there a garage attached to the house that you could take over temporarily for the cutting of the wood? Then assemble in the shop? I totally understand not wanting to do the electrical work during the winter. Heck, I'm in Texas and don't want to do a whole lot most winter days in the shop! What ever you decide to do, I think it would be cheaper than having to replace the TS motor. I do like the safety feature of the mag switch for tools. If I lost power, I wouldn't want it coming back on and turn the tool on by itself. Jim.
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  4. #34
    For what it's worth, I routinely....well once a year, anyhow, run my shop off a generator, because the power seems to go out around here for a week at a time about once a year. I can't run any of my big tools because the tool AND the dust collector is just too much, but I run everything else, including my Sawstop...er...former Sawstop.

    Grizzly is right to just want to send out the entire mag switch because it can be the coil in there too, not necessarily the start button. It can be the overload protection, not the switch at all. You can probe around in there and figure out what it is, but I always feel uncomfortable giving those instructions because it's the kind of thing that is so simple that if you know anything about wiring, it's trivial to do it, and if you know nothing about wiring, you shouldn't be doing it. My guess is the switch is bad, because switches break, but other things break too. You could be swapping one component at a time for a week until you figure it out.

    After you do figure it out, it always good to ask, "Why did it break?". It's not designed to break. Is it really just a bad switch or are you doing something to break it? These things really do not like to see their power sag....various things, including the motor, will tend to heat up and heat breaks everything.

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    Perham, MN
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    127
    UPDATE

    I checked all of the extension cords and all are properly wired to their respective plugs. The Honda Generator is a 6500 Watt with Digital Automatic Voltage Regulator.

  6. #36
    You can analyze this to determine the reason, but I bet whatever went wrong was caused by the generator - and is not just coincidence. I don't trust a portable generator to regulate it's voltage on anything north of a computer printer. If you replace the switch, I would take the bet that you'll have the same problem repeat.

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kyle Kaldor View Post
    UPDATE

    I checked all of the extension cords and all are properly wired to their respective plugs. The Honda Generator is a 6500 Watt with Digital Automatic Voltage Regulator.
    Kyle, according to Honda's website a 3HP capacitor start / capacitor run motor typically requires a minimum of 6800 watts to start it. The start current is usually much greater than the run current due to the power required to get the motor up to speed. Tablesaw motors typically require even more due to the mass of the arbor and blade and the fact that it takes several seconds for them to spin up to speed. Additionally, if there is any significant distance between the generator and the motor, line losses will add resistance to the circuit - increasing the start up load on the generator.

    By all means spend a few bucks to swap out the switch, but at the end of the day I think that your problem most likely is the fact that you don't have enough generator to pull the start up load required by your tablesaw. The fried magnetic starter is more likely the symptom - not the root cause.
    Last edited by Scott T Smith; 02-25-2013 at 11:01 AM.

  8. #38
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    Jan 2009
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    Perham, MN
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    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    You can analyze this to determine the reason, but I bet whatever went wrong was caused by the generator - and is not just coincidence. I don't trust a portable generator to regulate it's voltage on anything north of a computer printer. If you replace the switch, I would take the bet that you'll have the same problem repeat.
    Prashun, I agree with you that my problem was caused by the generator somehow, and that it will happen again if I replace the switch.

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