Wow, close call.

[Floyd Mah]

Hey, not a close call of the standard woodworking table saw variety. I noticed that the trunnion on my 40 years old Delta contractor saw badly needed adjustment. Having previously done the adjustment with the 2x4, hammer method, I ordered a PALS tool and was able to start work on the saw yesterday. I had to remove some add-ons to the saw and, in the process of clearing everything, I noticed that the wiring to the switch was worn such that the two wires in the cable were exposed. It had been scraping against the sheet metal of the frame, despite the wires having been immobilized with cable ties in the past. I don't know why the breakers hadn't been tripped or even my suffering an electrical shock. Anyway, the finding shook me up since it was so unexpected. I repaired the wires and placed shielding over the rub spot (armored cable sheathing).

(I then tackled the trunnion adjustment with the PALS. Ended up using a 2x2 and a hammer to finish the job anyway, but I liked the PALS method of using a stud and a pair of nuts to lock down the trunnion. Turned out that there wasn't enough adjustment moving the rear trunnion and I had to loosen the front trunnion bolts also.)

So, what an I trying to say? It's always good practice to check the wiring of the saw, even when you think that the wiring is intact. In my case, the saw was 40 years old, but I've worked on maintaining the saw over that time so I was familar with the interior of the saw. The finding of the worn wiring was totally unexpected, since I had taken care to immobilize the wiring inside already. The wear occurred where the wiring crossed from inside the case to the rear-mounted motor, against the metal frame. Everyone, please check your 40 year old (or newer) equipment to stay safe.

[Warren Lake]

You have to be Colombo with wiring. Two machines same model one 1967 one 1969, known to have had some bad wiring past. One of them fine, one of them not so fine.

P1880545A.jpg

[Cameron Wood]

Ugg. single strands going through a romex clamp is a no-no.

[roger wiegand]

Ugg. single strands going through a romex clamp is a no-no.

What is the correct clamp or bushing to use in this situation? I've sometimes used a conduit clamp to provide a smoother edge for wires passing over sharp sheet metal edges, but don't actually know what the correct fitting is.

[Roger Feeley]

I don’t think I’ve ever done this but I don’t know any better so I could have. I’m with Roger. What should I do? I suppose I could put shrink tubing around the strands..

[Maurice Mcmurry]

New wire may be required. A Romex connector is not necessarily wrong the fitting but the outer jacket of the wire should pass all the way through. Plastic bushings are available, they go on after the lock nut. Liquid tight compression fittings are a nice way to go.

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 9.44.19 AM.jpg

[Cameron Wood]

What is the correct clamp or bushing to use in this situation? I've sometimes used a conduit clamp to provide a smoother edge for wires passing over sharp sheet metal edges, but don't actually know what the correct fitting is.

The wires should have an outer jacket that is held in the clamp, as said above. In a pinch (pun) a piece of rubber tubing could be used. If this is a power cord, replace or cut off the bad end & reinstall.

[Warren Lake]

ive always assumed the box connector there is for BX cable. I did have one past friend who made sure if type S the full outside cover was there but also took a section of wire cut the outside off and then put that in over the original jacket so it had two layers.

Ive always used these for Type S or SOJ cable. They come from a few different manufacturers. They are nice quality.



P1910185A.jpg

[Brian Holcombe]

Personally, I use liquid tight conduit and it’s respective connectors. Seems the common choice for this purpose.

For cables I use a cable gland.

[Warren Lake]

standard thing I saw in most big shops was conduit to the area then type S or whatever the letter flexible to the machine. Sometimes I saw male female twist locks on that flexible line.

Lots of times the Type S flex stuff came down from the ceiling.

[Tom Bain]

ive always assumed the box connector there is for BX cable. I did have one past friend who made sure if type S the full outside cover was there but also took a section of wire cut the outside off and then put that in over the original jacket so it had two layers.

Ive always used these for Type S or SOJ cable. They come from a few different manufacturers. They are nice quality.



P1910185A.jpg

I’ve never seen those before, pretty cool. Where do you get them?

[Floyd Mah]

I put two measures in place to prevent a recurrence of damage to the wiring. I enclosed the repaired wire in a loose fitting sheath from an appropriate size armored cable. The immediate cause of the worn cable was the sharp metal edge at the lower part of the opening in the rear of the saw. Those of you familiar with the Delta contractor saw know that two sets of wires pass through that opening: the wall outlet power cable that goes to the switch box, and the wire carrying power to the motor (the damaged wire in my saw). Normally, both wires just go over the edge in the opening without any additional protection. I used a cable tie to stabilize the power cable. The lower, sharp edge of the frame I dealt with by wrapping a piece of plastic around it using a heat gun to shape it. (A slit piece of tubing would have also worked). Anyway, I've controlled the risk of future electrical mishaps to my satisfaction. If Delta had seen fit to use a couple of rubber grommets to control the wires in the first place, I probably would not have encountered this problem.

Anyway, my intention on bringing up this topic was to point out that machinery that we are accustomed to working reliably and safely may deteriorate over time and may need periodic inspection.

[Warren Lake]

bought a fair bit long ago and dont know which supplier but two brands there, one on the right I had used the most to almost all is T & B.

The left with the cable in it is Crouse - Hindes Canada.

[William Hodge]

I put two measures in place to prevent a recurrence of damage to the wiring. I enclosed the repaired wire in a loose fitting sheath from an appropriate size armored cable. The immediate cause of the worn cable was the sharp metal edge at the lower part of the opening in the rear of the saw. Those of you familiar with the Delta contractor saw know that two sets of wires pass through that opening: the wall outlet power cable that goes to the switch box, and the wire carrying power to the motor (the damaged wire in my saw). Normally, both wires just go over the edge in the opening without any additional protection. I used a cable tie to stabilize the power cable. The lower, sharp edge of the frame I dealt with by wrapping a piece of plastic around it using a heat gun to shape it. (A slit piece of tubing would have also worked). Anyway, I've controlled the risk of future electrical mishaps to my satisfaction. If Delta had seen fit to use a couple of rubber grommets to control the wires in the first place, I probably would not have encountered this problem.

Anyway, my intention on bringing up this topic was to point out that machinery that we are accustomed to working reliably and safely may deteriorate over time and may need periodic inspection.

Replacing damaged wires is better than repairing them. There can be damage you don't see, the wire could be old, and it's just bad luck to have patched up wires.