WT Bandsaw - Retirement Light added (pics)

[Tapper]

Thinking about mounting a two receptacle metal electrical box on my Walker Turner bandsaw (found what looks like a perfect spot for the installation). Wanted to have just one line to the 120v wall outlet for the saw and the small task light (Retirement light). Will be operating off of a 20a circuit. The saw motor is 1 1/2 HP (haven't looked at the badge on the motor yet). Do you EE's think that one line and circuit will handle both the saw and light?

Thanks,

Doug

[Tapper]

Thinking about mounting a two receptacle metal electrical box on my Walker Turner bandsaw (found what looks like a perfect spot for the installation). Wanted to have just one line to the 120v wall outlet for the saw and the small task light (Retirement light). Will be operating off of a 20a circuit. The saw motor is 1 1/2 HP (haven't looked at the badge on the motor yet). Do you EE's think that one line and circuit will handle both the saw and light?

Thanks,

Doug

Reposted in WW Tools section - tried to delete with no luck.

Doug



Doug, I brought the thread in here, and merged both, so you wouldn't lose any info....

[srv52761]

Thinking about mounting a two receptacle metal electrical box on my Walker Turner bandsaw (found what looks like a perfect spot for the installation). Wanted to have just one line to the 120v wall outlet for the saw and the small task light (Retirement light). Will be operating off of a 20a circuit. The saw motor is 1 1/2 HP (haven't looked at the badge on the motor yet). Do you EE's think that one line and circuit will handle both the saw and light?

Thanks,

Doug

An LED task light's draw is negligible.

[TDKPE]

A 60W bulb will add 0.5A to the load.  It's impossible to say how much load the motor will present, as it varies with the load you put on the blade (can go way higher than nameplate if you're pushing it hard), but I wouldn't think half an ampere will make or break anything.  If it makes a difference, you're pushing it too hard.  Or the wiring is too light and/or long.  And I don't think you'll be using anything stronger than 60W in a retirement lamp, either.

But an LED presents almost nothing, as previously stated, so there's always that option.

Oh, and an incandescent bulb can work as a canary in a coal mine - as you load the motor, it will dim, and you'll soon get a feel for how hard you're working the motor by how dim it gets. My dad's Gumby-head Delta with retirement light was wired that way, and its little 1/3 hp motor would dim it pretty good when starting, though it was too small to make it dim while cutting. If memory serves. I haven't run it in decades.

[Tapper]

A 60W bulb will add 0.5A to the load.  It's impossible to say how much load the motor will present, as it varies with the load you put on the blade (can go way higher than nameplate if you're pushing it hard), but I wouldn't think half an ampere will make or break anything.  If it makes a difference, you're pushing it too hard.  Or the wiring is too light and/or long.  And I don't think you'll be using anything stronger than 60W in a retirement lamp, either.

But an LED presents almost nothing, as previously stated, so there's always that option.

Oh, and an incandescent bulb can work as a canary in a coal mine - as you load the motor, it will dim, and you'll soon get a feel for how hard you're working the motor by how dim it gets.  My dad's Gumby-head Delta with retirement light was wired that way, and its little 1/3 hp motor would dim it pretty good when starting, though it was too small to make it dim while cutting.  If memory serves.  I haven't run it in decades.

Do they make LED bulbs for Delta Retirement Lights? Ones that don't extend out beyond the bell by 4" (probably exaggerating here!) I've already bought the Retirement Light so I'm going to use it.

Here is the badge on the motor FWIW. BTW, I will be using this saw for lighter duty tasks. I have a 2 HP Rikon 18" saw that runs on 220v that I'll use for resawing and heavier duty tasks.



Thanks,

Doug

[TDKPE]

14.6A full load on that nameplate at 115V.  You would have a hard time getting near 20A even when beating on it mercilessly.  So I would stick a small format 15W (0.13A) or 25W (0.21A) in there and not look back.  Those are the wattages shown for that lamp in my 1953 Delta Homecraft catalog, by the way.   

I actually bought a cheap Delta 10" BS (the modern-at-the-time replacement of the Gumby Head 10") just for the retirement light, and gave the saw to my FIL.  

[EvilTwin]

Do they make LED bulbs for Delta Retirement Lights? Ones that don't extend out beyond the bell by 4" (probably exaggerating here!) I've already bought the Retirement Light so I'm going to use it.


Thanks,

Doug

You could probably use any of the 40w equivalent led bulbs if you want that look of an original frosted bulb sticking out the bottom.  Or you could use one of the small little led floodlights if you dont care about seeing the bulb but just want the light bright on the work.

[Tapper]

14.6A full load on that nameplate at 115V.  You would have a hard time getting near 20A even when beating on it mercilessly.  So I would stick a small format 15W (0.13A) or 25W (0.21A) in there and not look back.  Those are the wattages shown for that lamp in my 1953 Delta Homecraft catalog, by the way.   

I actually bought a cheap Delta 10" BS (the modern-at-the-time replacement of the Gumby Head 10") just for the retirement light, and gave the saw to my FIL.  

Thanks to you all for your comments and suggestions! I picked up the electrical box, outlet and a couple of other items today at Home Depot to begin the project. Plan to install the retirement light and the electrical outlet with almost no alteration/intrusion to the integrity of this old classic. Another member suggested in a PM that I think about making it reversible with no noticeable modifications, an important consideration IMO.

Will post some pics here as I get going.

Doug

P.S. And Tom, couldn't agree with you more about the retirement light. They are quite pricey and rare! 

[TDKPE]

Plan to install the retirement light and the electrical outlet with almost no alteration/intrusion to the integrity of this old classic. Another member suggested in a PM that I think about making it reversible with no noticeable modifications, an important consideration IMO.

My late father mounted a switch and receptacle (for the light) and a neon "power on" indicator light to show when it's plugged in onto a piece of finished plywood (probably cheap paneling from a trade show*) in the top-left corner of the frame, facing front.  The ply is part of a 90 deg. corner that uses the bolts that hold the saw to the stand to hold it in place or a couple of the other holes in the top of the stand, so no drilling of anything.  The ply is behind and tight to both front legs and spans the whole front, with a 4x4 surface box and cover in the top-left corner, so it has a clean appearance.

The cord for the light was threaded down inside the frame somehow (I think), but don't remember now, and the saw is 350 miles away at the moment.  It plugged into the duplex receptacle on the stand, with the on/off switch and light next to it.

Quite neat, really, but he was a neatnick and appreciated old machinery, even though it was less than 20 years old when he got it in the mid-60's.

*He used to get all sorts of stuff from the trade shows he had a booth in, like cabinets, fluorescent lights, paneling (good for making tangram puzzles), stuff like that.  We even made some working boomerangs from that stuff at one time.

[AgGEM]

Don't forget about magnets for mounting stuff.
I have my DC / Vac hose coiled up on a large bracket secured to the bandsaw lower door with a stout magnet from HD. Plenty strong enough to stay put with the hose coming and going.
Magnets can help you avoid drilling holes that you really don't want to.