Circular saw power cord splice

[rick carpenter]

I've been reading up on crimp vs crimp & solder vs solder for electrical terminals. Crimping is the way to go. But... that made me wonder about a solder job I did a while back.

I had cut through my circular saw power cord. I did a lot of looking online before proceeding. I made two offset Western Union splices, soldered each, electrical taped them individually, shrink wrapped both together, covered that in bonding rubber tape to include plenty enough of the original insulation, electrical taped over that, and shrink wrapped both tape ends. It's not as bulky as it sounds! It has worked well for under a year now but I'm very careful not to pull against the splice. Does this splice sound OK for the long run?

The pic also shows a home-made heat shield that I used doing this. I took a door shim and spray glued three alternating layers of cloth and tin foil.

 

[Givl Reggin]

Replace the cord -- all the manufactures sell replacement cords, even Lowes & Home Depot have generic replacements available.

 

[whyNick?]

Sounds like it'll be fine.

 

[VersionOne]

Seems like you spent more time fixing the original than you would if you were to replace it. Theres no need to get an OE replacement either, just make sure the gauge and amperage is identical to stock. I just bought a 'generic' Prime 16/3 6' power cord to replace the original on my Makita table saw--$12 shipped through eBay compared to $25 before shipping for the OE part.

 

[rick carpenter]

Turned out fairly easy to do. The hardest part was making sure the mechanical splices were the same length to not kink the cord, and that wasn't very hard.

 

[BFHtime]

I usually cut the cord and just replace it with the shortened piece, if the wire is cut all. I use most power tools with an extension cord any ways. If I had to keep the tool from dropping by pulling on the cord, I would not depend on a splice. Imagine being up on a ladder or a roof and the tool was sliding down, some one could be below. I only tape nicks in the outer insulation. Poor wiring can put more stress on the motor. This could happen if the solder cracks. I keep cords from old tools or appliances, for this purpose.

 

[quattroJoe]

It should be fine, but I'm in the "replace the whole cord" camp personally.

 

[gtermini]

That's a fancy fix-up job.

I just reach for a couple mismatched, dirty, used wire nuts when I cream the cord on the skilsaw. Come to think about it, it's starting to look more like a fishing stringer than a power cord.

Greyson

 

[G_P]

I just replace the whole cord unless the break is very close to the tool. I keep a big box of all sorts of cords and wires from broken and junk equipment as spares.

Old vacuum cleaners are excellent sources of very long power cords. Just make sure the wire inside is large enough for the tool. Some of these "13 amp" marked uprights have what appears to be 20ga conductors in the cord. They would burn up quick on a good circular saw.

 

[wild cowboy]

never go less than the original size, but larger conductors are always fine, and in some cases can even help the tool perform better - remember, the lower the gauge number, the larger the conductor!

 

[bacr619]

The western union splice is stronger then the original wire. However, if you work on construction sites were OSHA could pop in ( not to say they will) the fines are 100 times more then the new cord.

 

[kctyphoon]

Yea Home Depot sells replacement cords by either milwaukee or skill in the store.. Ereplacementparts.com works for me though.. So does solder and tape. Unless you plan on using it to tow your car home, I think you'll be fine..

 

[Cypherian]

Hey,

If this is your personal home saw it appears from your description you did a fine splice. With that said I am in the remove and replace camp. If the cut was near the saw or the plug I might shorten it a little and save a buck or three for new cord etc. If this is a work saw I can not speak to how it might be received if something goes wrong or an OSHA / safety inspector showed up.

Cypher