Help Wiring Bandsaw

[Patrick123]

Hi I found an old Rockwell model 28-300 bandsaw. The switch is gone off of it and I need some help wiring it. The cable coming out of them motor has Red, Green, White and Black. The cord I have for it has Black, White and Green.

Do the 4 wires mean it is 220v? And can I wire it for 110 if it is?

 

[GreyOwl]

Is the motor 120 or 240?

 

[Bob-B]

Sounds like it might be a 3 phase machine. What does the motor tag say?

 

[Patrick123]

Need to clean off the motor enough to see what it says. Will have more info in a few minutes.

 

[Patrick123]

OK here is the basic info. General Electric - V115/220 ph1, 1/2 hp.

Also the wires were Red, Green, White and Black.

 

[03protege]

Was it just a simple on/off switch or could it have had a variable-speed something or other it was connected into?

 

[larry_g]

OK here is the basic info. General Electric - V115/220 ph1, 1/2 hp.

Also the wires were Red, Green, White and Black.

The wires on the cord that came out of the machine means nothing. What you will have to do is open the motor junction box and see what is in there. Should be a connection diagram there or on the name plate. Follow that and wire as it says for the voltage you want.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Patrick123]

OK will take it out and see what it says. Thanks

 

[Patrick123]

OK took the motor out and got some more pictures. It seems to be wired for 110v. So just need to make sure how to wire it into the eletrical switch and cord.

As you can see the wring seems to be...

Orang-black-Brown going to nothing or to each other.

Red-Yellow-White going to Black

Purple going to white

Green goes to case

and I need to hook up a normal light switch and cord that is Black, White and Green.

Thanks for the help by the way.

 

[Glacial_Speed]

From the picture it looks like it's wired for 120V (on the left diagram) and also has the black/red CW rotation swap. I only see the green/white/black going out of the motor box. If there is a red just use a wire nut or tape it off so it doesn't connect with something it shouldn't, it's not going to be used.

Normally in 120V house wiring the black wire is hot, and the white wire is neutral and green is ground.

So, you're going to need some stranded wire and a three prong plug to stick in the wall.......or maybe half an extension cord , (or an old computer cord or old vacuum cleaner cord or something with a 3 prong plug, 1/2 hp isn't really that big of a draw, most hairdryers draw over twice the power).

In the box with the new switch, just wire the green (coming out of the motor junction box) to green (from your extension cord).
Then wire the white (coming out of the motor junction box) to white (from your extension cord).
And finally wire the black (coming out of the motor junction box) to one of the screws on the switch and the other black (from your extension cord) to the other screw on the switch.

So, green to green, white to white, and the two black ends to the switch. And tape off the red you're not using.

You may have a green screw on the switch, which you can wire into the other greens and the box.

 

[Patrick123]

Thanks I wired it direct to test it and the motor worked fine. Also put it back on and wired tested it and the bandsaw turns fine. So well on my way to having a working bandsaw.

 

[Outlawmws]

Make sure the switch goes on the black wire and that the black wire is on the correct prong on the plug (Small prong).

 

[Patrick123]

The black wires should go on the terminal plugs as shown on this image correct? And I do not have to use a ground plug in this instance right?

 

[Outlawmws]

Yes to the terminal screws, and for the ground, it depends on where the switch is, but if it is a metal box/cover, or mounted in the saw frame somehow, yes, I'd ground it.

 

[Patrick123]

OK what is the proper way to ground it? As it is a metal box and mounted directly onto the metal base of the saw.

 

[Outlawmws]

OK, if you are metal/metal/metal, all the way to a good ground, (and no/minimal chance of rust/corrosion interfering with those grounds) you should be good to go. What you want to avoid is the switch frame floating in case the plastic housing breaks and a live wire contacts it.

 

[Outlawmws]

ps:


The key question is the path to the ground. if you grounded the motor and there are a lot of "iffy" ground paths, then use a 3 wire green/white/black cord from the switch to the motor, and use the ground as usual. Use a black marker marker on the white wire insulation so the next person in their knows those are potentially hot.

 

[Patrick123]

Well there is always chance of curosion on a machine like this. If I wanted to ground the switch more directly how would I do it?

 

[Outlawmws]

Well there is always chance of curosion on a machine like this. If I wanted to ground the switch more directly how would I do it?

ps:


The key question is the path to the ground. if you grounded the motor and there are a lot of "iffy" ground paths, then use a 3 wire green/white/black cord from the switch to the motor, and use the ground as usual. Use a black marker marker on the white wire insulation so the next person in their knows those are potentially hot.

Post 17

 

[Patrick123]

I guese I am not sure what you mean as by the " use the ground as usual". Do I ground the ground the switch to the metal case and the green ground wire? Or do I just ground the green ground wire to the metal case as it goes through like this?

 

[Outlawmws]

OK, Now I understand the question. You can ground like the pic shows, or you can use the lug on the switch which is securely grounded to the box, and if metal, the cover. Seems easier to do the lug on the switch if it is there. Older switches rarely had them. With the advent of plastic boxes commonly being used, they had to add them.

 

[Outlawmws]

Also, are you running the switch box in series on the cord like the pic? or wiring the switch "remote" with the cord going directly to the motor? if the former, ignore my comment on using a marker on the white wire. That is for the "remote" setup, and you would only have one line coming to the switch box.

 

[Patrick123]

Yes I was planning on wiring it in series just like the picture directly from the cord to the switch to the motor.

 

[Patrick123]

Well got the saw all painted today and order the bearings for the upper and lower guides. I should probably start a thread on redoing it at some point.