Will wiring this paddle switch work?

bcemail said:

Sounds good, I'll make sure it's a heavy duty cord. Couple of questions:



1. For the cord grip, is that different from the screw down ones I see used with electrical boxes? Wasn't sure if one is better than the other for this type of use.

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Yes, these cord grips are different from cable clamps.
Here is some more information about grips for flexible cord/cable/extension cord wire
Only connectors approved for the cord should be used. Using a connector that's normally used for NM cable will work, but isn't the right connector. You could spend only a few dollars on one like I linked, or more than $50 for one with a mesh grip... but the one I linked will work fine. If it were me, I'd probably use an expensive one, but I also build things overkill.

2. I usually plug my saw into an extension cord, since it's in the middle of my garage. I've never really thought about the extension cord, how many amps it can take, etc. If it was only rated for, say, 13A, would the cord just fail when I use my 15A saw? I'm never sure if these numbers are how much the tool uses always, or just the max it might use, or if the cord has some leeway, etc. Would it fry? Melt? Trying to figure all this out! Will a cord usually be labeled somewhere with its amp rating? Don't remember where or when I bought it.



Thanks again!

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There are tons of articles on selecting the correct extension cord. Here is an example of one. Google "selecting the right extension cord" for more results
Let's say you use a 14awg cord (the AWG will be marked on the jacket of the cord somewhere) that is 25 feet long for the table saw. Using this will produce a voltage drop, which in turn will cause the table saw to work slightly harder. Now use a 14awg 50' cord with this example, and it can be enough to have the thermal overload trip to protect the motor (trust me... we've done this a few times with the tablesaw).

Now using a 12awg cord will have less voltage drop for the same load. This will reduce the likelihood of the thermal overload tripping (I say reduce because if you have 300' of cord, it becomes an issue... I've also done this).

Honestly, we don't keep anything less than 12awg in our trucks. We have 14awg cords, but we use them for small loads like hand drills, belt sander, LED lighting, battery chargers, etc.

For a woodworking shop, I'd use 12awg for all large power tools such as the table saw, radial arm saw, planner, etc.

Because you mentioned you already use an extension cord with the table saw, it might be worth it to buy the length you need for your tablesaw to make the switch out of. Then you'll have cord with it all the time. The downside is if you move it and need less cord.

Sent from my new phone. Autocorrect may have changed stuff.