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Powermatic Power Cord

Fadi Zeidan

Fadi Zeidan

Joined
Jul 5, 2016
Messages
469
Likes
244
Location
San Antonio, TX
Hey guys,

Couple of questions. I had my general contractor come over and give me an estimate to run 220 into my garage before I commit to buying the Powermatic 3520c. He asked me about the type of plug the Powermatic uses. I could not find information on it online, and saw that power cord doesn’t come with the lathe? What type of cord would I need for it?

Second question, I thought I had to run a cable from the panel inside my garage. He said he can run it from the panel outside directly since it is adjacent to the wall I need the plug on. Is that fine?
 
Fadi,
When I got my large lathe, I ran my own 220 circuit with the motor requirements in mind. Then when the lathe arrived, I attached the plug that matched my circuit’s capacity (20 amp). I don’t recall if the wire came with the lathe or not, but I think it may have. The instructions were clear on how to connect the 3 wires to the inverter box.

I’m a little confused on your panel question — you have one panel inside the garage and a second on the exterior wall? That’s kinda odd. Is the contractor a licensed electrician or will one be hired to do the work? As long as that’s affirmative, go with the advice he/she offers as to ease and cost.
 
Fadi Zeidan said:
I have one on the outside/side of the garage, he wants to connect to and one inside the garage.
Click to expand...

It looks like either box has enough space to add the 220 breaker. Where are the breakers for the other circuit(s) in the garage? I think it would make the most sense to place it in the same box as the other garage outlets.
 
The one in the garage is 3 car spaces away from where it needs to be. The one outside is on the other side of the wall and he is going to pass the line through a hole. As long as either can be used, it is good.
 
If the picture on the left is the outside panel then it is the service entrance panel and the other one is a sub panel (AKA load center). I agree with the electrician that it makes more sense to have your new branch circuit for the lathe on the outside service entrance panel where the main disconnect breaker is much larger. If you were to install the branch circuit for your lathe in the sub panel, there is a small chance that that the feeder circuit breaker might trip if all the lighting, televisions, radios, vacuum cleaners, blow dryers, computers, etc, were all running while you were running the lathe and shop lights, shop vac, grinder, dust collector, etc. through the sub panel.

While you're at it, have the electrician install some 15 Amp 120 volt branch circuits for the things that you want close to the lathe. Two branch circuits with at least two receptacles on each should be sufficient. Possibly one more branch circuit if you are installing fixed lighting on the ceiling with a wall switch.

Strictly speaking your lathe should have a 240 volt 15 Amp circuit for your Powermatic lathe, but I see a Robust with 3HP motor in your future so you may as well have the electrician put in a 20 Amp circuit. I personally prefer the round twist lock connectors, but the straight blades are just as good.
 
Bill Boehme said:
If the picture on the left is the outside panel then it is the service entrance panel and the other one is a sub panel (AKA load center). I agree with the electrician that it makes more sense to have your new branch circuit for the lathe on the outside service entrance panel where the main disconnect breaker is much larger. If you were to install the branch circuit for your lathe in the sub panel, there is a small chance that that the feeder circuit breaker might trip if all the lighting, televisions, radios, vacuum cleaners, blow dryers, computers, etc, were all running while you were running the lathe and shop lights, shop vac, grinder, dust collector, etc. through the sub panel.

While you're at it, have the electrician install some 15 Amp 120 volt branch circuits for the things that you want close to the lathe. Two branch circuits with at least two receptacles on each should be sufficient. Possibly one more branch circuit if you are installing fixed lighting on the ceiling with a wall switch.

Strictly speaking your lathe should have a 240 volt 15 Amp circuit for your Powermatic lathe, but I see a Robust with 3HP motor in your future so you may as well have the electrician put in a 20 Amp circuit. I personally prefer the round twist lock connectors, but the straight blades are just as good.
Click to expand...

I’m going to install 20 Amp circuit, my contractor said it will be around $200-250 since it is on the other side of the wall. I will see if we can add the additional circuits.

I would love to go to Robust AB, may do that later. Hopefully by then we would have downgraded and built a dedicated shop.
 
As relates to the cord on lathe my 3520B came with cord already attached. I only had to purchase a twist lock like Bill suggested in a 20 amp. A fellow turner is an electrician so all it cost me was wire and plugs. I dropped mine from the ceiling and still have a coil in the attic in case of layout changes.
 
Gerald Lawrence said:
As relates to the cord on lathe my 3520B came with cord already attached. I only had to purchase a twist lock like Bill suggested in a 20 amp. A fellow turner is an electrician so all it cost me was wire and plugs. I dropped mine from the ceiling and still have a coil in the attic in case of layout changes.
Click to expand...

Craft supplies used to say on their site that the 3520B did not come with a power cord. I just called them since they removed that note from the 3520C. They said they believe Powermatic now includes one, but they cannot guarantee it. The manual says not included, so I was wondering about it. Either way, it should be fine.
 
James Seyfried said:
Just curious, I thought you need a main disconnect for anything over six circuits, even for a sub panel. The sub panel doesn't appear to have one, is that different in Texas?
Click to expand...

I know that Texas is where all the weirdos seem to be, but we're actually somewhat well behaved when it comes to the NEC. The main circuit breakers for sub-panels would be in the service entrance panel. The reason is that the purpose of circuit breakers is to protect the building wiring and not to serve as a convenient on-off switch. If the breaker was in the sub-panel then it wouldn't be able to protect the wiring from the service entrance panel to the sub-panel. I am assuming that the service entrance panel has main breakers to shut off all power, but the picture doesn't show the whole panel.

As an example, I have a 100 Amp sub-panel in my shop, but the 100 Amp breaker is in the service entrance panel in the garage. The service entrance panel main breakers are 400 Amps.

Fadi Zeidan said:
Craft supplies used to say on their site that the 3520B did not come with a power cord. I just called them since they removed that note from the 3520C. They said they believe Powermatic now includes one, but they cannot guarantee it. The manual says not included, so I was wondering about it. Either way, it should be fine.
Click to expand...

I could be mistaken, but I believe that it didn't come with a plug, but did have a power cord. The reason is that they don't know what type of receptacle you have, but they are fairly certain that you will need a power cord ... no wi-fi lathes, yet.
 
Some area's require the mains to be located on the outside of a building. This allows
the fire department to de-energize the building when fighting a fire. It comes down to
the local "AHJ" (Authority Having Jurisdiction) in your area that has the final word in the
enforcement of the NEC electrical code. Most people would rather have the panel inside
the house, shop or garage so it is in a controlled environment and not exposed to the weather.
For those wanting the best of both worlds you can install a main disconnect on the outside of the
building and install a MLO main lugs only panel on the inside of the building.
 
We lived in a house that had the main breaker outside. Had to put a lock on it. Morons would trip the main breaker! Why doesn't the fire department pull the meter base to cut off power? They could clip the tag and pull it.
 
John,

You are trying to use common sense, that never applies to government agencies or the powers that be. Once they adopt a policy it is almost impossible to reverse the process as this would be an admission of a mistake and they usually have to wait until the person who created the policy is in the grave.
 
Guy near here built a "cob" house. Beautiful place. The codes people did their darndest to shut him down and prevent the construction. The guy had to sue the code folks several times.
 
Mike Johnson said:
John,

You are trying to use common sense, that never applies to government agencies or the powers that be. Once they adopt a policy it is almost impossible to reverse the process as this would be an admission of a mistake and they usually have to wait until the person who created the policy is in the grave.
Click to expand...

Verily, even though thou speaketh wisely there are two topics that are avoided in polite company, this forum included, lest we cease being of good demeanor.
 
Shutting off the power by pulling the meter can cause an extremely dangerous arc. Firefighters are trained not to do so unless it is totally necessary and to wear full protective gear if it is necessary.
 
Well, connecting it from the service entrance panel was straight forward. No Sheetrock or drilling through walls. My contractor brought an electrictian and now I have 220 plug/20amp, and already have 3 110 plugs near it. He will come back and help me setup the lathe and connect it. Total cost $250.
 
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