Help Needed!

[jonny boy]

Hello, I am needing some help please.

I have a tablesaw that is fitted with a three horse power single phase motor and after starting it, the overload protection is switching it off after 5-10 mins use. One thing I will say is the motor is rated at 12.4 amps but the overload tiny dial in the starter switch is set at about just under 12. Could this be the reason and may need adjusting hiher?

cheers,

jon.

[jraef]

If your motor is rated 12.4A and is PULLING 12.4A, yet your OL device is set for <12A, then yes, it will trip. But most table saws will NOT pull FLA for more than a few seconds while doing a full depth cut. The current should be a lot lower when running with no load or even a light load. Measure the current if you can, that is a better indicator of a problem.

 

But that said, 99.999% of problems like this are caused by the same thing: you are likely running the saw from an extension cord, and it is of too small of gauge. Generally, a cord of 25ft or more for a saw that big needs 12ga wire or larger. If you used one of the inexpensive orange extension cords you bought at the hardware store, it is 16ga and way too small for that motor. That causes a voltage drop, which causes the motor to pull more current and overload, even with little or no load.