Safety/Performance issue..

[DonEve]

Guys,

I'm in the process of setting up my pen turning station in the garage this weekend. :eusa_danc(Finally, cleaning the garage!):BangHead:

I noticed the electrical outlet is approximately 15 feet from where I had planned to place my turning station. I thought I had read recently that using an extension cord or power strip was not adviseable. Is this true? I planned to buy a heavy duty electrical cord, but it seems the problem I read about was related to the actual current getting to the electric motor and that electrical cords reduce the performance of the lathe.

Am I off base here?:dontknow:

Don

 

[toolferone]

15 feet should not be a problem. You can do it several ways. One way is to replace the cord of the lathe with a longer one. Since an extension cord will be to long you can make up a shorter cord to minimize the loss. You could run a new circuit.

Just a few ideas.

 

[cptully]

Don,

Take a look at the amperage or wattage required by your lathe.

Power (Watts) = Current (Amps) * Voltage (P=IV for the techies in the crowd)

Assuming 120 V for a standard wall outlet allows you to convert Watts to Amps or vise versa.

Now go to the store and look for the 25 extension cord that is rated to handle that amperage. Now, since you are concerned about power loss across the extension cord you can consider shortening it to the minimum necessary length. You can also step up a gauge (if a 16 gauge cord will handle the current, then get a 14 gauge cord).

Chris
Wood is my passion, but science is my love...

 

[DonEve]

Thanks guys. Looks like I don't have too big of an obstacle. I appreciate you advise!!:rogarhapp

Don