Thread: 15A converter for planer/thicknesser

Yes you could use one of those, but you will only be able to draw 10 amps.
I think for light work your thicknesser may not draw more about 10 amps anyway. With heavier work you might trip the breaker.
You can do no harm giving it a try.

Originally Posted by BRADFORD

Yes you could use one of those, but you will only be able to draw 10 amps.
I think for light work your thicknesser may not draw more about 10 amps anyway. With heavier work you might trip the breaker.
You can do no harm giving it a try.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by polemic

I have a jet planer/thicknesser which has a 15A plug but no suitable mains power socket at home. Can anyone with (actual) electrical quals think of any reason why I couldn't use a 10A-15A converter such as http://www.jaycar.com.au/p/MS4044 ?

The planer/thicknesser will only be used for short periods of time;with sporadic use.

Polemic,

I have a Jet JPT-260M. I've had a tong tester (a device for measuring current drawn by mains AC devices) on the machine to check the current draw. The JPT-260 has a 1700 watt (2.25 HP) motor. When running under no load, it draws around 6 amps and the current draw quickly goes up to about 10 to 12 amps under heavy loads. But, during start-up, it seems to draw about 14 to 15 amps (it may initially draw more for a brief interval) for the first second or two, which is normal for that type of motor. I say "seems to draw" because the current drain during start-up of this type of motor is very high at initial switch-on, and then rapidly decays to the running current, and that rapid decay makes it difficult to measure the current draw accurately using a tong tester (which all I have available). My JPT-260 normally runs on a circuit with a 20 amp breaker, but I have had it running on a circuit with 15 amp breaker - but it did occasionally pop the 15 amp circuit breaker on startup. Jet does recommends a 20 amp breaker. If you've got the bigger JPT-310, then that has a 3HP motor and definitely needs a 5 amp outlet on a 20 amp fuse/circuit breaker.

The Jaycar device that you've linked to in your post is only rated at 10 amps and Jaycar's description of the device includes the statement that it "Features a 10A circuit breaker/RCD in case you accidentally overload the device". That 10 amp circuit breaker is going to pop when you start the machine.

P.S. If you want to minimise the cost of providing a 15 amp outlet at home, then ...... if the Main Power Board at home is located close enough to where you want to run the machine (i.e. not more than 10 meters), then have an Electrician install a 15 amp outlet in or adjacent to the Main Power Board, and then run a very heavy gauge extension lead to the planer/thicknesser. You'll need a heavy gauge extension lead - best and possibly cheapest solution would be an extension lead designed to run a Caravan - you can usually get them cheap from a Caravan Parts/Accessories/Repair joint. Buy the heaviest gauge youcan get.

Hope that information is helpful.

Regards,

RoyG

Thanks RoyG. Not the answer I wanted to hear but the answer I needed to hear. Will take your advice to the electrician.

I have the 260 machine as well.

If you are going to call a sparkie in, just get a 15 amp socket in the shed. It's not like the cable cost is anything (standard 2.5mm T&E is about 95 cents a metre) and you can get a double power point installed giving you two 15 amp sockets. Depending on what's already running there, he may be able to re-purpose an existing connection in the shed.

Originally Posted by RoyG

I have a Jet JPT-260M. I've had a tong tester (a device for measuring current drawn by mains AC devices) on the machine to check the current draw. The JPT-260 has a 1700 watt (2.25 HP) motor. When running under no load, it draws around 6 amps and the current draw quickly goes up to about 10 to 12 amps under heavy loads.

Those currents seem on the high side to me for a 2HP motor on thicknesses. A 6A free running current would even be above what I would expect for a 3HP motor on a thicknesses.

I have a generic brand 260 and it draws 3.7A while free running and under normal operating loads it draw about 6.5A, under heavy loads (i.e. full 10" width in hardwoods) the current is around 8.5A which is ~2kW. I can make it drawn 10A by making it take extra thick passes but that is not the right way to use these machines. The Jet being a 2.25HP motor will not make much difference.

It could be your meter is not accurate as I would not think the Jet would be drawing that much more current.

BTW Mine draws up to 30A on a start up but settles within a second or so to under 10A and a normal circuit breaker (16A) on a 10A line should be easily able to cope with this short burst of current.

Despite all this, As RoyG says the Jaycar device will trip at 10A so it may trip at both start up and during normal operation so I wouldn't use one with this machine.

The traditional, but dodgy, way to do this is with a file, without other loads on the circuit there is a very good chance you'd be fine but you need to know what you are doing electrically. I won't advocate that.

You won't be able to get a double 15A outlet, there isn't any such thing, as 15 and 20A circuits are required to be on their own unshared breaker and TPS. If the board is nearby and has space getting a 15 or 20A outlet installed shouldn't break the bank though.

Originally Posted by thevoice

The traditional, but dodgy, way to do this is with a file, without other loads on the circuit there is a very good chance you'd be fine but you need to know what you are doing electrically. I won't advocate that.

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Originally Posted by thevoice

You won't be able to get a double 15A outlet, there isn't any such thing,

I call BS on that, http://www.sparkydirect.com.au/p/932...we-202515.html

I stand corrected. That will still have two cables going into the back of it and be on two breakers, unlike a dual 10A, which was more what I was getting at.

And no, I was clear I'm not advocating modifying the plug. With a modern circuit breaker it generally won't cause harm even if it triggers the breaker. Move the equipment somewhere else where it's on a fused outlet that's been fiddled with or some other less good situation and you can get in serious problems. Certainly not uncommon to see done though.

Originally Posted by thevoice

I stand corrected. That will still have two cables going into the back of it and be on two breakers, unlike a dual 10A, which was more what I was getting at.

And no, I was clear I'm not advocating modifying the plug. With a modern circuit breaker it generally won't cause harm even if it triggers the breaker. Move the equipment somewhere else where it's on a fused outlet that's been fiddled with or some other less good situation and you can get in serious problems. Certainly not uncommon to see done though.

Are you saying the double 15 amp GPO I linked to, is two completely independent 15 amp GPO's that would be wired to separate breakers, and is just mounted on the one plate?

That's right. I last came up against this while getting my workshop wired up a few months ago but I vaguely remember it from my tech days too. One 15 or 20A GPO = 1 whole breaker.

Originally Posted by thevoice

That's right. I last came up against this while getting my workshop wired up a few months ago but I vaguely remember it from my tech days too. One 15 or 20A GPO = 1 whole breaker.

The 15 amp GPO that I linked to has one active, one neutral, and one earth connection.

Can you post a link to the independent double GPO of which you speak please?

Ummm....I have a few 15 amp double power points. All have only one set of terminals on the back. While you can only fit one outlet on a typical 16 amp circuit, there's nothing in the regs stopping it from being a double outlet.

Well seems I'm wrong on that.

I'm running off discussions I had with the electrician wiring my workshop a few months ago. He refused to run more than one 15A outlet off one breaker, and this was not based on what was likely to be plugged into them, both he and the guy working with him (also an A grade sparky) said it wasn't allowed. It wasn't based on copper diameter either, we could run what we wanted. Whether that's changed recently I don't know.

In terms of do individually switched double outlets actually exist, yes. It's what is used for theatre patch systems for one example, where you may need two channels of control side by side.