Someone Call an Electrical Engineer

My new-to-me, old-to-the-world, or-whatever Rockwell 28-200 band saw is equipped with a sweet low-voltage magnetic switch. However, this afternoon as I attempted to get it running, I wish it were equipped with a hand crank instead.

The morning began with great promise. I own a vintage 1/2 hp slow-speed induction motor that I scavenged from my grandfather’s old belt/disc sander (I never use that thing anyway). The motor runs smooth and has loads of torque for a half-horsey. So I pulled that single-phase motor off the sander and removed the Baldor three-phase motor from the band saw (at right) and began rewiring my single-phase motor in its place.

The instructions for the magnetic switch made it look like I could wire a single-phase motor into it without too much trouble. So I studied the wiring diagrams over lunch and then went to work.

I had dreams of actually firing up this band saw this evening. And the bonus would be that I’d get the saw running without  having to purchase a new switch or motor. Picking up the saw in Chicago was expensive with gas at $3, plus the hotel room and pizza from Carmen’s of Evanston.

So I wired up the magnetic controller, plugged the machine into a GFCI outlet and pressed the pretty green button. Nothing. Nada. So I studied the wiring diagram to see if I’d misread something. I unplugged the saw, rearranged a couple leads and tried again. And I was rewarded with more lovely 0 rpm action.

Now I have to decide if I should call an electrician to give me a hand (cost unknown) or simply buy a standard single-phase switch (a $30 to $42 expense) and bypass the magnetic controller. Or maybe I can get a hamster wheel  and weld it to the lower wheel of the band saw. My kids love rodents.

– Christopher Schwarz