# Router table electrical help



## ffjdh (Apr 16, 2010)

So I think I have figured out how to wire up my router table, but I wanted to make sure it looked right. I have attached a picture of my plan for my wiring. Basicly I will always have one live double gang outlet, then a switch which powers a single gang outlet and a double gang outlet. Does my diagram look correct?

Additionaly I picked up this switch from grizzly to use: H8241 110V Paddle On/Off Switch

it looks like i need some sort of clips to hook the electrical up to the back of the switch. Does anybody have any experience with this and can tell me what I need to wire it up?


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

There is no reason to have more than a single outlet or switch on your router table unless it is to run a light. Electric motors should each have their own outlet and most will pull the majority of current the cord can handle anyways.


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## argoknot (Dec 7, 2009)

I agree with Mike. This is my setup for the router omly.


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## ffjdh (Apr 16, 2010)

Thanks for the input. I often use my router table as an additional work table so that's the reason for live outlet. It will never be used while the router is being used. The single gang is for my router, and I was planning on using the other double gang for my shopvac. Will running the shopvac and router at the same time be a problem?

Also anybody have any idea on the grizzly switch? My dad said it looks sort of like automotive electrical and that Id need to solder some clips to my wires and clip them to the switch. Anybody have any idea what kind of clips I need?


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

I don't see the need for the seperate single outlet receptacle as both outlets on the other switched receptacle are controlled by the switch. One for the router, one for the shop vac. I don't see what having 2 buys you, unless you want to have the one more out of the way because the router is mounted in the table.

Mine is setup like that (1 receptacle controlled by a switch) ... no problems so far, but I don't use my router all the time or for long periods at a time.

Just make sure the switch is rated for the combined amps of the router and shop vac. They are usually 15a, so you should be fine. Use 14 gauge or thicker wire.


For a single combo switch, I do it like this:


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## Smokindog (Jan 30, 2012)

You will need some female quick disconnect wire terminals for a .250 male tab for 12 to 14 awg.wire. Should be available at any auto parts store.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

Chris Curl said:


> I don't see the need for the seperate single outlet receptacle as both outlets on the other switched receptacle are controlled by the switch. One for the router, one for the shop vac. I don't see what having 2 buys you, unless you want to have the one more out of the way because the router is mounted in the table.
> 
> Mine is setup like that ... no problems so far, but I don't use my router all the time or for long periods at a time.
> 
> For a single combo switch, I do it like this:


Chris, it doesn’t make sense to break of the tab and add a jumper because the tab is the jumper. 

I just thought I’d point that out since I’ve found a lot problems are caused by breaking off the tab especially with the push-in type of receptacle. You really have to be careful breaking off the tab because it distorts and weakens the prongs inside.


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## ffjdh (Apr 16, 2010)

Chris Curl said:


> I don't see the need for the seperate single outlet receptacle as both outlets on the other switched receptacle are controlled by the switch. One for the router, one for the shop vac. I don't see what having 2 buys you, unless you want to have the one more out of the way because the router is mounted in the table.


The single outlet will be inside my cabinet with my router connected to it. The double will be mounted outside the cabinet to plug the shop vac into.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

JohnnyB60 said:


> Chris, it doesn’t make sense to break of the tab and add a jumper because the tab is the jumper.
> 
> I just thought I’d point that out since I’ve found a lot problems are caused by breaking off the tab especially with the push-in type of receptacle. You really have to be careful breaking off the tab because it distorts and weakens the prongs inside.


good point. my diagram was more of a "cleaning up of the wiring on the diagram" that argoknot posted than anything.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

guitardemon said:


> The single outlet will be inside my cabinet with my router connected to it. The double will be mounted outside the cabinet to plug the shop vac into.


then your approach makes prefect sense. 

just thinking out of the box ... one other option might be to have a 2 plug outlet hidden (as planned) and run a short extension cord from that for the shop vac when you are using the router. you can then have a little hook up out of the way for the cord when not in use.

that way, you (or someone else working in the shop with you) might be less likely to plug something into a switched outlet my mistake.

i'm not saying i know for sure if i would do it that way or not, that is a personal preference, but it is another way to skin the cat.


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

guitardemon said:


> The single outlet will be inside my cabinet with my router connected to it. The double will be mounted outside the cabinet to plug the shop vac into.


I think you are on the right track so far.. That's the same switch I put on my table saw and smokindog has it right. Female spade terminals, any auto supply house will have them. NOT a solder on item. Crimped. 
One note about the switch. That is a magnetic switch which simply means there is a latching relay built into it. You must run both the hot and neutral leads through the switch. Pushing the on button energizes the latching relay which supplies the output power and power to the latching circuit. Pressing the off paddle interrupts the latching circuit and de-energizes the relay. If a neutral is not present in the switch, the latching circuit cannot be completed. The result is the motor comes on when the on button is pressed and stops when the on button is released.

Just an FYI and I'm not recommending it but lately I have been running my 12 amp shop vac and my 15 amp router on the the same 20 amp outlet and haven't had any issues yet. I suspect that I am running nowhere close to 20 amps except maybe when both start at the same time. Even then, with the router being soft start, I doubt it's pulling more than 15. Someday, I might put a meter on it but for now it seems to be OK.


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## Steve B. (Mar 4, 2012)

Demon - the configuration of your outlets should be whatever satisfies your requirements. Your wiring diagram is fine for what you described. The only thing missing is the green wire ground that should be wired to all your outlets for safety. The outlet diagrams the other guys posted shows this. Smokindog's post shows what you need for the switch. The female quick disconnects are a crimp-on connector. Strip the AC wire back about 1/4". Push it into the crimp end of the connector as far as it will go. You may be able to see the wire through the translucent insulation. The idea is to get it pushed in far enough so that the wire makes contact with the metal connector but the insulation on the AC wire will be what the back crimp will press down on. The crimp can be done with pliers or long-nose. There is one crimp that goes around the wire portion and another that crimps onto the insulation for strain relief. Do a light tug test on the wire to make sure you have a good tight crimp. If you knew all this without me telling you then.....never mind.
Good luck! Steve from California


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## mjdorsam (Nov 27, 2011)

The single outlet looks like a 20amp receptacle - if so, you'll need 12 gauge or 10 - my recommendation is 10 gauge, given a 15amp router, perhaps a Dust Vac on the circuit as well, connected to a 20amp breaker. This should be wired directly back to the electrical panel, or ganged with something that will not be used concurrently - a miter saw, perhaps. I'm probably in the minority on this. 

My own setups have two switches between me and the Tool - this arises for my "lock-out/tag-out" experience within my heavy manufacturing career.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

mjdorsam said:


> The single outlet looks like a 20amp receptacle - if so, you'll need 12 gauge or 10 - my recommendation is 10 gauge, given a 15amp router, perhaps a Dust Vac on the circuit as well, connected to a 20amp breaker. This should be wired directly back to the electrical panel, or ganged with something that will not be used concurrently - a miter saw, perhaps. I'm probably in the minority on this.
> 
> My own setups have two switches between me and the Tool - this arises for my "lock-out/tag-out" experience within my heavy manufacturing career.


No, no, you only need #10 if your over 300 ft away and at full current rating, and as far as #12 wire you only need it if the circuit breaker is 20 Amp. It doesn’t make any difference what the receptacle is rated at, it’s the circuit breaker and the length of wire that determines the wire size.

Also the wire can be derated for short portable runs. That's why you see extension cords at 18 gauge.


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## mjdorsam (Nov 27, 2011)

JohnnyB60: 

I'll respectfully disagree. 
A Breaker is sized for the potential load on the circuit run (a percentage thereof). The diagram shows a 20amp and two 15amp outlets; and a stated draw of 15amp (router) and dust collection (12 amps); with no indication that the circuit is wired directly back to the panel - there could be other amperage loads. #12 wire is UL-rated for 20amps; #10 wire for 30amps. The stated load of 27 amps exceeds the rating of #12 wire, and a 20amp breaker; that the average load may 'only' be 20 amps means the wire is on-average running at UL-rated capacity - not a good thing.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

mjdorsam said:


> JohnnyB60:
> 
> I'll respectfully disagree.
> A Breaker is sized for the potential load on the circuit run (a percentage thereof). The diagram shows a 20amp and two 15amp outlets; and a stated draw of 15amp (router) and dust collection (12 amps); with no indication that the circuit is wired directly back to the panel - there could be other amperage loads. #12 wire is UL-rated for 20amps; #10 wire for 30amps. The stated load of 27 amps exceeds the rating of #12 wire, and a 20amp breaker; that the average load may 'only' be 20 amps means the wire is on-average running at UL-rated capacity - not a good thing.


Sorry it doesn't work like that. the total load is not going to be 27 amps. it might spike that high if everything was turned on when you plug it in but only momentarily. you shouldn't have everything on before plugging it in anyway, once the motor starts the current drops. 

You are right if the load were actually 27 amps them you do need a 30 amp circuit put that would be silly because you would also have to change all the receptacles to 30 amp. It would be much better to just run another 20 amp circuit.

I would not worry about it until the breaker tripped and it would be only a matter of plugging one of the loads into another circuit but normally you are not running so many things at one time unless to have more than on person running power tool at the same time like in a commercial shop and then everything would probably be 240 or 208.

I have my table saw and my dust collector on the same 20 amp circuit and I do not have any problems but i turn on the dust collector before I start cutting..

I say it again you do not need a 30 amp circuit. Oh and I'm a licensed Electrical Contractor for over 30 years and I've wired many commercial shops without any problems.

I also want to add that by going to 30 amps you are no longer in the convince outlet area of the electrical code and new rules apply and can get costly. Anyway I’m not sure if I’m missing something, are we still talking about wiring a router cabinet plug & switch with a cord to plug into the wall? It’s starting to sound like you are rewiring you shop.


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

I just did some measuring with my Craftsman 15A 3 1/4 HP router and a 5.25 peak HP Craftsman shop vac on the same circuit. Cutting a 3/8 by 3/8 rabbet in red oak at a faster than normal feed rate... total amperage? 18 amps.

Under any normal circumstance, I cant see any issue running both on a 20 amp circuit and 12 ga wire! YMMV


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

For those of you who actually have high loads , this automatic switch is really cool. it provides a time delay to allow the dust Collector to start working before you can use any power tools and it has capabilities to plug into 2 separate circuits and still have control. Plus it has it own circuit protection.

Buy iVac Automated Vacuum Switch at Woodcraft

If I weren’t so cheap and also being an electrician, I would buy this in a heartbeat.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

I do it all the time ,the only time I will have the breaker trip is when I'm using two of the big 3 1/2HP routers running at the the same time with the Vac.system running and pulling a full load all at the same time on the same circuit ..but if I cut the load down on the routers it's fine...norm if I keep the speed set on 3 on the routers I don't have the error..

this is my vac.systems
http://www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-industrial-5-micron-dust-collector-97869.html

===


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

bobj3 said:


> Hi
> 
> I do it all the time ,the only time I will have the breaker trip is when I'm using two of the big 3 1/2HP routers running at the the same time with the Vac.system running and pulling a full load all at the same time on the same circuit ..but if I cut the load down on the routers it's fine...norm if I keep the speed set on 3 on the routers I don't have the error..
> 
> ...


Wow Bob! I’m just exploding with curiosity. How do you operate two 3 ¼ HP routers at the same time? 

Oh and that's the same dust collector that I have.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi 

My son/or a mate is on one and I'm on the other one the norm..

==



JohnnyB60 said:


> Wow Bob! I’m just exploding with curiosity. How do you operate two 3 ¼ HP routers at the same time?
> 
> Oh and that's the same dust collector that I have.


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## mjdorsam (Nov 27, 2011)

I guess I was trained differently - wiring something and declaring it safe because the breaker doesn't trip doesn't make sense to me.

The issue, to me, is not the 27 amps; it is the average load, and whether it's advisable to recommend running a circuit and a breaker at-capacity.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

mjdorsam said:


> I guess I was trained differently - wiring something and declaring it safe because the breaker doesn't trip doesn't make sense to me.
> 
> The issue, to me, is not the 27 amps; it is the average load, and whether it's advisable to recommend running a circuit and a breaker at-capacity.


Residential circuit breakers have a trip rating of +/- 10-15%. This is all figured in to the ratings by the NCE people. Plus the AC voltage is not consistent throughout the country or during peak power times of day so that also has to be calculated in to the equation. 

A lot of critical industrial, Hospitals, and communication centers have regular maintenance of tripping the breakers for testing. They don’t want the breaker to trip unexpectedly because breakers trip at well below the rating when they go bad so it’s a good test. I have done this many times and of course we have a meter to record the actual trip current so that we can calculate when to replace it before it trips too soon. It’s not a safety hazard.

Oh I'm not talking about dead shorts, that's another story


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## mjdorsam (Nov 27, 2011)

Certainly, I will defer to a professional ...


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

I still don’t see what size cord is being used. Someone mentioned #14 for 15 amp, but I don’t see what is actually being used. I’m assuming that you’re using #12 3-wire cord. Is that right? If you’re using 18 gauge lamp cord forget everything I said because the circuit breaker is not going to protect that.

Just to be clear on the cord size #12 is good up to 25 Amps under 25 ft long and #14 is good up to 18 amps under 25 ft long.


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

One thing to keep in mind, just because the name plate says 15 Amps, does not not mean the router will always pull 15A. The actual start amps will exceed that even with soft start, but my "15A" router idles full speed at 9A. Under load cutting the 3/8 x/3/8 rabbet, it only goes up to about 11A. 

The 15A is a maximum that will usually only be reached for very short periods of time. Circuit breakers trip only on prolonged overload unless extremely overloaded. 

Wire also has a time/temperature element involved before failure. Small overloads for short periods of time will not cause damage. If this were not so, you would have to rewire every time a breaker trips!

Now on extremely long lines, voltage drop becomes an issue. This is why heavier gauge wire is needed for longer runs.


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## argoknot (Dec 7, 2009)

guitardemon said:


> So I think I have figured out how to wire up my router table, but I wanted to make sure it looked right. I have attached a picture of my plan for my wiring. Basicly I will always have one live double gang outlet, then a switch which powers a single gang outlet and a double gang outlet. Does my diagram look correct?
> 
> Additionaly I picked up this switch from grizzly to use: H8241 110V Paddle On/Off Switch
> 
> it looks like i need some sort of clips to hook the electrical up to the back of the switch. Does anybody have any experience with this and can tell me what I need to wire it up?


If that's the way you want it then consider this.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

This looks like exactly what he was looking for. Great find!


argoknot said:


> If that's the way you want it then consider this.


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

guitardemon said:


> So I think I have figured out how to wire up my router table, but I wanted to make sure it looked right. I have attached a picture of my plan for my wiring. Basicly I will always have one live double gang outlet, then a switch which powers a single gang outlet and a double gang outlet. Does my diagram look correct?
> 
> Additionaly I picked up this switch from grizzly to use: H8241 110V Paddle On/Off Switch
> 
> it looks like i need some sort of clips to hook the electrical up to the back of the switch. Does anybody have any experience with this and can tell me what I need to wire it up?


Hi Demon - given the switch you have I sketched this circuit up.. I had to use blue for neutral in DeltaCad. White didn't show up. Ground is a given so I didn't draw it in but it needs to be there. Wasn't really expecting the thread to last so long.:blink:


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## ffjdh (Apr 16, 2010)

I go away for a few days and I come back and this thread has exploded. I never thought it would get this big. 

Thanks for all the great info. I think I should be all set!


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