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I just purchase a band saw that has a motor that is 100/220 (currently setup for 220) which I figured I would easily add a 220 outlet in my garage or switch to 110. Well, its become a little more difficult than that, I think. I am pretty handy and have done lots of electrical wiring but when it comes to amps/watts and the like, I ain't no Bob Villa (sorry, bad joke).

My problem is, I think, that I am out of empty breaker spaces in my garage's breaker box to add a 220 so I am stuck with 110.

Currently the top-right is for the outlets in the garage and it is 20 amp. Breaker Box in garage

Here is the current plug for 220 on the band saw. I know I would have to rewire the motor for 110 and change the plug. Current Plug

Here is the motor information Motor information

So if I read this right, for 220 I only need 14 amp but for 110, I would have to handle 28 amps.

My question is this: Can I run this motor on the current 20 amp (110) or is there just no way?

Does anyone have an ideas?

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    How about a panel upgrade (or the addition of a subpanel)? If you're willing to spend ~$100, you can get yourself a great panel with a thousand spaces that @Harper would be proud of. The best part is that it's probably your best solution overall. Running on 110V would trip your breaker (inrush current > 20A) and rewiring for a 30A breaker would be a pain, so any reason not to rewire for a new panel?
    – Hari
    Apr 10, 2017 at 17:41
  • What is the designation and specification of that plug and what receptacle(s) will it fit into?
    – Jim Stewart
    Apr 10, 2017 at 19:01
  • @JimStewart Not sure what that means. The guy I got it from was an electrician and said it was 220. The plug says 20A_250V.
    – Steve
    Apr 10, 2017 at 19:29
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    Have you had the cover off this panel? Is it possible that there are more breaker slots available with a different cover?
    – Jim Stewart
    Apr 10, 2017 at 21:43
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    @HariGanti I'm going to go with your idea and either upgrade the box or put in a sub-panel. Probably the first. Thanks everyone for the help.
    – Steve
    Apr 13, 2017 at 17:37

2 Answers 2

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My question is this: Can I run this motor on the current 20 amp (110) or is there just no way?

Does anyone have an ideas?

Short answer: No

The motor leads in the connection box on the saw need to be changed to the 110 volt configuration, the plug needs to be changed to a 125 volt 30 amp plug and the breaker would have to be upsized to a 30 amp. Then the wiring to the receptacle needs to be #10 wire.

Good luck with your project!

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Looks like you can swap one of those fat single breakers for a quad, like this:

enter image description here

In a double width space you get three breakers (a tandem for the 220V and two single phase breakers). Then ditch two single breakers for another tandem breaker and you're done.

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  • Those are QOs in the OPs panel, not Homelines. He could consolidate a couple of spaces into QOTs, but quadruplex breakers do not exist in the QO line...
    – ThreePhaseEel
    Jul 12, 2018 at 11:47

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