Here's My Newest Project/Toy

RBHarter

West Central AR
3/G wire has a black , red , white , and bare .
2/G wire has a black , white , and bare .
110-125 uses the black from 1 or the other power busses the white returns to the neutral buss often shared with the ground which returns to earth while the white returns to the generation source via the line .

220/240 3 wire uses the black and red 1 off each buss , white and ground as above .

220/240 2 wire alternates with each line being either a hot or neutral at 180° separation in turn , allowing for a ground neutral and the appliance is directly earth grounded . A/C does this 50-65 times per second , 60 as a US standard .

The bare ground is actually safety device that resulted from the use of the electric chair . When the voltage reaches a point where the cycles and electron fields over lap the neutral looses it ability to carry the full return volume . This resulted in adverse effects from a little tickle to burns and worse . Adding the direct earth ground give the over load a place to go and a fault safety where the neutral is disrupted .
 

Gary

SE Kansas
I agree with that, but I was most concerned about the old Lathe motor. At any rate, I bought a $100 piece of 10-3 w ground and ran the wire today. Mount the plugs and I should be in business.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Ground is solely for chassis metal to earth connection so if there's a short the electrons have a better path to earth than to your heart muscle.

Neutral is a common return for the alternating current. With multiple "hots" as in two-phase 220 or three phase the single neutral carries the current 180⁰ out of phase from each hot. I'm not sure if normal 220 has the legs 180⁰ out of phase or a lopsided 120⁰/240⁰, but regardless a single neutral carries the other power. The neutral isn't "hot" on the line, which is why it can be bonded to the chassis ground at the electrical box in some situations.
Blah, blah, blah. Magic, that's all I need to know! ;)
 

Ian

Notorious member
The lineman who hooked up the service wires to the meter loop I built to their supplied instructions told me they plug in the meter, put a seal on it, and don't look back when they drive away. He said further, "If your $#!& burns down, that's your problem". That's a direct quote. I like their philosophy.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
"Any significant technology is inconceiveably magic".
I understand it from the technical aspect, it's the reality of it that puzzles me. Neutral isn't neutral, it's load carrying to ground which is neutral by another name.
 

L Ross

Well-Known Member
Ground is solely for chassis metal to earth connection so if there's a short the electrons have a better path to earth than to your heart muscle.

Neutral is a common return for the alternating current. With multiple "hots" as in two-phase 220 or three phase the single neutral carries the current 180⁰ out of phase from each hot. I'm not sure if normal 220 has the legs 180⁰ out of phase or a lopsided 120⁰/240⁰, but regardless a single neutral carries the other power. The neutral isn't "hot" on the line, which is why it can be bonded to the chassis ground at the electrical box in some situations.
Ian Sophacles, who speaks Greek.
 

popper

Well-Known Member
I'd run #8 3 wire for startup and surge. Code requires #10 for ovens (220) and stuff like that. Neutral is there to keep the balance for 220, not as a safety. On 'old' equipment there may not be a connection for the neutral so it goes to metal. Green safety gnd is different, connects to 'earth' gnd someplace. Residential 220 is split to 110 at the 'pole', so 180* relative to 'neutral'. 220 neutral can carry current!
 
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Gary

SE Kansas
Finally got her on the floor and leveled on steel pads. Cleaned off the Ways (and coated with Way Oil) and other top end things and took a few pics. I'm proud to say she looks like a fine machine. The Pins in the Steady Rest are solid Brass/Bronze and about 3/4" in Diameter. She sets dead nuts level N S E W.; I will recheck after she runs a bit.:D Truth be told, I bought this mostly for my Grandson.

SHELDON  HEADSTOCK.jpgSHELDON T POST and CARRIAGE.jpgSHELDON TAIL.jpgSHELDON STEADY.jpg
 
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Ian

Notorious member
If you will turn a piece of round stock to just larger than the smallest diameter the steady fingers will close on, center drill it, turn it around and clamp it in the steady so the face is about 2/3 of the way through the fingers inserted from the right side, and center it on a dead center in the headstock so the fingers are all equidistant from the lathe center, you can use an adjustable boring bar in the chuck to mill flats on the sides of the fingers and then remove and drill the fingers for small bearings. Using bearings allows you to support finished tubing without wearing a groove in it.
 

Gary

SE Kansas
Got to the bottom of the last bucket and found these:
The second pic is the closed case for pic #3; I haven't even seen one of these before. You indicate off the bottom of the gauge.
 

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