Lathe Light

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Glad the link way useful. I think they are great and a bargain for the price - probably got 4or 5 of them about the place now.
S
 
Hi,



Thanks for asking. Standard 13A plug fused at 13A for the bandsaw and also the new light; ideally I'd fuse the new light at 3A but the saw is correctly earthed and and the consumer unit is pretty new being split load with a pair of RCD's. If the power to the bandsaw is switched on then the lamp lights which not only illuminates the working area of the saw but is a good reminder to ensure the saw is never left switched on at the socket after each session in the workshop; not perfect but how many plug an inspection lamp into a trailing extension lead. I never ever leave machines or power tools switched on if I'm not in the workshop. I could always fit an inline 3A fuse?

Kind regards, Colin.

Fair enough, you’re obviously aware what’s going on, I know it’s unlikely to cause a problem as you’ve got RCDs but it’s a 13amp fuse protecting a 1 amp (probably) device.
Lovely workshop by the way.
 
You may have inadvertently turned the flex to your light into it's own fuse. If it is skinny conductors and you have a short circuit in that cable say because of repeated flexing or abrasion, the 13A bandsaw fuse is too big to protect the thin wires and there's a chance that they could overheat / melt / worst case start a fire.
Beware of adding an inline fuse. You will have to remove the outer sheath of the white mains flex, fit the fuse, then replace the sheath (the second layer of insulation) with something. You should never be able to see / touch the blue and brown wires outside of a device.
Messy.
Inline fuses are more for 12V car wiring where there is no requirement for 2 layers of insulation.
Put it back as it was with a mains plug and a 3A fuse.
 
Having tried many different lights, the best I have come up with so far is a simple anglepoise lamp with a 1600 lumen LED bulb. Total cost under £15. Both items from Ikea.
 
Hi Lofty

You are correct, protective devices like fuses, RCBO's etc are there to protect the wiring not the end load, and must always be used where there is a change in cable CSA. If your lamp is wired in cable that can handle sufficient current to operate the protective device you have no issues otherwise it would overheat and there is a potential fire risk. These days it is so easy to use magnetic LED lamps and then you have a light that you can use where ever you need it. I also use a headlamp when doing measuring and marking out because it makes things much clearer, but that could be down to my age!
 
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