blueman wrote:
To avoid voltage drop (and power loss) at startup, I want to make sure
that the power cord to my 15 year old Craftsman table saw is 12 gauge
(or upgrade it if it is not).
....
So is there any simple way of determining whether cord is 12 gauge or
not?

12 AWG -- ~0.081"
14 AWG -- ~0.064"

So, 12 is a little over 1/16", 14 is about 1/16" diameter. Enough
difference if the connection at either end is visible to tell easily.

That said, what horsepower is the motor rated/current draw on the motor
plate? If the cord is the OEM-supplied one, it's unlikely it's so
undersized as to be discernible difference in changing it out...

Assuming it's a dual-voltage motor, you could always go to the 240V
connections and cut current draw in half...

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