Limp Arbor wrote:
Here is how I want to power my TS/router workstation.

A switch(A) near the front of the TS that will turn on the shop-vac
outlet(C). A second switch(B) on the other side near the router
that
will also power the shop-vac outlet(C). This is easy enough using
3-
way switches to power the outlet(C) but I also want the switch near
the router(B) to control an outlet for the router(D).

Can this be done with with standard 3-way or 4-way switches or am I
stuck with having an additional switch for outlet D?

Access is not a problem and I can power the circuit from any point.

I'd rather not use one of those relays for this purpose because I
want
to be able to turn the router on & off via a switch outside of the
enclosed cabinet.

Any ideas?

Well, if you absolutely positively gotta do it with switches and
switches alone, and you want one of them to power the shop vac outlet
and the router at the same time, then you need what's called a "double
pole double throw switch". One side can be connected like an ordinary
3-way switch, the other you connect to the router. A Leviton 1282 for
60 bucks or so is one example, that looks like an ordinary wall
switch. If it doesn't have to look like an ordinary wall switch,
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/Dk...name=EG1528-ND
or
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/Dk...me=360-1929-ND
should do the job.

If you don't want to be fancy about your wiring, though, using one of
these
http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/S...productID=9921 and
one of these
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...0P?vName=Tools will
have the shop vac turn on any time you power up either the router or
the table saw. Then you can use whatever kind of switch you want on
the router table--as long as it draws power through the auto switch
the vacuum will be operated by it. Note--the auto switch doesn't have
a way to just turn on the shop vac--to do that plug in a power strip
instead of the y-cable and plug a lamp or something into one of the
outlets--when you turn on the lamp the vacuum will come on.

Be aware though, that for any of these solutions, a 3 hp router and
big shop vac can overload a 15 amp circuit--I've popped breakers
several times with that arrangement. Using the same componets as
above, add a contactor from Grainger
(http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4DD05 for example) and actuate
it off one of the auxiliary outlets, connect a plug and socket to it,
and you can then run the shop vacuum off a separate circuit.

Note by the way that most switches are not designed for motor loads
and using a typical wall switch to turn a motor on and off may kill
the switch prematurely.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)