Conductor Sizing

[Maintenance2]

Trying to size cord for a small lathe, has a fused disconnect mounted on it. Lathe needs to be fused at 15 amps, already have a 50amp circuit ran through the shop with a recepticle next to it. Ive seen lathes, and other shop equipment, other places with cords on them, thought this was pretty common practice. Ex. Circuit dropped from a bus plug fused at 50amps feeding 3 50amp receptacles (wire properly sized to the 50amps). Say there were 3 of the same lathe that pulls 12 amps and each one had a fused disconnect that was fused at 15amps mounted on each one and they wanted to run a cord and plug from each of the fused disconnects on the lathes to each receptacle. Can you size the cord to the 15amp fuses downstream at the disconnect or does it have to be sized to the 50amps in the busplug.

 

[LarryFine]

I would say just for the lathe, for two reasons:

1. The premises wiring system (and NEC) ends at the receptacle.

2. We plug 18 gauge cords into 15a and 20a circuits all the time.

 

[augie47]

210.21(B)(1) and (B)(3) seemingly require 50 amp receptacles on 50 amp circuits.