If you read the article you sent me in detail, it says that the 80% rule applies to continuous loads, by definition continuous means more than 3 hours continuous load at that level. I doubt any of us uses their BT3 at continuous levels of 15Amps for more than 3 hours straight. Even if you leave the saw running while you select and feed new pieces of wood I would be surprised to find you could apply full load more than 50% of the time.
I don't mean to cause panic or alarm and if you have a 20Amp breaker I don't mean for you to go and change it immediately.
I am just suggesting that those who say you need a 20Amp breaker or say a 20Amp breaker will give better performance should be taken with a grain of salt.
My reading of the technical information on breakers and my background in applying technical specifications to the design of systems and equipment says that a 15Amp breaker will be more than sufficient for the BT3000/BT3100 saw with the 15Amp motor. And that using a 20Amp breaker gives some window of opportunity for motor damage that a 15Amp breaker would not.
As a post script, I would venture to say that running the BT3000/BT3100 continuously at 15 Amps for 3 hours would surely ruin the motor. I believe that although the designers did not so specify, that their intention with the universal motor was that 15Amp use would be intermittent, with duty cycles of 50% or less and duty periods of around a minute or so to rip a long board.
I don't mean to cause panic or alarm and if you have a 20Amp breaker I don't mean for you to go and change it immediately.
I am just suggesting that those who say you need a 20Amp breaker or say a 20Amp breaker will give better performance should be taken with a grain of salt.
My reading of the technical information on breakers and my background in applying technical specifications to the design of systems and equipment says that a 15Amp breaker will be more than sufficient for the BT3000/BT3100 saw with the 15Amp motor. And that using a 20Amp breaker gives some window of opportunity for motor damage that a 15Amp breaker would not.
As a post script, I would venture to say that running the BT3000/BT3100 continuously at 15 Amps for 3 hours would surely ruin the motor. I believe that although the designers did not so specify, that their intention with the universal motor was that 15Amp use would be intermittent, with duty cycles of 50% or less and duty periods of around a minute or so to rip a long board.
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