I cannot quite see why the lathe should not be put on a plug.

If this is the sort of switch that you mean, I never had a problem over almost 4 decades.

Yes exactly like that switch

Maybe I am over engineering the solution. I cant see anything in the regs specifically about reverse switches or mentioning my concern.

I can't quite see how I can just use a plug and socket, then justify ignoring regulation 552 and 463.3.1

My guess is that the lathe won't pump cutting fluid, unlike larger industrial units and I don't need to worry about IP rating.

If I was doing this for myself I would just go with the plug and socket, but once a customer is involved I get more concerned about complying with regulations, maybe over concerned.

You would have to be trying pretty hard to accidentally turn on one of those switches.

I have mine on a plug but with an additional stop go switch of the kind where the internal relay drops out so once you have turned it off, it needs a deliberate action to restart, so it wont come on on its own if supply is interrupted and then restored.

Mike

That looks like my reversing switch on my Myford Super 7 lathe. My lathe is plugged in to a 13A RCD protected socket at has been do for many years.

I do have a starter with a no volt release.

This arrangement would not be acceptable in a work place but in my case a clear example of "the cobbler and his shoes" and "do as I say not what I do".

JP 

Once you put the lathe on a plug, it falls outside BS 7671.

If you want to get all H&S about it, you'll need that emergency stop button and a brake for when your sleeve or tie gets caught up in the chuck.

And of course the no Volt release will stop the lathe from unexpectedly re-starting if it stops due to a power cut or other temporary disconnection. We don't want to be cleaning or adjusting the lathe when it starts on its own.

Z.

I am very confused about this question. It is a 0.55kW APPLIANCE, so a plug is perfectly fine,perhaps with a 3A fuse. The rest is nonsense. Most of us have much more dangerous kitchen appliances, a hand in the blender is not a good idea, or picking up a pan from the oven at 240C. Safe use is entirely the owners responsibility. The instruction book is full of warnings. Please move on to BS7671. These lathes have a very good safety record and there are literally thousands out there.

This is machinery as defined in the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations. From the point of connection with the mains (plug, or cable into the main switch or controls), it is wholly outside the scope of BS 7671.

The design of the machinery is outside BS 7671, however, its selection (in terms of complying with appropriate standards if it's hard-wired) is within BS 7671. Since you can't determine that this Machinery complies with the relevant standards because of its age, I would say it's one of those 'departures' times if you want to wire it up... although perhaps a solution is to fix a socket-outlet, and suggest the customer connects the equipment themselves?