CuriousDave

I have inherited a 60 year old Craftsman table saw assembly. It has a dual voltage (120/240v), 12/6 amp single phase 1hp motor. There is a toggle switch on motor itself. There is also a switch box hanging on the frame of the saw assembly. On the front of this switch box is a STSP toggle switch. In the center of the back of the switch box is one two-prong male plug; on each side of the center plug there is a two-slot female receptacle. One female receptacle is labeled "motor" while the other one is labeled "work light." Having looked at the internal contents of this switch box, the toggle switch has four terminals - two on each side of the switch block (no tabs). The two terminals on one side of the switch housing connect to the two terminals of the center plug on the back of the box. The other two terminals are connected to the two-slot receptacle labeled "motor." The two wires connected to the two-slot receptacle labeled "work light" are not actually connected to anything else in the switch box. A power cable with a two pronged male plug plugs into the two slot ”motor" receptacle of the switch box and is wired at the other end directly to the motor. A second power cable is made with a NEMA 14-20 plug on the end plugging into a 240volt wall receptacle. The other end of this cable has a simple two terminal female receptacle that plugs into the center two-pronged male plug on the back of the switch box on the saw. Neither of the above two cables has a ground prong or slot as part of the male plug or female receptacle at the switch box. I have not taken apart the plugs or receptacles on the ends of the cables to see if the cable itself even has a ground wire in it at all. It is clear to me, however, that the table saw frame itself is not grounded at all. That is a concern to me. The main switch in the switch box does not work; I have tested that separately and it obviously needs to be replaced. I am thinking that this is my opportunity to replace the entire setup so that it is properly grounded according to today’s standards. It would be nice if a new switch box also had a separate working 120 volt receptacle for a working light as the original switch box did, but that is not an essential feature. Do you have any particular recommendations for achieving my goals? It would be nice to get this saw working again and safely so.