Subject: [Shop-talk] Toggle switch covers

From: Dave Cavanaugh <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 21:57:42 -0800

I'm a high school shop teacher, both wood and metal.  Each shop several 
emergency stop switches connected to a shunt trip which trips the main 
breaker in case of emergency.  In most shops these are big red mushroom 
head switches, but when they built my school nearly 30 years ago they 
ran out of money and so my E-stop switches are center off SPDT toggle 
switches.  Moving them either up or down from center will trip the shunt 
trip.  The problem is most of them have lost their covers, and they are 
easy to bump and trip.  Toggle switch covers are pretty easy to find, 
but so far everything I've seen is for single pole switches and the 
cover forces the switch in the off position (or in the "on" position if 
you install the switch upside down).  Does anyone know of any toggle 
switch covers that just cover the switch and don't force the  switch 
into any position?

Thanks
Dave
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From: "Randall" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 07:52:01 -0800

> switch covers that just cover the switch and don't force the  switch 

Would something like this work?
http://switches-connectors-custom.cwind.com/Asset/GT-4X.pdf

I was going to suggest fabricating a guard, but I see John beat me to it.

-- Randall  

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From: Mark Miller <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 22:31:03 -0800

Do not add any covers. In fact, take off any covers that you still have in place. If you add guards and someone ever gets hurt from a power tool then there will be the question of whether it would have happened if the guard was not there. I recommend either leaving it the way it is and tolerate the occasional accidental power reset (seriously, how often does this happen?) or buy the right kind of safety switch. McMaster Carr has them for thirty bucks and I'm sure you can find them for less elsewhere.  http://www.mcmaster.com/#6741k41/=v3n3ks

Dave Cavanaugh<[email-masked]>  wrote:
To: Shop Talk<[email-masked]>
Subject: [Shop-talk] Toggle switch covers
Message-ID:<[email-masked]>

Thanks
Dave

Thank you and

Regards,

Mark Miller
[email-masked]: 1
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 21:57:42 -0800
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