three phase tools

[noflyzone]

Does anybody have three phase electric tools in their shop wired through some type of converter off of a 220v circuit? .

How to? How well does it work? Is it cost effective?

I found some heavy duty tools for free but can't use them because of three phase motors and don't want to haul them to the house if it can't be done.

[DaveFX2]

It can be done pretty easily. You can make a 3 phase generator using single phase motor to drive a 3 phase motor (belt drive). The 3 phase motor will act as a generator and the output can be used to power the tools.

[oldjeep]

For small HP motors, you can run them off a VFD pretty cost effectively. I run my old Avey drill press off a MotorTronics VFD which converts the 220 single phase to 220 3 phase. www.automationdirect.com is a good source of some lower cost vfd's. If you are looking to power multiple 3 phase machines, a rotary phase convertor is probabally more cost effective.

[noflyzone]

My shop is an attached one car garage. My girlfriend is a real estate agent and I can see a trend towards moving every year or so. I am planning on building a box something like on your site OJ. I want to make it a plug and play kind of thing to make moving a little easier.

[roverjohn]

There is no way it will be cost effective unless you already have a shop full of 3 phase tools and you just want to get them running without buying a bunch of motors (which is kind of your case). The advantages of 3 phase are lost if you are starting with single phase and then converting it. All power conversions have losses so it's best to avoid them if you can. The motor generator idea is fine but will cost at least as much as two similar sized single phase replacement motors and take up a bunch of space. Most of the 'free' 3 phase stuff I see has pretty good sized motors which make the electronis converters pretty pricey.
John...

[u2slow]

You can build a rotary coverter if you want... you need a spare motor of equal or higher HP to act an idler, which 'generates' the 3rd leg.

http://www.metalwebnews.com/electric.html

[rebound]

You can build a rotary coverter if you want... you need a spare motor of equal or higher HP to act an idler, which 'generates' the 3rd leg.
That says it all. I run lots of 3 phase equipment with a rotary converter. You really should use a motor bigger than the one(s) you are running. 8 to 10 HP is a good start. Static converters are OK but need to be matched to the load or they don't work right. With a rotary converter it does not matter what the load is.
A 10 HP 3 phase motor is about the size of 5 or 6 HP single phase, and they are cheap. It's really easy to build a converter. You just need a motor, a capacitor, and a couple of switches.

[Murfman1967]

I have a Clausing Lathe and a Tree Mill, that are both 3 Phase 220V in my shop. I bought solid state 3-phase converters from J&L Tool Supply. IIRC they were about 180.00 each. I have never had a problem, however with a solid state Converter you lose 1/3 of the rated HP of the motor. I have yet to run into a problem, and I have taken some pretty big hogging cuts in steel on both machines. Usually I am doing lighter work anyhow.

[lsloth]

I have a Clausing Lathe and a Tree Mill, that are both 3 Phase 220V in my shop. I bought solid state 3-phase converters from J&L Tool Supply. IIRC they were about 180.00 each. I have never had a problem, however with a solid state Converter you lose 1/3 of the rated HP of the motor. I have yet to run into a problem, and I have taken some pretty big hogging cuts in steel on both machines. Usually I am doing lighter work anyhow.


What model Clausing do you have? I have Colchester student and trying to find some tooling for it but it feels like I am smashing my head against a wall. I am trying to find a quick change post, but my lathe does not use the standard t-slot for the tool post. I also looking for fixed steady rest.
-James

[wanderer2004]

Here is a diagragm I did a long time ago and still haven't built....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/wanderer2004/Phase%20converter/THREEPHASECONVERTER.jpg

[jnutter]

I've got two mills and a lathe running off of three phase. It's no big deal. I bought a pre-wired panel for a 5 hp rotary converter on E-bay and hooked it to a 5 hp motor. I've had this setup for a couple years. Works fine. It's plugged into a 30A 208V outlet. Starts my 5 hp lathe just fine. Doesn't even notice the 2 hp vertical mill unless I'm power tapping and reverse the motor on the fly to back the tap out. I've got about $200 into the phase converter. It's a small price to pay to be able to run real machine tools.