A circle sawmill journey...

mdrhom1 · September 25, 2015, 05:01:04 PM

hi lee if im not mistaken your on rea . years ago i had 3 phase installed and they didnt charge anything to set a transformer and feed the 3pahse to my shop i did have to set a new panel for 3 phase and there only requirement was i had to sign a 5 year contract and pay a monthly fee weather i used it or not back then i think it was 11.00 a month i think now it 15.00 or so. they are real easy to get along with hope it all goes well . in my opinon the only other way i would go is a rotary phase converter ive seen other options used and burn the motors up becouse inconsistant power supplied.

beenthere · September 25, 2015, 06:21:10 PM

Quoteyears ago i had 3 phase installed and

mdrhom1
Click on your forum name and it will take you to where you can update your profile with your location. That way we can have an idea where you are when "years ago" happened. ;D Helps to understand your comment.

SPD748 · October 12, 2015, 07:03:55 PM

I received a letter from my power company today. This letter indicates that they will install 208Y/120, 4 wire service to my shop on a 15 kw demand contract with a minimum monthly bill of $30.60. There is no mention of installation costs. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE I've spoken with has warned me about the huge costs of installing three phase power. This has me wondering if I'm missing something. I'll put a call in to my electrician tomorrow and see if he can explain things.

-lee

bandmiller2 · October 12, 2015, 07:21:51 PM

Lee is your shop anywhere near your house, you can easily get single phase from three and I'am sure your electric bill is over 30 bucks. Three phase stuff is usually cheaper than single as their is less demand for it used, most businesses install new. Sometimes power co's are nervous because often only one leg of the three goes through a meter, some rascals move the single phase load to the unmetered leg. They may have corrected this. Frank C.

SPD748 · October 26, 2015, 05:01:55 PM

So...

After receiving the letter from my power company which indicated that they would install three phase service at my shop, I called my electrician and the power company engineer to get the ball rolling on the install when the engineer tells me that he's not finished sizing my contract and that he doesn't know anything about the letter I received. He tells me that there will be an installation fee however he doesn't know exactly how much so, as I've been doing for weeks now, I go back to waiting mode.

Several days go by with no word. Then, finally, on Friday he calls back and tells me...

"The total for the install will be $24,968.14 which will have to be paid before any construction can begin." After I picked my jaw up from the floor I asked him if they were going to build a new nuclear station just to power my shop. For future reference, to anyone considering a three phase install for an electric mill, my local power company wants what figures to be ~$32 per foot to run an overhead, 200 amp (208y/120v) service. If you consider that the engineer told me they would install up to 300 feet for "free" it figures to ~$55 per foot. I suppose my name can be added to the long list of "three phase is way out of my price range" hobby or small business owners.

I (as politely as I know how) declined his offer and ordered a 30hp rotary phase converter. Hopefully I can get that beast wired up soon.

-lee

Dave Shepard · October 26, 2015, 06:14:07 PM

Our very own Al_Smith has a Monarch. That is one heck of a machine.

North River Energy · October 26, 2015, 06:25:42 PM

figured it would be stupid, but not that stupid.

That's one of those situations that is so absurd, the only rational thing to do is laugh and move on to "Plan B"
You'll be fine with the converter, and if you ever decide to sell the lathe, the converter will enhance the resale value.

Alligator · October 26, 2015, 08:42:58 PM

There are Military Surplus websites that had 100/125 Kw Gensets selling in $5000 to $10,000 range that were 220/440 3 Phase.
I have no idea what your requirements would be, but at $10,000, $16,000 would buy a lot of diesel fuel, and no monthly bill if you didn't run for a month.
Browse this site http://www.govliquidation.com/

Mod: After browsing thru, there are not as many large 100 Kw there's one 230 Kw. Quite a few 60 Kw.

Ron Wenrich · October 27, 2015, 05:44:03 AM

When we put in the new mill, we converted over to electric. We had 3 phase out on the street, and figured it would be an easy switch. The electric company came around with a high number which included transformers and the like. We ended up going with a gen set, which was much cheaper. I've been to other mills that had done the same. We still had to run our debarker with a small diesel power unit.

Bert · October 27, 2015, 07:09:03 AM

Im sorry to hear they got you too Lee. I was quoted at $45000 to run three phase 2 miles to my mill. Minimum monthly bill would be $350 whether we used it or not. As much as I wanted it I had to decline. Sure would be nice to flip a switch rather than fight with diesel motors in cold weather and the maintenance that goes along with them. Once you figure in the initial cost of getting three phase, wiring, soft starts etc the costs are mind boggling.

bandmiller2 · October 27, 2015, 08:26:01 AM

Lee, what the power co. is telling you is they don't want to be bothered with you. I have had a home built rotary converter for 40 years, easy to build and theirs scads of info on the internet. What I would do is find a 10 hp three phase for the lathe, plenty, and use the lathe motor for the rotary. Used three phase motors are cheap for reasons you know now. Junk yards or used equipment dealers have many. good luck Frank C.

SPD748 · October 27, 2015, 08:26:41 AM

Thanks for the replies guys. The whole power thing has me down a little however it will work out in the end. Hopefully I can get this beast wired up and running so I can get back on the Frick. So much to do, so little time...

-lee

Corley5 · October 27, 2015, 09:24:30 AM

The power company is updating the lines in our neighborhood to three phase. It wasn't an option before. I'm afraid to ask what the costs are to hook up to it. I heard that a one time your minimum usage needed to average $700.00 per month before they would consider hooking you up.

Alligator · October 27, 2015, 10:55:54 AM

We are not suppose to link to to Ebay items. But there is a Ebay seller in East Earl Pennsylvania (seller name mrzeepower) that refurb larger Gensets in a variety of KW sizes. Compared to the power company numbers they are reasonable. You can change a lot of oil and do a lot of maintenance for $10,000 to $15,000.

Larry · October 27, 2015, 11:21:57 AM

When I installed my RPC I put it right next to my power entrance panel so I wouldn't have to buy a long length of heavy gauge wire. That was a mistake as my Bridgeport is also next to the power panel and I got tired of hearing the RPC run while operating the mill.

If I were to do it again, I would have located it outside underneath a shed roof. Almost all RPC's are noisy, some more than others...some a lot more.

Just thought to throw out a tip. I'm sure your installation will go fine. Once you have 3 phase in the shop you will wonder how you ever got along without it.

Kbeitz · October 27, 2015, 12:28:19 PM

Talking about phase converters... I just bought on thinking it was a 5hp model.
It turned out to be a 20 hp. Being that I really domt need one this large how bad are they
on electric if your only running something like a 2 hp motor on it ?

Larry · October 27, 2015, 01:17:44 PM

I'm not sure of your question, but a RPC draws very little juice on its own.

A bigger issue is running a small motor on a large RPC. The wild leg will probably be far too hot for a long life of your little motor. It can be treated by adding capacitance to bring the phases closer together.

SPD748 · October 27, 2015, 02:24:44 PM

Thanks Larry,

I thought about the idler motor noise so I'm planing on mounting the idler in the storage room of my shop. Hopefully that will keep the whine down a little.

-lee

jeep534 · November 27, 2015, 10:04:30 AM

Lee,
Do you have any PTO stuff or where I might look. I need a #2 I think, to go on my power unit.

archie

SPD748 · December 16, 2015, 02:46:39 PM

Sorry Archie, all the PTO parts I have are currently on power units and being used. Do you need a complete PTO unit?

-lee

crackerhead · December 23, 2015, 09:31:46 PM

Lee,Would you happen to know the sae size for the pto on your 6-71

crackerhead · December 23, 2015, 09:35:37 PM

Lee do you know of a complete pto unit for a 6-71 for sale

Ugly Tree · January 26, 2016, 06:49:20 AM

Like some others, I have also read through this entire thread and found it very endearing. Thank you for sharing this very special time with complete strangers.

Also, I wore out a pair of shop shoes standing in front of a lathe just like that. Love that machine.

SPD748 · January 27, 2016, 04:44:47 PM

Thank you UT.

To be honest, it has been very hard to work on the mill without being overcome with emotion. Every time I try, I can't seem to get very much accomplished. I'm told time heals however no one can tell me how much. I'll keep trying...

-lee

beenthere · January 27, 2016, 05:34:38 PM

lee
My thoughts wandered by and about you and your circular mill just a day or two ago, and thought how tough it must be to not have Dad involved. I can only imagine how that might be.
Hope it resolves for you in a most happy way.
What reminded me was seeing an abandoned barn cleaner, and thinking of your sawdust removal trials.