Putting a 12 inch, 3 phase jointer in my basement - Good or bad idea?

My question is: would be it be crazy to put a big 12 inch, 5 hp 3 phase jointer in my residential basement, and run it with a rotary phase converter, on a 100 amp service, while also running a 3 hp (single phase) cyclone dust collector?

I am a finish carpenter, and I make furniture on the side. Currently I have small shop set up in my 1 car garage (table saw, bandsaw, lathe and workbench), and an 8 inch jointer and 14 inch planer set up in my walkout basement. I don't use my machines very often, but plan on using them a lot over my lifetime. (Eventually I want to build a shop so I can do more millwork, but I do not have funds for that right now.)

I bought a used "phasemaster" rotary phase converter last fall because it was a good deal and because I eventually want run a large jointer, planer, shaper and dust collector.

I am wondering if there are any safety risks with running a rotary converter? An electrician I know didn't think it was a big deal but said people sometimes talk about fire risk?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

240 volts single phase. is about 8 amps/horsepower. so 40 amps for 5 hp with some extra for converter loss. A jointer or planer will be loud upstairs.
Do not be fooled by the three phase amps on the motor plate. it will show only something like 6 amps/horsepower but that is 6 amps on three wires instead of two. So you will need to pump 8 amps into the phase converter to get the 6 amps/three phase out.
Bill

This basement is at grade, right? My 12" machine is tied or winning the "hardest tool ive had to move". Almost all models will push 1000lbs. If this is going down stairs, i dont even know where i would begin. pieces, many pieces.

Hi, the good news is that jointers never run at rated power, and if they do it's only for a very short period of time.

You won't have a problem running it from a phase converter, however you should check on the legality of it with the local electrical authority. In Canada you cannot distribute power in a house that's more than 150 volts to ground, which means that only 208 volt systems here can be distributed. (Our other low voltage 3 phase system is 600 volts).

I moved a 700 pound saw/shaper into my basement, down a flight of stairs, with only the help of my shop cat Ellington.

The other way would be to change it to a 3HP single phase motor, or a 5 if you really wish...........Rod.

Think of it this way, if you ever sell the house, it will be a nice bonus for the buyer...no way is that thing coming back up the stairs :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rod Sheridan

In Canada you cannot distribute power in a house that's more than 150 volts to ground, which means that only 208 volt systems here can be distributed. (Our other low voltage 3 phase system is 600 volts).

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OK this time you got me Rod, I'm just a dumb mechanical engineer but isn't 208 volts more than 150 volts? ............Doug

Could he be talking of amperage?

Thanks for your replies to my post, I forgot to mention that I have a walk-out basement. The machine would be unloaded off of a landscaping trailer with my neighbor's 80hp tractor, and lowered onto steel pipe, and rolled into the shop...

You have fairly easy access. You already own the RPC. Go for it.

208 phase to phase (2 -120v) = 220 single phase... 120v to ground

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Originally Posted by Paul Tubergen

208 phase to phase (2 -120v) = 220 single phase... 120v to ground

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OK as I said I'm just a dumb mechanical engineer so I'll just add this to the list of things I don't need to understand.

You should have 120 volts from either hot to neutral and 240 volts from hot to hot in a home single phase power system. It is a center tapped single phase system, not a two phase system. The center tap is the Neutral and is grounded at the service panel or meter. The 110 / 220 supply voltages are a relic from the past, although wired the same way. The power companies standardized on 120/240 many years ago and nobody should have 110/220 service any more in the USA . 208 volts is the voltage of a Wye connected 3 phase power system when measured between any two of the three phases. The center junction of the Y system is neutral and is grounded.

A Delta connected three phase power system is 240 volts when measured between any two phases and it has no neutral. The power companies take two phases of a 240 volt Delta connected power supply to supply neighborhoods with center tapped single phase 240 volt power and the center tap becomes the neutral. Different neighborhoods are fed from different pairs of Delta three phase power in order to balance the total load on their 3 phase power supply system.

Charley

A RPC creates 240 delta three phase. The two legs coming from the service measure 120 to ground but the manufactured leg measures at least 208 to ground to create the three phase delta. A rpc usually reads higher than 208 as the wild leg adjusts under load. 208 three phase is a wye configuration and each leg reads 120 to ground. I think that is what Rod was getting at. In a basement, I'd run the jointer and dust collector if three phase, off separate VFDs. Silent ( except for minor fan noise ) and easy to lift. Dave

Yes, as David indicated, a VFD is a great choice for home. It's what I use to run my band saw mill at home.

240 volts single phase in, 208 volts 3 phase out.

It also provides soft start, motor overload protection and braking (really handy on a band saw)......................Rod.