Lathe electronics - running on generator power?

[Roger Chandler]

I was wondering if any turners here would know if running a lathe with an inverter would do fine with power from a generator? I know some are designated as suitable for sensitive electronics.........the one I have on order is a dual purpose Generac......it can be used for back up power for a home and a worksite as well.

While the listing says it will power computers etc, I did not know if an inverter is too sensitive for generator power.

[Duane Meadows]

Not knowing what size lathe or generator you are trying to use, my gut feeling is don't do it! Being near Amish Country, I have seen a number of treadmill controllers fried that way. If you are looking at a 2HP lathe, wouldn't even want to try with less than a 5kw generator. With a minimum 10kw fixed generator(as opposed to portable.. as pictured below) maybe... but those lathe controllers can be rather expensive!

[Matt Meiser]

Generac advertises the standby ones as pictured as being electronics-safe and I've never come across claims to the contrary. We don't have a ton of runtime on ours (funny how we stopped having regular outages after we installed it!) but I haven't noticed any oddities when we are. I can tell you that our previous portable generator was not electronics-safe and it took me a UPS that I seriously thought was going to catch on fire and a microwave to learn that. Our alarm clock would gain about 10 minutes every hour we ran that generator.

[Roger Chandler]

This is the unit I ordered

supposed to be able to give back up power to the house and good for job site.........tools, etc.

[Roger Chandler]

Well........first off, I copied the image above.......did not know it would be giant! Second.......after making inquiry to the experts about this question I raised.......seems the XP models by Generac are specifically for sensitive electronics......they are also much more expensive as well...........it has extra circuitry for regulating the power.....they call it "True Power" technology.

This one is the XG series.......a dual purpose unit. On Amazon.com, the info lists computers and other household items can be run with this, but that is different from the specifically designed XP series. I think there is a lot of copy and paste information put on these sites and they are not always done correctly.

I wanted a generator for two purposes.........back up for when outages occur to run crucial items and also ability to take on location to run tools, etc............I think I got the correct one for 95% of my possible usage...........might have to stay away from using anything with an inverter...............not a big deal........I was just wondering if I could with this one!

Thanks!

[Mike Cruz]

Roger, not sure what lathe you'll be running off the generator "remotely" so to speak, meaning, you aren't going to be taking your Grizzly to any demos, I wouldn't imagine. But if you are talking about taking a mini/midi lathe (under 1 hp), I would think that a well juiced deep cycle battery with an inverter is the way to go. Those little lathes just don't pull THAT much electricity. How long would you need it to run? You might want to consider two batteries run in sequence (still 12 volt, not 24 volt). It would be a LOT cheaper, a LOT easier to tote, and a LOT quieter than a generator. I liken this idea to running a trolling motor on a boat. It is run in spurts all day long while out on the water and (especially with two batteries) will last at least one day if not multiple days. Just a thought.

BTW, I've got the 15kw version of this generator. It is enough to pretty much power my house. Not sure which version (XG, XP, GP...). But at a retail cost of $2300-2400 (I got it new for $1900), it is, from my research, the best/most powerful generator for the money.

ALSO, and take my word on this!!!! If you can get gas, REAL gas, no ethanol in it, then buy it and use some sort of stabilizer in it. IF YOU CAN'T get REAL gas, no ethanol in it, do yourself a favor and add Star Tron. It eliminates the fuel line and carburetor issues that ethanol WILL cause in your generator (and any other engine that runs on gas with a carb...chainsaw, atv, log splitter, etc). I just replaced the carb on my generator because the fuel clogged up the carb.

[Roger Chandler]

Roger, not sure what lathe you'll be running off the generator "remotely" so to speak, meaning, you aren't going to be taking your Grizzly to any demos, I wouldn't imagine. But if you are talking about taking a mini/midi lathe (under 1 hp), I would think that a well juiced deep cycle battery with an inverter is the way to go. Those little lathes just don't pull THAT much electricity. How long would you need it to run? You might want to consider two batteries run in sequence (still 12 volt, not 24 volt). It would be a LOT cheaper, a LOT easier to tote, and a LOT quieter than a generator. I liken this idea to running a trolling motor on a boat. It is run in spurts all day long while out on the water and (especially with two batteries) will last at least one day if not multiple days. Just a thought.

BTW, I've got the 15kw version of this generator. It is enough to pretty much power my house. Not sure which version (XG, XP, GP...). But at a retail cost of $2300-2400 (I got it new for $1900), it is, from my research, the best/most powerful generator for the money.

ALSO, and take my word on this!!!! If you can get gas, REAL gas, no ethanol in it, then buy it and use some sort of stabilizer in it. IF YOU CAN'T get REAL gas, no ethanol in it, do yourself a favor and add Star Tron. It eliminates the fuel line and carburetor issues that ethanol WILL cause in your generator (and any other engine that runs on gas with a carb...chainsaw, atv, log splitter, etc). I just replaced the carb on my generator because the fuel clogged up the carb.

Mike........... I use Star-Tron! Secondly, I buy non ethanol gas for all my tools like trimmers, chainsaws, etc. As to my purpose, I bought this as a unit to use for back up power and for job site applications to run tools. I doubt I will be taking a lathe anywhere I could not plug it in to standard A/C current indoors.

I was just thinking about my shop.........after I purchased this, and wondered if running my lathe off its power was a bad thing, or fine to do so.............not that I would do it necessarily, but perhaps if I was in the middle of a project and lost regular power from the power company..............I might want to finish the turning while still on the lathe......

[Fred Belknap]

Roger I have a similar generator, at least in wattage ratings. It will run just about everything in the house without a problem. I didn't connect the dishwasher or the clothes dryer to it. It runs computers, tv, frig, and a bunch of lights and a 220 volt well pump. I have it wired into the power panel coming into the house with a power switch that has circuit breakers and an amp meter and with everything in the house running it is pretty much maxed out. The only thing I have connected in the shop is the lights. I wouldn't be afraid to plug my lathe directly into it without any thing else running. It is more a matter of wattage ratings. I am thinking of getting a 17KW whole house unit and I think it will run most things in the shop, maybe not everything at the same time. We have a lot of outages. Some of the neighbors have 20KW units.

[Mike Cruz]

Fred, I have the 15kw version of the one Roger posted. It is the one HD and Lowes sells. I thought about getting the 17kw version, but in all honesty, I think it is a waste of a couple of hundred bucks. Yes, the generator can put out 2kw more, but both models have only a 50 amp receptacle. So, the extra 2kw can only be utilized in the sense that you have the unit "on site" and are plugging in multiple things into it. If you are using the generator to run your house, you'll have one thing plugged into the generator (the house) and that will be 50 amps on either model. Yes, you could swap that 50 amp receptacle for a 60, I suppose, but that would void the warranty...I asked Generac.

I have an outlet on the outside of my house (near where my generator sits). When I need the generator to power the house, I plug the generator into the receptacle. That feeds my main panel. I DO have an Interlock switch on my main panel (it will allow power to the panel by only one of two external sources...the power company OR my generator...it will NOT let me back feed the line). I turn off all the breakers. Start up the generator and plug it in. Flip the interlock switch. Then turn on all the breakers I want the generator to power...which is everything but the HVAC, drier, and ovens. I CAN use any of these (none are on larger than 50 amp breakers), but if fridges are running, the well pump is going, and the HVAC went to kick on, I'd probably overload the unit. So, other than those three things, my house runs as normal with a 15kw unit.

[Roger Chandler]

Roger I have a similar generator, at least in wattage ratings. It will run just about everything in the house without a problem. I didn't connect the dishwasher or the clothes dryer to it. It runs computers, tv, frig, and a bunch of lights and a 220 volt well pump. I have it wired into the power panel coming into the house with a power switch that has circuit breakers and an amp meter and with everything in the house running it is pretty much maxed out. The only thing I have connected in the shop is the lights. I wouldn't be afraid to plug my lathe directly into it without any thing else running. It is more a matter of wattage ratings. I am thinking of getting a 17KW whole house unit and I think it will run most things in the shop, maybe not everything at the same time. We have a lot of outages. Some of the neighbors have 20KW units.

Thanks for your input Fred, I appreciate it! I hope someone who has tried running a lathe with inverter reads this and responds..........it would be nice to have the actual scenario to have been tried with success to bolster my confidence!

[Ralph Lindberg]

Some general thoughts on generators.
The generator shown actually generates power very much the same way your power-company does. That is motor turns the shaft of a generator that uses a spinning magnetic field to generate AC.
Really purty safe for electronics. Honestly. I used a similar generator for many years running both electronics (Ham radios) and the house (power outages).
The only real draw back is noise, that Generac is not as noisy as the Generac I had, but they still make a LOT of noise, compared to the modern "Inverter-generator". Those are really quiet.
I could not recommend that you use the Generac for a demo, you would have to get the machine a fair distance away from the booth.
I have done demo's with a Honda EU2000i, which is an inverter style and is very quiet.
Part of why the above generator is not quiet (nor fuel efficient) is it generates the 60 cycle AC by motor RPM, so the engine has to run full-out, just like it is under full load, all the time.
While an inverter-generator doesn't have to, since the 60 cycle is "inverted" the inverter-generator can vary the speed according to the load. This allows this style generator to be very quiet.

As for a battery and inverter. If you have a strictly "mechanical" lathe (ie no electronics) just about any inverter would work. If you have electronics only a "Pure Sinewave" generator will do, do NOT try a "Modified SineWave" and you will certainly fry the electronics.

[Roger Chandler]

Some general thoughts on generators.
The generator shown actually generates power very much the same way your power-company does. That is motor turns the shaft of a generator that uses a spinning magnetic field to generate AC.
Really purty safe for electronics. Honestly. I used a similar generator for many years running both electronics (Ham radios) and the house (power outages).
The only real draw back is noise, that Generac is not as noisy as the Generac I had, but they still make a LOT of noise, compared to the modern "Inverter-generator". Those are really quiet.
I could not recommend that you use the Generac for a demo, you would have to get the machine a fair distance away from the booth.
I have done demo's with a Honda EU2000i, which is an inverter style and is very quiet.
Part of why the above generator is not quiet (nor fuel efficient) is it generates the 60 cycle AC by motor RPM, so the engine has to run full-out, just like it is under full load, all the time.
While an inverter-generator doesn't have to, since the 60 cycle is "inverted" the inverter-generator can vary the speed according to the load. This allows this style generator to be very quiet.

As for a battery and inverter. If you have a strictly "mechanical" lathe (ie no electronics) just about any inverter would work. If you have electronics only a "Pure Sinewave" generator will do, do NOT try a "Modified SineWave" and you will certainly fry the electronics.

Thank you for this information Ralph.........much appreciated!!!

[Jim Seyfried]

I was wondering if any turners here would know if running a lathe with an inverter would do fine with power from a generator? I know some are designated as suitable for sensitive electronics.........the one I have on order is a dual purpose Generac......it can be used for back up power for a home and a worksite as well.

While the listing says it will power computers etc, I did not know if an inverter is too sensitive for generator power.

Roger, trailer supply companies have good surge/voltage protection devices, but they can be expensive.

I also hope you will consider getting a transfer switch and hooking up the generator properly. It amazes me how many people that are willing to risk the lives/safety of neighbors, electricians and linemen just to save a few hundred dollars. Then there is the possibility of fines and lawsuits…a lot of risk for a few bucks. (think your signature)

[Mike Cruz]

Jim, I completely agree. I, however, didn't have room for a transfer switch and separate panel. That's why I went with an interlock switch. I think the switch costs about $150. Fits right into/over the first slot below your main switch on your panel. I found out about it here on the Creek years ago. It is perfect! And it does the job of a transfer switch (safety wise). AND it is to code!

[Roger Chandler]

Roger, trailer supply companies have good surge/voltage protection devices, but they can be expensive.

I also hope you will consider getting a transfer switch and hooking up the generator properly. It amazes me how many people that are willing to risk the lives/safety of neighbors, electricians and linemen just to save a few hundred dollars. Then there is the possibility of fines and lawsuits…a lot of risk for a few bucks. (think your signature)

Thanks Jim........absolutely, a transfer box and inlet hook up on the outside!!! It will be wired by a master electrician and completely up to code!!! I am one of these who is safety oriented and if you can't do it right.......then don't do it period!!!

No rigging one up for me.........anything that involves my family's safety will be absolutely up to code!