[The Hobbyist]

I bought a saw without checking. It is 3-phase and I do not have that in my shop. It is a good saw, but it is more than I will ever need. 16" blade. Cart NOT included. I have a forklift to load it into your truck or onto your trailer. Located in Franklin, KY. 42134. LOCAL delivery possible.

$200.00

 

[sreilly]

Are you aware that AC motor controller swill operate a 3 phase motor form a single phase 220 feed? I run my observatory roll off roof with such a device and it gives me frequency/speed control as well. Just saying, it may even help sell the saw. What's the required voltage and amp draw?

 

[The Hobbyist]

Are you aware that AC motor controller will operate a 3 phase motor form a single phase 220 feed? I run my observatory roll off roof with such a device and it gives me frequency/speed control as well. Just saying, it may even help sell the saw. What's the required voltage and amp draw?

I know nothing about 3-phase power. I will look into these wall mounted phase converters, to see about the cost vs the potential to actually USE the saw.I did see it run before we quickly disconnected it from the shop wall where it was in service for ??? years. It sounded strong and smooth. I just didn't notice that it was 3-phase. I was buying things from a company that was going out of business, so I stood in the middle of a HUGE warehouse and pointed ... "I'll take that mobile step ladder ... that drill press ... that steel stock ... those glass panels ... oh, and that saw!"

Joe

 

[harrysin]

I know nothing about 3-phase power. I will look into these wall mounted phase converters, to see about the cost vs the potential to actually USE the saw.I did see it run before we quickly disconnected it from the shop wall where it was in service for ??? years. It sounded strong and smooth. I just didn't notice that it was 3-phase. I was buying things from a company that was going out of business, so I stood in the middle of a HUGE warehouse and pointed ... "I'll take that mobile step ladder ... that drill press ... that steel stock ... those glass panels ... oh, and that saw!"

Joe

THAT is a radial arm saw, a thick sheet of MDF and a simple fence and you would be fixed up for life. Isn't three phase available in you street? A little over 20 years ago I had the opportunity to buy a 15" professional RAS at an auction and it sold for only $600.00 Ossie dollars. I didn't bid because I didn't have three phase but a couple of years later I had a 5hp THREE PHASE air conditioning system installed and HAD to have three phase installed!

 

[The Hobbyist]

THAT is a radial arm saw, a thick sheet of MDF and a simple fence and you would be fixed up for life. Isn't three phase available in you street? A little over 20 years ago I had the opportunity to buy a 15" professional RAS at an auction and it sold for only $600.00 Ossie dollars. I didn't bid because I didn't have three phase but a couple of years later I had a 5hp THREE PHASE air conditioning system installed and HAD to have three phase installed!

I live on a street with only three homes on it, out in the country of Kentucky. Have you seen "Deliverance?" Well, we are a small community just outside of the starting point of that journey! 😲 My home was the ONLY home on this street when it was built. The power company ran a series of skinny wooden poles across a 'YUGE farm to support ONE SKINNY STRAND of wire which brought power to this house. I swear, I could almost replace it with a two-mile extension cord from Home Depot. We are talking WIRE here, not CABLE.

So as time passed, the owner decided to scale down, and reduced the property lines, selling off the land around it to another family. Since then, a neighboring farm owner sectioned off three lots on my street for his family members, and thus far only ONE home was built on the smallest lot.

When we bought this house it had a pole barn and an OLD wooden tobacco barn, about 106 years old. No electricity was in either structure. I converted the pole barn to a metal shop, and tore down the old barn and 😖 threw ALL of that wood away in three 40-foot trash bins. I didn't KNOW what 100-year-old barn wood was worth, okay?! It still makes me sick to think about it today. I probably disposed of 1/4 MILLION dollars worth of wood.

I built another shop to replace the tobacco barn. My neighbors each built a workshop, as well. So the wire that was originally providing 200 Amp service to ONE home now gives us a total of 1,600 Amps of service. My home is 200 + 200 + 400 for my large shop, and my neighbors each have 200 for each home, and 200 for each shop.

When I built my larger shop, the power company came out and replaced my transformer with a bigger one, to provide 800 amps to my property. Then I asked the big guy about 3-phase power. He paused and looked at the stats for our street. His reply was, "If you plug in ONE MORE STRAND of Christmas lights, we're going to have to replace TWO MILES of wire! Rated service to your street is at the absolute maximum for the current service line!"

When I built the "FrankenBarn" I had to agree that I would NOT hire a dozen employees to come in and run several power hungry machines at once, in order to get the building permit. So, no. There is no 3-phase power anywhere near here. 😕

To make matters worse, the Electric Plant Board wired our entire town with FioS Internet service. They ran it out the highway toward my home, but stopped only 300 YARDS short of our street, because the demographics did not justify running it further. Our street is 1/3 mile long. I BEGGED them for the service. They told me it would cost ME $100,000.00 to run Fios the additional 1/2 mile to my home. "There aren't enough homes that far out to justify the expense of the extension..." 😭

Country life.

Joe

 

[harrysin]

I live on a street with only three homes on it, out in the country of Kentucky. Have you seen "Deliverance?" Well, we are a small community just outside of the starting point of that journey! 😲 My home was the ONLY home on this street when it was built. The power company ran a series of skinny wooden poles across a 'YUGE farm to support ONE SKINNY STRAND of wire which brought power to this house. I swear, I could almost replace it with a two-mile extension cord from Home Depot. We are talking WIRE here, not CABLE.

So as time passed, the owner decided to scale down, and reduced the property lines, selling off the land around it to another family. Since then, a neighboring farm owner sectioned off three lots on my street for his family members, and thus far only ONE home was built on the smallest lot.

When we bought this house it had a pole barn and an OLD wooden tobacco barn, about 106 years old. No electricity was in either structure. I converted the pole barn to a metal shop, and tore down the old barn and 😖 threw ALL of that wood away in three 40-foot trash bins. I didn't KNOW what 100-year-old barn wood was worth, okay?! It still makes me sick to think about it today. I probably disposed of 1/4 MILLION dollars worth of wood.

I built another shop to replace the tobacco barn. My neighbors each built a workshop, as well. So the wire that was originally providing 200 Amp service to ONE home now gives us a total of 1,600 Amps of service. My home is 200 + 200 + 400 for my large shop, and my neighbors each have 200 for each home, and 200 for each shop.

When I built my larger shop, the power company came out and replaced my transformer with a bigger one, to provide 800 amps to my property. Then I asked the big guy about 3-phase power. He paused and looked at the stats for our street. His reply was, "If you plug in ONE MORE STRAND of Christmas lights, we're going to have to replace TWO MILES of wire! Rated service to your street is at the absolute maximum for the current service line!"

When I built the "FrankenBarn" I had to agree that I would NOT hire a dozen employees to come in and run several power hungry machines at once, in order to get the building permit. So, no. There is no 3-phase power anywhere near here. 😕

To make matters worse, the Electric Plant Board wired our entire town with FioS Internet service. They ran it out the highway toward my home, but stopped only 300 YARDS short of our street, because the demographics did not justify running it further. Our street is 1/3 mile long. I BEGGED them for the service. They told me it would cost ME $100,000.00 to run Fios the additional 1/2 mile to my home. "There aren't enough homes that far out to justify the expense of the extension..." 😭

Country life.

Joe

This may solve your problem Joe.

1. How to Convert Single Phase to 3 Phase Power | Sciencing

 

[The Hobbyist]

Hmmm... they lost me in the math. 😕 I have heard that 3-phase power uses less electricity to power a motor, and thus the electric bill for a 3-phase motor running a saw would be less than the same amount of saw use powered by a single phase motor. Is that correct?

I like this saw! I will look into phase converters and see if the cost makes sense. I know that the power line to these three homes is nothing less than "teensy-weensy" but I also know that all three neighbors are NEVER using maximum power to the homes or shops at the same time.

I need to find an electrical genius. Can a phase converter be used with a generator? If a Honda generator is putting out single phase 240vac, can it be run through a phase converter to create 3-phase power? In other words ... can I power my home on a 9-volt battery, if I connect enough step-up transformers? 🤣

Joe

 

[harrysin]

Hmmm... they lost me in the math. 😕 I have heard that 3-phase power uses less electricity to power a motor, and thus the electric bill for a 3-phase motor running a saw would be less than the same amount of saw use powered by a single phase motor. Is that correct?

I like this saw! I will look into phase converters and see if the cost makes sense. I know that the power line to these three homes is nothing less than "teensy-weensy" but I also know that all three neighbors are NEVER using maximum power to the homes or shops at the same time.

I need to find an electrical genius. Can a phase converter be used with a generator? If a Honda generator is putting out single phase 240vac, can it be run through a phase converter to create 3-phase power? In other words ... can I power my home on a 9-volt battery, if I connect enough step-up transformers? 🤣

Joe

Not knowing the answer to your question, I did a Google search and came up with the following answer. You're right, three phase takes less power.

A rotary phase convertor (RPC) can be directly connected to a single-phase generator to produce three-phase power supply. It requires a simple configuration comprising two input connections, known as idler inputs from a single-phase generator. A voltage is produced on the third terminal that is not connected to the single-phase power.
Generator Phase Conversions: Electrical Conversion, Single .
www.generatorsource.com/Generator_Phase_Conversions.aspx

As for the 9 volt battery, I'm sure that was said tongue-in-cheek Joe! I just had a Google search and rotary phase converters appear to be expensive.

 

[The Hobbyist]

Not knowing the answer to your question, I did a Google search and came up with the following answer. You're right, three phase takes less power.

A rotary phase convertor (RPC) can be directly connected to a single-phase generator to produce three-phase power supply. It requires a simple configuration comprising two input connections, known as idler inputs from a single-phase generator. A voltage is produced on the third terminal that is not connected to the single-phase power.
Generator Phase Conversions: Electrical Conversion, Single .
www.generatorsource.com/Generator_Phase_Conversions.aspx

As for the 9 volt battery, I'm sure that was said tongue-in-cheek Joe! I just had a Google search and rotary phase converters appear to be expensive.

My neighbor is an electrician. We chatted today. he told me to get the specs on the motor if I can, and seek a single phase replacement motor for it instead of going the phases converter route. I love this saw, if only for it's 16" blade capacity. I can see where that would come in handy!

Then again, how many BARNS am I going to build in my lifetime? A chainsaw can do any cut that this can do. I would sell it if I could find a buyer.

Joe

 

[harrysin]

My neighbor is an electrician. We chatted today. he told me to get the specs on the motor if I can, and seek a single phase replacement motor for it instead of going the phases converter route. I love this saw, if only for it's 16" blade capacity. I can see where that would come in handy!

Then again, how many BARNS am I going to build in my lifetime? A chainsaw can do any cut that this can do. I would sell it if I could find a buyer.

Joe

An important thing with a professional RAD is the accuracy, you could swing on the arm and it wouldn't budge. On the face of it the change of motor is the obvious way to go, but finding a suitable motor and making it fit wouldn't be an easy task.
"A chainsaw can do any cut that this can do" You obviously haven't used a RAS Joe! It now appears that you have lost interest in the saw, so assuming that it's in good condition, you're bound to make money selling it.
Anyway, it's made for a nice discussion.

 

[The Hobbyist]

An important thing with a professional RAD is the accuracy, you could swing on the arm and it wouldn't budge. On the face of it the change of motor is the obvious way to go, but finding a suitable motor and making it fit wouldn't be an easy task.
"A chainsaw can do any cut that this can do" You obviously haven't used a RAS Joe! It now appears that you have lost interest in the saw, so assuming that it's in good condition, you're bound to make money selling it.
Anyway, it's made for a nice discussion.

I haven't lost interest. It just isn't that important to have it up and running right now. however, things change quickly for me, so who knows! In six months, I may be building backyard playsets for kids!

Actually, there are so many things I want to do, and life is passing me by. Just when you get to the point where you have the knowledge and the money, the BODY begins to give out.

One of my dream projects is to build a 'YUGE wind powered metal art piece. I know how to do it. I just cannot seem to kickstart the project. Here are some examples of the type of things I would LOVE to build, in a perfect world... He designs and builds them, and they sell for anywhere from $50K to $250 K each. 😁

Joe

 

[harrysin]

I haven't lost interest. It just isn't that important to have it up and running right now. however, things change quickly for me, so who knows! In six months, I may be building backyard playsets for kids!

Actually, there are so many things I want to do, and life is passing me by. Just when you get to the point where you have the knowledge and the money, the BODY begins to give out.

One of my dream projects is to build a 'YUGE wind powered metal art piece. I know how to do it. I just cannot seem to kickstart the project. Here are some examples of the type of things I would LOVE to build, in a perfect world... He designs and builds them, and they sell for anywhere from $50K to $250 K each. 😁

Joe

"Just when you get to the point where you have the knowledge and the money, the BODY begins to give out".

I can vouch for that Joe. As for the metalwork, you have to be born with such imagination, the actual metalwork can be taught but not the imagination to produce such wonderful works of art. Like all the famous artists past and present, they were no doubt taught techniques but the actual painting ability were inherent in their makeup.

 

[The Hobbyist]

"Just when you get to the point where you have the knowledge and the money, the BODY begins to give out".

I can vouch for that Joe. As for the metalwork, you have to be born with such imagination, the actual metalwork can be taught but not the imagination to produce such wonderful works of art.

I was able to contact this artist, Mr. Howe. We had a nice conversation! I told him that I do not want to compete with him (AS IF I could!) but I was curious about how he did the bearings for his art pieces. We talked a while about the design process, and how he got into it, etc. However, he would NOT reveal to me how he sets up bearings on these creations. He said, "That is a secret I do not share." I am unable to ascertain how from the videos. He is careful to only allow close up camera shots that do not reveal his methods.

So I got to thinking. It is always dangerous when I get to thinking! I believe I discovered his secret, but I have to build a test wind spinner, and then live another 25 years to be sure. 🤣

The thing is, his early art pieces are about 30 years old now, and those bearings STILL rotate freely, out in all weather, with ZERO maintenance. No oil or grease. Even "sealed" bearings have a life span, right? I have to imagine that exposed bearings would clot up with dust, insects, and bird droppings over time. Yet his method seems to avoid all of the pitfalls of outdoor exposure.

In 2015, I went to the FabTech show in Chicago. That is a DISNEYLAND for guys like us! Every one of you should go to this show at least once in your lifetime. Plan to spend three FULL days there, and you might take in 50% of it!

I showed the videos of Howe's work to several bearing manufacturers. We all pondered HOW he did it, but even they could not give me a straight answer. A large metal object, rotating on a curved round steel bar, held in place AND remaining perpendicular to the curved bar regardless of the position on the bar, with no apparent width, no set screws, nothing. The ONLY thing I can think of, is that he slips a Metric bearing race over a curved IMPERIAL diameter rod, using the slight diameter difference to allow THREE contact points to the bar (two inside the curve and one outside) and carefully TIG welds the inner race into place at those two points . Okay, that WOULD work but then, how does the bearing last seemingly indefinitely, without lubrication?

Joe

 

[harrysin]

I was able to contact this artist, Mr. Howe. We had a nice conversation! I told him that I do not want to compete with him (AS IF I could!) but I was curious about how he did the bearings for his art pieces. We talked a while about the design process, and how he got into it, etc. However, he would NOT reveal to me how he sets up bearings on these creations. He said, "That is a secret I do not share." I am unable to ascertain how from the videos. He is careful to only allow close up camera shots that do not reveal his methods.

So I got to thinking. It is always dangerous when I get to thinking! I believe I discovered his secret, but I have to build a test wind spinner, and then live another 25 years to be sure. 🤣

The thing is, his early art pieces are about 30 years old now, and those bearings STILL rotate freely, out in all weather, with ZERO maintenance. No oil or grease. Even "sealed" bearings have a life span, right? I have to imagine that exposed bearings would clot up with dust, insects, and bird droppings over time. Yet his method seems to avoid all of the pitfalls of outdoor exposure.

In 2015, I went to the FabTech show in Chicago. That is a DISNEYLAND for guys like us! Every one of you should go to this show at least once in your lifetime. Plan to spend three FULL days there, and you might take in 50% of it!

I showed the videos of Howe's work to several bearing manufacturers. We all pondered HOW he did it, but even they could not give me a straight answer. A large metal object, rotating on a curved round steel bar, held in place AND remaining perpendicular to the curved bar regardless of the position on the bar, with no apparent width, no set screws, nothing. The ONLY thing I can think of, is that he slips a Metric bearing race over a curved IMPERIAL diameter rod, using the slight diameter difference to allow THREE contact points to the bar (two inside the curve and one outside) and carefully TIG welds the inner race into place at those two points . Okay, that WOULD work but then, how does the bearing last seemingly indefinitely, without lubrication?

Joe

There really are a few people who have the ability to think outside the box.