Powering a 1HP BLDC Lathe in a Van

[erikmannie]

links were filtered out

I have never figured out how to post a link on the forum using my phone. How about this for now?

 

[Aaron_W]

I posted the idea of running a Sherline off of a vehicle in the Sherline group I'm in. Only a few responses so far but one suggested a battery pack similar to that posted above.

Inergy Apex


Another brought up cordless tools, apparently Dewalt Flexvolt batteries can be set up to provide 120v. Supposedly a pair of them can provide about 1-1/2 hours at 120v.

Dewalt Flexvolt

 

[matthewsx]

Yes, I do see your problem. Regulations meant to control a nuisance become a nuisance to the very citizens they are meant to protect.
Buying a van that you don't otherwise have need for just seems like an extreme solution to the problem especially when it will be pretty much unused for 10 months out of the year.

The cost of the van would make a really nice down payment on a house in the area.

1115 Long St

All brick cape cod featuring 3 bedrooms and a full, remodeled bath! Large living room, kitchen with appliances remaining, unfinished basement with laundry and storage. Upstairs you will find an open space with hardwood floors and huge walk-in closet! Replacement windows, some newer flooring and...

www.realtor.com

Any thought it might make sense to become a landlord there? Just thinking out of the box here, if you expect to be there for a few months every year for the next several years it might be a good investment.

John

 

[erikmannie]

Yes, I do see your problem. Regulations meant to control a nuisance become a nuisance to the very citizens they are meant to protect.
Buying a van that you don't otherwise have need for just seems like an extreme solution to the problem especially when it will be pretty much unused for 10 months out of the year.

The cost of the van would make a really nice down payment on a house in the area.

1115 Long St

All brick cape cod featuring 3 bedrooms and a full, remodeled bath! Large living room, kitchen with appliances remaining, unfinished basement with laundry and storage. Upstairs you will find an open space with hardwood floors and huge walk-in closet! Replacement windows, some newer flooring and...

www.realtor.com

Any thought it might make sense to become a landlord there? Just thinking out of the box here, if you expect to be there for a few months every year for the next several years it might be a good investment.

John

I have thought about buying property there. The property in adjacent towns is even cheaper. I wouldn’t leave any tools there for 10 months without keeping an eye on them. I would consider buying bare land and putting up a small metal building. I would not, however, want to create a situation where I am dealing with tenants.

I will be using this van the other 10 months out of the year. I don’t even have a car now.

My garage is bursting at the seams. I have some metrology equipment that doesn’t fit in the tool chests, and there is no room for more tool chests in the garage.

 

[erikmannie]

I will take stock of the best case scenario where I’m at so far.:

(1) shelf the 16X60 lathe idea & keep the 10X30 as my big lathe,
(2) buy a used Ram Promaster high roof with windows. 1/2, 3/4 or 1 ton & length depends on what I can get cheap,
(3) expect to address cosmetics on the van which may be body repair and white paint job,
(4) buy a Sherline lathe,
(5) determine what sized portable power generator I need, and buy one just a little bigger than that,
(6) install custom work tables and tool boxes,
(7) keep working that overtime and try not to get coronavirus.

 

[erikmannie]

So I slept on this and I decided that I am going to do it. Hopefully, the “portable sine wave battery powered generators” above will power a 1 HP PM-1030V because for all of the money & effort put into this mobile lathe rig, I want to make sure that it contains a lathe that I really like. No milling machine will fit.

I am going down today to commit to a 159” wheelbase 1 ton high roof RAM Promaster, new and blue (to match the lathe) with a 134” wheelbase. This is the shortest version of this van. It only needs to contain the one machine tool with associated tooling, 1 or 2 of the aforementioned portable power boxes, and one operator.

The van has no passenger seat. I ordered doors on both sides and windows all around. It takes 3 months to configure the van.

I got the additional side door on the driver’s side because I anticipate a lot of steel chips. I can’t blow chips out on to the ground so I will need access to get behind there & sweep.

Is there anything that I am failing to consider, particularly with regard to safety or power?

The vehicle has a 220A alternator & I will get an inverter which can either charge the power boxes or the lathe. I don’t plan to idle the vehicle while the lathe is going, and I don’t plan on solar panels.

 

[matthewsx]

For the cost I would be inclined to build my own battery bank, also convert the lathe to DC to avoid inverter loss but I understand your desire to keep it simple. I would also definitely go with solar since that could minimize moving batteries around.

Is there an advantage to not having a passenger seat? It would seem like you might want to have someone ride along at some point, unless the space is absolutely needed for tools I would include one.

Also, did you get a security cage? Even if it wasn't needed for security you will want it there for your own safety while driving. A 10x30 lathe is quite a big chunk of iron that you don't want landing in your lap.

Cheers,

john

 

[erikmannie]

For the cost I would be inclined to build my own battery bank, also convert the lathe to DC to avoid inverter loss but I understand your desire to keep it simple. I would also definitely go with solar since that could minimize moving batteries around.

Is there an advantage to not having a passenger seat? It would seem like you might want to have someone ride along at some point, unless the space is absolutely needed for tools I would include one.

Also, did you get a security cage? Even if it wasn't needed for security you will want it there for your own safety while driving. A 10x30 lathe is quite a big chunk of iron that you don't want landing in your lap.

Cheers,

john

Lathes are dangerous enough without having one in your van when you have a high speed accident.

Regarding the “shop” power supply, I do want to keep it simple and “modular”. I don’t know if I am using that term correctly, but by “modular” I mean to say that I can remove and replace the battery pack, either to take it in the house (or motel) with me, or substitute in a different solution.

I deleted the passenger seat because I am desperate for space! The parking in front of our house seems to call for a regular sized vehicle (California is crowded!). We have 8 people in our house. This van will be the sixth vehicle, and one of the kids just turned 16 with another teenager right behind him. Imagine how much our neighbors will hate us when we have 8 vehicles.

The only place I can think to place the lathe (which is one of the most important decisions) is just inside the passenger’s side sliding door. This allows access to the rear of the headstock (for electrical repairs), and allows me access to the back of the machine to clean up the cutting fluid & chips. Having no passenger’s seat allows access to the change gears, and leaves space open for a long workpiece passing through the spindle.

The portable battery (or two) will probably live where a passenger would have sat.

In short, the entire passenger’s side is devoted to the lathe and battery (or two). I am not sure if I will be able to walk from the driver’s seat to the rear—I might have to go around via the outside of the vehicle. My lathe footprint is 55” long X 34” deep. The van is 136” wheelbase. I will have no cargo partition.

 

[erikmannie]

I can see that this will be really cramped. It looks like the entire space between where a cargo partition would go all the way back to where the wheel wells start needs to be allocated to only a lathe and operator.

The lathe, on it’s chip tray, can hang over the passenger’s wheel well 6”, so that may allow the operator to walk from the cab to the work area.

The driver’s side wheel well will be swallowed up into a custom steel tool cabinet which is as high as the ceiling.

The only way that I can see to fit a work table (and chair!) in there is to put it all the way to the rear which would block the rear doors.

That would be super funny if a thief busted open the passenger’s slider & found themselves blocked by a lathe, only to then smash in the rear doors and find themselves blocked by a table.

 

[DavidR8]

One thing you will want to engineer well is how the lathe is secured to the floor. Assuming it's on the passenger side, a emergency manoeuvre such as a sudden lane change is really going to stress its mountings.
Best case it leans against the passenger side wall, worst case it comes loose and tips over to the drivers side.