Powering a 1HP BLDC Lathe in a Van

I see that you don’t want to buy a diesel if you live in California. I will probably end up with a Ram Promaster, and it comes with a 220A alternator.

So 220A X 12V = 2640W assuming 100% effiency. At 110V, we get 24A. That looks like it might not be enough.
 
JimDawson said:
If you insist on running the van engine to power the lathe then I would install a second high output alternator and dedicate it to the tool power. Many emergency vehicles have dual alternator setups. If buying a new full size van, a dual alternator system may be a standard(ish) option. Aftermarket high output alternators are very available, and most likely full installation kits for dual setups for about any vehicle.

Having said that, a 2000W or 3000W Honda generator is very quiet and would easily run your lathe. Pure sine wave output also, and they have pretty good surge capacity. But if you go that route make sure you buy genuine Honda from a Honda dealer.

7 amps at 120V is 840W, so realistically a 2000W inverter would be fine, the start load is not going to be 3x on a BLDC motor. And good inverters have some surge capacity, but as said above, get one with a pure sine wave output. There is a lot of cheap junk out there.

Above all plan for expansion. First is the lathe and the next thing you know you will need a mill, then a band saw, and ........ and........ and........ I think you're going to need a bigger van. :grin:
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The lathe is definitely enough for me. My welders & milling machine only get used when I force myself to get off of the lathe.

I don’t know how somebody would put a gas generator in a van. It seems like it would cause an air quality problem with the exhaust. I am stipulating that everything has to be inside the van. I feel like a generator mounted on the back could attract unwanted attention.
 
Another issue that I did not mention is that I am getting a larger lathe and the 10X30 in my garage has to go to make room for it. So if I can get this going, I will be killing two birds with one stone.
 
erikmannie said:
The lathe is definitely enough for me. My welders & milling machine only get used when I force myself to get off of the lathe.

I don’t know how somebody would put a gas generator in a van. It seems like it would cause an air quality problem with the exhaust. I am stipulating that everything has to be inside the van. I feel like a generator mounted on the back could attract unwanted attention.
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Good point, but you don't see (or hear) the generators in truck campers and motorhomes. They are in a box and vented to the outside.
 
I like the idea of putting a generator in a box and venting the exhaust outside if I can keep ALL of the carbon monoxide away from me.

It would be a benefit if I could have the electrical system for the lathe completely independent and separate from that of the vehicle.
 
You cannot put a generator IN the van. The air quality issue would be carbon monoxide, then death. I suppose you could pipe the exhaust outside the van like a boat.
 
I'd look at some simple camper van conversions, a simple camper parked with a generator running is a lot less likely to draw unwanted attention that a plain white windowless van (what my son and his friends call a "free candy van" ) idling for extended periods.

A van idling for hours with odd noises coming out of it seems like a like a good way to get a knock on the window from every passing police officer.
A generator will be far cheaper to run as well, they make some pretty low key campers.
 
I looked on YouTube, and it looks like most people put their generators about 15 feet outside the van and run a cord into the van. The generators sounded noisy on the YouTube videos.

I saw one where they mounted the generator inside the van and routed the exhaust down into the floor, but I wouldn’t trust that to be 100.000% leak proof.
 
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