What would you get?

N

north1

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Some background info:

Current shop service is maxed out so only have 120 volt/20 amp outlets available. In order to get more 220 outlets I would need to have 300 yards of new cable trenched in and a 200 amp service installed. Not on my agenda due to cost. Only 220 outlet is dedicated in an area far away from where I would place a mill and/or lathe and is in the welder/grinder area of my shop.

Even though most people feel a lathe should be the first machine tool purchase the projects I have slated are primarily geared for a milling machine. One example is a square coupler, 1” hole bored through it, with a 1/4” key way and 2 threaded holes for set screws. It connects a hydraulic motor to a shaft that turns a canvas roller on a swather(farm equipment).

Looking a mills I have narrowed it down to the PM 727V and the PM 728VT. I will be primarily working with steel and only occasionally aluminum. Torn between the better fit and finish of 728 Taiwan machine or more heft/powerful gear head Chinese 727.

When finances allow for lathe purchase looking at PM 1228VF-LB. Would love to hear any feedback on choices or other alternatives.
 
Which mill to get I’ll leave to someone else.

As for power it’s interesting you say you’re maxed out yet still have 120v outlets. If you have a sub panel running from your mains you will only have so many amps regardless of which plugs are installed. What matters is how many amps the breaker at the mains is built for.

Since most of us can only run one machine at a time it should be totally possible to run another 240v outlet across the room without increasing the amp draw.

Maybe I’m not understanding the your situation but running machines off 240 v.

John
 
If you have enough amps in your service to run the new machine on 120 on the current service, you can do it on 240 from inside, without a bigger service..

If you're out of breakers, it might be a project (or might not be bad at all...) reconfigure how some or all of the outlets are fed, there are multiple ways (depending on what you have) to get 120/240 out to various places. It depends a lot on what you have already, but I'm willing to bet that you do have options within the current box.

Another option is putting in a new panel. Either a larger one where you have yours (you can't go SMALLER than your service, but you can always go bigger). Or a sub panel.

Some of these options are pretty simple. Others go WAY beyond the 101 class and might warrant an electrician. Either way, it's still far more approachable than burying a new service and living with the different rates that you (probably but not necessarily) will incur from the larger service.

What is the specific road block (or road blocks) that you're up against?
 
What is the amp rating of your current panel? It sounds like you only need more breaker spaces not new mains. This can easily be achieved by adding a sub-panel.
 
Current panel is 100 amp. 220 outlet is shared with vertical 80 gallon air compressor. Had master electrician review current setup. He and his company retrofitted the same building over 30 years ago. He stated I am absolutely at the max for amp draw. Lines (conductors) feeding current panel are too small to feed a larger service entrance. The feed is unground as power pole is over 300 yards away. In other words not overhead feed close to building which would make things easier and more economical.
 
north1 said:
Lines (conductors) feeding current panel are too small to feed a larger service entrance.
Click to expand...

That is not correct. Are you USING 100 amps at a time? That will always be a limit, but typically a house has breakers totaling two to ten times the service amps. Most of them draw nothing for most of the time. But if (and I doubt it, but if) you are testing the limits of the service already, in that case, 220 is the only way to go, be it a bigger panel, or a sub panel, because like for like, horsepower for horsepower, the same motor will draw twice as many amps at 120 as it does at 240. The ENERGY stays the same, thus the power bill stays the same (close enough to it for this purpose anyhow), but the amps- The limiting factor- that is reduced by half for every motor that gets off of the neutral wire.

Where is the box? Is it available for photos? Are the wires accessible at the box end, or is the box and/or the cables buried in a wall?
 
north1 said:
Current panel is 100 amp. 220 outlet is shared with vertical 80 gallon air compressor. Had master electrician review current setup. He and his company retrofitted the same building over 30 years ago. He stated I am absolutely at the max for amp draw. Lines (conductors) feeding current panel are too small to feed a larger service entrance. The feed is unground as power pole is over 300 yards away. In other words not overhead feed close to building which would make things easier and more economical.
Click to expand...
100 amps is more than enough for a home shop. I ran my entire house in Michigan; shop & hot tub included on a 60 amp service. We only had to upgrade when we put in AC.

Get another electrician.

John
 
This is a 36x60 farm shop with some electric heat, propane furnace, three banks of fluorescent lighting, air compressor, electric/ hydraulic overhead door, drill press, electric hydraulic 50 ton shop press, 50 amp welder outlet, larger and small grinders, outside 20 amp outlets for plugging in tractors and semis in the winter, outside lighting in front of shop, refrigerator and a host of other electrical draws I can think more about. Oh yeah another one is the water for the shop is well water so there is a well pump.
Last winter my propane furnace went out and the same electrical contractor brought over an electric furnace to keep my water from freezing and had to unhook one bank of elements in the furnace because it tripped the 100 amp main. That’s when I had him go through things and figure out amp draw and he said you are maxed out.
 
I say just bite the bullet and upgrade the electrical service. You are trying to avoid the cost which I get but that's costing you more in the long run by limiting your machine choices. You know what's way more expensive, buy too little mill, then later sell it at a loss plus buy the new larger mill plus upgrade the electrical.
 
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