Power 220v Lathe with a Buck Boost Transformer

[Todd Cohen]

Hello
For a number of reasons getting 220v to where I need it for a lathe is going to be difficult. Has anyone used a Buck Boost Transformer to power a 220v lathe from a 110v plug? Any pro/cons?

Thanks

 

[Clifton C]

Had to look it up, but according to the second paragraph at this link,

About Buck Boost Transformers

This article presents a basic summary of buck-boost transformers, including what they are, their applications, key specifications, and the selection process.

www.thomasnet.com

110 to 220 is too big a jump...

 

[Roger Wiegand]

How big is the motor on your lathe? You can certainly use a transformer (though not what is sold as a buck/boost) but if you have a 2+ hp motor your 120V circuit may too small to support it anyway unless it is a dedicated 20A circuit. If it is the latter you can just swap the breaker to turn it into a dedicated 240V line. With a reasonable guess on power factor and efficiency a 2 hp motor draws just over 15 A at 120V, so probably shouldn't share a 20A line with anything else. Given the several hundred dollar cost of that size transformer it is probably reasonable to go to at least a little difficulty to pull a new circuit.

Check the motor plate on your lathe, many motors are dual voltage and can be rewired to run on either 120/240V. The primary advantage of 240 is that you can use smaller gauge wire to feed the circuit.

 

[Mike Johnson]

You might research a rotophase type apparatus which are usually used to create 3-phase power from single phase power.
One of these companies may make a 120V to 220V version.

A long S/O cord with a 220V cord end and a 220V breaker on the other end would be my quickest solution to powering a lathe.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

If you haven't already acquired the lathe, there are many good choices that operate on 120 V.

 

[Todd Cohen]

Thanks all.