I live off-grid. To connect to the grid would be in excess of $15k for materials alone. My wife and I like being untied from the grid. We have solar, batteries, generators and hopefully soon...wind power. I am currently building a house and some outbuildings before building a permanent work structure in a couple years. Once our house and more important living and working structures are built, I want to build our workshop(s)...metal, wood and mechanical/fabricating shops. Currently, I work in a couple pole barns or in the open air. While I am grateful to have a roof to work under, they are small, low overhead, relatively open, not insulated and not heated.
I operate one of several generators depending on the equipment or tool's power requirement. I operate generators as small as 1800 watt single phase 110V inverter up to a 6.5kW 1 & 3 phase diesel generator. If I stay with powering the workshop with a generator and supply electricity to the individual pieces of equipment, I would prefer to keep generator size smaller to help keep fuel requirements as low as possible. My current main generator is a MEP-802A that can supply 1 & 3 phase power @ 110V, 220V & 208Vand is "rated" for 5kw but is well known to supply over 6.5kw and suggested it would be forgiving at 13kw spikes (I do not care to try this).
I do not believe more than one piece of large equipment will be operated at any one time. The largest motor I currently have on a piece of equipment is a 3 phase 3 HP. One on a wood thickness planer and one on a Johansson radial drill press which, until I can replace it I will use it for light milling. I may add more powerful machinery in the future but highly unlikely. I obtain older and cheaper retired industrial equipment for my own use. Many times, the motors do not work, need rebuilding or are out of the electrical power range that I can supply. Some machinery is 440 3 phase.
To move away from the electricity shortcomings, I may go the way of the old. Locally, there are Amish I know who have shops with line shafts to power their equipment which allows for a single power plant. A diesel engine, in their cases. I am not looking to create a nostalgic shop for others to appreciate. I am looking to make a shop for me to use to make items for myself and my family. I don't care what it looks like, but want to make sure it is functional, reliable and reasonably safe (I have no children or grandchildren to be concerned with romping through). The shop is to have two sections for machinery. One for wood and one for metal. Both will be on the same level (ground) and most likely, back to back with a single 3 phase copper main or a line shaft for each shop. We get frigid temperatures here so if I want only to heat one shop I can without concern for having belt openings for each tool penetrating the joining wall.
Starting current is what concerns me if I continue to operate with electricity as a power source for the tools. I may be unrealistic, if I were to go with electric lines, I do have a 3 phase 7.5 HP 1725 rpm motor I can spin up with a flywheel to use as a electric power buffer to start larger motors that my generator would not safely handle on its own. If I were to decide on line shafts for the work shops, I can go two ways. 1) Operate a diesel engine to turn the main line shaft then connect a generator head to the main line shaft to operate the lighting and smaller hand power tooling. 2) Operate a generator for all electrical power needs and turn the main line shaft with electric motor(s). I have (3) 2HP 3 phase 840 RPM motors to turn each on as needed or a single 7.5 HP 3 phase 1725 rpm motor to turn a main line shaft which secondary shafts (one for each shop) for the larger mechanical machinery.
I hope this makes sense as I am trying to get this post to you all while I am between tasks at home. If I can get your help and experience, maybe I can make a more efficient and productive shop than I could on my own.
Does anyone have experience with line shafts? If so, how are they powered? What do you like? What do you dislike? What would you change?
Does anyone operate with generators? Redundant, but if so, how are they powered? What do you like? What do you dislike? What would you change?
Space for me isn't an issue as I have plenty of land to build any size building that I require. Even so, though, being smaller will help with heating, but being too compact is troublesome for having elbow room to move materials. I do have electric pallet jacks to be able to maneuver and have I-beams to build gantries to move heavy items.
I operate one of several generators depending on the equipment or tool's power requirement. I operate generators as small as 1800 watt single phase 110V inverter up to a 6.5kW 1 & 3 phase diesel generator. If I stay with powering the workshop with a generator and supply electricity to the individual pieces of equipment, I would prefer to keep generator size smaller to help keep fuel requirements as low as possible. My current main generator is a MEP-802A that can supply 1 & 3 phase power @ 110V, 220V & 208Vand is "rated" for 5kw but is well known to supply over 6.5kw and suggested it would be forgiving at 13kw spikes (I do not care to try this).
I do not believe more than one piece of large equipment will be operated at any one time. The largest motor I currently have on a piece of equipment is a 3 phase 3 HP. One on a wood thickness planer and one on a Johansson radial drill press which, until I can replace it I will use it for light milling. I may add more powerful machinery in the future but highly unlikely. I obtain older and cheaper retired industrial equipment for my own use. Many times, the motors do not work, need rebuilding or are out of the electrical power range that I can supply. Some machinery is 440 3 phase.
To move away from the electricity shortcomings, I may go the way of the old. Locally, there are Amish I know who have shops with line shafts to power their equipment which allows for a single power plant. A diesel engine, in their cases. I am not looking to create a nostalgic shop for others to appreciate. I am looking to make a shop for me to use to make items for myself and my family. I don't care what it looks like, but want to make sure it is functional, reliable and reasonably safe (I have no children or grandchildren to be concerned with romping through). The shop is to have two sections for machinery. One for wood and one for metal. Both will be on the same level (ground) and most likely, back to back with a single 3 phase copper main or a line shaft for each shop. We get frigid temperatures here so if I want only to heat one shop I can without concern for having belt openings for each tool penetrating the joining wall.
Starting current is what concerns me if I continue to operate with electricity as a power source for the tools. I may be unrealistic, if I were to go with electric lines, I do have a 3 phase 7.5 HP 1725 rpm motor I can spin up with a flywheel to use as a electric power buffer to start larger motors that my generator would not safely handle on its own. If I were to decide on line shafts for the work shops, I can go two ways. 1) Operate a diesel engine to turn the main line shaft then connect a generator head to the main line shaft to operate the lighting and smaller hand power tooling. 2) Operate a generator for all electrical power needs and turn the main line shaft with electric motor(s). I have (3) 2HP 3 phase 840 RPM motors to turn each on as needed or a single 7.5 HP 3 phase 1725 rpm motor to turn a main line shaft which secondary shafts (one for each shop) for the larger mechanical machinery.
I hope this makes sense as I am trying to get this post to you all while I am between tasks at home. If I can get your help and experience, maybe I can make a more efficient and productive shop than I could on my own.
Does anyone have experience with line shafts? If so, how are they powered? What do you like? What do you dislike? What would you change?
Does anyone operate with generators? Redundant, but if so, how are they powered? What do you like? What do you dislike? What would you change?
Space for me isn't an issue as I have plenty of land to build any size building that I require. Even so, though, being smaller will help with heating, but being too compact is troublesome for having elbow room to move materials. I do have electric pallet jacks to be able to maneuver and have I-beams to build gantries to move heavy items.