On Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:34:41 -0800 (PST), oldjag
wrote:

I brought home a Clausing 1301 lathe not long ago as a new addtion to
the home shop. It has a Doer 5hp 2 speed 208V 3ph motor. It runs
fine off the the 15hp phase converter I have for the larger lathe and
mill, but where I want to put it in the shop I don't have any 3 phase
wiring installed. There is a 220V 1phase outlet in place but I can't
find any 5hp 1 phase to 3 phase VFD's for less than ~800 bucks.

Almost all VFDs in this size range will operate on single phase,
regardless of whether or not they're rated for single phase input,
though it's considered wise to derate the drive when doing so. If it
were my lathe, I'd be comfortable with a 7.5HP drive.

For example...
http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=140193665999
I have no idea whether that specific drive is suitable. The most
obvious bit of missing info is whether it's a 230 or 460 volt unit.
Most mfrs have manuals and full specs online.

Since I'm not going full load a static converter would be fine -but
apparently they won't work on two speed motors. Anyone try this with
success?

I've tried it *without* success. One of my lathes has a 2-speed motor,
and it was not happy with a static converter.

I'm also worried about using a VFD with a non VFD rated
motor, since this motor is a special mount ie. v exp to replace.

Unless it's a very old motor, I wouldn't be concerned.

--
Ned Simmons