CNC Mill

[NY Tom]

What Tom said. A friend of mine has one on his Bridgeport. You end up with 2/3 the HP of the motor rating if I remember correctly.

I have one set up like this in my garage. Father has Bridgeport, Surface grinder and lathe all set up this way. I don't think he spent more than $100 each on his VFD.

We use them all the time at work too but for different reasons. With a VFD you get no derating. The old rotary phase converters had to be derated. VFD gives a perfect 3 phase thanks to the magic of electronics.

 

[Tow4]

I have one set up like this in my garage. Father has Bridgeport, Surface grinder and lathe all set up this way. I don't think he spent more than $100 each on his VFD.

We use them all the time at work too but for different reasons. With a VFD you get no derating. The old rotary phase converters had to be derated. VFD gives a perfect 3 phase thanks to the magic of electronics.

The derating comes from the supply circuit capabilities. You lose at least a third of the amp capacity on single phase. If the supply circuit has a high enough amp capacity or you have a small motor, it probably doesn't matter.

 

[NY Tom]

Should be 10 to 12 amps max. Plus the VFD gives it a soft start. Typically a 240 single phase circuit is not rated for less than 20A.