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View Full Version : Portable Carvewright - Generator + UPC



karossii
04-21-2015, 08:27 PM
So I am thinking of doing what some others have already done, and making a portable shop in a trailer or box van/truck. I'm about to move (yet again) and likely won't have a full time shop at the new place. And this way, if I do maintain my more or less nomadic existence of moving every 1-3 years, I don't have to worry about shop space each time I move. And if I don't, and I do find a place to settle into long term, I still have a portable shop. Win/win!

If my investigations into the CW's requirements, and my memory of calculating wattage are accurate, I'm seeing that the CarveWright needs at least 880 watts (110V @ 8 Amps).

So a 1kW UPC, with a generator of 1kW+ should be adequate to smoothly run the carvewright itself, yes?

For now, assuming I use my existing 2HP Dust Collector in this portable shop (with a few adjustments to its frame, it could easily fit and be stable), it will require (120V x 14A =) 1680 watts. That brings to total up to 2,560 or 2.6kW.

Adding in a few other smaller corded power tools, and not using them all at once, I would need about 3 to 4 kW to be safe and have a tiny bit of overhead.

Does this all sound right so far?

I already found a 5kW generator which is reasonably silent and purportedly runs for 4-6 hours per gallon (diesel), and that has a decent price tag. I'm still 'window shopping' online, looking at alternative fuel sources and hoping for even cheaper.

Haven't had as much success with the UPCs - I may just go with a 1kW UPC for only the CW, and have everything else just plug into the generator. Or get a couple of smaller UPCs which also plug into the generator, and run the various tools independently.

I've been looking for cheaper box trucks, box vans, trailers, and even van/buses - in fact, a smaller bus with the handicap lift could be ideal; some of those lifts could be easily modified to hold the carvewright, and then fold out to run it externally. But that would require a lot more remodeling of the overall interior, and the 'cab' isn't separate from the 'shop' as with most of the other solutions.

This is a huge maybe, and if it is done, will be a long term project. Not something I'll have done in the next month or two. But I am liking this idea more and more, the more I think on it.

For now, I'm primarily posting to verify I figured the power requirements correctly. 110V, 8A, 880W for the CW. Right? But I'm also open to advice, suggestions, and etc. from any of you guys. I have no delusions about being too smart or knowing too much to ignore any advice offered!