Tormach in a townhome? (anyone in Vancouver,BC?)

[nagjames]

I’m designing and making small aluminum parts for RC cars. My current machine (MaxNC) is more like an educational tool than a real machine.
Eventually I’ll require a bigger machine. The Tormach is one of the shorlisted one.
I’m a bit concerned about the noise it’s gonna make because I’m living in a townhome. I’d still keep my day job and only planning to run it under reasonable hours of course.
I watched a video on youtube where the operator mentioned that the normal operational noise is about 85db.
I understand that a townhome garage is not an ideal place for a machine like this but that’s what I can afford. Any thoughts on this?

My other question is regarding to power requirement. I’ve read that the recommended power is 220V 20A. The circuit breaker box is located at the garage so hopefully a certified electrician could wire up something. But I’ve read about the alternative of using regular 110V. I don’t really understand how. A regular North American home has 110V and 15A.
In order to run the Tormach at 110V I’d need 40A.

I’m wondering if anyone is running a Tormach in Vancouver,BC?


Thanks,
James
http://nagycnc.com

[jchkramer]

If your panel is in the garage, then wire the machine 220, you run at a lower amperage, uses smaller gauge wire, will be cheaper etc. If you are worried about noise, then there are a few solutions. (I am from Kelowna, so I know what you mean about a townhouse being all you can afford!). What I would do in this situation is use rubber mounts for the base of the machine so that vibrations are not transmitted to neighbours through the floor. Then I would build an enclosure with insulation if the noise of the machine proves to be too much for the locals. However, with the door closed to the garage and the machine base dampened, you would be surprised at how much this cuts noise. Think about it compared to the neighbour running his lawnmower, if it is half that noise with the door closed, I would not worry about it.

(I have looked at the tormach as well, though I have not purchased it. It looks like a good solution for what you are thinking. Good luck!)

[cnczoner]

James, I was also looking at a Tormach until recently. What held me back was the power requirements also. Whereas Tormach says that it can be run at 110V, when you call them for info they'll convince you that doing so will be a very bad idea. So it's really just a 220V machine. BUT, getting 220V from the power panel is quite easy, and you may even be able to just create an extension cord from the clothes-dryer outlet and use that. But check with Tormach about that first. I was planning on wiring up an outlet myself, and found a book in Home Depot (major hardware chain here in the U.S.) that showed how to wire up the outlet from the power panel quite easily.

FWIW, I was also looking at Industrial Hobbies', CNC Masters', and Syil's machines. If you ask any of these for references in your area, they should be able to give you customers in your area who would be willing to give you a demo. I got some for Tormach and CNC Masters. But I recently picked up a low-cost already converted HF geared-head mill. It was not the greatest performer, but it is way beyond a toy or educational machine, and does what I want for a mere fraction of the cost. Also, the spindle runs up to 1500 rpm only, so it's quite quiet. I would have no problem using this in a townhome. I'm very happy with my purchase. Had I known about this option before, I would've picked up a new one of these from HF and converted it myself much earlier.

Cheers,
-Neil.

[levelzero]

I'm in poco, Have the machine in the garage. Power was an issue for me because I rent and the panel is on the opposite side of the house from the garage. I had an electrician friend of mine built me and extension cord that runs from the stove to the machine. A bit of a pain in the ass but at least I'm making stuff.

Noise isn't too bad, I cut mostly aluminum running the spindle at full rpm. It's about as loud as my shop vac, except a higher pitch.

[Metalmog]

I live in a strata.

It's really easy to get 220V from most Dist boxes. Most houses are supplied with a centre tap 220V feed. To get 110, it is taken of the centre tap. I installed from the main panel (which was in an adjoining room opposite wall) terminating in a dryer receptacle. Make sure it is properly fused at the main box with the correct breaker on it's own dedicated fuse.

I use quite a few VFD's and servo's which lesson the power up surge considerably and also convert single phase to 3 phase. I run two and three horsepower motors quite comfortably.

I was lucky in that there was a very heavy main feeder to my unit, upwards of 120A, however I don't change anything on the main box except add the new 20A breaker.

Unless you have any electrical experience I would recommend you get a pro. There is an electrical guy in my complex that could do it for you very reasonbly.

[nagjames]

Niel,

With the Tormach I could use flood coolant. I was also considering the Syil conversion but it doesn't offer coolant. The flood really makes a big difference vs the wd40/brush method I currently use.

Levelzero,

I also live in Poco (right beside Costco) and I'm renting too. The units are built for rent and they have better than average insulation.
So the noise can be reduced by running the spindle at a lower RPM?


Thanks,
James
http://nagycnc.com

[levelzero]

Wow you're about 3-4 block from my place then, if you want you can come by sometime and check out my set up ... as long as you promise not to laugh

On low rpm depending on the tool and what you are cutting it can be almost silent. When running full bore I can just barely hear it upstairs (which is nice because I know when to change tools) When I have time I plan on overhauling my set up, which will include sound deadening the motor housing and building a full enclosure for the machine. This will be overkill but will allow me to run the machine into the wee hours guilt free, as well as keep the garage a bit cleaner.

[levelzero]

Oh and for tooling try Dayton tools in PoCo .... the guys name just slipped my mind but they always take great care of me and their customers service is fantastic .... no waiting 1-3 months for an end mill like with KBC.

[Metalmog]

Coolant is really easy to solve.

I bought a 20" C-C lathe from Grizzly a few years ago. It didn't have cooling either. I had a sheetmetal place build me a catch tray for $90 added a fish tank heavy duty centrifugal pump for $45 and 8 litre plastic container from Costco and a bit of tubing and I have been running this for a couple of years now with no problems. I cut a lot of Stainless steel which needs quite a bit of coolant.

You really need to look for is a good solid machine (lots of metal or a composite) and quality bearings first and add coolant later.

[levelzero]

Once you have coolant you will never go back. I run flood coolant, it's a really Red-Green style set up but it works. I built my stand so I could get it in and out of the garage as needed. This means it's a bit too low have a nice coolant tank under it. I ender up using two plastic pails I had around and ran a line from one to the other. The coolant drains into one, and the pump is in the other .... this help keep chips away from the pump. The pump is a aquarium pump that was floating around my house from another project For what I paid it works great but I am looking to upgrade to a larger pump, something that can more effectivly blast chips away when I'm doing larger/deeper cuts.

[Metalmog]

Princess Auto (near Ikea) had a few nice sub-mersable pumps for under $70. Home Depot also had a few but they where quite a bit more expensive and not as nice.

[levelzero]

Originally Posted by Metalmog Princess Auto (near Ikea) had a few nice sub-mersable pumps for under $70.

True story. Plus they also stock nozzles, hoses, casters and various other things that come in handy. There is also KMS and busy bee tools depending on what you need. I got a small 3" vise from KMS for $80 on sale a while back.