Power and shaping in Japan

General Discussion
1

Hello Everyone,

 

I returned home from a shaping/ promotion trip from Japan 6-8 weeks ago now and I ran into a bit of trouble (It was my first trip to Japan) and we stayed at Chiba.

 

Looking back I was quite naive.

 

I was requested to bring over my electric planer; my planer is fitted with a “Shapers” Barrel (As a lot would know they are heavier then blades).

 

While I was changing the power cord over to there 100 powers to fit their socket, I had a bad feeling. My Australian planer runs on 240 powers.

 

I turned it on and sure enough, NO guts at all.

 

Once in the bay my fears were confirmed Soooo slow, the dust wouldn’t fly out it just would come out in clumps and sit on the blank. Nightmare! I shaped 1 board and it took twice the time, maybe more (the shaping stands were disgusting also and left dints and scratches all over the shaped blank, had to steam em out).

 

We ended up buying a power up converted, up to a whopping 130, and that’s what I had to endure the whole time… Still, So slow. Also changed shaping Bays that had good stands

 

I really like the finish of the “Barrel” planer it suits my shaping 

Style.

 

How Do I get around this problem?

 

  • Is it as simple as buying a planer from there, and getting it fit with the Barrel
  • Get a Barrel with fewer spikes?
  • I’m in the dark on this one; can someone please help me out? What can I do next time to speed things up?
  •  

 Thanks in advance.

 

Yorky

 

2

…in my case was the other way round

110 to 220

you need watts fella

a transformer with guts

the same like the machine

mine is an Hitachi near 600w so the transformer is: plug the 110 out the 220 but 600 W

so it can run with the same power

the Hitachi F30 needs more W

 the Skill 100 too

 

–man, what the heck is that code that you put in your comments?

3

http://www.voltage-converter-transformers.com/step-up-down-transformer.html#vt1500-stepup/downvoltageconverters

 

these go both ways up and down, get a beefy one more watts = mo betta… get spare slow fuses…

 

 

 

 

4

 

Thanks reverb,

So i've basically got to match the watts?

My planner is a

 

Hitachi P20SB

240v - 50 Hz

620W

 

So what do you think would be the best way to solve the problem?

Bigger transformer?

Or

Smaller planner?

 

By the way that code comes up when I past something I have written in "word" a program with a spell check that I'm used to working with.... It only comes up some times though?

 

 

 

 

5

Thanks Dave

6

 

He needs voltage, which in turn will provide wattage. His planer is built to run on standard Australian current which is a nominal 240 volts. Plugging it into a 100 v receptacle resulted in it being under fed, so to speak. If it had been the other way 'round, 100v tool into 240v, he would have cooked the motor.

What’s needed is a step-up transormer that will convert 100v to at least 220. Most devices that are rated for 240 will run on 220. The wattage is determined by the amperage of the circuit. In the USA, standard house current outlets are either 15 amp or 20 amp. Running a device with a large current draw off a 15 amp cicuit will cause it to ‘bog’ or trip the breaker completely. It works like this. Wattage = voltage x amperage. So, a 110v circuit rated at 15 amps will deliver a nominal 1300 watts with no load. It’s typical to see an 80% efficiency from a circuit like this, so 1300 is typical rather than the full 1620. The higher the amperage in a power source, the more stable it is when under load given the same supply voltage.

7

…man, I dont know nothing about electricity

but looking to my transformer

and I dont see any circuit at all (but seems that you talk about the tool)

only a big coil and 2 plugs

and can deliver 600W (110 to 220)

I tried to say that he needs no a whatever transformer

I mean, not a shaver ´ one

8

Thanks for your reply SammyA,

People have touched on telling me about electricity from the mains before, and it goes over my head. I get the general idea of what you mean but what gets me is what is the job (for lack of a better way of putting it) that each Volts, Amps, and Watts do. I think I understand the math behind it but I don’t understand why??

 

… Maybe if you or anyone could send me a picture (serial No. etc.) Of what I need to buy, HaHa. Or just tell me what to do.

Somethmes I think my brain consists of half salt and dust.

 

Thanks Guys

9

Basically all you can do is change the voltage.

Get a step-up transformer, change the low voltage back to around 240.

The Watts are important if you want to run some grunty tools from it… so get the biggest one you can afford, and obviously it has to be big enough to run your planer, so over 620W

10

Thanks KK,

I’ll look into it and post my findings when the time comes. I wont be going over again till early next summer, Japanese time.

Cheers Guys

 

Yorky

11

Yorky, what you need is this:

 

 

This one is 750 Watts and therefore should be enough for your 620 W planer, but you can play it safe and buy a 1000 W one. More expensive, of course. I’m running my Skil 100 and Rockwell 653 on one of those with no problem at all (the Skil is 110 V and France’s current power is 220 V, so I had the same problem as you, except it’s the opposite)

12

Hey yorky a transformer is basically a robot in disguise......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you see the humour!!

13

Balsa,

Thank you mate, I reckon I might get a price on the two and make a choice from there…1000 W would be good as you suggested.

 

Beerfan,

Its always more then meets the eye.

 

Cheers

 

14

Yorky, you know its not the last time your going over there or usa or europe in future… just pony up and buy a planer over there. take the correct shapers barrel to fit it with you. dont lug a 5 kg transformer and a planer with you…

15

Dave is right. Just have a traveling planner. Yorky being such a talent that would be his best bet!

Surfding

16

It seems to me that you could ask the people whom you are shaping for to take care of that. If they want you to shape for them, they should be able to provide all facilities to do so. But then, if even shaping racks are third world quality…

17

Thanks Guys,

No way am I going to be the one paying for the transformer and carting it around the world, my distributor will be taking care of it and it will stay there.

My planer is like a surfboard that you’re used to (even if the same model) and I fine-tune them myself when I have to get a new one, so I will pony up and pay the $50 excess baggage (If needed) to take that where ever I need to go.

Balsa

**But then, if even shaping racks are third world quality… **

Maybe “disgusting” was the wrong word to use when describing the racks (got to be careful with your wording around here). My distributor payed for everything while I was over there but they did not own the glassing factory. Please excuse me, the racks were fine they just didn’t suit my shaping style. The factory was Not third world at all, I was quite impressed by their surfboard glassing actually, I lot better then a lot of Aussie bums work, they had a lot of pride in their workmanship.

 

Thank You

 Yorky

**
**

18

 

A transformer is essentially an electrical circuit. Power goes in one end and comes out the other. A set of wires or other conductors that transfers electricity from one point to another is a circuit. A transformer is a whole lot of wire wrapped around a core.