Hi, my name is Peter....

Peter Atwood

Peter Atwood

Joined
Oct 26, 2000
Messages
2,468
....and I'm an electrical idiot. :( :D

3450 rpm motor, 3/4 hp. @ 1 phase.

Does this mean that I can plug it into 110?
 
If you can plug it in, go ahead and plug it in. Don't turn it on though until you know whether or not it's the right plug-in :rolleyes:
 
Dammit! This surface grinder thing is a real pain. I can't do 220 and almost every machine I have seen is either 220 or 3 phase. I may end up with that crappy HF unit after all.......:(

Thanks for the replies guys....
 
If you plug 220 into 110 it will blow a fuse 20A. If it is 110 and you plug it into 220 you will let the smoke out of the motor and it will not work any more.

Give it a shot at the 110 circuit, if the fuse blows or the motor seems to be struggling then try the 220.
 
Peter-

I may be way off here, but it is too much of a coincidence not to mention it. Are you talking about the small one on eBay? If yes, click on the bottom left picture. Says it is rated at 115V, whcih would be fine to plug into a typical wall outlet.

If it is not the one you are talking about, well, if it was me, I would just plug it in and turn it on.

Hope this helps
 
Peter
Some motors can be converted from 110 to 220 and vise versa. If it has a cover plate near where the wires go in, take the cover off and see if there are directions inside on how to set it up for each voltage. Be sure it is unpluged.

Also
There are phase invertors for 3 phase that will run off 110.

Thanks
Gary Riner
Clinton Tn
 
You might be somewhat surprised at the quality of that "crappy" one over at Harbor Freight. I've had one in use for over twenty years now. It has a bearing squeal at times which will have to be addressed eventually, but it has never had a problem.

The master machinist who helped me move it down in the basement had the same skepticism when I bought it. He brought over dial indicators and such to prove to me how I had wasted my money. After we set it up, shimmed in the magnetic chuck, and ran a light truing grind over the chuck, it indicated in at about 2-4 ten thousandths across the whole surface. The center area of the chuck was near perfect, absolutely fine for folder-sized parts. He was quite impressed that it was really as precise as his older Scharpe.

That old surface grinder has surfaced hundreds of feet of stainless over the years, and still is within a thou when one takes the time to do it right. No, it's not a top of the line American made machine, but it is well within the tolerances most foldermakers would ever need. I have found that one's technique using a surface grinder is as important as the grinder to get good precise surfaces. For the money, you won't really go wrong with that piece of crap.
:)
 
Most houses have at least a 100 amp 220 breaker box
why can't you run 220 out to your shop? some
wire and a 220 sub panel,, an electrician shouldn't charge to much.
if you can't do it yourself.

the guys are right mostly
and to add you can have 220 running on a 14-2 or 12-2 wire
(the reg stuff 110 is on)
one +
one -
and the ground and looks just like a 110 set up at the plug
with the plug the same..
plug her in if it's 220 it will try to run about half speed
and will not snap right up there as it should..:(
 
most 110 motors can be converted to 220 and visa versa........just look at the wiring diagram on the motor plate
 
Wow, thanks for all the help! Maybe I can survive this after all...

Laredo, yes it is the one on Ebay that I am considering. Boy, you guys don't miss much. :p I figured I'd wait until the last minute to start bidding. But after Mike Fitzo's remarks I may reconsider the HF machine. Thanks Mike! :)
 
Dan, my shop is in a cool old building about a mile down the road from my house. The building used to be a box factory at the turn of the century, then it became a chicken house for some years, then in the 1960's some local hippies turned it into artist's studios. There's some extremely funky stuff happening here with the electrical so I don't even want to get into it. We have had several different projects over the recent years concerning potter's kilns and the like and it just isn't worth it. For some reason, the local electricians are reluctant to work on the aluminum wiring in the building....I can't imagine why! :D
 
I see why now (-@@-) :)
Pete I wanted to PM you but well :(

off topic here but since it's yours
you had mentioned joining the neaca and I still have you on the list
please e-mail me. Thanks guy..
dan@necka.net :)
necka's new web domain name http://www.necka.net
 
Peter,

You might want to query Ed Caffrey over on CKD, too, as I believe he bought one of these machines, too, much more recently. Another thing, in case you don't know, is that K&G recently started marketing a Bertie Rietveld style belt conversion for a surface grinder. Some makers like em. I stick with stone, myself, but those belt conversions are pretty popular.

I really can't beef about mine at all, it has really been a godsend for taking the crap off of barstock, and getting precision surfaces when I do stock removal. Something else surprising, the wheels that come with the machine give me better performance than the $100 I recently wasted thinking I needed some "really good" Norton wheels.
I use a 120 grit finish on the barstock and subsequent grinding goes like a breeze.

Good luck with your decision...

If you get one, lemme know, as i modified my right-hand table travel wheel to make it much more user-friendly.
 
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