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SteelSlaver

SteelSlaver

Joined
Feb 17, 2007
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I cleaned up my shop a bit and then put, 2 new 2hp 3 ph TECF motors on my grinders and set up so I can switch the VFD from one to the other. Good 3p2t switches are hard to get so what I did was mount a 2pdt and a spdt side by side on a cover for an electrical box and then I took a 1/2 x 1/2 piece of aluminum sq stock about 2 1/2" long and drilled 2 holes big enough to just slip over the toggles and then cross drilled and threaded them to take 10-32 allen cup screws. Set it over the toggles and tightened the allens and now both switches move together. I hated changing belts around on my Grizzly mill to go from an 1/8" carbide end mill to a big HSS mill so, I took the 2hp motor of and replaced it with a 2hp 3ph and wired it to another VFD. Now I can go from about 150rpm to 3200 without changing belts. I bet it would be interesting to put the belts set up on high and turn the VFD to 150 hz. Lets see that should be about 7500 rpm. LOL. A little bit of recleaning and organizing and I am ready to finish some of the stuff I have laying around. Jim
 
ib2v4u said:
I bet it would be interesting to put the belts set up on high and turn the VFD to 150 hz. Lets see that should be about 7500 rpm. LOL.
Jim
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Heck, I recommend it. I like to run 1/8" carbide endmills at 12,000 RPM when I can. 7500 RPM shouldn't be able to burn up bearings that small. If it does, well, you needed better bearings. ABEC 7 bearings that size aren't really that expensive. $100 ea?

So long as you don't seize them and score your spindle, I'd say go nuts.

I wonder if Scott wants to chime in here...
 
Cool. I think I made some good improvements in this mill. I replace the power feed one turn pot with a 10 turn pot and have far more control. I also have 3 scales with digital read outs to get mounted. I have also collected up a set of quick change collets. I started with this machine http://grizzly.com/products/Mill-Drill-w-Variable-Speed-Power-Feed/G1007 . I just wish I would have started with a dovetail instead of a column and a gear changer instead of belts. But, I think its actually a pretty good machine now.
 
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VFD on all equipment possible is the way to go. When i set up my belt grinder it will have a VFD. I just picked up a little south bend lathe and am setting it up for a VFD also. Changing out the cheap 1/2hp 110v to a 1hp 3ph. It will be really sweet once I get it up and running. Been without a lathe for almost 2 years and I hate it.
 
A C Richards said:
I just picked up a little south bend lathe and am setting it up for a VFD also. Changing out the cheap 1/2hp 110v to a 1hp 3ph. It will be really sweet once I get it up and running. Been without a lathe for almost 2 years and I hate it.
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I had a 14" South Bend once, I guess about 12-13 years ago. Had a weird spindle thread, 2 1/4-8.

I parted a 6" diameter D2 round for a bender die. That cut kind of ruined the spindle. They had babbit, not modern bearings. So I don't have it any more... Wish I did.
 
This one is only an 8" but it is fully functional. The 3 jaw has a .005 tir. not too bad for a really old lathe. If I had a 4 I could dial it in to 000. It will work for everything I need to do for my knives. I had a 15" Sheldon but it just weighed too much to move and was too big to put into my new shop. I had to sell it. I miss that lathe. Oh well life goes on.
 
I just got done switching my open 1hp 3phase motor on my disk grinder to an TECF. The open was a 1100 rpm motor and the TECF is a 3600. Its scary now at 60hz. But this motor will start and run at 2 hz. The other one wouldn't at 10. Time for another set of pulleys and a foot switch. Should be able to go from creeping to flying with the twist of the 10 turn I mounted by the forward and reverse sw.
 
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