Now I went and did it. Let the fun begin!

I think it's well worth it, but then again, I've been working with VFDs all through my career.
 
The VFD adds variable speed as well as controlled start up and slow down. Variable speed can help with chatter sometimes. Also, the constant start and stop is harder on single phase than 3 phase. So longer term 3 phase will typically hold up better.
 
An alternative to the VFD is a rotary phase converter. You can make one from a 3 phase motor, some big capacitors and a couple of switches. Good info is available on line. You can run multiple motors off one converter.
 
Hi Tim, I am not familiar with where your electronics are or if you can put the new ones in the stand. I have operating a 3phase PM1440GT which I took delivery of in early 2020.

It comes with a stand, is integrated with the lathe, and the electronics are in the back of the stand.... which is very inconvenient as it limits where the lathe can be placed and still have access to the enclosure. However, my VFD design managed to put all of the control electronics, including the VFD and braking resistor in the original 1440GT stand cabinet enclosure with room to spare, i.e. replaced what came with the lathe and did not occupy any additional volume. No parts were put in the end of the cabinet. This was accomplished by eliminating all of the big relays and transformer with solid state electronics and putting all of the new stuff in the same enclosure. Hence, there are no external cabinets. I have now had the final version working for over 6 months without problems. It took me a long time to document my installation but am putting the finishing touches on it. It is documented in detail. I would be happy to share this with you and any other folks if I can figure out how to make it available. The files are kind of large.

Dave
 
I have a 1236T I got last January and love it, and glad I got it when I did with all the recent price increases. I also got three phase, not difficult to wire up, but you do need to change out a number of things to make it operate properly before using it.

I removed the control panel from the back of the lathe and mounted one on my stand so that it was accessible if needed. I have a separate panel for the VFDs for my lathe and mill. Changing speeds on the lathe is easy, so I did not add variable speed to that yet, instead I have a switch to reduce the speed in half and also adding a fast deceleration time for threading. That also gives me roughly the lower speeds without having to change the belts.

Hopefully you don’t have to wait too long!
 
Thanks guys,

B2, I would like to see what you have did but since I don't have my lathe yet I don't know what kind of room I have in the rear panel. At this point I am planning an external cabinet to house the VFD and controls.

I have almost all of the materials figured except for a potentiometer and the cabling, some of that I can get locally.
 
I have all the material ordered for the VFD, it all showed in stock so time will tell if it all shows up.

I'm looking at a view things for the mill since it will be here first. I am thinking about getting a 20 piece set of End Mills to start with. Are the Accusize end mills a good choice for a beginner or should I look for something different. The set I'm looking at is #1810-0100


Also looking at this device for tramming the head.

SST Mill & Lathe Adjustable Tramming - Squaring System - - Amazon.com

SST Mill & Lathe Adjustable Tramming - Squaring System - - Amazon.com
www.amazon.com

​

 
I pretty much like the Accusize stuff. I've used those TiN coated ones on the CNC mini-Mill with success and more and more moving to their M42 8% Cobalt Tialn offerings which I'm really liking, especially their roughing endmills. Other than that, Maritool solid carbide endmills here in the shop.

As for tramming, I have this badboy, and Ive gotten pretty quick with it, plus I think it's more versatile:
 
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Just for fun said:
Thanks guys,

B2, I would like to see what you have did but since I don't have my lathe yet I don't know what kind of room I have in the rear panel. At this point I am planning an external cabinet to house the VFD and controls.

I have almost all of the materials figured except for a potentiometer and the cabling, some of that I can get locally.
Click to expand...
Hi Tim,
You can see a picture of my installation at:
www.hobby-machinist.com

VFD Questions

Hello MKSJ, I plan to purchase the PM1440GT lathe with the 3PH 3HP motor option. I am also considering using a Yaskawa CIMR-VUBA-0012-FAA VFD to control the motor rather than the Hitachi WJ200 VFD. The Yaskawa is designed to accept single phase input of 240 VAC and convert to the 3PH output and...
www.hobby-machinist.com www.hobby-machinist.com

You have to click on the attachment and then the picture will open. I did not really use any of the electronic components that came with the lathe. Certainly not the relays/ contactors or even the transformer. You do not need them as the VFD does all of the work!

I looked at the stand accessory at PM for your PM-1236T lathe. If you purchased this stand then you have a front door on the machine. While the door is not shown in the pictures of the lathe it is shown in the pictures of the stand! This cabinet might be large enough for a VFD design even with a braking resistor. An email to Matt might be all that is needed to get the stand details...

Anyway it would certainly be nice to have this front door easy access to the controls rather than going to the back of the lathe and there would be alot of potential advantages. My installation has a Plexiglas cover so that I can look in and see what the VFD is doing without opening the cabinet. The VFD LED display is informative as to frequency..... or error code if there is a problem. However, my lathe is not out in the middle of a room where the back would have easy access so the Plexiglass helps. It is almost up against a wall.

I just put the finishing touches on a parts list and associated URLs and am now working on choosing a few pictures of the various parts of the assembly. Then I just have to figure out how to post it properly.

Dave
 
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