Show us your older 3-phase machines run by a VFD!

[alan camby]

Just got my mid 60's Powermatic 1150 running tonight on a VFD.





made a electrical box mount that connects to the column.

I used a 3" piece of DOM as a jig.







I added attachment points for future add ons

 

[Nightshift]

Very nicely done Alan! Looks professional and OEM. Cheers, Bill

 

[oldgoaly]

1st is a P13 Pullmax running a 1hp Lenze VFD,



next pic is a Simpson Muller it has a 3hp Teco rated at 12 amp driving a Baldor 3hp motor rated for 13.8 amps which if I fill the muller to the brim it will cause a O.L. error, so just a little common sense ya just don't fill it up to the top!



Sort of out of sequence but another Pullmax T3 running on a Toshiba 1hp VFD.



last and the smallest motor a 1/3hp Leeson gearmotor running on a 1/3hp Lenze VFD this on a Pro-tools 24" bead roller. this was pic before the cover went on, I use a foot switch to control this.


I have other projects in the works to use 3 phase motors and a VFD to drive them.
My Bridgeport, S.B. lathe and some grinder still run off a Crocker-Wheeler 5 hp motor/rotary phase convertor.

The only problems I have had is the Toshiba sometimes won't run??? it might be a minute it might be a month??? strange!! anyone else had anything like that happen???

 

[alan camby]

Very nicely done Alan! Looks professional and OEM. Cheers, Bill

Thanks Bill, Your machines look very professional. Someday i hope to have that many fine machines.




While not old, Here is the panel for my knife grinder.

 

[Fishchips]

Alan,

Nice work there!

 

[Nightshift]

Yes, totally agree ... really nice work Alan. I love that clear front box and your wiring makes it look even better! Cheers, Bill

 

[PurpLev]

 

[rdhem2]

WOW! For the most part, very well done guys as I am most picky and usually only settle for a professional, factory, neat looking job. I will try to motivate myself to send in my pictures of my Walker-Turner radial drill, Delta 24" bandsaw, 2 hp Bridgeport. Just one other thing bothers me. How do you keep your machines so clean? Do you have a shop boy? A maid? Or just don't use them? Has to be one of the three!

Keep making that SWARF!!

 

[Nightshift]

...snip...How do you keep your machines so clean? Do you have a shop boy? A maid? Or just don't use them? Has to be one of the three!

Well, most of my machine shop is in the basement. It's not ideal compared to a separate, ground-level shop with 12' ceilings, but it does give you free heat and a/c. Now with a machine shop in the house, in the basement, AND living with a wife ... there are some rules that are "imposed". She got tired (really fast) with me dragging swarf upstairs, so keeping the shop in the basement means I have to keep it pretty clean. I'm retired so I double as a "shop boy" and after every (especially messy) job, I wipe things down with a shop brush and then sweep the floor. Its just a habit that I got into early on. What's nice about this process is the next job you start, all your tools are back in the proper drawers and your equipment is clean and ready to work. Plus it looks good :thumbzup:

Cheers, Bill

 

[bronk]

Here is my south bend 13" lathe. I recently purchased and rebuilt everything except the underdrive. The Teco VFD and small control panel are mounted on the arm where the old start / stop switches were. Odd thing was the old motor controller was not set up with reverse. The switches are a toggle for forward and reverse, a jog button, emergency stop and a speed pot.
It works great. Much nicer to have the variable speed. The jog (I set for 6 hz ) is nice when indicating in a part in the chuck.
For the small price difference between this and a static phase converter I cannot see buying another phase converter again. I have 4 for other tools - should have put in a rotary but added piece by piece so incrementally I have a nearly half "3 phase" shop due to rebuilding big old iron (16" colladay jointer, 14" RAS, 24" band saw) or building my own where I need reverse such as my 5HP sliding table wood shaper .