Les Henson Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 That looks a better/cheaper way of doing it Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Les, I have an inverter running my milling machine, and my lathe uses a similar affair. With the inverter you also get variable speed without affecting the torque. Definitely the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Hi Les, very nice - good choice! Looking at the plate it is 3 phase, yes. (Though why you had to photograph it while your stomach was rumbling I know not ). I reckon the cheapest way to convert it is to bag a cheapo single phase motor on ebay. There's loads of them all the time. Just match the spindle diameter and roughly the rpm and you're laughing. If you can't match the rpm exactly, aim lower, it'll be better for drilling steel. One advantage of a phase converter is that you can have an electronic speed control I think, which means lovely low speeds for drilling steel etc at the correct tool speed. This isn't gospel, I have 3 phase so I don't know nuffink about single phase conversions. You can leave the kick-stop and everything wired up. The switch will probably be fine, you'll just be switching 2 wires instead of 4 - you can just leave the other switched terminals vacant. Good investment I reckon. Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 yep, agree with Astro Al, unless you need 3-phase for other tools swapping the motor on the drill will be cheaper... you should be able to find a similar frame size (physical size of motor body casting) with the same spindle diameter fairly easily. The data plate on the Leroy Somer motor should have details of the frame size (we use Leroys motors at work all the time, and they usually have loads of info on the data plates... I reckon £20-£30 for a 'pre-enjoyed' motor and slightly more for a new switch box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 I took a picture of the plate because it had '240v' on it as well, and didn't know if I could do something simple to make it work. I'd rather prefer to go down the inverter route, as it seems less complicated than replacing the motor and other things (perhaps just a wiring job?) How do I know what HP the current motor is in order to get the right inverter? Thanks for the help so far everyone. The shop that I bought the drill from also has a Myford Super 7 lathe for sale - complete with chucks, tooling, etc, for £800. I was eyeing it up and wondering................. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 How do I know what HP the current motor is in order to get the right inverter? You look at the data plate where it says HP: 0.33 and you think to yourself 'Oh, its 1/3rd of a horsepower'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 Yes, alright - bluddy clever-dick Les Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross C Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 The reason it has 415V and 240V is because one is delta and the other is star. Think it was wired in delta because by the looks of it, it had no neutral? You cant' run that motor of single phase. You'll need an inverter or to change it for a single phase motor. Ross C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 super 7 for 800 isn't bad money tbh. If it had lots of tooling even better. You could probably get a similar capacity machine for less if you went for a less known name, but there is a good reason myfords are held in high regard... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Mark - I agree they are good machines, but I've come to the conclusion that they are held in a falsely high regard by the hobbiest community and that they command unrealistically high prices... As soon as someone mentions one, everyone starts wetting themselves, and there are plenty of good machines out there - often better. Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Al, as you say there are plenty of better machines out there, but they are hard to beat in terms of size vs capacity, support and available tooling plus 60 odd years of accumulated knowledge. Given more space I would be going for a harrison or a colchester, but given the 3ft gap I can fit it in, the myford is great. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Yeah cool - they're nice machines, its the hysteria I don't get... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FKD Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Since I'm new here I don't want fall out with you guys but I'm sorry myfords are s***e end off. If you get the chance to drive a "real lathe" you will see what I mean! If you go the inverter route it opens up wide variety of tools lathes grinders etc.. http://www.gandmtools.co.uk/cat_leaf.php?id=5666 ok needs a wash and £50-£100 of tooling but same footprint different league Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro_Al Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 If you get the chance to drive a "real lathe" you will see what I mean! FKD - I've got one of those, and I've 'driven' a good few lathes thanks, most of which significantly larger than that. If you don't want to fall out with people, try not to patronise them. Al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 If you don't want to fall out with people, try not to patronise them. Al. Particulalry if they happen to be a moderator .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Since I'm new here I don't want fall out with you guys but I'm sorry myfords are s***e end off. Oh dear! They are where many people start. Easy to use, fine for precision as well as more chunky stuff. Having used one for about 5 years I grew quite fond of it. I do have a much more 'grown-up' CNC machine - but the Myford definitely has it's place. Particularly if you are short of space / 3 phase. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FKD Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Oops Lol. But the point I was trying to make is still valid, lb for £, myfords don't stack up even as a model makers lathe they are poor, anything other than ally or brass its an all day exercise. I was just trying to stretch your bang for your buck. Anyway heres a couple of pics of my big girl, just to show you I'm not an armchair engineer stone crusher pulley boring a twin marine block horizontal borer had a job so pushed my luck and used the lathe. Lathe was 20foot long when I bought it but bob tailed it into a boring and facing lathe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Wightman Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 But your big girl would be c**p at turning an 1/8" dia pin, as said before, don't patronise! I have a reasonable size lathe and a Myford, horses for courses my friend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeagent Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 yep, agree with the others, Myfords are cracking little lathe (we have a myford woodworking lathe, which is older than me) and are the right tool for the job for making small parts... those huge Lathes are totally unsuitable for making little items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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