Member postings for Ewan Turnbull

Hi Howard

I'd say 16-17 years qualifies as reliable

Thanks Harry

My workshop converter is also a transwave that I bought almost 20 years ago and it's still going strong - they do good stuff but seem to be a bit more £££ than some of the others.

I'll have a wee youtube session and see if I can expand my VFD knowledge

Cheers

Ewan

Hi NDIY - scuse my rushed maths - you're right it is more than a 25% increase - typing without engaging brain!

fair point about upgrade one part - consider the rest.

I've emailed Inverter Drive Supermarket and asked them to recommend a VFD/motor combo - any other reliable companys that folk would recommend trying?

cheers

Thanks for this good advice Harry (& thanks to SM as well)

I think it's time to get on with this as I have a few wee jobs starting to build up and I'm looking forward to having some fun with this wee thing.

CB1 mentioned Inverter Drive Supermarket on an earlier post - based on your experience are there any other reputable suppliers out there I should be looking at?

thanks to both Clive 1 and not done it yet for the comments - good common sense advice regarding not going overboard - the original motor was a 3 phase 3/4hp so a 25% increase to a 1hp used sensitively might be the way to go.

Hi Andrew

would a jump from 4 pole 3/4HP to 4 pole 1HP be enough to overcome the torque problem?

cheers

ewan

So - time to give the full backstory

I have a wee workshop beside my garage which I use for woodwork - having a combined workshop in the garage wasn't good - wood don't like engine oil and engines don't like sawdust!

I have a 3 phase converter which i originally had running my wadkin bursgreen bandsaw and my Union Graduate lathe. Both ran great but I got a bit fed up changing the connection and settings on the converter every time I wanted to work the 'other' machine. One day a friend offered to add some weird gizmo -that I now know to be a VFD - to my woodlathe to allow it to be fed straight from the 240v supply. Ideal said I, after he told me about the variable speed etc.

However..... when roughing or turning larger dia wood blanks - specially out of balance blanks the woodlathe has to be run at fairly low RPM and it just doesn't have anywhere near the torque it had before the conversion and it kind of spoiled my experience to the point that I avoided woodturning for a good couple of years.

Spring forward to current times and I am looking to get a system that will work my Boxford in the way it's meant to be used.......

I was right on the point of ordering a 3 phase + VFD when Speedy made his point about the reliability of VFD's and the cost of replacement.

I'm happy to spend a wee bit more - looked at the website recommended earlier and its around £200 - £220 for the complete 3 phase system with VFD - if it will give me the best solution.

There does seem to be an argument for single phase from a cost point of view although as previously mentioned - I'm a bit clueless in this area and don't really know what else I need, do I just buy a motor (££?) and pop that in and it works or do I need other gubbins and have to rework switches etc?

I'm still leaning towards the 3 phase but want to make sure if I do go that route that I get a reliable VFD . I'm also really enjoying all these different points of view and appreciate all the advice folks are giving. I'm happy to take the time and listen to folks to make sure I opt for the best all round solution

thanks again

ewan

Hmm that was one of my concerns

cheers

Hi Harry

ideal explanation - simple and to the point

informed is always better

cheers

E

Sorry Phil - I'm showing my woeful lack of knowledge on electrical matters - star / delta? i get your point about being careful to match the VFD output to the motor but is there a difference / benefit to delta over star or vice versa?

thanks

Ewan

Edited By Ewan Turnbull on 20/06/2020 21:32:40

so - these replies have raised another question....

2 pole? 4 pole? 6 pole?

?????whats the difference / benefit

thanks again

Edited By Ewan Turnbull on 20/06/2020 21:29:41

Hi Clive

it's an underdrive model so space is a bit limited. thanks for the heads up on Inverter drive supermarket

cheers

Hi Speedy

to be totally honest - I don't really know. I'm a time served turner and am used to 3 phase but this is just a wee lathe for doing the odd bit of turning at home - mainly motorcycle related and the odd job for a few of my mates that are into steam engines etc. As i'm not looking to use it to earn income I don't really want to spend any more than I need to to get it running reliably - whats the rough price difference between 1 & 3 phase?

always good to have a variety of opinions from experienced users.

cheers

Thanks for this Dave - I was thinking about maybe going up to the 1hp to give it that wee bit more oomph but agree with your point about going silly with power being an accident waiting to happen.

thanks for the advice

Dave

This is really handy - that was going to be my next question was how do I get a like for like fit

cheers

Hi Folks
I bought a Boxford Model C lathe but it has a knackered motor - a crompton parkinson 3 phase motor BS Frame no VMA544CM1A, 0.75BHP, 1425RPM
My question is this....

I've had a look at a few threads and the question I was going to ask - single or 3 phase - has been answered - (thanks so much for all of these informative posts), 3 phase seems to be the way to go.

so that moves me on to question 2.....

can you suggest a suitable direct replacement 3 phase motor that will fit and a cost effective 3 phase converter / VFD


My electrical knowledge is pretty basic but I'm happy to have a go at stuff with a bit of guidance.

should I look at a more powerful motor or am i runniung the danger of overpowering the machine and causing damage.

Thanks in advance for all the help.

cheers