1 HP single Phase motor for mill

I'm looking for a single phase motor about 1 HP for my Hayes Milling Machine can anyone recommend a reliable make/supplier please ?

Thanks

I suggest you contact your nearest Model Engineering Club, as there are lots of Model Engineers doing a 3phase motor/ inverter conversion on their lathes and mills and you might be lucky with them. Also, you could see the motor running and check the mounts are suitable for your machine. John

Hi Carl

Do you need a Foot mount or Flange mounted motor, also what speed 1400 or 2800 and does the shaft diameter have to be a specific diameter ?

Emgee

Hello, Carl,

I'm sorry - not writing with a suggestion, but an enquiry/suggestion.

Are you making a straight replacement (damaged motor perhaps)?. If that is the case, could I suggest you consider replacing the single-phase (and presumably single speed) motor with a three-phase motor and control its speed with a VFD? This will probably also provide soft start/overload/reversing facilities as well.

Admittedly this is a little more expensive, but using a three-phase motor will improve the running a lot, (more torque, smoother) and you can also use a slightly smaller motor if its 3-phase, since you need to replace it anyway.

I replaced the useless standard motors/controllers on my Far Eastern Mill and Lathe with this combination, and they were improved beyond comparison. Wish I had done it long ago.

Regards

I have a perfectly good one HP single phase motor (and a reversing switch, with wiring).

Removed from my mill when I replaced the drive with a 3 phase motor. I think it is a TEC motor.

PM me, if interested, for details.

Edited By JasonB on 23/09/2022 19:19:59

Thanks for the replies everyone.

It has a 3 phase motor, a British Thomson-Houston 400/440 1.6A 1390 RPM foot mounted at the moment but was bought as is and had been standing for a long while so not sure what state the motor is in or how to test it. I am confident with single phase but not sure on 3.

I have looked at inverters and think a decent one is almost £200 so am looking at alternatives although I understand 3 phase is the preferred route to take ( or an inverter as An Other says.)

On the subject of 3 phase, I am lucky to have 3 phase at the property, well to the meter. I got a price to wire up the workshop from there and was quoted just over £ 600 ! this by a company I had used before and seemed OK, I thought it was a bit much. Any electricians out there who have a rough idea what fair pice would be ? Workshop is a single garage next to the bungalow, cable run 20 yards roughly.

Any electricians out there who have a rough idea what fair pice would be ? Workshop is a single garage next to the bungalow, cable run 20 yards roughly.

I’m not a sparky but would expect there to be wide regional variations, so a location would be good.

Over or underground? Would you do the excavations, if underground? All necessary details for even a rough idea.

Sorry lacking a few details there...

There is 3 phase into the house next to the meter. ( i think because there used to be storage heaters in the bungalow) and it ends in an old switch/fuse box which would need up-dating. There is single phase supply to the workshop already but was tempted to 3 phase until I found out the cost.

The cable would go up from the the hallway/fusebox into the roof, along to the other side of the house, down the outside of the bungalow, under the path ( 2 yards) up the side of the garage into the workshop.

I would do all the cable laying the electrician would connect up to switch/fuse box from the meter and the fuse box in the workshop and sign off. I'm in Suffolk.

Jason, have PM'd you re. motor.

Are you sure it is 3 phase. We many years ago used to install storage heating. It used a what's called a white meter with a time clock. In the night time the white meter charged up the storage heaters & was at a lower unit cost. It was on the same phase as the standard meter.

Steve.

What type of power supply do you have coming into the service fuse ?
Is it PME, sheath earth from underground supply or overhead with no earthing supplied by the provider ?

Do you just want to have a 3 phase (+N) supply sufficient to power the 1HP motor ?

Emgee

It's definitely 3 phase all electricians who have seen the supply have confirmed and been surprised its there.. iand as far as I know PME sheath earth as it is underground supply, large diameter armoured cabled.. the reason it is here ? I thought it may have been something to do with when the estate was built, used by the builders ? I can't remember who said it may have been the storage heaters. As far as i know no neighbours have it and it can't have been put there by a previous owner as the house single phase comes off it,

It would be just for one 1HP motor, although maybe 2 other smaller as I have the old 3 phase motors for the Myford and Denford wood lathe( both less than 1HP) . which I think would affect cable diameter so that would need to be decided.

Carl

Carl

I don't doubt it is a TP&N supply as that was the norm during the 1960's and 70's in domestic premises that had night storage heaters fitted, it was to help ensure a reasonable balanced load on phases.

Emgee

I’m. Not sure why my earlier post was interfered with. JB has not had the curtesy to tell me why.

lf he unilaterally thinks the reversing switch and wiring has a problem, I would like to hear about it.

For Carl’s info, the reversing arrangement is not the flimsy set-up as often fitted to fymords.

I have Warco 1hp motor with soft start and reversing, also comes with the Warco lamp. £130 collected SE Hants if it would help.

The starting capability of a sngle phase is much worse than a 3 phase, so if your mill doesnt have a clutch you need to uprate the nominal power you fit. My TS mill had a 1 ph cap start cap run BCPM motor (from new seemingly), that give much more starting torque. You will struggle to find such a beast at hobby prices. I replaced the TS 1 hp motor with a 1.1kw TEC which is horrible for noise and vibration.

Go 3 phase if you can.

Martin

It may be worth checking the existing motor to see what condition it’s in. I had an Elliot Omnimill many years ago with a three phase motor but I was able to swap over the connections in the motor and I ran it on single phase for several years like that. The only thing I needed to add was a large capacitor, total cost about £12 I think. You only get about 80% of the rated power but mine ran just fine. I made some notes about the wiring at the time. They’re in my Album 1 if it helps. Running three phase motors on single phase is also covered in the Workshop Practice series number 24, Electric Motors in the home workshop.

3Phase was quite common for night store or blown hot air heating, I had the dubious honour of often taking them out after 30years of service. one of the element units and its fan assembly are still in my workshop. If you go for 3Ph don't forget you WILL need neutral ! Noel.

Thanks all again for more info, 3 phase keeps getting recommended if possible I see.

I'll also look at the capacitor and single phase route, thanks for the clear diagrams Vic.

Yes Emgee the house is 60/70's era.

More research..

Cheers Carl

I just checked the Inverter Drive Supermarket prices for single phase motors of about 3/4 Kw and they are about £170 which is almost twice the price of 3 phase ones. So if an inverter was factored in, the price of going 3 phase is not quite so bad. That firm also have their own quick start guides for some of the inverters that they sell which makes it easy for those of us who are not electrical engineers to wire up and programme, including remote controls for speed and reversing if needed. The guides certainly render it uneccessary to run begging for help which is a regular occurrence on this forum.

Strange, they are both about the same price on Machine Mart, about £115.