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Mill conversion to 3 phase

DavidR8

Scrap maker
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Premium Member
A bit of an update on the motor conversion.
When I fired everything back up the idler pulley bearings were making an awful racket.
I removed the pulley and pressed out the bearings. They were open cage and completely full of dirt and grime from 30 years of use.

Took some measurements and ordered new sealed, lubricated bearings which arrived today.
Put it back together last night. What a difference the new bearings make. There’s only slightly more noise than from the just the motor alone. Very happy with the result.
 

DavidR8

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More progress last night.
I was struggling with the VFD programming as I could not get the forward/stop/reverse switch to work correctly. I could only get forward or reverse.
I reached out to a member on Hobby-Machinist and got detailed instructions on how to program a specific part of the many configurations.
After a couple of tries I got it right. Now I have a forward and reverse switch! So darn cool!
 
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YotaBota

Mike
Premium Member
How's the mill running?
Did you notice any difference in the finish or anything else going from single to 3 phase?
 

DavidR8

Scrap maker
Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
How's the mill running?
Did you notice any difference in the finish or anything else going from single to 3 phase?

It runs fantastic. The difference between single phase and three phase is palpable. The single phase motor felt ‘notchy’ if that makes any sense whereas the three phase motor is smooth as silk.
 

YYCHM

(Craig)
Premium Member
It runs fantastic. The difference between single phase and three phase is palpable. The single phase motor felt ‘notchy’ if that makes any sense whereas the three phase motor is smooth as silk.

That's what I found as well. The 3 phase was smoother and quieter.
 

YotaBota

Mike
Premium Member
Good to hear it was worth doing. I'm dealing on another lathe that I'm told is 3phase and was wondering if it was worth going the VFD route. If I get the new lathe I'll start a thread but for now I don't want to say much in case I jinx it. ;)
 

DavidR8

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I’m not saying a word about your new lathe!
Oh crap... I just did. [emoji16]
 
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