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fozz
21st October 2013, 07:14 PM
290263290264290265

Good evening folks,

I'm wondering if any of you knows what brand this lathe may be and what age it my be.
Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Ross.

powderpost
21st October 2013, 08:54 PM
Looks like a one off, non factory lathe to me.
Jim

Pagie
21st October 2013, 09:04 PM
Home made. Did u buy it?

Colin62
21st October 2013, 09:51 PM
Home made was my first thought.

issatree
22nd October 2013, 01:41 AM
Hi All,
Looking at the Bearing set up, it maybe a Woodfast.
When you look at the Banjo & the Boxed Tail Stock, it does look like a Homer.
Woodfast had a heavy lid over the Headstock, just like that one.
Great length of bed, make one think it was for Balustrades.
Thats my2sents worth.

fozz
22nd October 2013, 07:52 AM
Gday folks,

When I first spotted this lathe on ebay early last week the thing that got me interested was this picture290323and after speaking with one of my woodturning club members he told me that it was the third one he'd seen and he said that they were made by Omega way back before making the "Stubby" lathes. I have been wanting to upgrade my big lathe for sometime now as the lathe in this thread http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/help-pulleys-142323/ was great thing to learn on it still had a small amount of vibration that I wasn't able to get rid of creating inaccuracies that became really annoying.

I watched the auction in anticipation expecting the price to rocket way past what I was willing to spend. The last 5 minutes were a real nail biter and when the screen finally said" You've won" I then sat and pondered just what had I won.

Contact was made with the owner and down I went with a friend and his trailer to pick it up, and there's where the fun started. It barely fitted inside the six foot long trailer. Being on casters thankfully, we half pushed half dragged it to the back of the trailer, dont think these casters were made for this weight. We got one each side of the tail end and lifted it onto the trailer. The trailer is really for a car to pull and being hooked to a Musso 4w drive it had quite a tilt down at the back, thankfully. It was pushed toward the front then a block of wood was placed under the bed and we hoisted, lifted, grunted, swore and in two goes we got it up onto the trailer. If it hadn't been for the tilt it would still be at the owners house. At a guess it must weigh 200 - 250kgs. Strapped it to the trailer and off home we went only to reverse the process again, second time wasn't any easier.

The previous owner had thoughtfully plugged it in before we picked it up so I knew it did run. After getting it home and into the garage we plugged it in and switched it on. The head stock bearings are a little noisy but no slop in the shaft and when I eventually find my grease gun I'll shoot some grease into them through the nipples to hopefully quieten them down. The shaft thread is 10x 1" so I now have two chucks for it. I put a meter long piece of oregon, three inches by two inches offset by about an inch one end, brought the tail stock, tightened everything up and standing back started the lathe more than half expected the lathe to either vibrate like all hell or the piece of timber to exit the lathe at a great rate. It just sat there and purred away almost saying is that all you've got for a test.

To say I'm pretty happy is an understatement considering the cost. Now all I have to do is clean up the garage to fit it in. Once that's done I'll be posting more updates as I restore this lathe to its former glory, at least this wont take as long as the last one.

Ross.

RETIRED
22nd October 2013, 11:28 AM
A little birdy told me what you had bought, that is why I didn't answer.:wink:

Big step up from the other one Ross.

It does not cost a lot for those sort of bearings so, if any doubt replace them.

fozz
22nd October 2013, 05:55 PM
Ok, I started up the lathe today after greasing up the head shaft bearings and while I do think the bearings needed the grease the noise now appears to becoming from one side of the jack shaft pulley assembly. I can get my hand inside the lathe, grab hold of the pulleys and the whole thing moves just a tad toward the tail stock end of the jack shaft, in fact you can see in the picture the grease from the bearing between it and the arm holding the shaft. 290373 I'm going to have to figure out just how to get it out but it was one of the reasons for buying the lathe in the first place, everything seems to be relatively easy to fix.

As I was taking the pictures I thought I'd take some measurements to see just what it will turn. From the bed to the centre of the shaft is a tad over 200mm, don't see myself turning anything much larger and the bed is long enough to turn 1200 without any problem.

, I am glad that I got the play with the other lathe, through it, yourself and a few others it gave me a lot of experience and the confidence to restore this new toy/tool and end up hopefully with lathe that will turn round circles and not oval ones :)

Just need to save up the pennies for a variable speed add on :2tsup:

Stay posted, there'll be more to come,

Ross.

P.s., little birdie, hhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmm, I wonder...............

fozz
24th October 2013, 09:53 PM
Couple of minor updates.

I spoke to a wood turning friend today who did some inquiries about the lathe and it is in fact an Omega lathe, one of the originals built approximately 30+ years ago before the "stubbies" came into existence. I also spoke to another friend last night who explained that a conversion to electronic variable speed is both easy and cheap for a lathe like this, confirming my thoughts as to where I wanted to go with it.

In the same week as buying this lathe I also purchased another lathe, a Carbatec mc1100b which while secondhand was still in the box, unopened and never used. As can be imagined there is not enough room for two full size lathes so the Carbatec lathe will be up for sale shortly.

Now I know these lathes have to be heavy but why oh why do they have to be SO HEAVY? After much grunting and groaning my metal lathe is out of the way and the Omega is now sitting where the metal lathe was, under a double window with lots of natural light.

More updates soon,

Ross.

NeilS
26th October 2013, 08:15 PM
Now I know these lathes have to be heavy but why oh why do they have to be SO HEAVY?


Because, heavy is good, very heavy is better, and 'so heavy' is best!

Looks like you have the start of an outboard turning platform there, Ross...:)

That's one good idea Omega could have kept from this prototype.

fozz
27th October 2013, 09:05 AM
Neil, not really sure how the outboard turning would work, you'd have to explain that :?.

I will be getting forward and reverse on the new set up so maybe that will help:fingerscrossed:

NeilS
27th October 2013, 10:32 AM
Neil, not really sure how the outboard turning would work, you'd have to explain that :?.

I will be getting forward and reverse on the new set up so maybe that will help


Here (http://www.cws.au.com/shop/item/rear-turning-attachment) is an example of an outboard rear turning rig.

Several other examples, here (http://www.google.com.au/imgres?client=firefox-a&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&channel=rcs&biw=1525&bih=661&tbm=isch&tbnid=R9AHnKpdKJ7DjM:&imgrefurl=http://www.hdv.net/2001/2001.htm&docid=cTWE1h3Rl69-nM&imgurl=http://www.hdv.net/2001/outbd1.jpg&w=248&h=311&ei=W0tsUr3QJ-vxiAfut4HgDw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:12,s:0,i:115&iact=rc&page=1&tbnh=184&tbnw=169&start=0&ndsp=22&tx=84&ty=97), here (http://www.google.com.au/imgres?client=firefox-a&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&channel=rcs&biw=1525&bih=661&tbm=isch&tbnid=Nwvh312645Fp_M:&imgrefurl=http://www.poolewood.co.uk/acatalog/Record_MAXI-1_Woodturning_Lathe.html&docid=DDIzajwRscSzjM&imgurl=http://www.poolewood.co.uk/acatalog/MAXI-2-A.jpg&w=560&h=500&ei=W0tsUr3QJ-vxiAfut4HgDw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:69,s:0,i:295&iact=rc&page=3&tbnh=186&tbnw=209&start=49&ndsp=25&tx=109&ty=70) and here (http://www.vegawoodworking.com/c3.jpg).

With the fixed headstock on your Omega the rear end is where you can turn larger diameter pieces than will fit inboard over the bed. You may occasionally wish to turn pieces larger than 400mm diam. I prefer to turn faceplate work outboard, regardless of the size.

Is the rear thread left or right hand?

If right hand, reverse will be invaluable for outboard work.

If left hand, you have the challenge of sourcing LH chuck inserts and adapting some of your tools for clockwise turning.

fozz
28th October 2013, 06:47 AM
This is a close up of the left hand side of the drive shaft, unfortunately no thread.291132

NeilS
28th October 2013, 10:19 AM
This is a close up of the left hand side of the drive shaft, unfortunately no thread.

Unusual for there to be no thread on the rear end of the headstock shaft, at least for a hand wheel.

So, it's looking like outboard turning is not going to be an option with that headstock shaft.

fozz
3rd November 2013, 01:03 AM
Gday Folks,

Today I picked up this motor from a friends place that will replace the existing motor on the lathe.291892291890 Along with this VSD Updated NEW Variable Frequency Drive Inverter VFD 2 2KW 220 250V 10A 3HP P2 | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/UPDATED-NEW-VARIABLE-FREQUENCY-DRIVE-INVERTER-VFD-2-2KW-220-250V-10A-3HP-p2-/320854990286?pt=AU_Business_Industrial_Industrial_Supply_MRO&hash=item4ab4729dce) and from what my friend has told me there should be no problems getting variable speed from 0rpm to 3000rpm. I found out tonight though that we've had a miscommunication. The current motor has a four speed pulley and my friend has told me that's the way he has worked out the set up where as I was hoping for two variable speed ranges, one from 0 to 1500rpm and the other from 0rpm to 3000rpm.

He appears to be attacking this conversion from an engineers point of view where I'm trying to explain it from a woodturners point of view and its damn had via skype without voice. This is the first experience I've had with a set up like this so little knowledge on my part could well be the problem.

If anyone of you has any ideas I'd be really interested to read them.

Thanks in advance,

Ross.

fozz
19th January 2014, 11:28 PM
Gday Folks,

Now that the shed is getting organised the lathe has a permanent home right in front of a window with a skylight overhead. I glued up some blocks for the lathe to sit on made from a laminated beam that was laying around the shed. After taking some measurements the lathe was about 125mm short of the ideal height and as the beam was 60mm thick and 300mm wide it was cut into four pieces 700mm long by 2 and 500mm by 2 and then glued and clamped with one end flush. This afternoon the friend who helped me pick the lathe up came over to help remove the castors the lathe sat on and replace them with these blocks.

Again, why oh why so heavy!!! The tail stock was no problem but thankfully he has some friends arrive so while the friends wife stayed and did what wives do, the husband came over to see what we were up to.:2tsup: It took all three of us to lift the head stock end up and slide the block underneath. The blocks were fixed to the lathe with 14gx100mm screws through the brackets at its base and then the whole thing was triple man handled into its final resting place.

As a test all three of us lent up against the lathe with no movement, it took a good push by all of us to get it to move at all.

Next job is to clean it up and give it a new paint job, a can of vivid white is my thinking at the moment. The new motor and VSD will be added shortly then its on to making shavings. :D

I'll post picks of the progress tomorrow or the next day.

Ross.

Paul39
20th January 2014, 05:21 AM
Fozz,

Quit complaining about heavy. With heavy you get; quiet, smooth, headstock, tool rest, and tailstock staying in the relationship to one another, no tool chatter marks from tool rest bouncing up and down, lathe staying in one place rather than wandering around the shed.

I have a 350mm swing Hegner that was my first "good" lathe. It cost about $2000 new. It has a square tube bed that flexes, so when I have an out of balance bowl blank to start, everything is flailing around at a different rate.

My 500mm swing short bed Woodfast is all cast iron and mounted on a steel cabinet. I took it all to pieces to get it home and in the shed. It probably weighs twice what the Hegner does. It is smooth, quiet, and steady as a rock.

I can put a 20 inch stump on it and it gently sways back and forth until I get the out of balance chunks cut off.

Be happy with heavy. If you need to move it again make a platform of plywood and roll it around on three pieces of pipe. If on concrete 3/4 inch will do. Use a pry bar to lift one end, stick pipe under, scoot toward where you want to go 500mm, put pipe under leading edge, repeat.

fozz
20th January 2014, 06:02 AM
Hey Paul,

I do hope you realise that when I've mentioned the weight of this lathe it is very tongue in cheek. My very first lathe, a mini, has little weight so of course it does vibrate at times. I waited awhile for a heavier lathe which I got and restored and during that process I actually added weight to it the make it more stable. That lathes head, tail and banjo weighed quite abit but because the frame I made didnt weigh enough it was a tad unstable so I waited for another lathe to come along.

Not one but two weighty lathes then appeared in my workshop so I had to weigh up which lathe to keep and whilst the other lathe was brand new and this one 30+ years I chose to keep the weightier one for the exact same reason you mentioned.:D

So whilst I have mentioned the weight of this lathe a few times now it is exactly what I've waited a long time for.

Hope this clears everything up,

Ross.

Uncle Al
20th January 2014, 07:21 AM
There are two types of gravity when talking about wood lathes.
The good gravity reduces vibrations, increases stability and makes for an all round good turning experience.
The bad type of gravity causes double hernias when it comes time to move the beast.
As far as I know, you can't have one without the other.
Fortunately, the bad type of gravity is rarely a problem, unless you are in the habit of shifting the lathe around the workshop every second day.
The good type of gravity you will appreciate every time you use the beast.

You have a nice beast there, can't see you ever wearing it out, and should be many a long day before you will have to fight with bad gravity again.

Alan...

Paul39
20th January 2014, 10:56 AM
Ross,

I did not see your tongue in cheek when you were going on and on about the weight. Sorry.

Here is my idea of the right size lathe, image from http://www.lathes.co.uk/index.html:

http://www.lathes.co.uk/wadkin/img1.jpg

fozz
20th January 2014, 07:53 PM
No probs Paul, just didnt want you annoyed with me as your posts have helped me before and I hope that will continue in the future.

So, today I started painting the lathe, got the tailstock done then thought I'd better see about making a hand wheel. As the rear of the head shaft has no thread the thinking was to find a piece of hardwood to turn and then jam it onto the shaft. After turning the wheel, drilling the holes needed for the shaft, the cap that keeps the shaft in place and the through hole for the knock out bar it was time for a test fit. DAMN, if I measured the shaft once I measured it five times and the hole is a gnats whisker too big......, so what to do? There is a key way in the shaft so after scrounging around the shed a small bit of metal was found and fashioned into a key, put in place and the hand wheel jammed on. A little medium CA glue was added at the same time and it works a treat.

More updates to follow, and pics too,

Ross.

Old Croc
21st January 2014, 08:22 AM
Ross, looking at the photo of the outboard end of the headstock, it looks like there is enough meat to have it threaded. It might be worth your while to pull the shaft out and visit your local machine shop and get a quote on having it threaded so you can turn outboard. Just my 0.20 cents worth.
rgds,
Crocy.

fozz
21st January 2014, 07:50 PM
Croc, thanks for the idea, will speak to a machinist friend about it.

fozz
22nd January 2014, 09:11 PM
Good evening Folks,

As promised a couple of pictures of the hand wheel and a thin parting tool made from a reciprocating pruning blade and two pieces of blackwood.

Paul39
24th January 2014, 09:23 AM
WONDERFUL hand wheel. Very nice cut off tool.

fozz
27th January 2014, 09:03 PM
Hello Folks,

Today was to be THE BIG DAY for the lathe. My friend came around this morning and after test wiring the new motor it was fired up and run from 10 hertz up to 100 hertz, the motor ran smoothly, the VSD starts the motor and breaks it amazingly fast.

Now, just so you all know, where all this electrical stuff is concerned I know exactly enough to be dangerous.

After removing the old motor and switches the new motor was test fitted to the lathe. The first thing to be overcome is some new pulleys as the old motors spindle is 16mm and the new motors spindle is 28mm. The other thing to do is make the opening in the side of the lathe larger to accept the new motors spindle. The new motor is about four times the weight of the old motor and three times the size so the mounting frame will be modified as well.

The VSD was then mounted to the wall next to the lathe, again wired to the motor and the potentiometer soldered to the wiring and then the whole thing powered up. The motor ran from 10 hertz right up to 70 hertz and would not run one hertz faster so the potentiometer was disconnected and we tried again just using the VSD and got right up 100 hertz so the thinking at the moment is to get a higher rated potentiometer.

By this time it was about 3pm and so hot in the garage the spiders were falling out of their webs, 52c on the thermometer, so we finished up for the day with my friend taking home the motor, a steel plate for the new mount and the pulleys and do some number crunching while leaving a list of things for me to do during the week. I need to cut the opening wider, organise the new pulleys after the number crunching then go down to my friends engineering business to make the new mount.

So while things didnt quite go to plan the ground work has started and the lathe should be a goer by this time next week, fingers crossed.

Further updates to come,

Ross.

Paul39
28th January 2014, 03:40 AM
Wunnerful, Wunnerful!!!

With screw on chucks and face plates it is best to have coast down mode rather than brake on your VSD. If braked too much the chuck or faceplate and bowl blank can come unwound and go flying across the shed.

I have seen a photo where a very large bowl and chuck came off, hit the floor, bounced and imbedded itself in a wall 4 meters above the floor, 8 meters from the lathe.

Some chucks have a threaded hole for a set screw to keep the chuck on. If the set screw binds on a thread, a brass pellet can be made to go against the thread with the steel screw behind.

Working between centers with small diameter stuff should be no problem with braking.

fozz
29th January 2014, 10:09 PM
Paul, thanks for the info about the braking, definitely have to watch out for that. I had a chuck come loose on the mini lathe when I first started turning, scarey stuff.

Another minor update...302381302382 as mentioned earlier the new motor shaft is alot bigger so 3 cuttings discs and much sparks later the hole will now hopefully accept the new motor:fingerscrossed:

Paul39
2nd February 2014, 01:55 PM
Save your old almost used up sandpaper and make a strip about 20 mm wide, tape on to a dowel, chuck dowel in drill and run it around inside the curved slot to smooth it so you don't cut yourself on the edges. Go around with the dowel at 90 degrees, then at 45 one way and 45 the other way.

If you get several wraps, when the paper exposed is used up, tear off the end and resume.

fozz
10th February 2014, 12:16 AM
Dropped in on Sam tonight to pick up the motor, mounting plate and turned down pulley block that Sam did for me. So this week the plan is the mount the motor in position, change the potentiometer from the 10k to the new 25k one then see if that set up will do the trick of getting 100hz. I'll take some picks of the pulley and mounting plate tomorrow and post them so you can see the progress.

Thats it for now, bed is calling,

Ross.

fozz
10th February 2014, 09:23 PM
303667303664303665303666303668303669

fozz
13th February 2014, 07:58 PM
Gday Folks,

I've got a small problem that I'm hoping someone can help me with. Sam and I, well Sam mostly with me looking on with what was hoped to be an intelligent expression, wired up the VSD and with no potentiometer it would run up to 100htz but with the 10kw pot installed it would only run to 70htz. So it was decided that maybe if the 10kw pot was changed for a 25kw pot then we would get 100htz. So with trusty soldering iron in hand I changed the pots, rang Sam and fired the VSD up. Hit run and it still wont run past 70htz.

It was then decided that Sam would ask on forums he frequents and I would ask you guys here.

So my question is what could be the problem and how do we fix it?

Thanks in advance,

Ross.

fozz
17th February 2014, 11:16 PM
Hi Folks,

Sam came over last night and worked some more of his magic on the lathe. When he left it was connected to power via the VSD and speed selected through the pot. We did strike one problem though, the motor being alot bigger physically meant that the plate holding it fowled on the bottom motor support so without full travel the belt ended up be way too long.

We did fire the beasty up with the belt on the big jack pulley and big drive pulley and while it all ran nicely it did show that I need to pull the jack shaft out and see whats going on with the bearing there.

This afternoon I went out to the shed, sat down in front of the lathe and removed the bottom support to see how much more travel I'd get and whether it would be enough to tighten the belt.

:hpydans2:IT DID IT DID :hpydans2::hpydans2: so now I have a 4 speed lathe via the pulleys and variable speed to boot.

I'd never considered just how slow 50rpm on a lathe really was and how much torque this set up was going to have. I tried three times on the lowest speed with leather gloves on to slow or stop the lathe by grabbing the hand wheel, not a hope in hell of achieving that.

It will still only go from 10hz to 70hz but for now its certainly useable which is what I was after for now. I'll give Sam some time off then I'll bribe him with some more food, he tells me eye fillet steak goes along way:wink:, to get him to set up the forward/reverse, the rev counter and emergency stop button then all it needs will be a coat of paint to finish it.

I'll post some pics when it all finished.

Oh, almost forgot, spoke to Rod from Omega the other day. He told me they started making these lathes between 20 and 25 years ago, not the 30+ I'd been told previously. The first two or three werent even numbered then they started numbering them on the stand at the end of the bed, have to remember to check that. After that they had the Omega name made up as an aluminium badge that was fixed on that same stand and they still have some of the badges in stock. He also asked if I would send him some pics of the lathe as I got it, WIP and the finished product.

Anyway, thats all from me for now.

A big thanks to Sam for all his work,

Ross.

Paul39
18th February 2014, 06:38 AM
Ross,

If you have a constant torque VFD you will not be able to stall it. Below are the three types:



Variable torque, such as in centrifugal fan, pump and blower applications
Constant torque, such as in conveyor and displacement pump applications
Constant power, such as in machine tool and traction applications.


More than you ever wanted to know about VFDs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable-frequency_drive

There should be a forward - reverse switch on your VFD control box. If you got a new one with instructions it should be listed.

I found that the printed instructions that came with my TECO VFD were translated from Chinese by an Indian but the mini CD had more and understandable instructions.

Old Croc
19th February 2014, 08:06 AM
I found that the printed instructions that came with my TECO VFD were translated from Chinese by an Indian but the mini CD had more and understandable instructions.

Paul, so you have not learnt to read and understand Chinglish yet? :D Get used to it, most of the stuff we get comes from over there, and the way your country is going, so will you guys. Saw a program on the telly recently, about a giant container ship built exclusively for Walmart, goes from China to L.A. full and back to China empty each trip.
rgds,
Crocy.

Paul39
19th February 2014, 11:03 AM
Crocy,

It is very hard to find anything here not made out of the country, mostly China.

fozz
21st February 2014, 08:35 PM
Hey Paul, thanks for the link on the VFD's, havent finished reading but very interesting.

OK, after firing the beast up the other day the most prominent noise was coming from the jack shaft or its bearings so tonight I worked out how to extract the jack shaft to have a look at what is going on. Both bearings are noisy with one being decidedly crunchy and unfortunately the crunchy one appears to have worn a small groove in the jack shaft wear it was positioned.

In the image you can see just down from the top of the shaft where the bearing sat and the groove it has made.304895Not exactly sure of what to do there or if I do nothing what the outcome will be, whether its possible to shim or if a new shaft is needed. Anyway, will get new bearings tomorrow and see what happens. Any thoughts will be appreciated.

Paul39
22nd February 2014, 03:38 AM
Hey Paul, thanks for the link on the VFD's, havent finished reading but very interesting.

OK, after firing the beast up the other day the most prominent noise was coming from the jack shaft or its bearings so tonight I worked out how to extract the jack shaft to have a look at what is going on. Both bearings are noisy with one being decidedly crunchy and unfortunately the crunchy one appears to have worn a small groove in the jack shaft wear it was positioned.

In the image you can see just down from the top of the shaft where the bearing sat and the groove it has made.304895Not exactly sure of what to do there or if I do nothing what the outcome will be, whether its possible to shim or if a new shaft is needed. Anyway, will get new bearings tomorrow and see what happens. Any thoughts will be appreciated.

I am assuming there were roller or ball bearings on the ends of the shaft which fit into the arms of the mount, and the bearing locked up and rotated on the shaft and wore a groove. I would replace both bearings with pregreased sealed bearings, they will last for years.

If by removing the bearings and pulleys and putting them on in reversed position, the bearings on the ends fall on a good part of the shaft, that would work. An engineer shop could turn down the worn end and fit a bearing with a smaller inside diameter with the same outside diameter. Probably the simplest would be to take the shaft to an engineering supply place and see if they had a replacement on the shelf. If they only had a plain shaft, an engineer shop could cut the key slots.

If the small pulley and the step pulley are one piece or locked together, and have set screws to hold the key between the pulleys and shaft, a plain shaft with a flat ground for a longer set screw to bear upon would work.

If the small pulley and the step pulley are separate and both have set screws, a hole drilled in the shaft about 5 mm deep and a pointed set screw run into the hole would work. That set up would need to be checked from time to time, and if loosened some Loctite applied and tightened quite hard.

http://www.loctite.com/

fozz
22nd February 2014, 11:19 PM
Thanks for the info Paul. Changed the bearings this afternoon for new sealed bearings and was able to get the bearing onto a good section of the shaft then move the pulley over, tightened it down so the bearing cant move over to the worn section. Started the lathe up and it now purrs like a big cat, just need to attach the bottom mount for the motor and it should be all good.

Thanks to all of you who have helped and commented, its much appreciated.

Ross.

fozz
2nd March 2014, 04:33 PM
Good afternoon Folks,

Went down to Middy's late in the week to pick up 3 metres of 4 core 2.5mm flex to wire the motor up properly, fitted it Friday afternoon and as I was doing that I knocked one of the pot wires out of the vfd. I put it back where i thought it went but could then only get the motor to run to 40hz so figured I'd put it in the wrong place so undid the wire and left it. One thing I did notice after taking the vfd of the wall is that the terminals seem to be upside down in that you unscrew them and the holding plate doesnt come up but instead it goes toward the back of the terminal, the wire goes in there and then when tightened the plate comes back in toward the front of the terminal. I know I know, to you boffins its common place but to a novice like me in was very interesting to find that out.

Saturday comes around and I wanted an out board control panel like the one on the Oneway Lathes so out with the welder and angle grinder, some bits and pieces cut and welded together and ended up with an arm that holds the control and will swivel on a pivot from one end of the lathe to the other. Late in the afternoon a friend and his misses came over to see what I was up to. She took one look and fled for the shopping centre while he stayed and being a sparky although being off the tools for a long time found the whole thing of great interest. I explained what was going on and asked him if he would wire it up for me, one to get it up and running and two to save Sam the time for his own things. Sure he says have you got a manual for it? Handed him the manual and for the next hour he looked and read, mumbled a bit, looked and read some more then asked who wrote this &^$%&^%*&^(^$&^* stupid manual and have I got a wiring schematic for it?

I explained that was THE MANUAL and no I didn't have a schematic but hopefully there would be one on the net. He told me if he had a schematic it should take less than an hour to wire the whole thing so last night I did a search and found this


so this morning I got out into the shed and having the monkey see monkey thinking and figuring if wire A goes into terminal A it couldn't be too difficult to wire it myself. I did get the emergency stop wiring back to front but that was an easy fix. Had to ring Sam to work out how to get remote control to the out board panel, got that sorted so now the beast runs forward and reverse, is variable speed, and has a big red emergency stop switch.

The only thing it wont do is run past 70hz, the PD is set to 100hz so my question to you folks is where to look to see what could be causing this.

I'll post pics tonight of the arm and control panel so you can see wheres its up to.

Thanks again to all of you for your help, it really is appreciated.

Ross.

Paul39
3rd March 2014, 05:10 AM
The only thing it wont do is run past 70hz, the PD is set to 100hz so my question to you folks is where to look to see what could be causing this.

70hz in top gear gives you what RPM? Unless you are doing pens or 5mm finials, I don't think it will matter much that you get the last bit of RPM out of the motor.

Controller at 50 HZ, motor makes 1400, same size pulley on motor and spindle, spindle is turning at 1400.

Controller at 70 HZ, motor & spindle make 1960, and you have a step pulley to make it faster.

My 350mm swing Hegner has 800, 1400, and two higher speeds. Bowls, I rough, finish turn, sand, and apply Tung oil at 800. On smaller bowls, I may finish turn at 1400. 350mm out of balance blanks are a bit spooky, but 800 is the minimum, and I have been too busy making turnings to do a variable speed set up or a countershaft.

Depending on how out of balance the split log is for a spindle, I'll start at 800 or 1400 and finish turn, sand and apply Tung oil at 1400.

The smallest I turn is about 30mm. I did try one step higher than 1400 once and that was too fast for my taste.

fozz
3rd March 2014, 06:19 AM
Hi Paul,

At the moment at 10hz the lowest speeds are,

59, 76, 186, 285

and at 70hz the speed are

415, 532, 1302, 1996

at 100hz they should be

593, 759, 1859, 2851

For my own knowledge I'd be interested in what could be the cause of the 70hz top considering that PD is set to 100hz

Paul39
3rd March 2014, 12:24 PM
Fozz,


For my own knowledge I'd be interested in what could be the cause of the 70hz top considering that PD is set to 100hz

You might ask the question here:

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/transformers-phase-converters-vfd/

I have belonged to Practical Machinist as long as the woodwork forum and have had no spam or bad things happen to my computer attributed to PM.

PM is for professionals and hobbyists that use medium to large machines. When you ask questions, give details about your VFD and motor used on a wood lathe.

See:

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general/machinery-discussion-guidelines-137724/

Hope you will get some help with your question.

fozz
3rd March 2014, 12:57 PM
Thanks Paul, appreciate the help!!!

fozz
3rd March 2014, 02:04 PM
As promised, a few pictures of the remote controls and the arm they are mounted on.306132306131306134306133 Pic one, arm mounted to the underside of the bed, pic two, the arm and control panel with pot, stop forward and reverse and emergency stop, pic 3, the VFD and pic 4, where it sits on the wall. By the way, in pic 4 there is a collection of M2 tapers, warning, dont have them so close together, THEY BREED!!!!!!!