Thread: Spiral Head cutters

Woody can I come and play with all your new toys and watch all the house lights in the street dime when you start them up?

They make plugs of all sizes. I have 2*30amp in my farm workshop & my electrician is coming soon to fit a 25 amp plug in my wool shed. Problem with the bigger outlets, as you have found out, they all have to have their own circuit.

I have looked at the 4400 band saw myself and thought with the heaviest blade that can be fitted it would be quite a good saw for resawing recycled timber. Do you intend to use it for that?

We await report on the A3 41

Peter

Peter
My new toys are in prep for retirement in 4 years 8months (but I'm not counting ), just wanted to upgrade from my previous smaller machines and my intention is to build furniture for Kids etc.

I have a large number of slabs that will need bandsawing before further machining plus numerous other duties and after reading all good reports about the N4400 I thought that is the one for me.

I will report back when I get the A3-41 up and running

Woody

Originally Posted by Woody1

Peter
My new toys are in prep for retirement in 4 years 8months (but I'm not counting ),

Woody

Yes, Woody

Is that 1,706 days ??

Before I retired, I set the counter on my screensaver and watched the slow count down. A colleague thought it was a good idea and set his counter in hours - the count down was much faster, but from a very big number...



Fair Winds

Graeme

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Yes, Woody

Is that 1,706 days ??

Before I retired, I set the counter on my screensaver and watched the slow count down. A colleague thought it was a good idea and set his counter in hours - the count down was much faster, but from a very big number...



Fair Winds

Graeme

Thats not a bad idea Graeme, I'll have to work on that one!!

Originally Posted by Timless Timber

You can get one of those single to 3 phase converters, BUT they ain't cheap - like usually more than the cost of the machine you want to run with them!.

Timless

You are correct on the cost of Phase Converters, but some cost can be offset by providing your own 3PH electric motor and buying a kit to build the package. problem I found was that a high efficiency motor was required and although I had five to choose from they were all old and unsuitable so the economy went out the back door.

If you can supply the transformer there is another saving to be made (big old welders can be the go there).

I am currently going down a different track and installing a larger capacity single phase supply and using 20amp and 32amp single phase outlets. Then I can install a VFD between the single phase supply and the three phase machines. Now the VFDs are so much cheaper this seems to be a more viable option.

Regards
Paul

I wouldn't consider a phase converter for a single motor, MUCH too expensive. Have a look at VFDs (Variable frequency devices). They convert single phase to three phase electronically and are "dirt cheap" for what they are. I have three of them and they are 3kW (4 HP) and cost about $120 each.
Their BIG advantage is not that you can use 3-phase motors - even VERY old ones - but it gives them soft start AND makes them VARIABLE SPEED!
My 4HP 960rpm motor on my metal lathe for example runs perfectly happy from 3Hz (57rpm) to 120Hz (2300rpm). I haven't changed gears since fitting it.
In woodworking machines and dust extractors you go to a whole new generation of machine after fitting one of these: change saw speed to suit the blade size, change planer/thicknesser speed to suit hardness of timber, change dusty speed to suit the machines connected, change spindle moulder speed to match cutter diameter etc....
You will find heaps of info in the metalwork section on this forum. The most common brand around is Huanyang.
These are available in bigger sizes as well, but larger than 4kW ones have to be wired in (alternatively there are also expendsive 20A, 25A and 32A 240V powerpoints - and they all have to have a circuit all to themselves - 15A powerpoints can have a couple of 10A powerpoints on their circuit if protected by an RCD).
I think that is still a cheaper alternative to using large single phase motors.

"My 4HP 960rpm motor on my metal lathe for example runs perfectly happy from 3Hz (57rpm) to 120Hz (2300rpm). I haven't changed gears since fitting it."

That sounds the go


What size outlet?

Peter

The 3kW VFDs draw a maximum of 12.5A (they are limited internally). Mine are plugged into 15A outlets.
You can even set that limit to another value - say 10A - and have "only" 2.4kW available and plug it in anywhere. I have plugged there into a 10A outlet for testing, since that circuit has a 20A circuit breaker and RCD anyway. I ensured no machines were on that circuit at the time and all was well. In fact, I doubt that my machines ever use the full available HP anyway, but they have nice torque low down when they are a bit bigger than needed There is no way my lathe will ever use 4HP, but it can take some really heavy cuts at just 20Hz - where a 1HP motor would get stalled.

Thanks Joe. Very interesting.

Peter

Originally Posted by Petethebutcher

Thanks guys for all the positive feedback.



Graeme I had watched that video, very good demo.

The guys with the A3 31's, What size amp. point are you using?

Also Woody, with the 5.5 hp in your 41 (I assume the planner thicknesser) what power sourse are you using?

All the positive coments re the "silent head" No body has made comment on the reduced power requirment claimed.



Peter

Hi Peter

I have just seen your threads and was wondering if you have heard of Robert Gregory from Woodcraft Supplies in Qld. He is very helpful and knows about installing HH into all machines and how they work. He was the one who bought the HH into Ausland 6 years ago - he is very helpful in giving out info - maybe worth a call

TM

Thanks trude for your interest. I talked with Robert at the sydney WWS.

Their BIG advantage is not that you can use 3-phase motors - even VERY old ones - but it gives them soft start AND makes them VARIABLE SPEED!

I read some of the vfd posts in the metal work forum. They make setting up a vfd sound quite a complicated business.

Was that your experence?


Peter

Peter,
setting up a VFD to just run a motor when you turn it one is dead easy: Your take it out of the box, connect a cable with plug to it, connect the three wires plus earth fronm your 3-phase motor to it, swith on the power point and press the run button of the VFD when it boots up.
The problem is it can do a HELL OF A LOT MORE. you can change the acceleration, deceleration, make it go backward and forward in full flight, jog it slowly this way and that, set various torque curves, set various limits etc etc... around 150 parameters to make it sing and dance. To do more than one or two of these options at the same time makes the wiring and setting up quite complicated and time consuming.
So it's as complicated or as easy as you like. But there is now a LOT of expertise on this forum if you want to change something.

setting up a VFD to just run a motor when you turn it one is dead easy: Your take it out of the box, connect a cable with plug to it, connect the three wires plus earth fronm your 3-phase motor to it, swith on the power point and press the run button of the VFD when it boots up.
The problem is it can do a HELL OF A LOT MORE. you can change the acceleration, deceleration, make it go backward and forward in full flight, jog it slowly this way and that, set various torque curves, set various limits etc etc... around 150 parameters to make it sing and dance. To do more than one or two of these options at the same time makes the wiring and setting up quite complicated and time consuming.

Thanks Joe.

You make it sound "doable".
I think I will buy one and have a play.
Dust off a very old 3 ph 4hp motor that I took out of my lathe (from Cock-a-too Island sale) and put it back to work

Peter