Electric motors for DIY shop power tools?

[CaptainCaveman]

I've been going through my collection of ShopNotes Magazines and I've come across several DIY power tools for the shop. Everything from a homemade drum sanders to belt powered sharpening stations with multiple grit wheels. I don't know if these are for people who can't afford to buy the tools in question or for masochist who really want a challenge (probably the later!).

Anyway, most of these plans call for electric motors of various horse powers. Can you even buy these kind of motors in Australia? And has anyone ever made machines like this? And if so, what was your experience with it? A worthwhile project or not worth the bother?

[BobL]

Quite a few members have made their own machinery especially sanders (drum and disc)

Plenty of suitable motors around - used motors are plentiful in placers like gumtree, or budget motor suppliers like Mcjing, or Conon, Electric Motor | Electric Motor Melbourne | Buy Electric Motor Online

If you already have a motor it can even be cost effective and metal working gear and skills can produce a more robust/longer lasting machine. Otherwise it may not be cost effective if you have to start from scratch especially compared to budget end machinery.

[China]

" Planet earth"

[rwbuild]

" Planet earth"

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[poundy]

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... is currently the location that CaptainCaveman has set their location to

[rwbuild]

Tin hats

[ubeaut]

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[wood spirit]

Never paid for a motor, but have powered several things from washing machine motors Old 60s-70s era generally about 1/3 HP but garden shredders often have 2 HP motors. one still powers a combined linisher / 12" disk sander. I gave up on my drum sander -never found anything for the power feed (drum sanders do need this) might still use one of my 2HP motors to power someones old homemade rip saw -has rise and fall -NO tilt covered in rust -but came with a NEW 10" blade for $2 but had 3 phase motor. I think somewhere in the shed there is a 1/3 HP unit that on the brass plate recommends oil from Vacuum oil co. -dead by 50s /60s ?
Price up anything that you want to build. If important things are not at hand - free. Have a good think about it. Cheap ass versions might even cost less.

[Gezdog]

Hi CaptainCaveman,
Back when I had a lot less money, but conversely a lot more energy, I undertook the building of a few DIY machines for the shop. My first attempt was a wide-belt sander; a particularly frustrating and unsatisfying result there, as I could never get it to track properly, and it sadly lacked a motorised feed drive! Best forgotten then, if only I could. Then I constructed quite an elaborate, free-standing(on castors)12 inch dia. disc sander, which worked really well, especially the dust extraction from the rear of the cowling. However, I foolishly made it direct drive off the main shaft; never even considered pulleys and v-belts, so naturally the motor eventually burnt out, due to the continuous pressure on the armature. Undeterred, I purchased Mathias Wandell's (Woodgears.ca)DIY bandsaw plans, and surprised myself with the resulting efficient & really economical machine.I had to rebuild one failed part recently, after 9 years of constant use, so I call that a win, plus the inestimable joy when I first fired up the beast, and it ran, and tracked well, and cut very well for a home-made, mostly timber machine. So there you have it, if your DIY machine works, enjoy the sense of achievement, to say nothing of enjoying using it every day; if it doesn't work, embrace the lesson learnt and congratulate yourself on not having to repeat that experiment. And build something else. Cheers.

[China]

DeYoungs usually have a selection of electric motors about the place both 1ph and 3ph

[heimlaga]

I have built a couple of machines.
None of them to commercially available drawings and most parts are made from metal.
Motors have been purchased secondhand or found at the local scrap yards.
Bad bearings are easy to shift and if nothing else is available one could rewind a burned out motor. I have rewound one motor but it was the original motor on the machine I was rebuilding.

Anyway I usually find it more worthwhile to buy a totally clapped out and run down high quality machine and then rebuild it and modernize it to make a modern high quality machine from whatewer it was. The time consumption is lower and the resulting machine usually better compared to a scratch built machine.

[GraemeCook]

Lots of motors are repurposed from old washing machines, fridges, etc; frequently not ideal.

But new ones aren't expensive. If there is an "electric motor rewinder" near you he should be able to supply new motors or reconditioned motors - often better than new - closely specified to your needs.

But be wary. These motors are 230 volts and you can quickly get into a grey area of what you are legally allowed to do or not do. Virtually no policing until something goes wrong, then the regulators shoot the victims.

[BobL]

Lots of motors are repurposed from old washing machines, fridges, etc; frequently not ideal.

Fridges have motors in their compressors but these are not worth messing about with in terms of getting a useful motor out of them.
Most Washing machine motors are open frame so must be enclosed inside a box, that's no problem in terms of cooling inside a washing machine size cabinet but that's a bit bulky for a wood working machine so a smaller enclosure has to be used. Then cooling doe becomes a problem and some washing machine motors don't even have a fan. Washing machine motors also tend to have crappy mounting points that need work

Here's a squirrel cage fan that had 1/4HP 3P motor that I swapped out for a washing machine motor.
Had to make the enclosure, and make and add a fan and proper routing points - right PITA
Complete.jpg

But new ones aren't expensive. If there is an "electric motor rewinder" near you he should be able to supply new motors or reconditioned motors - often better than new - closely specified to your needs.

But be wary. These motors are 230 volts and you can quickly get into a grey area of what you are legally allowed to do or not do. Virtually no policing until something goes wrong, then the regulators shoot the victims.

Used motors - especially 3P used to be dirt cheap - less o now but occasionally GT has a bargain or two.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

2nd hand motors are fairly easily sourced, but you do need to know what is suitable for the project you intend to use it in.

Beyond HP and RPM, you need to be aware of mounting types (face or side-mount?) direction of rotation (not all motors are simply reversible) and even the type of shaft. (Diameter? Length? Is it keyed for a pulley?)

If you're going into such a project and the complications that BobL mentions concern you, then I suspect that making the rest of the machine would be a struggle for you as well.

There's a difference between making a motor fit an existing machine and making a machine that fits an existing motor, but it isn't really that different.

I've made a few myself, not woodworking machines per se, but lapidary grinders and stone saws. They're rough as guts but they work well and have done for a few decades now. Mainly because they're pretty much just a motor driving a shaft in a bearing block with no need for any adjustments beyond belt tension.

When it comes to woodworking machinery, all sorts of adjustments are needed which necessarily makes things less simple.

For some people, the design and construction of such equipment is the satisfying part. For me, I only build it if I need it and I already know that I would not be happy with, oh, let's say a drum sander, that I built with the tools at my disposal.

So worthwhile or not?



That depends on what you expect to get out of the experience...