Switch to variable speed

[Duff Bement]

I am looking at putting a variable speed conversion on my Conover. I found the dc control box on eBay and now I need to find the correct dc motor. I was able to get the part number off a photo in a catalog for the controller but not the motor. Can someone that has made this kind of conversion point me in the right direction?
Thanks, Duff

 

[MichaelMouse]

DC's pretty simple as long as the motor has brushes. Capacity match in volts/watts is all you need. The controller is just an SCR with variable voltage output.

Now brushless are another matter altogether.

Lots of good stuff about DC motor options here. http://www.dcmotorsinc.com/index.php

 

[John Jordan]

Look in your AAW Directory for Chuck Woodruff in WA state. I'm not sure he's still doing it, but he's the man to get the parts you need, and he has the knowledge to be sure you get what you need. All DC controllers are not created equal, and off the shelf one's are not always ideal. What runs a conveyor well is not the same as the varying loads of a lathe.

You could probably fit a variable frequency controller which use a three phase motor, which are cheaper, but the controller costs more. They are far superior to the DC setup, which is much better than a single speed.

I used a Conover with DC for years. Mount your motor on a sliding tray/shelf rather than hanging it. The lathe will be much smoother, and you can put a second shelf halfway down the bed, and simply move the motor and headstock to have a short bed lathe.

John

John

 

[Owen Lowe]

You could probably fit a variable frequency controller which use a three phase motor, which are cheaper, but the controller costs more. They are far superior to the DC setup, which is much better than a single speed.
John

I agree with John. Look into getting a 3 phase motor (usually very inexpensive when compared to comparable single-phase) and a VFD to convert your single phase input to 3-ph plus give the variable speed. This is the method used with the newer variable-speed lathes.