Looking for a 1-2 hp electric motor

Vanilla Gorilla · 06-07-2008, 03:40 PM

Does anyone know where I can get a deal on a 1-2 hp electric motor? I want to build a thickness sander. I don't mind if the motor is rebuilt, I certainly don't mind if it's used, but I can't pay retail for the motor for the same reason I am trying to build the sander

I'm sure amongst this crowd electric motors are a sought after commodity, but if anyone has any ideas let me know!

-Marco

cptully · 06-07-2008, 04:13 PM

Marco,

Well, I will assume that you've check HF and Northern Tool. This may seem odd but look up the local Grainger sales counter and give them a shout they probably don't sell rebuilt motors, but they are likely to know where you can get one.

Have you settled on a set of plans yet? I've been toying with the idea for a while now and have found several different variations on the theme, but not settled on a single plan or combination of ideas to cobble into a final plan.

Chris

Bernhard · 06-07-2008, 04:49 PM

Marco,

I got one. Originally came from a Grizzly table saw, works fine. I have no use for it. So if you can use it, come and get it. Sent me a pm if interested.

Cheers
Bernhard

Charles Lent · 06-07-2008, 04:58 PM

You didn't say if the motor needed to be any special voltage, 1 or 3 phase or what RPM you are looking for. These are all very important when looking for a motor.

I have two 3 phase 220 Volt motors that I think are 2 hp and 3600 RPM. (European made - removed from print shop air compressors). They are in nearly new condition and you can have both of them for free if you will come and get them. I live just off exit 60 of I-85.

If these won't work, I suggest that you try an industrial surplus or metal salvage yard. Near me in Harrisburg, NC there is a metal salvage yard (Foils, Inc) that last week had a whole dumpster full of motors of sizes up to about 75 hp that can be had for the scrap value and the trouble of digging the one that you want out of the pile. I'm sure there must be a similar place somewhere near you. Another place to try for 1/2 to 3 hp motors is the local heating and air conditioning contractors. They are removing old heating/cooling system units and the fan motors are ideal for home shop use.

clent@carolina.rr.com

Charley

Vanilla Gorilla · 06-07-2008, 05:01 PM

The generosity of the people on this site never ceases to amaze me!

As for the plans, I don't have it completely finalized, but I will be borrowing a lot of features from the shopnotes plans. I like the tracking mechanism for the belt, I like the design of the dust hood, and I like the overall construction, but I haven't settled on what I want for a height adjustment mechanism.

I am always wary of over-engineering something, so I think that simple may be better, but I would like to have not just up and down adjust ment, but to have the individual corners of the table to be adjustable. My biggest fear with this is having a machine that constantly makes wedge shaped pieces!!

But in the end, making all four corners adjustable might create a machine that's constantly going out of alignment. So that's where I'm at.

I feel like this is probably going to be a situation where I build the machine, use it for a couple of months, and then cannibalize it's parts to build a better version. That's the way a lot of homemade tools seem to go, IMHO.

Anyone here ever built one? If so, what did you like/hate about it?

Vanilla Gorilla · 06-07-2008, 05:31 PM

Thanks for the info Charles...I am semi ignorant when it comes to electrical.

I wish I could take those 3 phase motors off your hands, but I don't have a phase converter so they would be useless to me.

As far as the RPM's go, I figured I could work with most anything with the right HP and then regulate the rpm's with the pulley diameter, but I might be way off base with that.

I really like the idea of making one's own tools, so if I could find a source like you're talking about locally for electric motors, that would be awesome. I didn't realize HVAC guys had motors that big (just showing my ignorance again!!!!)

Anyone else on this site made any of their own power tools? I know there are some ingenious people here, so I would find it harder to believe if no one had tried it

cptully · 06-07-2008, 05:52 PM

Not the most detailed of plans... but this one definitely has an interesting table height adjustment:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It...True-Grit.aspx

I've also seen a posting from a guy who was planning to recycle the old belt and drive mechanism from his defunct tread mill as the drive belt for his sander. I like this idea, mostly because from what I've read a consistent material feed speed is critical to getting a good surface.

Chris

Vanilla Gorilla · 06-07-2008, 06:08 PM

I like the idea of the table height adjustment on that one, but again, I wonder if there isn't a simpler way. I shy away from using that much metal since I know basically nothing about working with it, and with that many moving parts I could see the joints getting loose if I used that design in hardwood, unless I used some sort of bushings.

The only other thing I didn't like about that design was that they used hardwood for the drum. I would rather use MDF due to how stable it is, because I wouldn't want the drum to be affected much by the moisture in my shop.

This one brought up something I hadn't thought about - - feed rollers.

I was relying on a belt going around the table (a lot like the treadmill idea), but the idea of feed rollers is good because it would solve not only the issue of driving the workpiece through the machine, but if they were spring loaded it would keep the workpiece from chattering so much and probably reduce snipe.

cptully · 06-07-2008, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by Vanilla Gorilla

I like the idea of the table height adjustment on that one, but again, I wonder if there isn't a simpler way. I shy away from using that much metal since I know basically nothing about working with it, and with that many moving parts I could see the joints getting loose if I used that design in hardwood, unless I used some sort of bushings.

I fully expect that when I get around to this project it will be a Frankenstein composed of ideas from multiple plans. I like the height adjustment on the Mother Jones site because based on my knowledge of engineering it should be fairly easy to build and keep well aligned.

Originally Posted by Vanilla Gorilla

The only other thing I didn't like about that design was that they used hardwood for the drum. I would rather use MDF due to how stable it is, because I wouldn't want the drum to be affected much by the moisture in my shop.

I've actually been thinking about making the drum out of a length of PVC pipe. Very stable - I'm just not sure how perfectly round it would be. One great idea I've seen for getting the drum trued to it's axle is use a sandpaper drive belt and simply slowly raise the table into the drum. I think for this to work well you'd want the sand paper belt running backwards...

Originally Posted by Vanilla Gorilla

This one brought up something I hadn't thought about - - feed rollers.

I was relying on a belt going around the table (a lot like the treadmill idea), but the idea of feed rollers is good because it would solve not only the issue of driving the workpiece through the machine, but if they were spring loaded it would keep the workpiece from chattering so much and probably reduce snipe.

I think I prefer the idea of a feed belt better than a feed rollers. The vertical tension to keep the board from chattering could be handled by free spinning rollers sprung like the feed rollers in this plan.

I've also liked the idea of extending the drive shaft out one side to accommodate outboard accessories like a pneumatic drum or a large disk.

Chris Tully

Vanilla Gorilla · 06-07-2008, 08:02 PM

I had thought about PVC as well, but I wasn't sure it would work because none of the other plans I had seen used anything like it. I like the mass of the MDF drum because it might be more resistant to bogging down, and would be easy to true up with a sanding belt like you say, or even a piece of 80 grit spray glued to a piece of MDF.

The idea of the outboard accessory shaft is a good one, but I wonder if it's something I would actually use or not. Come to think of it, a good 10 or 12 inch disc would be pretty handy for scarf joints for banding, if nothing else.

junquecol · 06-07-2008, 10:37 PM

I would avoid using PVC for the drum, as the heat will distort it. Also, for the shaft, I would use either 3/4", or 1", with 1" being my first choice. Enco (use-enco.com) sells both smooth rod, and Acme threaded rods. They also sell shaft stock. Johnstone Supply sells shaft stock in 36" lengths. The Surplus Center is most likely the cheapest source for bearings.

Charles Lent · 06-08-2008, 02:22 PM

If you want to build a relatively cheap and easy to build drum sander, then look at the drum sander kit that is offered by www.stockroomsupply.com . It is similar to a Sand Flee but is larger (and cheaper). The unique idea behind this type of sander is that it doesn't require a big motor or a heafty conveyor belt. It also doesn't take 1/4 inch off per pass, but it does do a really nice job of flattening surfaces, and it's easy to build (although his plans require a bit of interpretation). You pass the material over the drum on a table top moving the material slowly by hand. The drum is in a slot in the table top and the centrifical force of the spinning drum lifts the paper against the wood to accomplish the sanding. Changing the paper grit changes the amount of material removed per pass. It uses 3" velcro backed paper in 60 - 400 grit that is available either from them or any Klingspor store (possibly other sources as well).

I bought his 24" kit at the Charlotte Woodworking show back in March after watching him demonstrate how well it works, built the cabinet to his plans, (made my own top) and powered it with a 3/4 hp motor (only 1/2 hp required) that came from a furnace blower. It doesn't sand much faster than a ROS, but it does sand significantly flatter than you can get with a ROS. Since it doesn't apply excessive pressure during the sanding process it doesn't heat up the paper which results in longer paper wear and no clogging. I've been very pleased vith the results that I'm getting with it.

Charley

Vanilla Gorilla · 06-08-2008, 04:09 PM

That's a very interesting idea...I had never considered having the drum upside down. It also had me considering another idea.

Has anyone ever used the concept of a sanding drum to make a really wide jointer?

Now I know there would be problems with that, keeping the tables flat, very very shallow cuts, etc, but is that a viable concept, and if so has anyone seen it done? It would certainly eliminate the problems with changing knives, aligning knives to each other, having to get them sharpened, etc. Just a thought.

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