# 1440GT Upgrades and Additions



## Jake P (Dec 12, 2021)

Part One, VFD Conversion:​
As some of you may remember I had a 1340GT on order for many months and ended up finding a deal on a  used 1440GT just before my 1340 was to be delivered.  The thread with that story is here:      https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/my-1340gt-story.95922/

Since getting the 1440GT into my shop I have been busy with many projects getting the lathe upgraded and adding useful additions to it.  When I acquired the lathe it was equipped with the single phase 2HP motor option, and I initially thought I would leave it that way for a period and learn to use the lathe before upgrading to a VFD with 3 phase motor.  But it turned out that the motor in this machine was having issues and in communications with Mark Jacobs I decided to go ahead with the conversion sooner rather than later.

So now I am at the point where the conversion created by Mark is completed and installed.  I have also added a solid tool post, tool trays, tool rack, spindle spider, mist coolant system and tailstock DRO.  Of course the major addition was the VFD conversion and I would like to thank Mark for all his efforts and coaching along the way. I had Mark prepare a full conversion for my 3 phase 1340GT order long before it even shipped.  I ended up selling that conversion with my 1340 to a friend, so this is the second one that Mark has built for me.  His attention to detail and attentiveness to the process (helping us ignorant ones) made the whole process quite easy.

I'll begin with the VFD conversion.  Mark found a deal on a 3 phase Marathon Black Max motor that he figured would be able to fit in the machine, not with much room to spare but fit none the less.  I was a bit apprehensive ordering a motor this large and made many measurements as best I could going from pictures on an eBay listing.  But Mark was dead on with his estimations and the motor ended up fitting in the machine with no other modifications than cutting off the encoder shaft that came on the motor and a few cooling fins.  Here's a shot of the stock 2HP single phase next to the motor that Mark found:







In that photo you can see the encoder shaft sticking out the left side of the motor before I cut it off.  The black conical piece in the background is the cover for the encoder shaft that comes on the motor.  You can also see that I had to cut off a few of the cooling fins on the top of the motor in order to clear the backsplash.

Here's a closer look at why the fins needed to be cut off.  I needed to ensure that I had room to raise and lower the motor for belt tensioning purposes:






The method of mounting the motor was one that Mark had sent me ideas for from other similar installs.  I modified the belt tensioning system from what others have done in an attempt to make tensioning easier.  Here's a shot of one half of my motor mount adjuster system:






Rather simple with a matching fixture at the other end and screw mechanism in between.  Here's the jack screw being machined on the mill:





The motor mount is just two plates of steel cut to the appropriate sizes and a hinge made from steel tubing welded to the edges.  I'm not going to show you any closeups of my welding as I'm just a hack at welding but can make two parts stick together well enough 






I'll include a few shots of trial fitting the motor before I measured for and ordered belts:




















Here was the motor when I first got in installed permanently with the new pulley and belts:
	

		
			
		

		
	






You can see that the two mounting plates are joined buy a rod, and that rod has spring clips at each end.  With the original motor design there is no way to adjust belt tension or remove the motor (that I could see) without removing the backsplash.  With this design I can easily adjust belt tension with the motor running (should I desire) and also remove the motor without messing with the backsplash.

This motors size of course required some modifications to the gear drive cover on the end of the headstock.  You can see here that I cut the cover to make clearance:





It's cold and wet now here up north, so I have not painted anything as I don't have a place in my shop to spray.  So I will have to wait until summer to paint whatever I decide needs it.

That's pretty much the details of the motor upgrade.  For those interested the motor is a Marathon Y541A.  It's a variation of the Y541 in that it is shorter, which in this case was necessary in order to not have to cut the backsplash.  Here's a diagram that Mark found with this motors dimensions (if it doesn't show up here, look at the end of this post for a link).  I won't go into the details of what is special about this motor as Mark is far more versed on that should anyone have questions as to why this motor was chosen.

The next order of business was where to put the VFD, braking resistor and main power switch.  For the 1340GT build that Mark made for me I had put that and more in an enclosure that I was going to mount on the left side of the headstock pedestal.  With the 1440GT Mark informed me that we could get all the needed components to fit within the main electrical compartment and inside the pedestal, negating the need for an enclosure.  I liked this idea as it not only saves money (no enclosure to buy) but also saves me precious space in my small shop.

I came up with the idea of mounting the VFD on a standoff within the pedestal that would allow easy access/removal of the VFD.  So here's what I came up with:





Just two pieces of channel mounted to a plate that mounts to the back wall of the pedestal.  And on those are two socket head screws to hang a plate on with keyholes.  This is all made with scrap aluminum I had from a project years ago.  The idea is to move the VFD off the back wall, but just enough to not interfere with the linkage for the foot brake.

This is the backside of the above shot:





Here's the plate that hangs on the socket head screws mounted to the VFD.





And this is just the back side of the above:





Here's the bracket in the pedestal:





This is the VFD and the braking resistor during the installation process.  Not all connections made yet obviously:





Now some may be saying what about keeping crud out the of the VFD since it is sitting just below a hole in the pedestal through which the brake linkage passes.  Here's what I came up with.  A piece of Plexiglas that hangs from the lip of that opening and extends down to cover the VFD and keep what ever might fall through this opening from getting to the VFD.

Here's the top of the Plexiglas and how I made it hang from the lip.  Again, made from scrap 





And here it is hanging down in front of the VFD.  May be hard to see in the photo:





Looks like I'm at the upload limit for photos for one post.

To be continued...........................


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## Jake P (Dec 12, 2021)

Part two, VFD Conversion Cont.:​
Here's the rest of the conversion that is not in the forward pedestal area:





Here is the front of the lathe with the new switches/selectors and you can see where I put the main power switch on the pedestal:





And here's the tach housing with speed pot that Mark makes for this conversion:





In the VFD parameters Mark has this speed pot dialed in so that the minimum setting is 20 HZ and the max is 100 HZ.  It's a three revolution dial and it works out that 60HZ is exactly 1.5 revolutions.  At 60 HZ this motor is putting out it's full 3HP as that is it's base HZ.  So knowing that 1.5 revolutions on the dial (exactly halfway) is 60HZ is convenient should one want to know where you are in regards to HZ since the VFD is not in an easy place to see the readout.

With this setup I can run as low as about 9 RPM up to about 3160.  Of course I will not be running that high a speed as the spindle bearings are not made for that RPM.

So that pretty well sums up the VFD conversion.  I will add some more later on about the other items that I have been up to with this lathe.


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## Just for fun (Dec 12, 2021)

Sounds great Jake!   I'm glad to hear it's all working out!


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## davidpbest (Dec 13, 2021)

Great job Jake.  I love your motor mount.  You might consider something similar for the tool-rack support - unless you just love that broom handle.       Seriously, a terrific upgrade you've made here - that motor should be able to twist the compound right off the cross slide. O commend you for making the hinge - I would not have attempted that bit.  I have also call out Mark - both for his control systems as well has his ability to find smoking hot deals on stuff.  The vector-rated Baldor he found for my 1340 was a steal, fit perfectly, and has performed beyond my dreams.  Very tidy installation - I'm sure the 1440 will be a joy for decades.


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## Beckerkumm (Dec 13, 2021)

Mark does a great job.  The Marathon motor has an aluminum frame which makes it larger in diameter to the Baldor cast iron frame IDMN.  I have a spare Black Max and while the frame is the same, it is definitely larger.  The rpm max is also a little lower although that is irrelevant for our use.  The rpm range of these vector motors is worth it.  Nice conversion.  I like your three turn pot better than my one turn but I like the tachulator as I use the SFM function more than rpm.  Dave


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## Jake P (Dec 13, 2021)

davidpbest said:


> Great job Jake.  I love your motor mount.  You might consider something similar for the tool-rack support - unless you just love that broom handle.       Seriously, a terrific upgrade you've made here - that motor should be able to twist the compound right off the cross slide. O commend you for making the hinge - I would not have attempted that bit.  I have also call out Mark - both for his control systems as well has his ability to find smoking hot deals on stuff.  The vector-rated Baldor he found for my 1340 was a steal, fit perfectly, and has performed beyond my dreams.  Very tidy installation - I'm sure the 1440 will be a joy for decades.


Come on, the broom handle is a utilitarian touch.  Perfunction over perfection    I will likely do something better in time, but the flip side (pun intended) of it is that no one sees it where it is.

Yes, I have no doubt that the torque that this motor can produce could be quite dangerous!  

Yes, Mark has a knack for the deals for sure, the motor was around $480 shipped!  It sells most places for over a grand, so I am very fortunate to have gotten it.


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## Cletus (Dec 13, 2021)

Very nice mod indeed!


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## 7milesup (Dec 13, 2021)

Yeah, awesome work there Jake. 
I really question though whether that broom handle has the proper TSO certification paperwork.


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## Tipton1965 (Dec 13, 2021)

Excellent work!


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## Jake P (Dec 13, 2021)

7milesup said:


> Yeah, awesome work there Jake.
> I really question though whether that broom handle has the proper TSO certification paperwork.


Oh contrary doubting one  
it's fully certified by the The Scrimpers Organization


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## Jake P (Dec 13, 2021)

Part three, Tailstock DRO:​
I did a lot of looking at the designs of others before I decided on how to mount a DRO on the tailstock.  There's s a lot of really good designs out there!

I decided that I wanted to be able to remove the DRO so I zeroed in on the magnetic mount ideas.

I also wanted to use a sliding scale type unit and settled on a Mitutoyo.  One thing that concerned me about the designs I've seen incorporating this type of unit is having the scale sticking out on the right side of the read head and susceptible to being hit by a dropped object or smacked by an errant move.

I made the part that goes on the ram while I was waiting for the shipment of the DRO:














Once I got the DRO in hand I could take measurements and start with the mounting unit:












The unit mounts to a bar that sits in the groove of the main block above:






Before I epoxied the magnets in:






Test fitting:





Magnets:





The finished product:


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## Beckerkumm (Dec 13, 2021)

Sharp edged castings are kind of ugly to me but they sure are easier to modify than the pretty curved surfaces on my old machines.  Nice!.  Dave


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## 7milesup (Dec 13, 2021)

Bwahahaha!!
Ah yes, The Scrimpers Organization.  I should have known!  I do believe I am a member of said organization but may have misplaced my membership card.


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## Tipton1965 (Dec 13, 2021)

I like the magnetic design of the tail stock DRO.  Looks great!


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## Just for fun (Dec 13, 2021)

Nice work Jake!


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## davidpbest (Dec 13, 2021)

Nice job on the tailstock DRO.  Looks like the RF-45 is serving your milling needs just fine.


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## mksj (Dec 13, 2021)

Thought I would add a few comments about Jake's 1440GT VFD/System install, we went with Yaskawa's new GA series VFDs which come in a GA500 which is a basic display or the GA800 with a full LCD display. The model chosen was their single phase input GA50UB012ABA which can output up to 12A in ND and 11A in HD (150% output for up to 1 minute). I have been using the Yaskawa GA500 in a number of my recent builds, they have a few more features than the Hitachi WJ200, and the software interface is much better. They are significantly larger than the WJ200, so that must be factored into the unit's mounting. I have attached a parameter file for this build/motor, a few things that differ from the WJ200 is the JOG FOR/REV are separate inputs and there is a separate programmed emergency stop input. The control system differs a bit from my previous designs for this particular VFD, I still use a multiple relay design because of reliability, lack of electrical interference issues and cost. Typically there are 3 levels of redundancy in the system, so some functions like JOG can only per operated in the stop mode. The coolant circuit operates either with just spindle rotation or continuous, and in this build has the option for 240VAC single phase and/or 24VDC for a solenoid(s). The proximity sensor's I use are triple sensing and are made to be flush mounted. They have a lifetime warranty, but if they failed the system stops and there is a separate limit switch in addition to the hard micrometer stop. The repeatability of the stopping position is usually less than 0.001" and allows threading up to around 600 RPM depending on the thread pitch.  

The Marathon BlackMax Y541A was definitely a tight fit, they hold very tight RPM regulation over a wider speed range with sensorless vector control. Normally I would recommend the Marathon 3HP E470 XRI motor, which is a bit shorter it is just in this case the Y5451A was less expensive (and the "A" model just fit). Most 3HP 3 phase 4 pole motors run in the 8-9A range. The inverter/vector motors tend to run with a bit less current then standard motors, and vector must be run off of a VFD.  The E470 is an excellent replacement motor for the 1440GT, BUT either of these motors requires a new motor horizontal motor mount and some metal cutting for clearance. Since the cabinets are very rigid, a simpler approach for the belt tension is the single turn buckle under the motor to the headstock cabinet that Jake made. Looks mighty substantial.

On the 1440GT I typically put the speed control in the RPM housing and use a MilSpec. 3 turn 5K linear pot which gives very fine speed control, the pots are wire-wound and rated for millions of turns. In years past I offered a RPM/SFM option, but the MachTach is no longer made and I find very few people use the SFM calculator. There is the Tachulator, but seems like the only US distributor has suspended sales. 

Nice install on the tailstock DRO, very clean approach.

Testing the control board





A Marathon  E470 motor install with AX29 belts, the Y541A install of Jake's used AX30 belts.


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## Beckerkumm (Dec 13, 2021)

Good write up, Mark.  I believe the Tachulator is still available from the little machine Shop.  The Tachulator website has not shown any for sale for the past year so maybe when these are gone it is forever.  As I said earlier I use the sfm function but the downside with the tachulator is you have to turn a knob rather than keypad in a diameter.  It isn't a fast deal with a 4" piece of stock.

Converting a gear head lathe vs buying a two speed model with a vfd installed seems like it may have advantages depending on the gearing that maybe Mark can discuss.  I'm thinking I may go the vfd route on my big monarch rather than put the old stuff back in the machine.  I believe I only needs to run a motor from 40-60 hz to access all speeds from 30-1100 which is the top end on the 16x54 model 60/61.  Dave


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## mksj (Dec 14, 2021)

The discussion of a 2 speed lathe with factory VFD vs. a standard gear head and an add on VFD has come up several times, and most recently with individuals buying the ERL/RML/TRL series of lathes. I have assisted and also built systems for people buying the standard gear head's and the factory installed systems were quite a bit more expensive and didn't offer all the features. In particular for individuals doing what I call the basic install which is far less. The 1340/1440GT is not offered in a VFD version, and would be too expensive with limited market share. 

I recently worked with two individuals that bought the Acra 1440C (ERL 1440), the one below I built his system, and another individual bought the factory VFD installed system for the same lathe. Since on a 2 speed lathe  with a factory VFD you need to cover ~40-500 and 450-2500, you are stretching the capabilities (and Hp) of the motor. They both come with a 5 Hp motor, the gear head has 8 speeds. When it comes down to using a VFD lathe most of the speed range is covered with the VFD, I usually run them from 20-100 Hz and vector motors even higher if I can belt down the motor. Other option that I have been considering is to use a 6 pole vector motor where the pulley ratio cannot be changed. Either way ther is minimal gear changes. a 6 pole motor is the next motor frame size so the motor need to be mounted in the base (ERL/RML/TRL).
https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/new-acra-1440c-lathe-with-mark-jacobs-vfd.95333/ 

On a bigger lathe (more than 5 Hp) and lower speed gear head, the costs of the VFD install can go up significantly, although inverter/vector motors in the 7.5-10 Hp range can often be purchased on eBay for very little. I have also worked with 10EE owners, the last put a 10Hp vector motor in and used it as a single speed with not power limitations.


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## Beckerkumm (Dec 14, 2021)

The 10EE is somewhat problematic in that the backgear is attached to the motor and often removed, requiring the motor to handle a range of 0-3000+ rpm.  The big monarch lathes have 16 speeds but while there are lots of speeds on the low end, only a few are over 500 rpm.  Given all the low end choices, I don't think the motors generally need to be replaced.  I have lots of old motors on VFDs and if you don't get greedy and keep them above 30 hz and below 70 hz, they seem to handle that variation.  My Monarch 60/61 uses the same bearings for all spindles up to 1200  rpm although most machines were shipped with a 700 rpm max.  If i swap the pulley from 5.125 to 7.35 as monarch did, the speed at 40 hz would read equal to the plate on the machine ( 700 max ) but give a top end of 1000+ at 60 hz.  I'm hopeful the old motor will handle that and give variable speed from 500-1000 which is now served by only two speeds. 

The 1024 you did for me is similar except for the motor swap.  The original machine had 12 speeds from 36-2500 but only two were over 850 rpm.  Your conversion transformed the lathe.  Dave


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## Dabbler (Dec 14, 2021)

makes me think towards the future and my LeBlond.  One day that servo shift will die, and then VFD for me!


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## Jake P (Dec 14, 2021)

Some additional thoughts on the VFD conversion.

It might be obvious to some, but there is a notable difference in the new motor beyond just the power.  This new motor is almost silent compared to the stock motor.  The stock motor did not run smooth nor quiet compared to this Black Max.  If you had nothing else to compare to then you might not know how much noise and vibration there is in a cheap motor by comparison.

Another issue that I am very happy to have resolved.  Startup.  Starting with the stock motor was a jolt to the system.  Throw the power lever and the motor would lurch to life from zero to max RPM as fast as it’s windings could take it.  And I cringed every time as the gear box was slammed into motion with a clunk.  For those not familiar, with a VFD many parameters are changeable and the current program spools the motor up in 4 seconds.  It starts very smoothly and spools up to the selected HZ in a smooth linear fashion.  So much nicer than the pounding the machine got every startup before!

One more item.  According to specs this system should require a 30 Amp breaker.  My shop was wired on the 240 side with 10 guage wire, which by code could handle 30 amps, but we put a few long runs in and decided to put in 20 amp breakers and outlets to be on the conservative side.  I’ve been running the lathe now for a week on the 20 Amp breaker without issue.  Disclaimer: I’m not an electrician and I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night


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## Cletus (Dec 14, 2021)

Jake P said:


> .............I’m not an electrician and I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night


hahahaha!   .....gotta love it!


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## Ken226 (Dec 14, 2021)

Jake P said:


> Some additional thoughts on the VFD conversion.
> 
> It might be obvious to some, but there is a notable difference in the new motor beyond just the power.  This new motor is almost silent compared to the stock motor.  The stock motor did not run smooth nor quiet compared to this Black Max.  If you had nothing else to compare to then you might not know how much noise and vibration there is in a cheap motor by comparison.
> 
> Another issue that I am very happy to have resolved.  Startup.  Starting with the stock motor was a jolt to the system.  Throw the power lever and the motor would lurch to life from zero to max RPM as fast as it’s windings could take it.  And I cringed every time as the gear box was slammed into motion with a clunk.  For those not familiar, with a VFD many parameters are changeable and the current program spools the motor up in 4 seconds.  It starts very smoothly and spools up to the selected HZ in a smooth linear fashion.  So much nicer than the pounding the machine got every startup before!




When I first upgraded from single phase to a 3 phase Seimens motor on my lathe, I noticed the same thing.    Drastic improvement in surface finish and parting performance.


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## Jake P (Dec 14, 2021)

Part Four, Spider and Mister System:​
Nothing special for either of these two.

The spider is about as standard as they come according to most designs.  I did watch Gavintoobe on youtube and ordered the same piece of steel from the same supplier that he used for the spider on his 1440GT.  Main difference is that I used the entire 4 inches and he made his about 3 inches long.  My spider slips onto to the full length of the exposed spindle.

Edit:  I should add that Mark configured this system for me so that the stock coolant system can be used.  I however at this time do not even have it connected as I have no intention currently of using flood coolant.  But the system is there and ready to run should I change my mind.

Here's some shots,

Initial boring:











Of course there was some end cover modification required:















As I stated in the first post, paint touch up will come in the spring when I can spray outside again.

I just leave these out unless I'm using the spider:





As to the mist system, it's very straight forward as well.  I have the exact system on my mill and have been using it for months without issue.  It's the cheap $20 mixing block and nozzle system from Amazon with a bit of air fittings from various sources.  If anyone is interested in links just say so and I'll post them.

This is the same shot that I put in the post about the tailstock DRO, but you can see some of the system in the background here:





The reservoir is the cheapest clear water filter holder I could find on Amazon.  Got two!  One for the lathe and one for the mill.





It mounts under my tool rack with magnets I got from Harbor Freight.  Easy to take down and refill and the magnets keep it securely in place.   You can see the air hose coming from the supply through the end of the backsplash.





I made a bracket that fit's between the flood coolant mount and the carriage unto which is mounted one end of a Small Rig camera arm.  Small Rig is a company that makes gear for the video crowd and their stuff is very well made and cheaper than most.  This little arm was about $20 and comes with a 1/4-20 stud at both ends making it easy to adapt to most applications.





If there's any questions on anything just fire away.


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## Jake P (Dec 14, 2021)

mksj said:


> The Marathon BlackMax Y541A was definitely a tight fit, they hold very tight RPM regulation over a wider speed range with sensorless vector control.


Mark, I've been pondering something regarding RPM on this new setup.  I was going to email this question to you, but I thought it might be good to have it here should anyone else have the same thoughts.

This motor is capable of substantially more RPM than the motor it replaces.  And the subject of spindle speed ranges has been discussed before in other threads.  This lathe was built to run a max RPM of 2000 at the spindle in the H-1 gear setting.  But this new motor with a HZ setting of 100 (where we currently have the VFD parameters set as max.) the motor shaft is spinning at 3000 RPM.

So my thought is this:  The stock motor was a fixed 1735(?...ish) RPM and with a given pulley configuration that would equate to a constant RPM at the gear shaft/spindle that is at the other end of the belts from the motor. 

Now we can almost double the motor speed and therefore also increase the speed of the gear shaft at the other end.

So my question is this.  What kind of bearings are in that first shaft of the lathe head and what is their max allowable constant RPM range?  We know that we cannot spin the main spindle past 2000 RPM for any length of time without overheating the spindle bearings as they are not made for higher speeds.  But now we are able to spin that first shaft well above the speed that it would have ever turned with a stock motor configuration.

I did a little testing last night with a handheld laser type tachometer.  The new motor at 100Z is at 3000 RPM and the spindle that it's turning at the other end of the belts is at 1415.  Granted, we have put a slightly smaller pulley on the motor than what was on the stock motor, but this 1415 has got to be a good bit higher RPM than the spindle would have turned in a stock configuration.  So at what RPM do we spin that spindle too fast?

For those interested here are some of the RPM ranges that I can get now in various gears.

Using the M-4 - H-2 ranges and running the pot from min to max I can get 55- 2128 RPM.

In the L-4 gear setting (slowest) I get 15 RPM.  That's at 20HZ which is supposed to be 1HP.  The motor should reach full 3HP output at 60HZ.

In the H-1 gear setting I can get about 3168 RPM at 100HZ.  I say about as I did not stay there for but a moment as I don't want to damage my spindle bearings.


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## mksj (Dec 14, 2021)

Hi Jake, very nice work on the spider, you have been busy making chips.

So you bring up a good question as to the rest of the drive train, and yes there are some limitations to the rest of the components. Typically I belt down the motor pulley size so the rest of the gear train is not spinning significantly faster but there is good amount headroom within the gear train. Still, there is increased centrifugal forces as well as oil cavitation (air bubbles) when you spin up the  low speed gears. Typically the final drive (high speed)  in many lathes is close to a 1:1 with the motor speed, and gears are smaller. I have not heard or seen any issues with running the VFD's in a lathe gear head scenario from 20-100 Hz (using a stock pulley size), I would be uncomfortable with pushing the motors faster unless you were able to belt down the drive train speed. This has been the major limitation on most lathes, as the motor pulley is often quite small. Interestingly, many of the factory VFD  lathes will spin the spindle to 3000 RPM (like my ERL-1340 and also the TRL) but they also add a pressure lube system. The ERL/RML VFD models use a 2 speed gear box, and the TL uses a 3 speed gearbox.

So my recommendation is typically is not to use a low speed gear ratio and crank up the VFD, but it doesn't seem to be an issue with the higher RPM gears, and keeping the spindle speed below 2000 RPM for any kind of extended high speed work. Use a good oil with an anti-foaming agent. My last mill had a gear head that they ran to 3000 RPM with 3 speeds, the head got quite hot and the oil foamed significantly. When I switched to a synthetic oil there was a major reduction in heat and foaming. I ran my mill much harder and longer than I would a lathe.


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## Jake P (Dec 14, 2021)

Mark, thanks for the information and advice!


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## Tipton1965 (Dec 14, 2021)

Jake P said:


> Mark, thanks for the information and advice!


I think if it wasn't for Mark, many of us would just be playing with tinker toys instead of enjoying our machine tools.


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## Beckerkumm (Dec 14, 2021)

On the Smart Brown that Mark did the conversion for, the motor drives a Matrix two speed clutch with a 4-1 reduction on the low end.   The clutch is rated for 29 lbs of torque and a top speed of 3000 rpm.  The clutch is overkill for torque   but S and B built in a safety factor.  The original motor was three speed 2,4,6 pole but less HP or torque.  I was advised by S and B followers that the headstock and spindle on the 1024 was very stout and built stronger than a 10EE but the apron and gearbox was more delicate.  That made a 5 hp 4 pole motor a reasonable choice even though the drive train could handle more ( there is also a 8-1 ratio back gear ).  The 10EE needs the large motor with no back gear but it is way more than the spindle is engineered to handle.  There are a lot of things to consider when swapping stuff and it is really helpful to have someone ( like Mark ) to help you through the process, especially when dealing with oddball machines.  

This might be interesting only to me, Dave


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## 7milesup (Dec 14, 2021)

Jake P said:


> I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night


Maybe not last night but I know you did!!  So, that makes you "sorta of an electrician."


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## Jake P (Dec 15, 2021)

7milesup said:


> Maybe not last night but I know you did!!  So, that makes you "sorta of an electrician."


Haven’t we both eh?!


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## Jake P (Dec 17, 2021)

Part Five, Solid Tool Post​
Is posted here:








						1340GT/1440GT Solid Tool Post
					

This post will be part five of the thread that I started here:  https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/1440gt-upgrades-and-additions.96854/  When I ordered my 1340GT back in March of '21 I knew that I wanted to incorporate a solid tool post.  And in June when I acquired my RF-45 mill it became...




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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## tjb (Jan 18, 2022)

Mine's pretty similar to Jake's (Post #11).  Easy to mount and remove.  I keep it stored in my tool chest when not in use.


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## LVLAaron (Jul 9, 2022)

I really like your modifications. I saw what I presume is your youtube video of the motor running and it has encouraged me to start down the path of doing the same swap. 

Did you use half inch plate for the new motor mount?


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## Jake P (Jul 9, 2022)

LVLAaron said:


> I really like your modifications. I saw what I presume is your youtube video of the motor running and it has encouraged me to start down the path of doing the same swap.
> 
> Did you use half inch plate for the new motor mount?


Aaron, not sure what video on YouTube you’re referring to, but I don’t recall posting one of my machine.  

Yes, the motor mount plate that I used is 1/2”.


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## LVLAaron (Jul 9, 2022)

Ah. Someone else with a 1440 also did the same conversion! 
I've got some plate. I'll start working on the turnbuckle.


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## mksj (Jul 9, 2022)

That was Alex who posted the motor conversion, I installed my control system in his 1440GT lathe and the stock motor would cog on acceleration. He then made a motor mount that Jbolt originally designed for the Marathon E470 Motor and I helped him install it. It is a beast of a motor and has been replaced with the E470A which is even heavier. The case is slightly different, but the overall dimensions appear to be the same. The motor that Jake installed in the Marathon Y541A, the "A" version is a bit shorter then the non "A" version and about 40 lbs lighter then the E470A. It requires the back encoder shaft to be sawed off and some trimming of the fins on the top where the splash shield would hit. These motors can be quite pricey retail, so you need to hunt around to find better deals. Also on eBay, it pays to make an offer under the asking price, I see a lot of these sit on eBay for months. Shipping is the killer these days. Some come with a mounted rear encoder that is removed.

Please look at the attached motor dimensions, the Y541A will only work with a bottom turnbuckle like Jake did, the 470A should be able to use either design mount type. It takes some fabrication skills and welding for the hinge, although one could probably have a bolt on hinge. Jbolt posted all his designs in a previous thread.
Mark

3HP MARATHON 1770RPM 182T TENV 3PH MOTOR E470A


			https://www.electricmotorwholesale.com/REGAL-E470A
		


Marathon AC Motor TVF182THTY7726AAM 3HP 5400RPM 230/460V New Surplus (Y541A)








						Marathon AC Motor w/ Encoder TVF182THTY7726AAM 3HP 5400RPM 230/460V New Surplus  | eBay
					

Part #: TVF182THTY7726AAM. Marathon AC Motor w/ Encoder. Avtron Encoder New Surplus. TENV Enclosure.



					www.ebay.com
				











						NEW MARATHON BLACK MAX 3 HP MOTOR 230/460V 182TC  WVC182THTY7726AAM  | eBay
					

New in open box.



					www.ebay.com


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## davidpbest (Jul 9, 2022)

I like @Jake P's design a lot.


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## LVLAaron (Jul 9, 2022)

As always, great info @mksj - The Y541A looks like the right choice. I am liking that "bottom mount and turnbuckle" idea. I do not want to remove the backsplash any more than absolutely required. And thank you for the ebay searches. I would have paid double from a supplier. 

@davidpbest - already have some chunks of aluminum ordered


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