# Slowing down the Drill Press



## burnrider

110v / AC

Currently running drill speed on the slowest belt setting of 260 RPM. Is there an electric speed control I can use to reduce speed for chucking reamer use? I mean w/o smoking the Baldor motor

Tx


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## bvd1940

Do like I am doing and rip the motor off and replace with a treadmill motor with a DC motor controller with a reversing switch the it covers all the basses.
Then you can tap with it also as it is able to do just creep speed with lots of torque.
You can find tread mills for free on occasion on CL and the controller will work fine , all you need to do is put the control in a box and add a reversing switch.
Works fer me


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## burnrider

Bill,
Are the treadmill motors capable of powering up for 3/4" drilling in steel if necessary? They do look small. 

I found a how-to for lathe conversion. He used the tooth type belt. It would be nice to keep the 4 step pulley.

http://www.cnccookbook.com/MTLatheDCMotor.htm






I'm sure I can build a cylindrical clamp system welded to a base plate. Looks like the flywheel comes off as well. I'm just not sure about the motor. Looks like a sewing machine motor on steroids, not fit to punch through leather.

Then there's the board. Anything special to look for. Some claim to fit 'many treadmills'. 

It would be a sweet item to have on the drill press. Buy the Whiz bang RPM reader and dial it in for best cutting or hole reaming, damn!!


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## brucer

try to find a working 3phase motor, mount it to the drill press, power it with a vfd..


Another inexpensive way is by adding a couple pulleys and jackshaft.


like this
[video=youtube_share;Y9uDh9mxeCg]http://youtu.be/Y9uDh9mxeCg[/video]


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## bvd1940

That treadmill mtr will surprise you on power 
You wont need the step pulley with the vari speed controller, the timing belt would be just that more positive no slip drive. (future update)
I just got mine lashed up & took it for today and am happy as a clam. I plan on up to 1" drilling and for larger holes I will use the mill & boring head 
The VFD option is a good set up but the cost will be more & I am a cheapskate.:biggrin:
Just my 2cents worth


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## burnrider

I may be looking into that Bill. I saw the Icon motors and several boards advertised for the Icon treadmill. Same type of application. I would be looking for speed control (gotta figure out which pot to buy), reverse capability and the timing belt tooth belt with pulleys. I'm guessing the local bearing shop would be a good place to start looking, maybe even Mcmaster on-line.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#timing-belt-pulleys/=hiwk0u  Yeah they do. L & H series has the quick disconnect bushing for custom fitting.

Thanks to Brucer & Bill. 
Dirt biking is #1 with the short dry season, but I will start scouting parts.


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## burnrider

Bill,

One last note, did you retain the flywheel for added torque and smooth power, or remove it entirely?


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## bvd1940

My mtr did not come with fly wheel and it seem,s to work pretty good with the step pulley that came with the drill press.
If your going to convert to DC mtr you can do it in stages.


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## burnrider

Thank you


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## bhowden

This is a bit of a hack but what I did when I found my 5 speed drill press would not go slow enough for hole saws was to mount a second motor beside the existing motor and outside the belt guard.  When I want slow speed I open the top of the belt guard and run a belt from the second motor to the top pully on the motor and use the remaining 4 pulley sizes for the belt to the spindle.  The second motor is a half horse off a washing machine so it is two speed as well.  A short summary might be that I use the original motor as the jack shaft and pulley.  It all works fine and seems to have plenty of torque for running hole saws drilling steel.  As I said, it is a bit of a hack but it was free.   If I had it to do over, and had the money, I would probably go the 3 phase / inverter route.  I have a 1.5 horse on my lathe and love it.

Brian


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## burnrider

That's innovative Brian. I can tell you what I've learned so far:

The board 

Starting from the control box ($150 on ebay), the board needs to be housed, is easy to wire. 
It's a KBCC-R product. Has speed and reverse switch included. The motor for this board is limited to 110volts, 16 amps at 1-1/2 hp. There is a .0006 ohm resistor spot for this, the maximum hp motor. I verified this by talking to tech support in FLA.

Treadmill Motor
Chinese - $49 and up
Pacific Scientific - $150 & up

So, for a 110 system without all the electronic work of figuring out which cheap board works with which motor, you're in it for about $200-$300 for a DC/ 110v system.

I know guys have done it for less. I don't know if it's cheaper with the 220v 2.5 to 3 HP motors and makeshift boards. If you can pick up a complete treadmill, you would have a working system to remove and setup on the bench. Treadmills boards have safties for min/max speed. Those would have to be bypassed. 

Not quite sure I'll do it soon, as I don't know if Bill used the 1.5 hp motor, but pure DC power would be awful nice.


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## bvd1940

You can not hang your hat on the HP rating  on the motor label for treadmill,s
BUT most I have seen will run it just fine, my main drive behind converting this drill press over is for sensitive drilling and tapping.
If you wanted you could use a 3phase motor with VFD for not a bunch more (I am a cheepskate)
I scrounged up a lot of  my parts for the conversion.


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## burnrider

bvd1940 said:


> You can not hang your hat on the HP rating  on the motor label for treadmill,s
> BUT most I have seen will run it just fine, my main drive behind converting this drill press over is for sensitive drilling and tapping.
> If you wanted you could use a 3phase motor with VFD for not a bunch more (I am a cheepskate)
> I scrounged up a lot of  my parts for the conversion.



There's Bill- So you installed the 1-1/2 hp @ 110v as well? I'd love to build from scratch, if I knew what to scratch first.


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## burnrider

Some pictures of the KB VFD installed on the drill press.

Notes: 
1) Used 16 ga wire for motor to VFD w/ .093 molex connection.
2) Used 22 ga wire for the pot and switch connections (overkill at that)
3) Fwd / stop / Rev switch is a std SPDT of 125v/ 10amps rating from any auto store - again overkill
4) Potentiometer- Looks like a 5w 1/2 ohm linear pot you get anywhere. (Radio shack knob)
5) Small switch box - Radio shack / Large open VFD enclosure - Home Depot
6) 110v fan of 100 cfm - All electronics (on-line)
7) I bought the VFD through Galco (on-line).

I know there are HM members who have done this project & not submitted pics or info until they saw this post. Thanks for helping out with information. The pictures are a pain to post, and I know everyone is busy making a living. 

View attachment 37288
View attachment 37289
View attachment 37290



1) Control box next to the split rocker switch/ main power. 2) The old Baldor motor installation. I'll save it for the band saw or air compressor, whichever quits first. 3) Fan is suspended with 4- 3/8" AL rods threading on top of the motor case bolts behind the nuts.

Very slick setup. Wish I'd done it 6 yrs ago when buying the Baldor. The motor shop guy was no help at the time. Today, they likely have a 3 phase motor with all the electronics integrated.


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## bvd1940

Nice clean job there burnrider, good add-on with the fan


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## SamIAm

burnrider said:


> 110v / AC
> 
> Currently running drill speed on the slowest belt setting of 260 RPM. Is there an electric speed control I can use to reduce speed for chucking reamer use? I mean w/o smoking the Baldor motor
> 
> Tx



Yes you could go with the treadmill motor setup.. I fear you will find that it will lack in low end power. if you use the included electronics. 
they are not typically setup to take FULL advantage of the motors potential. if your set on the treadmill setup I would invest in a nee DC controller.
then you will see the real potential of the Dc motor. (dart controller are a good choice they can be found easily and their usually cheap)

An alternate solution would be to go with treadmill setup and included controller. but when doing the adaption change the gearing so your drill press will have much more 
torque meaning your speed range will be lower but more reliable. who runs their drill press at full speed anyways!? I don't think I ever have.

Id be glad to send you some pics of my drill press mod. its a cheap drill press (it was given to me free!!!!) I nursed it back to health with some mods.
its no Rockwell or BP but it gets my jobs done!

My basic Dp setup is added a treadmill motor setup with its included controller. modified the the circuitry to allow me to start up at the last or any speed other than
off or low. and I have a fan on my treadmill motor since they will get hot if you run it for extended periods. (I'm talking about hours with lots of loads.)


Sam


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## SamIAm

burnrider said:


> Some pictures of the KB VFD installed on the drill press.
> 
> Notes:
> 1) Used 16 ga wire for motor to VFD w/ .093 molex connection.
> 2) Used 22 ga wire for the pot and switch connections (overkill at that)
> 3) Fwd / stop / Rev switch is a std SPDT of 125v/ 10amps rating from any auto store - again overkill
> 4) Potentiometer- Looks like a 5w 1/2 ohm linear pot you get anywhere. (Radio shack knob)
> 5) Small switch box - Radio shack / Large open VFD enclosure - Home Depot
> 6) 110v fan of 100 cfm - All electronics (on-line)
> 7) I bought the VFD through Galco (on-line).
> 
> I know there are HM members who have done this project & not submitted pics or info until they saw this post. Thanks for helping out with information. The pictures are a pain to post, and I know everyone is busy making a living.
> 
> View attachment 37288
> View attachment 37289
> View attachment 37290
> 
> 
> 
> 1) Control box next to the split rocker switch/ main power. 2) The old Baldor motor installation. I'll save it for the band saw or air compressor, whichever quits first. 3) Fan is suspended with 4- 3/8" AL rods threading on top of the motor case bolts behind the nuts.
> 
> Very slick setup. Wish I'd done it 6 yrs ago when buying the Baldor. The motor shop guy was no help at the time. Today, they likely have a 3 phase motor with all the electronics integrated.



I missed this post! looks like you got it all setup "Very nice indeed." I'll bet your happy with that setup.
Sam


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## burnrider

Yes, a shop mod I wanted for a long time. The next skill is learning to select the pulley speed and use the 'sweet spot' of the VFD for motor speed. No readout to display hertz on the KB unit. Should not be tough to figure out. Load, material type,  thickness, and feed rates to consider.


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## Charley Davidson

I know it's kinda late to respond to this but there is a how to article in Home Shop Machinist on making a multi speed attachment for a South Bend drill press, don't know if it's adaptable to others or not.

Your VFD install is impeccable


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## Inflight

If others are looking to accomplish the same thing, I agree in recommending the use of a treadmill motor.  

About 2 years ago I found a treadmill motor for $10 at a junk dealer and I decided to replace the original AC induction motor on my Canedy-Otto Royal 16" bench drill press with the intention of adding infinitely variable speed and instant reversing (for tapping). I made a base adapter plate that adapted the new motor to the original mount without the need for modification. After a little research and a couple failed attempts at creating my own pulse width modulation motor controller and power supply, I found an MC-60 treadmill speed controller on ebay. All I needed was a couple switches ( On / Off, Fwd / Rev), a 5K ohms potentiometer and a box.
Input power is 110V AC​Full speed voltage 120V DC​Speed range currently 0 - 1400 RPM (using slowest driven pulley)​HP is unknown​

Instant reversing seems to be working under load at all speeds. As mentioned, you can modify the circuitry, usually by removing one little resistor, to get the motor to start at any speed.  

I got lucky with the motor i found. It's a Pacific Scientific brand and some have said that it is much more powerful than the typical treadmill motor.  

Here is a video from a couple years back.  Since then, I upgraded the v-belt to a linked style and it's worked out great. I have plenty of low end torque and I have been able to drill 1" holes through .500" mild steel plate about as quickly as on my knee mill. 

[video=youtube;ff7A18sNMtw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff7A18sNMtw[/video]


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## burnrider

Good post: video, parts, & brand description. The motor recommendation will help new buyers. A ton of motors on ebay. How about the board you used? Are the MC-60 boards all the same? Lots of them on flea bay too.


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## Inflight

I have now made 5 different treadmill conversions using MC-60 controllers which I got from ebay and try not to spend more than $25.  They have all worked without any trouble.


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## mrbreezeet1

brucer said:


> try to find a working 3phase motor, mount it to the drill press, power it with a vfd..
> 
> 
> Another inexpensive way is by adding a couple pulleys and jackshaft.
> 
> 
> like this
> [video=youtube_share;Y9uDh9mxeCg]http://youtu.be/Y9uDh9mxeCg[/video]



yeah, there is nothing wrong with that Idea, (the 3 phase and a VFD)  I did it to my wood lathe, love it. 
But the motor and VFD i brought together, cost me around 2 bills. 
I always say, like bvd1940 said, (1st off, I am cheap too, cheap and poor, lol)
But I always say, the cheaper I can put something together for, the more fun it is. 
Putting my Delta wood cutting bandsaw together, $7.00 for the "1 HP" motor, (I think the guy was mis-informed, I think it's closer to 1/2 HP) Dollar for the large dis pulley for the B-S shaft, cut me own key way. Made my own Guard out of wood, (delta did too years ago) anyways, More cheaper more fun. 

anyways, I can get a tread mill motor for free, I have to pick it up after Christmas, 
and the controller on e bay for about $35.00. 
Its a tread mill controller.


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## mrbreezeet1

Inflight said:


> I have now made 5 different treadmill conversions using MC-60 controllers which I got from ebay and try not to spend more than $25.  They have all worked without any trouble.



maybe you could help me with the hook up's if I need it. 
I still have to get everything. 
I was gonna do it to my Logan lathe, but the craftsman 150 DP is getting it first. 
Those belts are a pain to change.


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## Inflight

mrbreezeet1 said:


> maybe you could help me with the hook up's if I need it.


It's very easy to hook up. Let me know if you need any help.

Matt


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## mrbreezeet1

Inflight said:


> It's very easy to hook up. Let me know if you need any help.
> 
> Matt



 ok thanks


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## mrbreezeet1

Inflight said:


> It's very easy to hook up. Let me know if you need any help.
> 
> Matt



Ok, help, I am 2 or 3 days searching on line, not really finding anything l would call simple. 
I am supposed to get the motor tomorrow, 
And I was looking at a MC-60 control board on e bay for $35.00. 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111467557590?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
The guy said he is a tread mill tech, 
But I don't understand. 
Looks like I need a separate power supply? 
What kind of power supply do I need, or is it built into the MC-60 control board?
I know I need a Radio Shack 271-1715 Pot, 
And I understand if I put a on off switch in the Center wiper wire, I can stop and start at the speed I had when I shut it off. 
But I don't know what else I need, or what else I have to hook up. 
Thanks, 
Tony


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## Inflight

Get that MC-60 controller from ebay and the POT and a DPDT switch from RS.
Here are the connections:



The power supply is included in the MC-60.
You could also add a power switch to the AC power cord (not included in diagram) depending on intended use.


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## mrbreezeet1

OK, That helps, Thank You. 
What about putting a switch in the center wire of the pot?
Do I need to do that to allow me to restart at the speed I shut it off at?


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## Inflight

mrbreezeet1 said:


> OK, That helps, Thank You.
> What about putting a switch in the center wire of the pot?
> Do I need to do that to allow me to restart at the speed I shut it off at?



I've eliminated the soft-start feature on a handful of MC-60 boards, just by clipping (removing) the resistor labeled RPS3. No other mods were required in my situation and I keep all three wires connected to the pot.


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## mrbreezeet1

Inflight said:


> I've eliminated the soft-start feature on a handful of MC-60 boards, just by clipping (removing) the resistor labeled RPS3. No other mods were required in my situation and I keep all three wires connected to the pot.



Yeah, I saw where you had did that, earlier in this thread, or it might have been another thread. 
So you just clip out the resistor, don't have to jump it out or nothing, just clip it out?
I take it RPS3 is clearly marked on the MC-60 board?
So you keep all 3 wires connected at the pot, 
and I take it your on and off switch for the drill press (in this case) is installed in the A/C power hot wire. 

But unless I can come up with a Brush and the plastic holder that holds the brush in, 
I guess this motor will go in the scrap bucket. 
I got the motor for free, but come to find out I am missing one of the power leads, the wire (power lead) is attached to the spring. 
I am missing the brush (with wire, power lead) the spring and the plastic part that holds the brush in. 
It is a Icon motor. 
I e mailed the fellow l got the motor from, but didn't hear back yet.


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## Wireaddict

If you want to rapid reverse the motor with a switch between the motor armature & the drive board I recommend installing a 180 volt MOV [metal oxide varistor] across the motor armature to absorb any high voltage "spikes" generated when the armature current is interrupted.  Mouser Electronics is a good source or search online for a V180LA20B or equivalent.


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## Bill C.

brucer said:


> try to find a working 3phase motor, mount it to the drill press, power it with a vfd..
> 
> 
> Another inexpensive way is by adding a couple pulleys and jackshaft.
> 
> 
> like this
> [video=youtube_share;Y9uDh9mxeCg]http://youtu.be/Y9uDh9mxeCg[/video]



Neat approach to reducing spindle speed.


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