# Repowering an IMA drill machine



## Maddogmech1 (Feb 23, 2014)

My current drill press (craftsman 12" bench model) is really taking a beating, I seem to be getting into a lot of bigger projects lately that it just is too small for. So I began to shop for a bigger one, I wanted a floor machine, and was looking at the bigger models at HF. I'm glad I waited, because a monster of a machine came into the scrap pile at work. I pulled it out, but was immediately discouraged at seeing the setup of the machine. It's an IMA IG-30-8, geared head. Problem is, it's an integral motor, and 575 volt 3-phase, which I have no way to run in my small home shop. I was going to put it back in the scrap pile, then had an idea. This is how I got around the problem. 




Here is the "donor" motor. It's a 3/4 hp 220 volt 3-phase. Just one I had laying around. 




Here is the motor disassembled




This is the main body of the drill head. The large middle cavity is what houses the motor. 




A shot of the motor cavity




Here I've pressed the donor motors core off the original shaft, and pressed it onto the turned-down shaft from the drill motor




This is thick wall aluminum tube I ordered from speedymetals. It was the only place I could find this piece




Turning down and boring the sleeve to a press fit for the motor cavity and new armature. 






So far so good 




Here is the gear head reassembled. 




Waiting for my vfd to arrive, I tackled the table. It was full of drill holes from its previous life, so I welded those in and set to resurfacing the top. My makeshift surface grinder did the job well, but that will be the last time I do grinding on my shaper. The grit goes everywhere, including the ways. 




Here it is mounted on the column. Notice the base, I had to fabricate a new one, as the original had been shattered at some point getting tossed about by heavy machinery in the junk pile




Vfd arrived. Got it from eBay, not a bad price. This model is good for 2hp, just because it wasn't much more than the 3/4 ones




Here is the latest pic of it. I had test fired it, and it runs great! Still have some things to do, machine some handles for the gear selectors, I just finished the quill handles today. FYI, the vfd's are set at 400 hz from the factory. It sounded like a jet engine until I adjusted it!



---------------------------------Why buy something when you can build it for twice the price!


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## Terrywerm (Feb 24, 2014)

Nice work!  Nothing like making a nice machine out of someone else's trash! I might have an Ellis horizontal bandsaw coming my way tomorrow in the same manner. Just waiting for management to decide what they want to do with it.  It runs and works, just does not cut well. Something tells me that a few blade guide bearings and a few other details might go a long way!


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## JimDawson (Feb 24, 2014)

Awesome  job.  That motor project it a lot more than I would have tackled.  Filling in all those holes must have taken some time too.  I am impressed, looks like a new machine.


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## Maddogmech1 (Feb 24, 2014)

Thank you for the kind words. The table actually wasn't too bad to do. I just cleaned them out, filled them in with the mig, and used an angle grinder to level them out close. Took much longer to grind the top on the shaper. 
Terry, bandsaws can be quite fickle, I'm going thru the same thing with my Horrible Freight 4x6 right now. Spent 3/4 of a day screwing with the thing, shimming the idler wheel, doing all kinds of crap until I put an indicator on the drive wheel to find out there's play in the bearings. I ordered new SKF bearings to replace them, just gotta find time to do it


---------------------------------Why buy something when you can build it for twice the price!


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## rdhem2 (Feb 24, 2014)

Mr. Wermie:
I once got a saw from a school sale.  Nice Delta 22".  That sucker would not saw butter.  Finally said "Today I am fixing this saw or it is out the door."  One thing about it, when you get a saw from a Jr. High School, if it has an adjustment, it has been adjusted!  Remade a couple missing guards, retapped or heli coiled some pot metal parts, and carefully adjusted upper and lower blade guides.  Now I would not let that saw go.  I don't know about the poor fella with the HF saw, I wish him well.

Mr. Maddogmech1:
I save the best for last.  You SIR, are one inventive person who definitely thinks outside the box!  My congratulations on a job well done.  Pretty seldom am I impressed with an electrical alteration such as you accomplished.

WELL DONE!     :man:


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## Maddogmech1 (Feb 24, 2014)

Thank you very much! I've only been at this machining thing for a couple years when time permits, so I definitely was happy it turned out well. I figure the drill is probably worth a few thousand new, and I've got the cost of the vfd and the paint basically. Just wanted to give others some ideas that you can get around the industrial voltage machines problem and work them into some usable home machines


---------------------------------Why buy something when you can build it for twice the price!


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## genec (Feb 24, 2014)

super job Its more then most people would tackle. including me


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## mattthemuppet2 (Feb 25, 2014)

that's a very ingenious way to convert the motor, I wouldn't have even thought of that! End product looks really great. How is it in action? Does it have a motorised table lift (saw the rack on the column and a motor on the floor)


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## Maddogmech1 (Feb 25, 2014)

No it doesn't have motorized lift, the handle was broke off in the scrap pile. The motors on the floor are some other finds in the scrap. Motorized table is an interesting idea though...

The motor conversion really wasn't that hard. Just take your time making sure your core ends up in the center of the armature, and the lathe keeps everything else true and centered. I was worried something might be out of balance, but I can't detect any vibration. I would imagine if there was, it would be pretty cheap to have it balanced


---------------------------------Why buy something when you can build it for twice the price!


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## DAN_IN_MN (Feb 25, 2014)

I'm totally impressed!


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## mattthemuppet2 (Feb 26, 2014)

might not have been hard, but I'm still impressed  That table rack and gear is just begging for a 12V window motor and spare PC power supply. I've seen a couple of builds on here (tables for drill presses and heads for bench mills) doing that and it looks dead neat. I'm idly thinking of it too (have the motors and PSU) for my drill press, but there's _a __long long_ list of projects ahead of it and ever less time to do them!


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## Maddogmech1 (Feb 26, 2014)

I checked it out tonight, and I don't think a 12vdc window motor will raise it. Pretty hard cranking. The head cranks up pretty easy, but not really not travel there. I'm still working on machining out some other things for it, and figuring out what to do about permanent wiring. Run it off the vfd controls? Or incorporate remote controls? Hmmm...


---------------------------------Why buy something when you can build it for twice the price!


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## Maddogmech1 (Mar 12, 2014)

Had some time to work on the gearshift levers, I think they came out nice. The mounting blocks are so big because there are ball detents in them. 


---------------------------------Why buy something when you can build it for twice the price!


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## Maddogmech1 (Dec 23, 2018)

Bringing this thread back from the dead. I’ve been running this drill press for years now with no issues, it has performed without issue since the initial rebuild above. For some reason I got a hair in my ass a couple weeks ago and started phase 2 of the rebuild. 

First order of business: motorized table lift. It was mentioned above years ago, so I aimed to make it a reality. 












I had a couple of these nice gearmotor setups lying around, perfect size for this job. By shear luck they happened to be a 110vac, dual direction motor. I whipped up an adapter to go from the pinion shaft on the table to the chain sprocket on the motor setup (small chain drive behind the cast alum cover) and mocked it up to test. Of course the little motor didn’t have enough ass to lift the table. Fortunately a little online research turned up that these little units are quite versatile. Made by Oriental Motor, you can buy a large number of different gearboxes for them. Mine was a 12.5:1 ratio. I found a NOS 100:1 ratio box for a good price on eBay and installed, it lifts the table no problem, albeit a little on the slow side. 


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## Maddogmech1 (Dec 23, 2018)

A few years back I built and installed a spindle light for my mill, best add on I’ve ever done. I can’t take credit for the brilliant idea, I saw it online back then, no idea where, but a million thanks to the genius that came up with it. I decided my drill press needed one, so set to it. 






This is the housing for the light, machined from scrap aluminum. 






Marked out and drilled/tapped some 2-56 holes, and bolted a piece of plexi onto the face of the housing. 











Chucked it back in the Monarch and used a cutoff blade to cut away the excess plexi. Use a freshly sharpened blade or the plexi will melt instead of cut. 






A shot of the small cavity to give the wires/solder points some space. I simply used a drill press to take out most of the material, and a dremel to smooth it up. The light itself is a led cob, halo ring they sell for cars (supposed to put around headlights, bah I have better use for them). Bought a pair for $15 on eBay, they sell a hundred different sizes. 






Here it is powered up. As you can see, there are no shadows anywhere, and it’s bright as hell. Simply powered by a cheap 12vdc wall adapter. Much better than the single or even dual lamp setups on most machines. 



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## bareketz (Feb 29, 2020)

Just wanted to say Thanks!
your pictures helped me crank open the same drill press that were broken and bring it to life...


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