# Mounting VFD to a horizontal mill



## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

I hope this post will help someone else figure out how the may want (or not want) to mount their VFD.
I did this a little over a year ago and it has worked well so far.
A Sheldon Model 0 came up on Craigslist here local at a good price. I will buy almost anything if its a bargain. Anyhow, when I went to pick it up, I found out it was a lot larger than I thought and also 3 phase. One of the guys helping me load it suggested trying a VFD to convert it over so I took the plunge. I studied VFDs and RFCs for a couple weeks on several forums before deciding on the Teco VFD. I bought it from Tools4cheap and was well satisfied with price and service as Jeff Beck spent a long time on the phone with me before I bought.
a pic of the mill coming home


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## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

I removed all the 3phase magnetic switch and wiring and replaced it with a three wire 20 amp 220v single phase well pump breaker box I already had.


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## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

Next I bought a 6x6x4 gray plastic box and 12ga 4wire conduit and plastic conduit fittings at a local hardware store and a 10mfd potentiometer and normally open push button switch with a big red button from Radio Shack.


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## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

I wanted to protect the VFD and still have it close to or on the mill and this took the longest to figure out the best way. I mounted the VFD in the 6x6x4 box and cut the cover out to let the front stick through. I also cut two vent holes in the bottom and one in the top of the box for venting.


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## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

I mounted the box to the lower front of the mill below the chip pan.


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## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

In the next pic, the wire is run for the external controls. It is just 4wire phone cabling. In retrospect, I wish I had bigger conduit and ran more cables as once its together, I couldn't feed more wire to add to my external controls. You get the idea in the second pic.


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## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

Next, sorting and labeling the wires to the motor as it was wired for 440 3phase.


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## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

The 220v single phase comes in the top, the 220v three phase out the bottom and the control wires to the original machine FWD and REV out the middle.


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## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

This is the barrel switch that came on the machine. I didn't take much to rewire it for the 24v logic controls from the VFD.


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## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

Next is front and back of the placement of the external frequency (10k Pot) and estop.


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## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

Then wiring the external controls into the pod for easy reach.


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## bedwards (Dec 16, 2011)

Last I had to add a metal support, a chip and oil shield and one more
switch for the coolant pump after trying it out the first time. I needed the metal support as the plastic conduit was too flexible to hit the e-stop in a hurry.
I hope this helps someone else figure out how they may want to mount theirs.  

Thanks for providing the forum where we can share info,
bedwards


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