# Where to mount VFD on my mill



## Gaffer (Aug 10, 2020)

I'm struggling where to mount the VFD. I have a Bridgeport clone with DRO, and was considering making a bracket to mount it on the swing arm that holds the DRO. I only had one 220 outlet in my garage which was fine when I only had a welder. I've since added four other 220 tools, so a few weeks ago I added a subpanel in my garage. I still have a few branch circuits to run and the mill is one of them. It requires 220 for the VFD and 110 for DRO and the two power feeds.

After purchasing the VFD, I only temporarily wired it to the mill to ensure it worked. I replaced spindle bearings made some minor repairs to the mill and have yet to use it since buying it. I want to land the power to the wall nearest the mill and then as cleanly and efficiently as possible route the power cords and mount the VFD. I haven't got to point of learning the VFD, and if I can keep the forward and reverse switch, etc. The VFD is an Automation Direct WEG CFW-300, and I also bought the pot for speed control.

The mill is in its final resting place, at about a 45* angle between the two garage doors. The arm with the DRO wasn't installed at the time of the photo, but is attached to the top of the ram behind the head and hung to the right side. I'm doing to drop the electrical down the wood panel between the garage doors. I appreciate your ideas.


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## DavidR8 (Aug 10, 2020)

FWIW I put the VFD for my mill on the wall above the 220V outlet. I don't need to get behind my mill so its a close to the wall as possible.
Wiring from the VFD to the mill is in flexible conduit (wish I remember the name of the conduit) 
I thought about putting the VFD on the machine but thought that vibration might not be great for its innards.


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## Gaffer (Aug 10, 2020)

Do you have to access it much? I'm still too new with it to know what my interaction with it will be. If I mount mine on wall, it will be difficult and very inconvenient to get to. I might have to build something that mounts to the wall and extends the VFD where I can reach it.


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## DavidR8 (Aug 10, 2020)

Once programmed I basically don’t have to touch it. I never turn it off so I don’t even have to fuss with that. All the controls, motor on-off, speed and forward/reverse are on the mill. 


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## RandyWilson (Aug 10, 2020)

You can use the mills reversing switch. Just do not touch it while the VFD is on.

My mill is 90 to the wall such that the table at full X stop just clears.  I have a tool box against the wall with all the tooling and such, and shelves above. I have the VFD mounted to the front of the shelves along with the dro.  It's in easy reach. If you mount it farther away, you will need to wire up remote controls.


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## Gaffer (Aug 10, 2020)

Thanks, David and Randy


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## hman (Aug 11, 2020)

RandyWilson said:


> You can use the mills reversing switch. Just do not touch it while the VFD is on.


I don't think that's a good idea.  How do you turn the motor off, if not with the very switch you're saying not to use???

The VFD really should be hard-wired directly to the mill motor.  

Gaffer,
It would be best to re-wire the original forward-off-reverse switch to (low voltage) control inputs on the VFD.  You can use a pretty long low voltage multi-conductor cable for this.  If you get one with extra conductors, you can wire up a remote speed pot and mount it on the mill (or DRO box?) somewhere.  You can mount the VFD itself just about anywhere.  Since you're running power to the wall nearest the mill, that would be a suitable place for the VFD.  Mount it high enough and it should be pretty safe from chips!


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## DavidR8 (Aug 11, 2020)

hman said:


> I don't think that's a good idea. How do you turn the motor off, if not with the very switch you're saying not to use???
> 
> The VFD really should be hard-wired directly to the mill motor.
> 
> ...



I wired low voltage controls on my mill to run the VFD. High voltage goes from the VFD to the mill. 


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## Winegrower (Aug 11, 2020)

All the VFD instructions I have seen are specific that there should be nothing between the vfd and the motor it controls.   All normal motor controls must be turned into inputs to the vfd, and it will control the motor.

i suggest not disregarding this.   The complication is why I use a static phase converter instead.   All controls behave as designed...and the maximum power loss is unnoticeable in my use of the mill, lathe and saw.


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## RandyWilson (Aug 11, 2020)

hman said:


> I don't think that's a good idea.  How do you turn the motor off, if not with the very switch you're saying not to use???
> 
> The VFD really should be hard-wired directly to the mill motor.




You turn the motor on and off with the VFD controls, of course. Either the ones on the VFD, or remote ones you wire up. 

In my case, I had to do it like that. The mill has multiple 3ph motors running full time.  I use the drum switch to reverse the spindle. If I used the VFD to reverse, the table controls would be backwards, too.


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## Gaffer (Aug 11, 2020)

Thanks, hman. I ran more conduit tonight. I have to run one last leg down the wall where the VFD will reside. I hope to have this done by the weekend. Then I’ll have to study how to wire and program the inputs to the VFD. I don’t have a good handle that part but I’ve yet to really dive into it.


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## DavidR8 (Aug 11, 2020)

Reach out to @mksj. 
He was a tremendous help to me when I set mine up. 


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## JimDawson (Aug 12, 2020)

I put mine in place of the original switch.  I was used to reaching up into that area to control the spindle.




In the new version when I went to direct drive, I mounted the VFD on the back of the electrical panel and put the controls on the head.


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## ddickey (Aug 12, 2020)

I mounted mine on the access panel on the side of the knee column.


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## hman (Aug 12, 2020)

RandyWilson said:


> You turn the motor on and off with the VFD controls, of course. Either the ones on the VFD, or remote ones you wire up.
> In my case, I had to do it like that. The mill has multiple 3ph motors running full time.  I use the drum switch to reverse the spindle. If I used the VFD to reverse, the table controls would be backwards, too.


OK, I can see how you need to set yours up that way.  Not the best practice, but you gotta do what you gotta do.  My major concern with an arrangement like that would be my "instinctive" wanting to reach for the mill switch, especially if in a hurry


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