Newbie just acquired a Sharp Mill and has some questions

[bnelson1980]

You are going to need a better step stool to stand on for taking pictures. Does that shop where the FIL works have any other Sharp mills of this model that you can look at? I found a picture of a motor name plate on the internet - it shows as 3 HP, "DESING CNS-C-112". As others have posted above, you may have a "C" face mount. However, there are other face mounting arrangements. Sometimes you can make up an adapter plate to use a motor that is more available (that lathe is going to be very handy to help get the mill going, and for many other tasks).

Good luck with making some $$ on the side.

Thanks. Here is a picture of another sharp mill that was in use the day I picked up mine. I took a picture of the motor that was on it.

 

[bnelson1980]

Sorry about that. Those pics were terrible. Here are some better ones.

 

[bnelson1980]

Sharp is still in business and may have a manual. They can also help ID the mill and that will help sort the parts you need. As far as I know, the LMV's all have an R8 spindle. The specific LMV model depends on the table size. Check out the website: http://www.sharp-industries.com/manual-machines/74/3

My table size is 9"x50".

 

[MikeInOr]

I think you need to consider the possibility that your mill was taken out of service and used as a "parts machine" because it was not economical to repair. The missing motor might be because the motor was fine and used in another machine. You might find that after replacing the motor the original problem that made the mill unserviceable might surface. If the lower portion of the mill is in good shape I might suspect the head is in bad shape. You might be better off replacing the whole head than replacing the motor only to find that the head is not functioning well. Is the lower portion of the mill in good shape?

Pure speculation!

 

[bnelson1980]

I think you need to consider the possibility that your mill was taken out of service and used as a "parts machine" because it was not economical to repair. The missing motor might be because the motor was fine and used in another machine. You might find that after replacing the motor the original problem that made the mill unserviceable might surface. If the lower portion of the mill is in good shape I might suspect the head is in bad shape. You might be better off replacing the whole head than replacing the motor only to find that the head is not functioning well. Is the lower portion of the mill in good shape?

Pure speculation!

The reason it was taken out of use was that it was replaced by new machines. Nothing was wrong with it when they retired it.

 

[Chipper5783]

Do you have the rest of the Reeves style drive? I don't know exactly what the Sharp LMV mill used to achieve the variable speed feature. One common system is called a Reeves drive - when you crank that speed handle the driven pulley expands / contracts. You get near full power over a pretty good speed range (when the speed goes down the torque increases). The drive pulley on the motor is a critical part of the system, as it also expands/contracts.

Go back to the FIL's shop and have a closer look at how that other mill is set up. You don't have to stick with the original configuration, but it is a good system (it is a good place to start).

 

[bnelson1980]

Yes, I think I have found the drive pulley I need. I have reached out to Sharp and am waiting for them to respond. I’m going to be at my FIL’s shop in two weeks and plan on taking a much closer look at the other Sharp mill that’s operational.

What is your thought on using a VFD vs Rotary Phase Converter?