Questions about Clausing Colchester 13 lathe

[Defender92]

There are 2 types of phase converters, Rotary and Static. You are referring to a static, which gives you half the power of the rated label.
A rotary can power multiple machines, a static cannot.
A vfd also powers one machine only. The VFD gives you full power, and allows you to control the speed of the motor, not a big deal on your machine. I believe the Colchester has the Reeves drive that the Clausing has.. I could be wrong, but it makes your speed variable throughout.
The rotary can be loud, or a good one can be quiet. The VFD is fully electronic, the static phase converter is mostly capacitors.

VFD sounds like what I need then. Any recommendations for a brand or model? My motor is 5hp.

Just to sum this up… VFD is cheaper and you get full power?? It won’t damage my motor at all?

I wouldn’t mind looking into a VFD for my Clausing 8520. Changing speeds sucks on that machine.

 

[Janderso]

For versatility I have a rotary phase converter that I turn on to give me my three phase power.
I run my lathe, mill and surface grinder off the phase converter.
Not at the same time of course.

 

[woodchucker]

VFD sounds like what I need then. Any recommendations for a brand or model? My motor is 5hp.

Just to sum this up… VFD is cheaper and you get full power?? It won’t damage my motor at all?

I wouldn’t mind looking into a VFD for my Clausing 8520. Changing speeds sucks on that machine.

for your clausing 8520, you will need to get a 3phase motor.
I would like to do the same for my 8520... it gets tiring with the belts, especially going to low gears..
I will probably put a 1hp 3ph motor on mine, when I find one for a good price. You want a newer 3ph, not the older. The older don't handle the frequency driving as well I read. The newer handle it well if marked so.

 

[mksj]

Reason why I asked about the motor size and also the control panel innards. Prices of single phase VFD's go up quite a bit beyond 3 Hp, there are also additional install costs and it is not a simple matter of using it as a power source. This is the VFD I usually recommend for 5Hp motors with single phase power. I am not going to get into the cheap generic VFD's on eBay/Amazon, just too many issues that I have encountered.
Yaskawa GA50UB018ABA will run around $637 https://control-concepts.myshopify....y-240-vac-single-phase-ip20-protected-chassis

Static converter, different schools of thought on their use, as you loose between 1/3-1/2 of the rated Hp/Torque. You can buy a RPC control panel for $200-300 and find a local idler or find a good used motor on eBay, problem is you need a 10Hp idler and that is going to cost quite a bit to ship. You also need a bigger service and starting the idler of that size can cause quite a bit of sag in the surrounding line voltage. A VFD has a soft start so acceleration can be adjusted, typically 3-5 seconds. A VFD can also provide electronic braking, but requires an external braking resistor to be effective so that runs about $60. VFD output is a direct connect to the motor and you also need to wire in the controls and ideally have some safety relays or means to drop out the run command if you hit the mechanical brake or if you release the E-Stop. I can provide a simple single relay design that could be used, but it is a major rewire.

 

[matthewsx]

Looks like a beauty.

VFD is a nice way to go but definitely not plug and play, worth the effort but if you already have working electrics it might not be the best choice.

One thing folks rarely mention is if you go with a static converter all it usually takes to change to a rotary is a suitably sized three phase motor which you can often find much cheaper than buying a rotary to begin with.

Also, while you may loose power using a static many hobby users won’t ever notice it.

So, cheapest cost may not be a VFD considering what it takes to do it right, it’s likely to be a complete rewire. @mksj does beautiful work and it’s time well spent looking over his threads.

John

 

[Janderso]

Make sure you have a good belt on the oil pump. Its a crappy round belt that falls apart way to easy. I replaced it with an appropriate sized notched v belt with good results. I will have to look at the size. Its under the headstock on the side at ground level. The bearings are special spring loaded jobbies, not sure if they are available any more. I use TPU to print way wipers. They are very nice lathes to operate. One of the better lathes to thread on as well.

I think the only complaint I've ever heard is the noise of the headstock. Spur gears make noise.
I have the RPC running in the background then kick on the lathe, it's a bit noisy but I don't mind.