Machining a Pulley for a Drill Press

Really not a good idea. It *can* be done, and I have done it, using a shaft which is already round, and back before I had a lathe, I took a 1/4" shaft down to about 1/8" (I forget the precise diameter, I was making a capstan for a tape deck which I was building, and it needed to be the right diameter to produce 3-3/4 inches per second. I spent a lot of time with the file and a micrometer checking as I went.

I'll bet that you would have the choice of not progressing very fast at all, or having enough of a drop to give problems. And you would want your support bolted to the motor but easy to adjust.

Assume that it is the full length of the motor housing, plus the visible extension as a worst case.

Not collets for this. You put a dead center (solid) in the headstock taper, with a drive plate (perhaps a faceplate with a bolt sticking out to drive a lathe dog). You put the live center in the tailstock, and support the rotor and shaft between centers. A lathe dog (something which clamps onto the short shaft near the headstock) engages the pin or a slot in the faceplate, so as the lathe spindle turns, it turns the shaft.

You will be doing your machining near the tailstock end, where the live center is supporting the shaft.

Probably run at one of the slower speeds, because the dog and driving bolt will probably unbalance the rotating mass, and your lathe would otherwise be hopping all over the workbench -- or off it. :-)

Then supporting it between centers is the right way to do the job. The OD of the shaft was turned based on those center holes, so supporting with the live center and turning should produce something concentric. It is up to you to stop at the right point for a good fit. And if you are going to be using just a setscrew -- no keyway -- mill a flat on the shaft when you have the diameter right. This is for the setscrew to press upon, so it does not raise burrs on the shaft and prevent the pulley from being removed at a later date.

Oh yes -- while the shaft and rotor are in the lathe, use a file to turn a bevel on the shoulder left by turning down the shaft diameter. This will remove the burr which was left by the machining, and which would likely burr the bearing as you reassembled.

Yes -- but even better is getting another motor based on what you show me later on in this article.

[ ... ]

O.K. But probably the second step would be better -- it would be about half-way along the length of the bore.

From the photos (which of course are not the same as having the object in hand) it looks as though the inside end of the bushing expands to a good percentage of the larger bore. This would mean that it would have to be pushed out by pushing from the small end.

Or perhaps *two* sets. What are the odds that the setscrew is metric?

Ball-end Allen keys are very convenient for some things, but a straight-sided one is easier to use for starting a setscrew in the bottom of a groove.

[ ... ]

That is what key stock is -- square rod in the common key sizes. Likely a little oversized so you can file them down to a precise fit. :-)

Actually -- looking at the photos -- the motor mount slides on two pins which are secured by screws with flapping wings (common China/Taiwan import construction). Those slides need to be cleaned of rust and properly lubricated. And typically, there is a lever on the right side of the drill press -- but I don't see it on this. It normally runs a link to push or pull the motor during belt changes. And I don't see the scew you mention. But the motor does *not* pivot -- the entire mount slides in and out.

Looking at the photos, I can tell you that this drill press was

*not* designed to accept a motor of this size. It is massive overkill. This is fairly obvious from the side view photos, but even more so from the top view ones. Is that your pulley sitting about half way between the motor and the spindle? Or is it an idler pulley on a swinging arm to allow more speeds than the 5 listed on the front?

Anyway -- you have the motor slid as close to the column as can be done I think, and it is already close to where the edge of the pulley would rub on the belt guard when it is closed.

I hope the bearings are better than some of the external surfaces -- including the rust on the chuck.

You will need to clean off the rust on the column and the motor adjusters, and oil them. Looks like it stood out in the back yard for a few years. :-)

And I note that the spindle is a fixed Jacobs taper on the end (a JT-2), instead of having a Morse taper in the spindle. This limits your ability to use it for some tasks.

Just out of curiosity -- what does the motor nameplate say about the horsepower? And what is the shaft RPM?

Don't! Get a smaller motor -- with a shaft which fits the current pulley. Be prepared to measure the shaft when you go out shopping for a used motor.

Depends on where you are. Medium sized three-phase motors are often available from places which do heating/air-conditioning work, from when they pulled out industrial units to replace them with larger ones.

I sometimes find motors at hamfests. (Think a large electronic flea market). You might be able to find them at flea markets locally.

New York City and environs are really an unknown to me.

Do you have a local Craigslist?

How about a Freecycle?

Well ... if you could make a bushing to fit it to the 5/8" shaft, and then drill and tap for a setscrew, it might be more appropriate to that motor size. But you would need to know the RPM of the motor -- with the larger pulley, the spindle speeds would likely be too high. (And they seldom are slow enough for the size chuck supplied when drilling steel. :-)

Enjoy, DoN.

That's what I thought too, there seems to be no other good reason for that step in the small end bore. I'd turn a punch with a step that centers it in the bushing so it doesn't score the pulley bore.

There's enough room in the big end to make and insert a disk with the key slot and setscrew in it.

jsw

The length from tip of shaft to

OK.

Ok.

For *single* set screw that's what I figured.

Well since the drill press was made in Taiwan does that increase the chance? :-)

I finally got it back in. :-)

Ok.

That was my bad choice of words. And the screws obviously secure the motor in position by clamping onto the rods that slide in and out.

I'm surprised you found that pic. I didn't point to it because it misleads the viewer due to the fact that the motor pulley just happens to be sitting where an idler would be situated *if* my drill press had one. Of course the size of the belt and the fact that the pulley, which still had the wood dowel in it's bore, would be off center and a give away. :-)

That's why I had taken another pic which you missed: :-)

It would be close. The base of the pulley has a diameter of 2-7/8" and the raised portion of the motor housing is 3" in diameter. (New pic):

Me too. :-) The motor itself spins nicely and quietly when power up, but I'm not sure what would be considered normal for the drill press' spindle. (At least there is no noise). The idea is to take it completely apart and clean it. I've just been procrastinating because I've never taken a drill press apart before.

I do have a gallon of WD-40 for cleaning, but was also considering the vinegar/salt water option.

Boy, you hit that one on the nose. :-) I picked it and a table-less band saw up a while back from a guy who had them both in his back yard. I didn't know if he had just moved them there for me or they had been sitting there for a while.

The band saw's blade was pretty rusted and the cast aluminum blade guides pretty much fell apart.(Disintegrated).

I expect light duty use. (And a lot of run-out). :-)

Ok. Let me pull up that pic.:

Will do.

Well, my only option is a single phase motor. On top of that, the wiring in my place is so old I have to remember never to turn on the microwave at the same time as the convection oven. (Or I'll be making a trip to the basement with a flashlight). :-)

Probably. Nothing has come up on Craigslist yet. But I'll have to do some more research. Thanks.

Well, I have my mini-mill for that. And considering the pulley I presently have is at least almost too large for the housing *if paired with that particular motor*, the even larger diameter one in that eBay auction is definitely a no-no.

Perhaps I'll keep the motor for the band saw project.(If I ever get back to it).

Thanks a lot. :-)

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

[ ... turning motor shaft down ... ]

[ ... ]

Yes -- assuming that the pulley was original to it. :-)

Yep -- I saw that one.

Good!

And it is a mild steel, so no great difficulty to tune to size with a good file.

O.K. Not seeing the normal lever for tensioning the belt before you lock the slides, you may have to take a large screwdriver and use it as a lever to move the motor to the right point to tension things properly.

Well ... those photos which you pointed to were something like numbers 4 and 5, so I simply used the arrows to navigate to the other images until I hit the end of the list or something which was not the drill press. I could have continued, but didn't. I normally use wget to grab the images directly, but this site was feeding me chunks of HTML instead of the images when I did that, so I used the browser.

Off center is a normal condition for the idler, since it swings on a fairly short arm.

What would be interesting is to put the belt on the supplied pulley and the spindle pulley (middle step of both) and pull it tight to see where the center of the pulley goes. Compare that to how close you can get the motor to the head casting. And remember -- it has to move even closer to the casting to relax the belt enough for you to change steps.

Out of curiosity -- does the cover have a speed chart inside it? Mine does -- a fairly complex one for a 16-speed setup.

That wasn't part of the grouping of similarly named images. And some other image stopped me from going through the whole list of iamges. (And lack of time. :-)

And remember -- the motor has to slide probably an inch or so out to tension the belt once you put the belt on the pulleys.

I just went down and looked at my drill press -- and it has a

3/4 HP motor -- same speed -- from the same manufacturer. But it is a 16-speed motor, and there is a lot more room in the motor shaft window in the belt housing. Mine also has a crank to raise and lower the table, a full floor standing height (this looks like a benchtop size), and came with a 5/8" chuck -- too fast for a 5/8" drill bit in steel, even with the best choice of belt settings.

How does feeding the quill down feel? Among other things, you should lubricate the spline through the center hole at the top of the spindle. If you are lucky, the belt guard kept rain from getting in there.

For things like the column and the worktable, the vinegar/salt would probably be less work, and more likely to provide a usable surface. The WD-40 would also wire brushing, and likely emery paper to clean off enough of the rust.

How tall is the column? That will determine whether you can find a container long enough to allow it all to submerge at once. And

*don't* think of putting one end in at a time. This leads to etching at the waterline.

I think the latter.

Aluminum? Perhaps Zamac (a zinc alloy often called "pot metal". That tends to disintegrate when exposed to nasty conditions.

What I was thinking about was things like replacing the chuck with things like a tapping head. Mine is thread mounted on a Morse taper 2 shank, which I can pop into the spindle in place of the one which holds the chuck. (Also, I can put larger drills with Morse Taper

2 shanks directly in the spindle, instead of worrying about the chuck having enough grip.

Yep same HP, RPM and maker as my drill press has. (and likely the same size) But too much for the size press you have.

O.K.

Well ... you *could* use a cheap three phase motor (say 3/4HP or

1HP) as an idler in a rotary converter -- but that would be a 240 VAC motor, not a 120 VAC one. That would then allow you to run a smaller three phase motor on the drill press. But -- if you don't have a 240 VAC outlet, that is not part of the game. :-)

Ouch! How many fuses (or breakers) serve your place?

O.K. Good Luck.

[ ... ]

O.K. -- Unless you cut out the back of the belt guard. (Not really a good idea, of course. :-)

Good enough. It might work well for that.

Good Luck, DoN.

The pulley would make it to a little past the center of the opening. (Which doesn't seem to be enough).

Now that you mentioned it, yes:

I drew up a copy with MsPaint: (I wasn't sure of the last number(2960) so I put a question mark next to it).

I'll use this for wood (mostly).

The down feed is great.

(And I have to figure out how to take the spindle pulley off for cleaning and lubrication).

Yes.The distance from the floor to the bottom of the pulley housing is about 25". But I have something large enough to fit the column in. (One of those large plastic containers used for storage).

I agree.

That's interesting. I'll have to look that up. I'll probably be making blade guides out of Aluminum.(I already picked up some skate bearings). At least the upper and lower drive wheels are in "like new" condition.

I don't expect much in the way of accuracy with this drill press. But for wood it is not as big a deal. (And I'll hold off on that Mortising kit I came across).

My 240V printer has been running on a step-up converter for years. :-)

On top of that, the

I believe two.

Only one outlet in this place can accommodate a ground prong. And going by a little receptacle tester I have I don't think that one is wired correctly. :-(

I'll have to get the landlord to do some re-wiring. But it'll probably cost me.

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Of course that can be adjusted with a longer belt. But depending on the motor shaft to base dimension, you probably could move the motor mount enough to clear the belts for changing to a new step, or to re-tighten it. I notice the manual has no mention of the lever which I expect -- you are just expected to shove the motor back with one hand as you tighten the locking (flapping wing) screws with the other.

Terrible photo you know. :-) Of course that reflective metal label material photographs badly anyway. :-) (But focusing would help, which might need a flashlight pointed at the chart to help the camer to autofocus.)

My chart is the same sort of material, but is a 4x4 grid, since there are 16 speeds to cover. A letter to represent which belt groove on the spindle side of the idler, and a number to represent which belt groove on the motor side -- or perhaps the reverse. I'm not feeling good enough to go downstairs and re-check my memory from a couple of nights ago.

Much clearer. Print out a copy and keep it under plastic near the drill press (once you have a motor on it).

Well ... you *should* be able to convert the 60 Hz values to the

50 Hz values by dividing the RPM by 60, and multiplying by 50. But the values from that don't agree. For example, the 1200 RPM 60 Hz, *should* give 1000 RPM 50 Hz. But you don't really care about the 50 Hz speeds anyway -- you are not in the UK where the power is 50 Hz, so you would have to jump through hoops to feed it 50 Hz. :-)

And I suspect that the values shown are whatever standard value from the handbooks which they got from the actual pulley steps, It might be that the slip angle is different with 50 Hz, which could affect the unloaded and loaded RPMs.

O.K. And certainly probably reasonable up to 1/4" drills in steel, and 1/2" in wood. Maybe 3/8" (without bothering to calculate SFM) in aluminum. Maybe all the way to 1/2" in aluminum.

Let's see -- slowest 60 Hz speed is 860 RPM. 1/2" would be

112.5 SFM. 3/8" would be 84 SFM, and 1/4" would be 56.28 RPM. 112 SFM ... hmm.

O.K. According to the Jorgensen metals handbook/catalog, looking at steels:

12L14 300 SFM (a really nice steel to machine). 1018 125 SFM (a common mild steel) 4140 110 SFM (A hardenable alloy)

Down to

H-11 49 SFM (apparently a very strong alloy).

Of the hardenable alloys, all the figures are for annealed metal, not hardened.

[ ... ]

Great!

If yours is like mine -- just drop oil down the center of it, and it will reach the spline (and some will leak out the bottom).

But -- according to the manual which you pointed to, there is a single setscrew in that pulley too.

[ ... ]

O.K. Go for the vinegar/salt mix -- or the washing soda and electric derusting.

As soon as you pull it out, wash it off in very hot water, and wipe dry on the surfaces which matter. As soon as dry, rub in some waylube (Vactra No. 2) which will be a good column lubricant.

*Never* put assembled parts in the de-rusting solutions. If there are dissimilar metals in the assembly they will turn into batteries and attack one of the two metals. (Springs or hardened metals are more likely to be attacked than unhardened -- as someone who tried to derust some calipers discovered when the spring dissolved away. (It was someone who at least used to post here.) [ ... ]

Good.

I remember that and won't bother re-visiting it.

[ ... ]

Check how much you can shake the quill side to side when it is up, and when it is as far down as you can get it.

[ ... ]

You *might* be able to cheat and get 240 VAC if you can find two outlets which are fed different phases of the 120 VAC. Connect an AC voltmeter between the hot side of each of two outlets. (Find which one is hot by measuring compared to the screw which holds the trim plate on. One side should measure the full 120 VAC (+/- a bit) to the screw, and the other should measure practically no voltage to it.

So -- half a power cable plugged into one side and half into the other should give you 240 VAC. But be very *careful* with that. If you do that, unplug whatever you have plugged into the 240 VAC outlet connected to that before you unplug either of the split power cords. Until both are unplugged, the pins of the one which is unplugged can be hot.

If two -- you *may* have the full 240 VAC available as above -- depending on how they are wired. If they are breakers, and are side by side (one above the other), the probably are picking up two phases (actually two sides of the split center grounded 120 VAC feeds). If one is on one side of the box and the other on the other side (talking about breakers here, not fuses), you may not have what you want. If two are one above the other, but there is another breaker or breaker space between them, you won't be able to pull this trick.

Keep a flashlight on your belt, since you are likely to take out both breakers at once if something goes wrong. :-)

Likely someone just shoved a 3-pin outlet into the wall box so they would not have to cut off the ground pin. And this suggests that even your outlet boxes are not grounded, so it would require *full* re-wiring -- tearing up walls and running new wires. And probably tearing up walls of the people downstairs from you too. :-)

You know -- if the place is old enough, you might even have the wiring running through old gas illumination pipes. :-)

You may want to simply live with it. Your pipes should be well grounded, given the ages of things -- no plastic pipe, so you could get a ground connection under the kitchen sink or somewhere similar.

Good Luck, DoN.

So much for property standards! Gerry :-)} London, Canada

That's the intention. Thanks.

I guess one would have to take their numbers with a grain of salt. And since I have a digital Tachometer... Too bad recommended horse power isn't stated. (That's probably why I'm sitting here with an over-sized motor).

My mill will "hopefully" allow for more accuracy than the drill press in metals. :-)

No set screw on this pulley. And going by the PDF link the set screw on the motor pulley is in the wrong place. :-)

Thanks. Would it be ok that they are in the same solution but not touching?

Did you mean trying to move the chuck horizontally at both ends of the down feed?

Way too much for me. but thanks. Unfortunately outside of the kitchen only one room has more than one outlet, and it's not the (small) tool room. :(

On top of that, the

I'll have to learn more about basic electricity as it applies to household current.

This buidling was built in 1931. Everything, including the outlets, "look" old, and have multiple layers of old paint over them. I think the electrical wiring has that "cloth" sheath. (?)

Well the building is not *that* old. :-)

Now I'm curious. I'll have to look into the details of the wiring here.

BTW. I picked up those pulleys today:

They have set screws and would probably slide onto the 5/8" motor shaft with a little effort(and a mallet).

The small one Browning AZ15) because part of the step floor has disintegrated away.(I think it is made out of that Zamac material you mentioned).

The step of the larger Craftsman(M-200-B-103) pulley, which has a "2" stamped on it, is 1.375" in diameter.

Back to my motor search. :-)

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

[ ... ]

They are only a rough guess -- as the speed decreases with load (more slip -- the rotor motion falling behind the rotating magnetic field which drives it -- which is why you get something like 1720 RPM from the motor instead of 1800 which a 4-pole motor would give if the rotor were a permanent magnet instead of generating rotor fields from the induced currents.

And if you are lucky, the printed speeds indicate the highest speed you can expect with that belt setting, so you won't burn out bits from overspeed.

Probably so.

[ ... speeds vs workpiece materials ... ]

As long as you spot drill or center drill first -- or only have split point drill bits, which don't wander the way chisel point bits do.

[ ... ]

Yes -- they show it on the middle step.

[ ... electrolytic or salt/vinegar derusting ... ]

Yes -- as long as they aren't touching something else which can conduct. You could hang them by some kind of string from a bar above the tank. A good choice might be weed whipper string -- sold nylon, so it won't soak up the juice you have the parts in.

[ ... ]

Horizontally -- both side-to-side and fore-and-aft. That will be your worst case play. If the chuck isn't particularly bad on centering, you won't have the drill bit tip moving in circles.

[ ... how to get 240 VAC from two 120 VAC outlets snipped ... ]

I see long cables running around the apartment. :-)

[ ... ]

O.K. Those are circuit breakers, not fuses (good) and quite new compared to your description of what you have in the apartment.

The upper-right-hand corner of the box -- the two breakers with a screw between them, and a bar labeled "MAIN" connecting the two handles is a 240 VAC breaker --- the input power. Since you have only your breakers in there, I would guess that the wiring to that "Main" breaker comes from a separate meter for your apartment only.

The two blue-handled ones are individual 120 VAC breakers. I

*think* (but am not sure) that the breakers connect to the two sides of the 240 VAC (center tapped, so one of them and neutral gives 120 VAC) are connected in this pattern (1 is one side of the 240 VAC, 2 is the other side: 1 2 MAIN-1 X 2 1 MAIN-2 X APT 2 1 2 APT 1 X 2 1 X 1 2

where the 'X' means the connections cross over diagonally.

O.K. Looking at the label in the photograph, yes, that is how it is connected, so you do have a full 240 VAC going up to the apartment.

The full service rating for the breaker box is 100 A, so you should have enough to run any machines which you can get up to the apartment. :-)

So I *believe* that this means that you *do* have both sides brought up to the apartment, so if you *really* needed 240 VAC, you could run long cords to two outlets to make the adaptor.

And the breakers, at least, are designed to accept either copper or aluminum wires. *Hope* that they don't have aluminum wiring in that place. If it is the original wiring, it should be copper. Only if it was re-wired during a fairly short period would it be likely to have aluminum wiring.

And I can't make out the current rating of each breaker. Normally it is on the end of the handle, but that is sufficiently out of focus so I can't tell.

And the fact that you have your own breaker box, with so few spots occupied may mean that provisions have been made to run new wiring to the apartment without too much difficulty. All you need is another double breaker like the on the MAIN comes in on, and the right wire and connector upstairs, and you have 240 VAC legally. (The thing I described is a temporary work-around and kluge -- not for regular use.)

Probably tar-soaked cloth to keep it from rotting away over the years.

O.K. I didn't know. :-)

O.K. Next to find a belt which fits both the spindle pulley and your new pulleys.

About that -- someone local is offering some 1/3 HP motor (locally) for $3.00. I've posted asking whether he would be willing to sell with shipping -- and if so, I'll get the two of you talking.

I also asked the diameter of the shaft, and whether it has a keyway or a flat.

Enjoy, DoN.

[ ... ]

Bad news -- they are motors whose bearings will not work well with the motor on end, and oilers which demand the shaft to be horizontal -- and the shaft diameter is 5/8".

Sorry, DoN.

Well in that case it's as solid as a rock. There is no movement at all on the horizontal plain.

current.http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll257/Statenislander/Tools/IMG_020...>

There are for of those boxes. And a meter above each box. (For the four apartments on the right half side of the building).

Once I finish fixing them, I'd like to be able to run eight of my arcade games at the same time, but I don't know if that is plausible the front room.(They are rated to pull about 3 amps each).

Even as I type this I notice a quick/temporary dimming/brightening of the light in the room I'm in. It happens occasionally, but after a while it's relegated to the sub-conscious and you don't notice it, but this subject of conversation has made me notice it again. (I'm the only one in the apartment and I have no idea what causes this).

On a single circuit breaker there are 5 outlets and four light fixtures between the bathroom, kitchen, dining room and rear hallway. One kitchen outlet is iffy and the bathroom outlet(which was actually replaced several years ago) doesn't work.

Calculating from the wattage of the microwave and convection ovens I get 19.5 amps together. But I cannot have them on at the same time.

On the other outlet in the dinging room, but it is not on the same breaker as it's brother and the ceiling fixture. It's part of an outlet in the front room, and therefore on a different breaker which would cover three other outlets and four ceiling fixtures.(And I wouldn't bet that a single outlet in this apartment is *really* grounded. Even those which can accommodate all three prongs). :-)

Well, without going back down there here is one more of the dozen or so pics I took:

This is interesting. But since it is not plausible for me to upgrade to anything else that would be 3 phase(ie: Bigger, heavier, noisier) while living in this apartment would it really be worth it to seriously discuss this with the landlord?

Ok. I'll keep looking. But thanks for trying. :-)

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

[ ... ]

Great! This alone makes it worth fixing up. (Granted, the Taiwanese and Chinese castings are a bit shy on metal, so things like the table will flex with a heavy drilling force, causing the hole to be at an angle -- so you want to start with a smaller drill (about the diameter of the chisel point on the next drill size up) and then work up in steps so you don't have to lean on the feed lever to get through the workpiece.

[ ... ]

O.K. And I suspect another four on the other side.

[ ... ]

No way -- José! Not on one breaker. I said before that I can't read the current rating of the breakers, and your lastest jpeg did not help. *But* -- normal breaker for outlets is rated at 15A, some (which require heavier duty outlets) is 20A. I don't know what gauge wiring is going up to the apartment, but I sincerely doubt that it is enough to handle even 20A. And your eight arcade games add up to 24A between them. And this is counting without the ceiling lights run from the same breaker. :-) Mount Compact Fluorescent lamps and you will reduce the total current draw -- but still not all eight machines at once.

Heavy loads being turned on and off -- likely in the same building, or in another building nearby. It could be an electric water heater switching on and off, or a fan motor in a heating system (if you have forced air heating and cooling (if any)), or a disposal in another apartment, or a washing machine or dryer, or even your own refrigerator cycling.

If there are any industrial buildings nearby, those could be switching on and off heavy loads.

Right now (sort of spring-like weather) our feed to our house is at 119 VAC. Mid summer, when the air conditioning is working -- not just here but at other houses fed from the same transformer -- it runs closer to 116 VAC, and sometimes as low as 114 VAC. Peak that I've seen is about 121 VAC. (I've got an expanded-scale AC voltmeter sitting on top of my computer within easy view. It's scale goes from 100 to 140 VAC, with the center being 120 VAC in red as the nominal standard.

Even subtracting the overhead lamps, that says that the breaker is likely 15A not 20A -- supporting other deductions and suppositions above.

Right!

And cropping that to the left-hand breaker, and rotating it and enlarging it I read:

Bryant BR 115 (I think) Type ?R CU 10-14 AL 8-12 (the last two cover the gauge ranges for either copper or aluminum wire which can fit it and be "safely" used with it.)

The handle has a stylized 'B' (for Bryant) on the end, and the "ON" visible to show it is switched on.

From what a bit of web searching shows, Bryant breakers are available with color coded handles to show what current rating each is, but I can't find the actual chart of color vs current rating on the web. The Bryant page shows me things like central air conditioning systems, not breakers. :-(

It *might* have the rating printed on the side -- or you could go to an electrical supply store (or likely Home Depot's electrical department) to find out what current a blue or turquoise handle means. I *did* discover that they were also available with the standard black handles -- and those might have the trip current listed on the end of the handle.

O.K. The main breakers do have their rating on the ends of the handles -- 100A -- so you should be able to get more power up there if there is an easy way to run the cables needed. (Even if each outlet individually had wires down to the breaker box -- you could install more breakers to split the load between breakers.) However -- if all the wires are joined at the apartment, and run down to the breaker box, this might be a very expensive fix, involving tearing out wallboard to gain access to the wiring.

How likely is the landlord to object to the tools which you already have there? What kind of floors? If carpet or hardwood, he will likely object to the metal chips which can get ground into the floor.

Hmm ... is it possible to set up some of the tools in the basement -- and run them from new breakers in the box? That would be easier to do -- if you could trust things to not disappear, or to be used without your presence.

[ ... ]

[ ... ]

You're welcome.

Good Luck, DoN.

Taking apart split-phase fractional HP motors isn't complicated, take some pics with a digital camera if desired.

If the shaft is rusty, clean it up first with some shinin' cloth or equivalent.

The end bells (case ends) should be marked with a file notch or prick punch just to make re-assembly easier.. the power cord and oilers, etc (if equipped) will then be in the same orientation as before. There aren't any parts in these types of motors that will pop out and fly away, only an occassional shim washer that may fall on the floor, if not paying attention.

Remove one end bell (after removing the end-to-end case screws, and remove the rotor.. it's that easy.

The shaft will cut fairly easily, although there will be some irregularity due to the interrupted cut from the keyway slot. Taking very slight finish cuts will generally correct the irregularity.

Re-assembly of these motors is also fairly simple. Add some oil to the felt pads if the motor has the sleeve type bearings. Put the rotor back in, and position the end bell for assembly, aligning the mark. The bell may require some pressure to seat it in the case, and removing any sharp edges from the mating surfaces will generally make re-assembly very easy. Apply some candle/crayon wax or dry bar soap as a lube and push the bell into the case. Install the case screws and snug them a little, then begin to tighten them gradually, crossing the the case diameter with each subsequent screw/nut, a couple of turns each until the end bells are fully seated.

Spin the shaft by hand, and if the rotor doesn't coast a little, use a little percussive tuning to align the bearings with the shaft for nearly perfect alignment, by thumping the end bells with a chunk-o-wood, then rechecking the rotor spin/coast. When the rotor coasts, indicating very good alignment, finish tightening the case screws.

Forget about the keyway since the pulley doesn't have one.. fill it with a section of key stock (or other piece of steel or brass stock that fits the slot) that's been filed down to the shaft diameter, but with a flat spot for the setscrew to bite on. Use a better/high quality setscrew (with an end that will bite/seat securely in the piece of key stock) of an appropriate length that will engage all of the threads in the pulley. A drop or two of medium loctite/threadlocker on the setscrew will likely be worthwhile.

Filing the shaft to size wouldn't be difficult if one could fabricate a fixture with front and rear roller guides that straddle the shaft to prevent filing the shaft off-center or tapered. I've seen such single-roller guides as lathe attachments in old lathe books.. which were apparently intended to keep the file flat/parallel to the workpiece surface (spindle center axis), not for filing to a specific diameter. This sort of fixture would then need to be rigidly attached to the motor base to attain the desired results.

It would be far less effort to disassemble the motor and turn the shaft on a lathe either between centers (if needed for the shaft length), or chucked at the back end (with a protective wrap of aluminum flashing, for example, to prevent marring the bearing surface) with the output shaft centered at the tailstock end. Absolute precision isn't required on a low speed drill press motor shaft.

It's not likely that one will ever encounter a precision ground shaft on a general purpose, utility-type motor.

As for the subject of smaller motors.. most fractional HP AC induction motors (not including universal AC/DC types) are generally about the same size as far as shaft to mounting surface. The rotors are longer in higher HP ratings, but the cases are often the same diameter size. Shaft sizes change with HP ratings.. it's not very common to see a 1/4 HP motor with a 5/8" (but sometimes a 1/2") shaft.

The entire process of machining the motor shaft in a lathe and mounting the finished motor with pulley, would probably only take an hour, and likely less time for many experienced home shop metalworking types.

The only small issue with using this motor as intended would be that it may be worthwhile to add a fiber or smooth thrust washer on the back end shaft, since the motor will be oriented in shaft-up vertical position. It wouldn't be required for motors with ball bearings, but may prevent startup/shutdown noises in sleeve-bearing type motors. A properly selected size of a single ball bearing placed in the closed back end bell shaft bearing pocket (with a small dollop of grease) could also take care of the issue.

Note: the shaft's end play shouldn't be reduced to zero.. an improvised thrust bearing should only give the back end of the shaft something to rest on.

The table seems pretty rock solid. (But I have had access to many drill presses). I wouldn't be able to lean hard enough to make the table flex.

Ok. I did some checking and two or three of my games can pull 3amps max. and the other five vary between 1 and 1.5. Considering one should stay around 2/3rds and definitely not exceed 80% of the breakers capacity all eight would still be too much. (I'd have to runa a long extention cord to stay within parameters).

I forgot about the refridgerator. :-)

Oh yeah. AC would be a must with eight games running in the summer months. But that's an extreme case scenario anyway. I probably will only need 4 games on at a time. (Unless I have an arcade party with a few people over). :-)

Hmmm. In that case the breaker doesn't trip as fast as it should. The last couple of times I forgot and had bothte microwave and the convection oven on at the same time it was probably as much as 5 minutes before everything went out.

took:

I'm glad it's not Federal Pacific. :-)

Outside of the 100 imprinted on the main, the blue breaker switches have 15 on each one.

My landlord has seen all the machines I have. Tools as well as games. But I'm definitely pushing it.

And the "tool room" has a beat up brown linoleum floor. :-)

(When my landlord first saw this drill press three years ago he conveyed his surprise at how "heavy duty" it was).

Not really. The basement is more of a storage room. There is a closet with stairs that lead from my apartment all the way down to the basement. This is where I have to run the work light before I go down there.

Anyway I just brought up my little Black & Decker 7-1/2" band saw. Since it is obsolete it looks like this may also be a project. :-)

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Thanks.

I won't have to take the motor apart any time soon because I'll be looking for a smaller one for the drill press, but have copied you for future reference. (I think I'll use the motor I have for my band saw project).

Thanks again.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

I've found good deals on small motors from 1/4 to 2 HP at flea markets and garage sales. Used split-phase fractional HP motors are somewhat abundant, and after some cleaning and a little oil, they usually work fine IME, (painting optional).

For a drill press, you wouldn't absolutely need one that utilizes a capacitor for capacitor Start (the hump on the case, usually), and that way you can avoid the odds of a failed capacitor. Motor Start capacitors aren't expensive, but sometimes just another expense.

It would probably be worthwhile to avoid appliance motors (washer, dryer, furnace etc) since they sometimes have unusual wiring jumpering that may not be easily found for older models. These types of appliance motors are usually easily identified as they often have lots of ventilation holes around the case, and often utilize a cradle mounting base.

General purpose utility/replacement motors are usually best suited to mounting on a machine.. Dayton, Century, Marathon and other domestic U.S. made models are typically good choices for machine motors.. with the type of case you'd want, having the mounting "foot" welded to the case. These types of motors are typically intended for horizontal use, so you may need to consider the thrust washer/shim mentioned earlier for vertical use on a DP.

By checking the motor data label, one can find some useful info.. ball bearing, RPM, Voltage(s), and whether the motor is reversible.. some are only wired for a single direction of rotation, so you'd want a CW clockwise rotation for a DP (CW viewed from the shaft end).

It's probably worthwhile to avoid PSC type motors for drill press use, and they can be recognized by having a capacitor value listed on the spec/data label.. such as 10uF or MF, or mF (a low value number from about 4 to 10). The PSC types are better suited to fans, blowers etc.

If you can find a suitable motor size with the correct shaft size, and the shaft just has a flat instead of a keyway, that will make your pulley installation simple.

I've come across some pulleys with the correct bore diameter. Can anyone tell me if it is ideal to have 5 step pulley drill press, or is a lower number more desirable?

I ask because I believe that 10 speeds on a bike are totally unnecessary.

Thanks.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

Zero. A VFD seems optimal to me. But if you don't have the cash for that, a 5-step pulley should be OK.

Right, it takes 21 to do the job. At least until the bike gets electrified.

Usually aren't a pair of pulleys used on a drill press. One mounted with the large sheave on the top and the other on the bottom giving a

5 step speed range :-)

As for a bicycle, 10 speeds on the flat may well be unnecessary but when you get to the hills you may want even more :-)