Shop Building & Machinery Improvements - Official Work Thread

[Alan Downey]

Ted,

There is no motor in the base. The one you see on top is the main and only drive motor. 25HP, 440/220 3 phase.

[Dwight Winkley]

You need a 50HP 3 phase converter from American Rotary in Monrovia, CA. I would get a bigger converter so you can run more than one 3 phase machines at the same time. till later, dwight

[Gordon Cook]

There is a plan to get a rotary phase convertor for the machine shop to replace the diesel generator for 3 phase power. We have determined that the planned electric service cannot support the current required by the convertor so that issue has to be addressed and the campus wiring plan will need to be modified and installed first.

In the meantime a replacement water pump has been purchased for the generator and will be installed soon, time and weather permitting.

[Keith Taylor]

There is a plan to get a rotary phase convertor for the machine shop to replace the diesel generator for 3 phase power. We have determined that the planned electric service cannot support the current required by the convertor so that issue has to be addressed and the campus wiring plan will need to be modified and installed first.

In the meantime a replacement water pump has been purchased for the generator and will be installed soon, time and weather permitting.

Has any thought been given to using a variable frequency drive instead of a rotary converter.? They supply a true three phase output and are the size of a shoe box.
Keith

[Alan Downey]

More pictures from today. The lathe is up against a door where it's stored, so I couldn't get back far enough to get decent pictures. These two closer up views will have to due for now. Jason and I sprayed rust preventative on the important bits to tide things over before it comes to the shop. To be clear, the ways look "wet" due to the preventative, NOT due to water. Once it gets to the shop we'll mount the Aloris D quick change tool post that had been on the New Haven.





Keith,

Please see my post HERE for a full discussion behind us settling on a single plant wide phase converter. But to briefly summarize why VFD's are an impractical solution for us, most of our three phase machines have multiple (3-4) motors apiece, which would each require their own VFD. We would also need very large VFD's ($$$) to run the main motors on the lathe, vertical mill, horizontal mill, and radial drill. The cost of all the necessary VFD's would outsize the cost and complexity of a single large rotary phase converter to supply all of our machines.

[Mike the Choochoo Nix]

Also older motors are problematic on a vfd. The insulation has too low a tempertaure rating. Motors on vfd 's run hotter. Electrician friend told me this.   

[Keith Taylor]

All true, but VFDs have advantages too, like infinitely variable speed control and jog functions. You can tell the motor to turn a quarter turn and stop.

Keith

[Terence Kasabian]

We have safety rules for train crews working on the trains.  Maybe we should have safety rules on working in the shop to avoid the possibility of fires and possible injuries to others regarding wires and extension cords laying around.

[Alan Downey]

A brief update on activities over the last months:

Out diesel powered three-phase generator had been down for awhile due to a dead water pump. I'm pleased to say it is now back together and should carry us through while we work on implementing our next iteration of three-phase generation.

The radial arm drill that we purchased in August needed it's column bearings replaced. Disassembly happened last fall, and it has been sitting outside the shop under tarps since then. This was a rather substantial undertaking for the size of the machine and the weight of the subassemblies being handled. Amusingly, the service manual never anticipated this level of repair, so we were "off book". I got the new bearings back in October and since the new year, Carlos and Jerry Stienke and myself have been reassembling the drill in stages as time has permitted. Yesterday marked the final day of major assembly work with the outer column going back on the base riding on the new bearings, and the arm being slid back onto the outer column. I was thrilled to find that once we removed our rigging, the drill head spins on the column like a top!

When the new lathe arrives at Sheepscot, the radial arm drill will go in the building first, and be followed by the lathe. We're excited to see both pieces in the shop soon!

[Harold Downey]

The generator fix wasn't as simple as it sounds.  The engine is a 3 cyl Italian made VM Motori diesel engine.  Its model number plate didn't correspond with any known version.  We found a British parts supplier for VM diesels and they helped us determine the correct water pump.  Then, of course we had to import it from England. 

[Mike Fox]

Harold, that sounds about par for the course. We have quite a few mutts that parts are hard to come by. Sometimes you luck out though..

Glad things are coming together..

[Mike Fox]

New paint on the Big Radial Arm Drill Alan has been leading the resurection on.

[Alan Downey]

Thanks for posting those, Mike!

Nicole and Jay were a huge help with this part of the process over the last two weekends. Here's another picture from after I put the ladder away.



I've also started repowering the Monarch 12CK lathe with a single phase motor and should have that wrapped up in another day or two at the museum.

[James Patten]

Are you going to paint the letters black (or red, or some other color that will stand out)?

[Alan Downey]

Yep! Second coat next weekend, letters the following.