"I Need a 3HP 1PH motor for PM66" Solved by going to the source

You may be able to get a VFD to run the 3 phase motor from single phase.

-- Gerry, http://home.comcast.net/~cncwoodworker/CNC_Woodworker.html

Have you thought about a phase converter for the saw? For about $200, you can buy a phase converter that will allow you to run 3 ph on a single phase. Give the guys at Grizzly Industrial a call, they can probably help you out and answer some questions you may have. I have installed them for bigger motors 20 hp and up and they work great. Takes a little while for the motor to wind up but saves thousands for a new motor or even more for a electrical service upgrade.

-- Methods are many,Principles are few.Methods change often,Principles never do.

VFD? I’m sorry, I’m not sure what that is, but I am sure glad you read my query and at least this points me in another direction. Thanks Gerry. I just went to wikipedia and looked it. It looks like my answer. Thnks.

-- so much wood, so little time. Bradford. Wood-a-holics unanimous president

Thanks Unionlabel

-- so much wood, so little time. Bradford. Wood-a-holics unanimous president

It might be easier to get a rotary phase coverter and leave the 3 phase motor in the saw. You would just need one big enough to power the saw.

-- Wayne - Plymouth MN

C flange motors are far from obsolete. These aren’t like the motors on Unisaws where the motor mount only fits the Unisaw. Amazon stocks the 3 hp motor for the 66 but they’re expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/Powermatic-6472335-Horsepower-Replacement-230-Volt/dp/B0009H5KEK

Ebay can be a good source for them. Make sure they are single phase and the RPM is correct.

-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca

Thanks Wayne, I verified with and electrician friend, Then checked pricing, at $500 for the one need, I think I’ll try the baldor motor on Amazon, if powermatic comp. rep verifies the perfect fit.
Thanks lwllms, I will look at the motor and confirm with Powermatic on Monday just to be on the 100% side.
Thanks John, I will.
Thank you everyone for this help, it has put my mind at ease that I didn’t waste the money. Wish me luck.

-- so much wood, so little time. Bradford. Wood-a-holics unanimous president

you bit off a problem. a fixable problem, but a problem nontheless. so did I about a year ago. I bought a 2hp 3ph jointer. i’d recommend you head on over to www.owwm.com and search VFD – Variable Frequency Drive. They have some wiring diagrams you will probably need. I assume you have a magnetic starter. Also check with the guys at Factorymation. http://www.factorymation.com/

They talk to 4 or 5 folks like you and me every day about this problem. Those who bite before they know what they are biting. Make sure you write down all of the information on your motor tag. Factorymtion will ask a bunch of motor questions. They will likely recommend something from their TECO FM 50 line of AC drivers ($150 to $250). This is really who you need to be talking to if you have no choice but to keep the 3phase motor. Good luck.

-- david roberts, spinning Tales from Topographic Oceans, no, really.

A variable frequency drive for $200 plus or minus would be a much better investment than a new single phase motor and new magnetic controls. I hope Bradford takes the time to check this out. I’ve bookmarked the factorymation site for my own future use.

UPDATE: I called the friendly staff of POWERMATIC, and asked about my problem. They informed me that they still carry the 3HP 1Ph motor and switch box. All for about the same cost as the VFD.

• Being that my saw was bought from an auction house, where I couldn’t verify the motor worked, the power supply in my garage can’t handle 3PH, I elected to purchase the motor directly from Powermatic, vs buying the VFD and then finding out that the old motor was bad, then having to buy another motor anyway. (kind of like when you change a tire, you’d rather put the correct fit back on vs a dinky little spare)

• I will update this when I’ve installed the new motor.

I hope that this will help any future LJ’s if they run into this situation.

-- so much wood, so little time. Bradford. Wood-a-holics unanimous president

Sounds like you made the right choice. Hope it all works out for you.

-- Emmett, from Georgia

It might be worth you while to check with Grainger Industrial Supply. They sell replacement motors for all sorts of things. I picked up a 3HP single phase motor for my old unisaw.

-- ~Jason~ , Albuquerque NM

You made the very best choice, even if you have to pay more. The VFD is just one more thing that can go wrong.

-- david roberts, spinning Tales from Topographic Oceans, no, really.

I, with the supreme help from my friend Cam, finished installing a new motor and a new magnetic switch. I bought them from Powermatic, who were still cheaper than anyone else. I cleaned / sanded everything on the inside and out. I used 80 grit sand paper on a random orbital sander. Sanded down the whole thing to bare metal, repainted each side of the base with “Hammered metal deep Green” from Rust-o-leum. It was the closest color to the original green that was used 33 years ago. I spent about a week scraping, grinding and sanding the inside in order to get it back to a pre-pitched state. The top was sanded and then steel wool was used to smooth out the scratches. Johnson’s paste wax was used to make the top slick. The rails and fence were reinstalled. A zero clearance insert and push stick were made. The Incra miter gauge 100SE was calibrated and installed. A flicker page was created to show the process. The web page displays them from the finished state going backward to the original state. I hope this will help anyone who wants to buy and restore an old PM66 table saw. here is the link http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradfordwoodworks/

-- so much wood, so little time. Bradford. Wood-a-holics unanimous president