# Can this motor be used on a lathe?



## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

We had a washing machine die and before taking it to the dump I pulled the motor out. After looking at how RickM and others have used Treadmill motors with variable speeds on lathes, I'm wondering if this one can be adapted? I could pretty much work out the mechanics of mounting it, and I could probably figure out a way to get the some kind of pulleys that would mate up, but the electrical wiring is what will stump me. I took some pix so you can see the label …. waddya think? Is this "doable"?
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## Mas (Mar 16, 2012)

I'm sure somebody else on here will have a lot more knowledge than I do.
But I see the sticker saying 3 phase 195 volt 310 Hz

your home shop is either 120 or 240 volt 60 Hz
Now if you have 3 phase ( or a 3 phase inverter ) in your shop you may have a shot of it working but I cant say.

I'm guessing you got this out of a large industrial front load unit? that flat micro V belt would be nice to be able to use.


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## Minorhero (Apr 8, 2011)

How confident are you in your wiring abilities?

You will most likely need a Variable Frequency Drive or VFD to get this motor to work. This will convert your single phase power to 3 phase power and also allow you speed control as well.

Everything else you can probably figure out from what size pulley you will need to how to mount it. But wiring the vfd is not like plugging in a light. There are tutorials to help but if you hesitate to do something like wire a new plug in a wall then this is not going to be for you.


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

I cannot comment on single or three phase in the USA but in the UK a single phase motor I E 220 v to 240 v cannot really be converted realistically with speed control. It is always done with 440 volts three phase.In which case you do so with an invertor to get it to run 3 phase equipment albeit on single phase .As far as I know single phase as in your treadmill can be converted with the same process as a large light dimmer switch , but this for a large motor and not a little light bulb is exrtremely expensive . Making it not ecconomical. All modern lathes converted with speed control here in the uk come with inbuilt invertors and 3 phase motors.Have fun.PS your washing machine motor will run a lathe with single speed or fitted with a pulley will give you a range of different speeds but not as with three phase proper control over speed as with an invertor.I changed all my lathes from single to three pahse and fitted them with invertors.Alistair


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## woodshopmike (Nov 5, 2013)

I'd say probably not worth the effort.

In short, yes you could use it. How big is the lathe though? Also, you will need a VFD to change the speed as a few others have already said. Since the voltage is 195 and not 220 or 440, you may end up needing a transformer to correct the voltage so that the VFD will drive it properly.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

At first I was wondering about the 195v and 3-phase also. But remember, this was a regular LG front-load washing machine that we plugged into a 110volt outlet. Unfortunately it was the computer brain that crapped out so I didn't keep any of the controls from the machine. The replacement parts would have cost almost as much as a new washer.

My lathe is a Chinese "generic" version of the HF lathe http://www.harborfreight.com/14-inch-x-40-inch-lathe-with-7-inch-sander-67690.html
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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

17,500 RPM, lol, that will be one fast lathe.

You should have saved all the electronics right down to the plug, plus pulleys and belts. As it is, I don't know if you can use it or not. I assume it ran off 220v [EDIT; apparently it was 120v] and the electronics inside did whatever they had to do for matching up power requirements. Google tells me 820W = ~1HP.


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## REO (Sep 20, 2012)

someone else on LJ's made a comment about using a washing machine motor and the inverter that came with the machine. out of my experience but an interesting concept! I'll be following this thread! at 60 Hz it would be a 3450 rpm motor.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

From a little reading I've learned these motors are used because they have a high starting torque and are designed for variable speed but controlling them is fairly complicated and you need the electronics that came with it or the speed may continue increasing until the motor goes poof. I get the impression they have many benefits of a DC motor but in an AC induction package with much higher torque. So I think yes, you could use this for a lathe provided the original electronics are intact to control the speed. I also found a blurb that these are similar to motors used in wood shapers. These motors have only been commonly available for about 10 years so I doubt there are many resources yet on how to hack them into other purposes. DC motors have been around forever and there are few resources on reusing them for other purposes.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

You would need a way to 1) change your 110/220v source to what the motor wants (195v), 2) convert your single phase power into three phase and 3) have a way to vary the frequency to control the speed. Three phase is much more efficient, and it can be done, but it won't be easy or cheap.

Cheers,
Brad

PS: Without #3 above, it would run at slightly less than 3400 rpm if you use the standard 60hz juice from your panel (converted to proper voltage and phase).


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

You will need a VFD (variable frequency drive) to control that motor. The board that was in the washer could have possibly been used, but would have had to be hacked into as the pre-programmed cycles determine what the motor does and when it does it. Used VFDs can be a viable, less expensive option, new ones, especially Chinese ones are getting cheaper, can't attest to the quality though.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

Just out of curiosity, what was the make and model of the washer you pulled the motor from?


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

I'm sure it could be made to work, but it is probably more economical to just get an American electrical system compatible motor.


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## todd628 (Sep 4, 2013)

Sorry I can not help Joe, I would like to know more about changing 3phase to single phase.

Good luck and have a blessed evening, Todd


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## REO (Sep 20, 2012)

I did a little looking around and it looks like a typical VFD can be used for controlling the motor. There is a Vid on youtube with that same motor hooked up to a danfoss VFD. The VFD takes in AC and converts it to DC for the electronics and then generates an AC output to drive the motor.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

It would seem easier to troll craigslist for a free treadmill with a dc motor and use that.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

Craigslist around here is a waste. I've NEVER seen any "free" treadmills, most time they're posted the people want upwards of $150 (and usually more) for them.

This was a 12 year old Sears Kenmore front-loader. The guy told me LG was making them for Sears back then. When it died, there was no grace period. We went to start it one day and it made a short PFFFZZT noise and that was all she wrote.

I was taking it apart to haul to the dumpsters and figured I'd keep the motor as a "Just in case" I could ever find a use for it. I didn't take the controls because the guy told ne it was the computer brain up in the control box that was fried. He quoted me $1250 for the parts and a "few hundred" for the labor. A new washer was less than that.

Oh well … was worth a try


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

You seem to be centrally located between Macon, Augusta and Savannah.. and not too terribly far from Atlanta or Charleston. Great location between largish cities! There are several listed in Macon for $35 up to $100, and a free one in Augusta. For a little bit more of a drive, there are a bunch of them in the free to $50 range in Atlanta. Also, keep in mind that most people list the asking price a bit high and you can usually talk them down, sometimes significantly. You can use drive time, cost of gas, etc.. as a negotiation point as well.

But.. since you are not in any real hurry, you have the luxury of time on your hands.. which is a key to finding deals on CL. If one of the ones out there now don't appeal to you, just keep looking. They pop up all the time, and you just have to catch them when they do. If you are persistent, one will find you eventually. Use the min/max function of CL to limit your search.. Searching for "Treadmill" with a max price of $50 daily should eventually turn up a likely candidate.

Cheers,
Brad


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

ah-HA> I didn't know about that min/max search feature. Thanks Bead, that will save me a lot of searching and time from (re)opening ads that I've already seen.

I got spoiled from using CL when we lived up near Knoxville. There was always a TON of stuff and it was easy to find good deals there too. I also used to frequent a site up there called "FreeCycle". I found (and gave away) a bunch of good stuff there. Unfortunately, there's no local FreeCycle near us here.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I was just about to post Freecycle, but you already know about it. For those that don't know, it's an email list where people post things they want to give away.
https://www.freecycle.org/


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

Yep. In Knoxville the FreeCycle site was very active. Once we got here, nothing…


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

Well, I just got back home with yet another free treadmill.. another one that is in too good of shape and I can't bear tearing it apart (Nordic Track C2100 in like new condition!!). Grrrrrr….

Cheers,
Brad


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## REO (Sep 20, 2012)

Joe Ive been watching here in Mn and havent seen a treadmill for less then 150. the VFD's are cheap on Ebay. and they are easy to hook up. Use your motor and a VFD and you have a one horse variable speed drive for your lathe.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> Joe Ive been watching here in Mn and havent seen a treadmill for less then 150. the VFD s are cheap on Ebay. and they are easy to hook up. Use your motor and a VFD and you have a one horse variable speed drive for your lathe.
> 
> - REO


Man, I don't think you have been looking very hard 

Here is one for $50 40 miles from you:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/spo/4858716720.html
or a free one about 30 miles from you:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/spo/4853689128.html
or this one for $75 about 30 miles from you:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/spo/4858113424.html
... and there are more I'll let you find …

And I'm no expert, but from what I understand, the output voltage of a VFD is based on the input voltage.. so a 230v single phase input would produce 230v three phase output. The motor in question wants 195v. Can you run it on 230v? I dunno.. but I don't think I would want to sink a lot of money into a VFD just to find out. Also, the motor wants 310hz for max speed.. most VFD's I have looked at can only do up to about 120-200hz.. That may or may not be a problem depending on how you run the pulleys, but it also would require additional cooling to keep it from overheating by running too slow (and the internal motor not moving enough air).

Am I missing something?

Cheers,
Brad

Edit: I messed up the second link above.. it's fixed now


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