Author Topic: Treadmill motor on a minimill  (Read 5479 times)

Offline Brass_Machine

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Treadmill motor on a minimill
« on: June 21, 2016, 01:21:13 AM »
Ok, so when I started to work on my CNC upgrade tonight, the motor started to make a terrible noise. Basically, it is on it's last legs. One of the things I wanted to d, was replace the motor anyway on for the CNC conversion. It looks like it will happen sooner rather than later.

So who here has used a treadmill motor for a lathe or mill? What was involved? Hard? I know the motor has a CCW rotation... most of the motors I have been looking at all night seem to rotate CW. I have read somewhere that it is basically because of the lefthand thread on the shaft however, some motors have offset brushes. How do I tell the difference? All the motors I have seen that run CCW are more expensive than the CW ones.

I found these two on a surplus site:

LINK 1
LINK 2

What does it mean that the rotation is reversible? That it can run CCW?

How do I control it? I have a KBIC controller (KBLC-19PM) I bought to redo the control on the stock motor. This is the PDF how to that made me buy it. Will this work for a TM motor?

Sorry for sounding like a complete idiot, I only want to have to buy this stuff once.

Thanks
Eric
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We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.

Offline chipenter

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Re: Treadmill motor on a minimill
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2016, 02:34:05 AM »
I used a 24 volt 40amps floor buffer motor and a controler from a electric bycyle 35 amps , two 12 volt batteries and two 14 amp solar pannels , driven by poly vee belt works well and is nice and quiet , most dc motor run at about 5000 rpm get the gearing right gives loads of power .
Jeff

Offline Chuck in E. TN

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Re: Treadmill motor on a minimill
« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2016, 07:20:56 AM »
Eric, I put a treadmill motor on my X2 Mill. I used a 2.5 HP motor and the treadmill controller also. Wired to the X2's original Stop switch, and put the 10k ohm pot in the control box in place of the original fuse holder.
I removed the small diameter part of the flywheel and used it to make a pulley to match the original V belt, as my X2 has the belt drive conversion.
I had to make longer spacers to align the pulley with the spindle pulley.
Works great!
I have pics somewhere.

Chuck
Chuck in E. TN
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MicroMark 7x14, HF X2 mill, Green 4x6 saw. Harbor Freight 170A mig

Offline Brass_Machine

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Re: Treadmill motor on a minimill
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2016, 08:27:54 AM »
...
I have pics somewhere.

Chuck

Chuck,

I would love to see them. I have a belt drive conversion too.

Eric
Science is fun.

We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.

Offline Chuck in E. TN

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Re: Treadmill motor on a minimill
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2016, 09:01:03 AM »
My treadmill motor conversion on photobucket:

http://s571.photobucket.com/user/chucketn/library/Mill%20tradmill%20motor%20conversion?sort=3&page=1

Having trouble with photobucket. Let me know if you can see the pictures.
I think the origionals are on my other computer.
The pic of the spacers, short one was the original with the belt drive. The pic of the flywheel is to show the small dia. portion I made the pulley from.
I have not needed reverse, so I did not add that feature. I have a tach pickup added to my Shumatec DRO-550. Mill speed ranges from 0 to 2700 rpm. As fast as I have needed.

Any other questions, just ask...

Chuck
Chuck in E. TN
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MicroMark 7x14, HF X2 mill, Green 4x6 saw. Harbor Freight 170A mig

Offline Chuck in E. TN

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Re: Treadmill motor on a minimill
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2016, 09:12:12 AM »
Oh, just realized there's no picture of the controller. It's mounted on the bench behind the mill. Controller is a MC-60. I connected a 10k ohm linear pot to the controller for speed control. I did add a SPDP switch in the center lead of the pot, which allows stopping and starting the mill at the same speed, but I very seldom use it. I also have a SEIG 7x14 lathe, so I'm used to turning the speed control to zero and back to start the mill. I've used them both long enough to be able to set speed by ear, rather than tach, though both mill and lathe have a tach.
Flywheel pictured in the album is not the one I used, but same basic shape. The one I used had multiple groves for the belt, like a automotive fan/accessory belt. I cut the small diameter part off with the bandsaw and turned a v-belt grove in it. Used the original threads on motor shaft to mount the reworked pulley.

Chuck
Chuck in E. TN
Famous TN last words: "Hey ya'll, watch this..."
MicroMark 7x14, HF X2 mill, Green 4x6 saw. Harbor Freight 170A mig