laguna 1836 lathe

[John A Williams]

can the Laguna 1836 110V 1.5 HO motor be rewired to 22oV? thanks

 

[robo hippy]

Well, not positive, but it should be able to be rewired for 220. I did rewire a couple of motors in my shop, and things were marked out on the motor. When first starting my wood shop, I read every book possible on shops, and they all said that any motor 1 hp and above should run on 220.

robo hippy

 

[Bill Boehme]

No. First, because the motor is 120 volt three-phase only and secondly, the inverter is a 120 volt model. The motor and inverter must be compatible at the operating voltage. There isn’t any reason for rewriting the motor even it it were dual voltage. And, even if the motor could be rewired for 240 volts, that would necessitate replacing the inverter with a 240 volt inverter.

I read every book possible on shops, and they all said that any motor 1 hp and above should run on 220.

I think your recollection is a bit fuzzy.

 

[John K Jordan]

All 110v motors I've rewired for 220 stated the 110v/220v capability on the motor plate. It's a simple matter of removing some screws and swapping wires, instructions and diagram were always on the motor. These were not variable speed motors with inverters/VFDs but for motors in tools like saws. When I converted a radial arm saw decades ago the power increased dramatically since the current requirements and thus the voltage drop due to wire resistance was less.

Another case example: a water pump motor at a farm in my wife's family was powered with 110v with wires stretched from the house. The run was simply too long for the wire size they used. The voltage drop and increased current draw destroyed several motors before they finally switched to 220v (using the same wires) and converted the next motor to 220v.

JKJ

 

[robo hippy]

Well, no doubt about my recollection being fuzzy, and that ain't my beard. If the lathe has a phase converter, then that would mean probably not, but I am not an sparky/electrical guy. One tool in my shop is a Performax 22/44 drum sander. It would always trip the breaker. I did a direct plug in for the motor, 1 1/2 hp, and a separate plug in for the belt drive, and it never trips the breaker any more.

robo hippy

 

[John K Jordan]

One tool in my shop is a Performax 22/44 drum sander. It would always trip the breaker. I did a direct plug in for the motor, 1 1/2 hp, and a separate plug in for the belt drive, and it never trips the breaker any more.

That's odd. There must be something else wrong. Without seeing the breaker and wiring (size and length of run) and doing some tests it would be a guess at why it would trip the breaker. I use a Performax 22/44 on 110v and it's hasn't tripped the breaker even with a load heavy enough to strain the motors (which I quickly relieve). I usually use 80 or 60 grit on the drum which might make a difference.

If not a "sparky", one thing to be aware of is when rewiring something with two motors so each draws power from a different outlets, it may be best to insure both receptacles are fed by a breaker on the same side (leg) of the panel to avoid having a 220v potential inside the machine. Fortunately the 22/44 has independent switches for the drum and belt motors. If both circuits are well isolated this shouldn't cause a problem but in the event of a loose connection, worn wire, or internal short it conceivably could.

If you simply split the wiring and plugged the cords into the upper and lower parts of a duplex receptacle a future safety problem is unlikely. However, if that's the case and that fixed the breaker trip it makes me wonder if there's something wrong inside the original receptacle, such as a loose connection in the wiring or a worn receptacle increasing the resistance and the current draw, especially if you plugged both cords back into the original receptacle. If mine, I'd consider replacing that receptacle to be on the safe side.

A friend had a similar problem in his house recently - a garbage disposal was wired to a switch in a wall box that also contained a GFCI. The disposal suddenly quit working. After tracing the wiring and careful testing to be sure all was OK there, I replaced the old switch. The electrician who installed it years ago had used the the "push in" connection method. I refuse to use those after some negative experiences in the past (those simple connections can develop problems in some cases, especially in high humidity environments - like next to the kitchen sink!). I wired the new switch the "right" way with wires under the side screws and all has worked well since.

The next project is to test and trace every circuit in the friend's house, make a layout drawing, and put good (and correct) labels on every breaker. Fortunately I have equipment to make that easy. I often run into panels where labels are missing or someone has changed things and the labels are no longer accurate - a problem in an emergency or when simply trying to debug, repair, or add a circuit.

(Disclaimer: I've wired and rewired several houses, shops, barns, and outbuildings of my own but I'm not an electrician. Except in Mexico. I've been "shocked" by some of the things I've found in my own houses that didn't meet code and some that were wired incorrectly and didn't even work. Apparently lots of people without knowledge decide they can play electrician. In the event of a problem or question please contact a real electrician.)

JKJ