Looking to get a sewing machine motor already modified , Any help . Thanks
Sewing machine motor
- Thread starter Jim Baxter
- Start date
PariahZero
Member
I know MidAmerica cue lathes sells sewing machine motors that are used with its cue lathes... there are two models for $35 and $70 - depending on if you want a 180W or 250W motor.
But as has been said: “define modified.”
But as has been said: “define modified.”
I think he might be looking for one of the larger motors that have been converted to utilize a forward reverse. switch
PariahZero
Member
You seem to say that at every opportunity, but don’t explain why they aren’t good enough for very light jobs like occasional tip changes & shaft cleaning.
If sucks is “good enough,” does it really suck?
... Especially at a fraction of the price. It’s nice to have good tools, but I don’t need tradesman grade tools for hobby work. Don’t get me wrong, they’re nice... but are they necessary?
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Modern sewing machine motors with speed control work well for a lot of fractional HP drives.
i use the versions advertised as “3/4hp” though that may be optimistic, they do have good torque.
Here’s on on my shaft profiler.
smt
i use the versions advertised as “3/4hp” though that may be optimistic, they do have good torque.
Here’s on on my shaft profiler.
smt
JC
Coos Cues
I have one of those type I use on my finish lathe and I had to put a little tiny pulley on it to go slow enough. They have a pretty brisk minimum speed so keep that in mind anyone thinking to use one..
In my opinion doing away with the rocker arm is a bad move. The reason is if you attach a screw knob to it like I do you have a micro speed adjustment that allows you to adjust the speed down to a crawl for finish work. Then it does not matter if it comes with a clicking knob or free turning as you always have the additional micro speed control. It also works as an instant break lever it needed. Changing out the little sliding reverse switch is a good idea. But be aware if you throw it in reverse while running you may damage the motor or controller.
JC
Coos Cues
Good point. Now you cannot get those motors with anything but the clicking type of switch which the lowest speed is too fast for finish work.
If however you replace that clicker with an infinite rheostat switch for a few bucks you can adjust the motor to a crawl with the magnet glued on like I did. I have seen your setup and IMO how I modify it is cleaner with the same outcome. I guess a brake is nice in theory but by then whatever "oh shit" you need it for with this little lathe has already happened. I was glad to see you go to this motor. I have one of your lathes with the little DC motor and it is underpowered and also wont go slow enough for finishing for my tastes.
BTW I have have three of these sewers and have on a few occasions hit the reverse by accident and they seem to endure it thus far.
Edit: These motors have so much speed and power for this application a person could really use a smaller pulley on the motor than the one I took off my AC motor and adapted to the sewing machine motor. This would allow even slower speeds at minimum. The slowest I can run this with the pulley on it is about 40 rpm. If one wanted slower a smaller pulley would do the trick and it would still go plenty fast for normal lathe work.
I would snag a grip of those ones Tommy shows with the rheostat switches while they are available if I were in the cue lathe building business.
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Would think for finishing that incremental feed would be best. (Stop-start for each spray pass)
i only french polish cues, not good to have continuous rotation at any speed for that except maybe quick detail joints/ends.
However have plenty of spray experience & personally don’t care much for rotating most smooth work between passes.
After spraying i can see how slow continuous rotation could even out a slow drying finish, though.
As JC points out some of these motor/controller combinations can be made to run slower than others If that is your goal.
smt
i only french polish cues, not good to have continuous rotation at any speed for that except maybe quick detail joints/ends.
However have plenty of spray experience & personally don’t care much for rotating most smooth work between passes.
After spraying i can see how slow continuous rotation could even out a slow drying finish, though.
As JC points out some of these motor/controller combinations can be made to run slower than others If that is your goal.
smt
I have bought 2 of these motors myself,and the one I chose both times was this one.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5335988529&icep_item=143617302569
Both of them were packaged well,and arrived on time,one with this COVID crap going on,and it still got here in the 4 days it claimed right off the bat.
It makes me happy to report that both also had variable speed pots instead of the clicker type JC advises people to avoid.
Because of this and the other info he shares in the video where he covers this topic,I ordered 2 replacement/upgraded pots and F/O/R switches,but haven't done anything yet. Here's why.
I took the approach that replacing those 2 parts would be mandatory. However,by my estimation I might only have to replace the F/O/R but need this question answered.
Is there a way to make the stock potentiometer work the opposite way of what it's set up to do?
For example,on my Enco tip lathe,I was having a problem finding a good,heavy duty on/off rocker switch here in small town NW Tennessee.
I had one go out on me in the middle of a paying tip job,so my late father rigged it up where the 2 wires for the on/off switch were now connected to the potentiometer,where the click at the bottom of the rotation range is the on/off switch of sorts,and it speeds up with rotation of the knob. This status also works out because I was told years ago that the mini lathe electronics don't like being left at a particular speed,and restarted at that same speed,so I just got used to turning the knob down until it clicks to stop it,then turn the knob until it clicks when I need to restart it.
With my limited exp messing with one of these motors,the click on the pot starts at the HIGH end of the speed range,which is practically unusable,so the usable range of the knob is at the low end of the spindle speed.
However,this motor gives me the impression that stopping and restarting at same speed like my old Cuesmith does with just an on/off switch at say 600 RPM shouldn't be a problem,as long as the electronics can handle it.
Can it be reworked to where both options are available?
How do I get the pot to work the same way as the one on my Enco,and can it be set up where I can do both?
I also found that there is very little room to relocate the F/O/R switch and/or the pot inside the stock controller box,so I've decided to relocate those features to another control box,possibly with the stock inline on/off switch and fuseholder included in that arrangement. This way I can put them where I want based on convenience.
Can the stock pots be modded to work like this,or is a solid reason to rewire it to work with a different pot?
I like the idea that the stock pot only has 2 wires I can just splice extra length into (I think),and even has a little 2 prong clip where the wires clip onto the board inside like a computer connection for your case to connect to your motherboard. Unplugging that plug and adding the extra wire in,then reattaching will sure be a lot easier than trying to do it with the pot still in the enclosure.
Also,what options are there for a foot controller with these sewing machine motors? I have the one that came with my trusty old 15mm spindle Cuesmith/Dayton wrap motor,but also have a foot controller/plug that might be repurposed from an old Kenmore American iron sewing machine motor I bought locally for 5 bucks. Can it be rewired into or plugged into the outlet in the controller box?
Another thing that might help someone that decided to try and mod one of these motors is be VERY careful how you treat the mounting screws. The cheap Philips head screws can be a pain with anything other than the perfect fitting screwdriver,so be careful.
The one right under the control lever where the lever is in the way getting to it had to eventually be ground away with a Dremel and replaced because it's threads seized up. I eventually got the screw all the way out,but it took a pair of Knipex adjustable pliers to get it out after grinding away the head and removing the controller box.
That persnickety screw added 30-40 min to simply removing the controller. 4 screws right?
Tommy D.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5335988529&icep_item=143617302569
Both of them were packaged well,and arrived on time,one with this COVID crap going on,and it still got here in the 4 days it claimed right off the bat.
It makes me happy to report that both also had variable speed pots instead of the clicker type JC advises people to avoid.
Because of this and the other info he shares in the video where he covers this topic,I ordered 2 replacement/upgraded pots and F/O/R switches,but haven't done anything yet. Here's why.
I took the approach that replacing those 2 parts would be mandatory. However,by my estimation I might only have to replace the F/O/R but need this question answered.
Is there a way to make the stock potentiometer work the opposite way of what it's set up to do?
For example,on my Enco tip lathe,I was having a problem finding a good,heavy duty on/off rocker switch here in small town NW Tennessee.
I had one go out on me in the middle of a paying tip job,so my late father rigged it up where the 2 wires for the on/off switch were now connected to the potentiometer,where the click at the bottom of the rotation range is the on/off switch of sorts,and it speeds up with rotation of the knob. This status also works out because I was told years ago that the mini lathe electronics don't like being left at a particular speed,and restarted at that same speed,so I just got used to turning the knob down until it clicks to stop it,then turn the knob until it clicks when I need to restart it.
With my limited exp messing with one of these motors,the click on the pot starts at the HIGH end of the speed range,which is practically unusable,so the usable range of the knob is at the low end of the spindle speed.
However,this motor gives me the impression that stopping and restarting at same speed like my old Cuesmith does with just an on/off switch at say 600 RPM shouldn't be a problem,as long as the electronics can handle it.
Can it be reworked to where both options are available?
How do I get the pot to work the same way as the one on my Enco,and can it be set up where I can do both?
I also found that there is very little room to relocate the F/O/R switch and/or the pot inside the stock controller box,so I've decided to relocate those features to another control box,possibly with the stock inline on/off switch and fuseholder included in that arrangement. This way I can put them where I want based on convenience.
Can the stock pots be modded to work like this,or is a solid reason to rewire it to work with a different pot?
I like the idea that the stock pot only has 2 wires I can just splice extra length into (I think),and even has a little 2 prong clip where the wires clip onto the board inside like a computer connection for your case to connect to your motherboard. Unplugging that plug and adding the extra wire in,then reattaching will sure be a lot easier than trying to do it with the pot still in the enclosure.
Also,what options are there for a foot controller with these sewing machine motors? I have the one that came with my trusty old 15mm spindle Cuesmith/Dayton wrap motor,but also have a foot controller/plug that might be repurposed from an old Kenmore American iron sewing machine motor I bought locally for 5 bucks. Can it be rewired into or plugged into the outlet in the controller box?
Another thing that might help someone that decided to try and mod one of these motors is be VERY careful how you treat the mounting screws. The cheap Philips head screws can be a pain with anything other than the perfect fitting screwdriver,so be careful.
The one right under the control lever where the lever is in the way getting to it had to eventually be ground away with a Dremel and replaced because it's threads seized up. I eventually got the screw all the way out,but it took a pair of Knipex adjustable pliers to get it out after grinding away the head and removing the controller box.
That persnickety screw added 30-40 min to simply removing the controller. 4 screws right?
Tommy D.
JC
Coos Cues
You ask a good question that I forgot to cover in my video. I rotate my pot switch all the way to the lowest speed end and leave it there for starting. Then start the machine with the toggle switch. It still won't be running until you start rotating the switch. By replacing the indented reversing switch with the toggle switch I used with three positions the middle position is off which eliminates the need to rotate the potentiometer to the off position click when not in use to make the thing not sit there buzzing. This way when you flip the reversing switch to the direction you wish to travel it also acts as the on off switch. In short never turn the potentiometer to the clicked off end where it goes full speed when clicking it on. It's an easy and natural work flow. Flip the on switch in the proper direction it is completely off until you start rotating the switch faster. Hope this helps.I have bought 2 of these motors myself,and the one I chose both times was this one.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5335988529&icep_item=143617302569
Both of them were packaged well,and arrived on time,one with this COVID crap going on,and it still got here in the 4 days it claimed right off the bat.
It makes me happy to report that both also had variable speed pots instead of the clicker type JC advises people to avoid.
Because of this and the other info he shares in the video where he covers this topic,I ordered 2 replacement/upgraded pots and F/O/R switches,but haven't done anything yet. Here's why.
I took the approach that replacing those 2 parts would be mandatory. However,by my estimation I might only have to replace the F/O/R but need this question answered.
Is there a way to make the stock potentiometer work the opposite way of what it's set up to do?
For example,on my Enco tip lathe,I was having a problem finding a good,heavy duty on/off rocker switch here in small town NW Tennessee.
I had one go out on me in the middle of a paying tip job,so my late father rigged it up where the 2 wires for the on/off switch were now connected to the potentiometer,where the click at the bottom of the rotation range is the on/off switch of sorts,and it speeds up with rotation of the knob. This status also works out because I was told years ago that the mini lathe electronics don't like being left at a particular speed,and restarted at that same speed,so I just got used to turning the knob down until it clicks to stop it,then turn the knob until it clicks when I need to restart it.
With my limited exp messing with one of these motors,the click on the pot starts at the HIGH end of the speed range,which is practically unusable,so the usable range of the knob is at the low end of the spindle speed.
However,this motor gives me the impression that stopping and restarting at same speed like my old Cuesmith does with just an on/off switch at say 600 RPM shouldn't be a problem,as long as the electronics can handle it.
Can it be reworked to where both options are available?
How do I get the pot to work the same way as the one on my Enco,and can it be set up where I can do both?
I also found that there is very little room to relocate the F/O/R switch and/or the pot inside the stock controller box,so I've decided to relocate those features to another control box,possibly with the stock inline on/off switch and fuseholder included in that arrangement. This way I can put them where I want based on convenience.
Can the stock pots be modded to work like this,or is a solid reason to rewire it to work with a different pot?
I like the idea that the stock pot only has 2 wires I can just splice extra length into (I think),and even has a little 2 prong clip where the wires clip onto the board inside like a computer connection for your case to connect to your motherboard. Unplugging that plug and adding the extra wire in,then reattaching will sure be a lot easier than trying to do it with the pot still in the enclosure.
Also,what options are there for a foot controller with these sewing machine motors? I have the one that came with my trusty old 15mm spindle Cuesmith/Dayton wrap motor,but also have a foot controller/plug that might be repurposed from an old Kenmore American iron sewing machine motor I bought locally for 5 bucks. Can it be rewired into or plugged into the outlet in the controller box?
Another thing that might help someone that decided to try and mod one of these motors is be VERY careful how you treat the mounting screws. The cheap Philips head screws can be a pain with anything other than the perfect fitting screwdriver,so be careful.
The one right under the control lever where the lever is in the way getting to it had to eventually be ground away with a Dremel and replaced because it's threads seized up. I eventually got the screw all the way out,but it took a pair of Knipex adjustable pliers to get it out after grinding away the head and removing the controller box.
That persnickety screw added 30-40 min to simply removing the controller. 4 screws right?
Glad you found the motors with the potentiometer. Less to modify. The very first one I bought about 6 years ago is still running on it's original brushes since I use my metal lathe for most things these days.
If you desire a foot control the easiest thing to do would probably be to retain the sliding arm and rig something up to operate it with your foot and hold it full speed when not using your foot.
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JC
Coos Cues
I would look at the actual sewing machines these motors are built for. They have some kind of foot pedal mechanism that attaches to that lever. Probably easier to obtain and adapt that then build something from scratch.Good stuff there bud,truly appreciate it
I use 3/4 hp Consew motors and the new one I have is AWESOME. I was able to purchase a smaller pulley to add more torque and slow it down and the handle will stay where you put it, unlike the motor on my other lather. They are servo motors that are super quiet, smooth, and powerful. I am going to buy another one to replace my old motor and keep my old motor for a backup. If you want to see pics of my setup, just pm me and I'll send you pics via email. They are $110 on Amazon and you can buy the smaller pulley for $8.
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I actually touted this video and threw you some love AND helped someone over on the FB page where the guy got a slightly different motor with a clicker,and posted a vid so someone could help diagnose. I saw it and knew immediately what the issue was,told him it was covered in your video,and hopefully it helped. I saw it and bought 2 of the same pots and switches you probably got,but have yet to change my pots out and now,thanks to new info posted over there,no longer HAVE to.
One of the other guys posted a vid of his setup,with the rod/knob made from the end you can saw off the end and drill/tap/add a nut and bolt and off we go...and it's STRONG just,just as someone (probably Chris) intended.
Got the foot controller question answer too. Tommy D.
One of the other guys posted a vid of his setup,with the rod/knob made from the end you can saw off the end and drill/tap/add a nut and bolt and off we go...and it's STRONG just,just as someone (probably Chris) intended.
Got the foot controller question answer too. Tommy D.