Crafter's Station
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:10 pm
I have, for the moment, given up on making the Crafter's Station function as a reversible drive. The new motor just hums when I attempt to operate it in the Crafter's Station - no matter which direction I set it to rotate.
I reassure myself that I had not screwed up a motor, I disconnected it from the Crafter harness an set it up to run as it was when I received it. It works fine.
I now have it restrapped to run in reverse (of the Power Station) and have mounted it in the Crafter's Station as a Table Saw. It works fine.
I do have some questions to get answered though as a result of having two "identical" transmissions setting side by side. BELT ALIGNMENT?? Someone else here on the forum, a short time back, ask about how to adjust the belt tension.
Realizing that one of the two belts in the Power Station/Crafter's Station is on a pair of self adjusting pulleys should make it a self defining solution.
The belt that is not self adjusted simply needs to be tensioned at the high speed end of the operating range. This is done by raising and lowering the motor on the motor mounts. The lower the motor, the tighter the belt. The only question is - how tight. More to follow when I think I have it resolved.
Side Bar:
I was surprised at how warm those motors get in just a short time of operation. At first, I thought I had a motor problem (over heating). But both motors get very warm to touch. The air flowing through the motor is much warmer coming out after a short time of operation.
I was also surprised (maybe alarmed) when I realized that there are lubrication instructions on those motors (Power Station and Crafter's Station). I have never oiled my Power Station motor. Not good.
I will do that before I call this task complete. Then the motor will probably fail.
I reassure myself that I had not screwed up a motor, I disconnected it from the Crafter harness an set it up to run as it was when I received it. It works fine.
I now have it restrapped to run in reverse (of the Power Station) and have mounted it in the Crafter's Station as a Table Saw. It works fine.
I do have some questions to get answered though as a result of having two "identical" transmissions setting side by side. BELT ALIGNMENT?? Someone else here on the forum, a short time back, ask about how to adjust the belt tension.
Realizing that one of the two belts in the Power Station/Crafter's Station is on a pair of self adjusting pulleys should make it a self defining solution.
The belt that is not self adjusted simply needs to be tensioned at the high speed end of the operating range. This is done by raising and lowering the motor on the motor mounts. The lower the motor, the tighter the belt. The only question is - how tight. More to follow when I think I have it resolved.
Side Bar:
I was surprised at how warm those motors get in just a short time of operation. At first, I thought I had a motor problem (over heating). But both motors get very warm to touch. The air flowing through the motor is much warmer coming out after a short time of operation.
I was also surprised (maybe alarmed) when I realized that there are lubrication instructions on those motors (Power Station and Crafter's Station). I have never oiled my Power Station motor. Not good.
I will do that before I call this task complete. Then the motor will probably fail.