Hardinge Cataract BB59 restore to working condition

[jim rozen]

Hi Jim
Do you know of a source for new bearing?
Thanks
Frank

I sourced mine from Alpine Bearing. They were very helpful.

Alpine Bearing | Ball Bearings Supplier | Same-day Shipping

 

[Norsksea]

The original motor is 2 phase and unusable. The horsepower rating cont.40.
Does that mean less the 1/2 hp?
So is a 1/2 hp motor better than original to use on this lathe? Or bigger 3/4? 1hp?
Thanks
Frank

 

[jim rozen]

You are reading the nameplate wrong. Horsepower rating is 0.75/0.375 and the temp rating is 40 degrees C continous. It's a two speed consequent pole motor, that's probably what the "2" means there.

Most likely a three phase motor. How do you know it can't be used?

 

[Norsksea]

You are reading the nameplate wrong. Horsepower rating is 0.75/0.375 and the temp rating is 40 degrees C continous. It's a two speed consequent pole motor, that's probably what the "2" means there.

Most likely a three phase motor. How do you know it can't be used?

Hi Jim
Thanks for clarifying the horsepower. I read the label as 2 phase and did a search for 2 phase and it was the predecessor to 3 phase. Since I thought it was 2 phase and it weights 80 lbs and I even if a 3 phase converter would work, I don't have one. I do have a few permanent magnet motors and dc drives to pick from.
I'm trying to figure out if I can use the levers on the lathe with the drum switches to as a fwd-brake-rew switch instead of the built in fwd-brake-rew toggle switch on the drive. There is also a couple of diagrams in the manual to make the variable speed drive into a two speed drive but the lathe drum switches may not work that way. Still trying to figure it out.

 

[jim rozen]

The sandard approach to a two-speed motor like this is to hard-wire it into high speed running, and fit a VFD to it. You can rig a set of contacts on the existing drum switches to do the fwd/off/reverse function. Speed control can be via a simple potentiometer, or use the fast/slow sticks to select preset speeds.

 

[L Vanice]

A neat feature of some VFD's is that you can buy a VFD that lets you run a 240 V three phase motor of about 1 HP or less from ordinary 110/120 V house outlets. That would work on the 3/4 HP OEM Hardinge motor. Wire the motor for high speed (1725 RPM) only and use 30 HZ to get the low speed. Or just dial in whatever speed you want, keeping in mind that low frequency also means low power, so you still need the step pulleys.

Larry

 

[Harold Mulder]

I'm not an expert by any means but I always assumed that on the motor data plates that the PH shown is for phase. and on the OP's motor data plate it has a 2 beside the PH which to me would mean 2 phase.
Harold

 

[jim rozen]

I've been wrong before (lots!) but I'd be willing to bet 20 bucks that hardinge never shipped a lathe with a two speed consequent pole motor wired for two phase. Does this motor have six wires?

 

[Norsksea]

It had a lot of wires, It was old, heavy and it said 2 phase. 2 phase will not work with a 3 phase converter. If it was 3 phase and since I don't have a 3 phase converter, it is now scrap metal some copper and bearings.
sorry

 

[jim rozen]

It had a lot of wires, It was old, heavy and it said 2 phase. 2 phase will not work with a 3 phase converter. If it was 3 phase and since I don't have a 3 phase converter, it is now scrap metal some copper and bearings.
sorry

More than six, it *might* have been two phase. Where did this machine come from? Upstate NY area?

Also you can run a two phase motor off three phase, I think the term is Scott-T setup.

 

[Norsksea]

The lathe desk had 3 drawers, the bottom two drawer sides are dovetailed at the corners. The drawer bottoms are in bad shape and the top drawer is a badly made copy of the original. I am replacing the 3 drawers with 6 thinner drawers, (4) 3" drawers and (2) 4" drawer with roller slides to hold weight better. They will have the same style wood fronts but the drawer sides and bottoms are going to be Stainless steel I just finished sizing the plasma cut stainless I bought at my local scrap yard. Drawer size is 24-1/8 x 14-1/8.