I have a friend that owns an electronics and metals recycling business that gave me a box full of several kinds of microwave motors to use for dryer motors and an epoxy mixer. The motors are 5/6 RPM, 30/35 RPM, and 36 RPM with most of the motors having a nylon "D" shaped arbor with a hole the same shape, and a few have an "I" shaped solid arbor.

What is the best way to attach these type of motor arbors to a PVC chuck for a finishing and dryer fixture? Since I don't have a lathe yet I was leaning toward using the PVC end caps that come with a 1/4" threaded brass insert and making a "coupler" of some sort between the motor and the chuck's end cap?

Also, which speed motor would you recommend for use with LS Supreme (regular build) for a finishing / drying motor?

Thanks.

Dan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2011 03:11PM by Dan Ertz.

I have a 6 rrpm motor that was given to me, with the same "D" shaped shaft. I just got a pvc cap and drilled the appropriate hole in it and filled the vacant space around the shaft with "liquid nails". Has worked flawlessly for over 2 years. I also drilled 4 holes around the cap and inserted screws to attach rubber bands to hold the blank or handle.
You should be fine...
~Jeff~

When i first started to build I bought Two chucks : [www.cabelas.com]|/pc/104793480/c/104776380/sc/103942080/Streamside-Designs-Rod-Chuck/744440.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Ffishing-tackle-craft-thread-wrappers-dryers-spine-finders%2F_%2FN-1100412%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_103942080%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253Bcat104793480%253Bcat104776380&WTz_l=SBC%3Bcat104793480%3Bcat104776380%3Bcat103942080
never had a rod fall of my dryer like you will read on some posts here. Costly - but well worth it.

Bill - willierods.com

Thanks guys. This puts me on the right path, and I will probably combine a bit of each of your ideas with mine to attach to a version of the compression chucks that were featured in RodMaker.

Dan

Dan,
Although you can attach a chuck to the small plastic output shaft of these microwave motors, they are really intended to simply have a gear sit on top of the motor to spin the rotating disk in the microwave.

If you can find a motor with a 1/4 inch shaft about 1/2-1 inch long, it is a much easier job to attach a chuck and you will end up with a much sturdier attachment.

Folks use drying speeds from 6 rpm up to about 15 rpm.

Basically, any of the small timing motors of speeds in this range work very well.

If you happen to get one of the larger shaded pole ac motors, be sure to have a fan on it, or add an external stand a lone cooling fan. A shaded pole, by its design is intended for intermittent use. If you use a motor of this type in a continuous fashion, you will end up burning up the motor.

Another very good option for a drying motor is to go on the internet, or one of the big @#$%& sites, and find a dc gear motor of 5-15 rpm at 12 volts dc. Then, for a couple of $$ on the same sources, pick up a small 12 volt dc supply to power the motor. These motors will generally have a nice shaft to make it very easy to attach a chuck.

If you happen to get a motor with a 1/4 inch shaft of some length, you can simply get a 1/4 inch coupler from the hardware store that has a 1/4 X 20 thread running all of the way through the coupler.
Then, cross drill a souple of small holes and tap the holes for set screws in the area of the motor shaft. Screw in the sew screw, and the coupler is attached. If you use a pvc style chuck, drill a 1/4 inch hole in the center of the chuck, insert a 1/4 inch machine screw of the right length and you are good to go.

Herre is an example of a 12 volt 6 rpm dc gear motor for $14.

[www.sciplus.com]


A 12 volt plug in supply will easily power the above listed motor for $4.
[www.surpluscenter.com]

Here is a 1/4 inch coupling nut.
[www.google.com]#

Cross drill a set screw hole at one end of the coupling nut, and you have a coupler for your motor to chuck connection.

Roger

Thanks for the tips Roger. I sorted through the motors and while some are shorter, there are some with the longer 1/2 to 1" arbors that you suggested. Jeff's post above had prompted me to wonder last evening about adapting a coupling nut with epoxy to attach to the motors and I found that depending on the motor, that I can thread either a 1/4 or 5/16 nut quite snuggly onto the nylon shaft. To make a permanent connection I'll either epoxy or use the set screw method that you suggested with the coupling nut.

Dan