Electric Motor Orientation/Renamed Conversion

DanF

DanF

Well-Known Member
I have seen threads of disc and belt grinders that are "convertable" in nature, can be run in either vertically or horizontally (shaft orientation).
Are motors designs as either/or with others as bi-use, and how would you tell if you had a good candidate for a flip-over conversion?
Thanks
 
Almost all small motors are designed to work in any orientation. The endbells capture the bearings so that no thrust bearing is required, and the rotor isn’t heavy enough to damage the bearings in vertical orientation.

When you get up to the size where it matters, the motor manufacturer will call out which orientation the motor is designed for.
 
To my knowledge, the orientation of the type of electric motor we would use in our shops is irrelevant. That being said, you wouldn't want to mount a TEFC motor is such as way as to block air flow, or such. Use common sense, and think about if the way your mounting a motor will have any negative impacts..... BEFORE you do it. :)
 
See the video on the Grinders page of my web-site. I show how Moe's Grinder can be used in either orientation.

Let me know if I can help you.
 
Okay, this is what I have
000999420001lg.jpg

I bought this on sale over a year ago for the 8"disc side, and good thing because the belt side has always had issues and is next to useless for me. Lately, when I turned it on the high pitched squeal would deafen you, which was coming from the belt end.
Took that side apart, and determined that a bearing had gone bad and decided I'd franken-machine the unit into something more applicable to my needs.
This is where it is now.
20190319_171404-816x459_crop_710x459.jpg
I'm thinking I can mount it on a base with a heavy duty hinge, mount that to a benchtop and have it convertible to a horizontal/vertical disc grinder.
If nothing else, losing the belt assembly gives me more room on the benchtop, and more portable.
 
John Wilson said:
It ought to work fine.
Click to expand...
And maybe some day they will develop a variable speed control like on a vs router for this and other similar applications. I had followed a thread elsewhere regarding this, not a lot of success, although someone is selling a vs control they say will work. I'll keep hoping.
 
The only real motors you can use a Variable Speed unless it's a VFD is on a brushed motor, using an accelerometer motor control or a DC motor with a Variac or Dimmer.
 
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Small tools like this would benefit greatly from DC motors. It’s so easy to put a speed controller on a fractional HP DC motor.
 
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