Problems Powering a Press - Any Ideas?

The first thing I would do is check to see if it is a dual voltage motor and if it is, make sure the connections are in accordance with the nameplate.
Second, remove the belt and see if it runs okay under no-load. If not, you probably have a bad starting capacitor or the centrifugal switch is not disconnecting the capacitor when the motor comes up to speed. But it’s more likely that the cap is bad.

Thanks musikwerke,

So you think this has more to do with the motor than the wiring/electrical power?

Bill:
Yes, it looks like, for some reason, you motor is ocntinuing to draw at high amps after running. In reality, you should be pulling more of a load at startup than when once running, the flywheel assisting the load at that point.

If you have a friendly electrician or motor shop nearby, I’d take the motor in for a visit. You don’t indicate the horsepower. Is it small enough that 20 Amp circuit would be enough?

Is the motor one that came with the press? Was it running OK before disconnecting at the old site?

I’ll give the motor another look. I can’t remember exactly what the hp is, but it was with the press when I got it and it ran at it’s prior location in a residential basement. Perhaps something has happened with it in the last few months or in transit. I can try taking it in to a shop. Would looking for another motor (around 1.5hp should be enough for the 12x18 sounds familiar) make good sense as well?

Powering a Chandler and Price for me, when I was about 20 years old, meant getting an 1/8 hp electric motor off an old refrigerator, bolting it to a hinged weighted board at the back of the machine on the flywheel side. Putting a “v” belt pulley on its spindle/shaft then getting a “v” belt made to go around the flywheel and the pulley. The pulley on the electric motor was quite small in diameter maybe only an inch or two in diameter, the fast speed of the motor was thus reduced to accommodate my hand feeding speed. It became a pleasing operation increasing the size of the pulley as I got proficient then replacing with a smaller one as difficult paper was used. The belt won’t slip off the flywheel provided the pulley is carefully aligned on its hinged board. You’ll need to hand start the flywheel to over come inertia but these machines are designed with flywheels that do all the work, hence that is why a treadle can be used also, because the operator when treadling all day doesn’t want to strain and tire himself. After all that, you can them plug it into standard house power. Remember to give the fly wheel a little help, in the direction of the motor. I had my experiment wired so the flywheel rotated towards me and the Machine sounded better too.
William Amer