Best Motor for C&P 12X18
We recently acquired a Chandler & Price new style 12X18 press. It comes with a 220 volt single phase motor. Unfortunately, our shop has no 220 volt outlets. The guy who delivered our press has offered to exchange it for a 110 volt motor from his own shop. Since our shop is wired for more power, all we would need to do is have our electrician install a new higher voltage outlet. However, we are reluctant to spend money on this if it isn’t necessary.
What do you all think? Is there a discernable benefit to using a 220 volt motor on the 12X18 or will the 110 volt motor work just as well?
Thanks.
Absolutely no benefit in running 220v.
You will need a 1/2 HP 110v motor for the 12 x 18 and/or a 10 x 15.
They typically spin at 1725 RPM.
I’m curious…do you have the drive pulley on the right hand side of the press with a leather belt? I’m assuming you do and it’s complete as original.
Your 220v motor should have a pulley mounted on its shaft that will drive a leather belt. Check the diameter of the motor shaft, and then you can get a 110v motor with the same diameter shaft so you can swap out the pulley from your existing motor and you should be good to go, but if you have a variable speed unit that’s set up and used for 220v, that’s another matter. It may be possible to rewire it somehow for 110v, but I’m clueless on how that is done, and your 110v motor would have to be a variable speed motor.
Re-reading your post, if the 110v motor the guy is offering is not compatible with your set up, such as if you have a variable speed unit and it’s not a variable speed motor…(and again the variable speed unit may need to be rewired for 110v); or it may have a different diameter shaft (so that you couldn’t use your existing pulley) it may be cheaper to install the 220v outlet because you said:
“Since our shop is wired for more power, all we would need to do is have our electrician install a new higher voltage outlet. However, we are reluctant to spend money on this if it isn’t necessary.”
Sorry if that’s confusing, but I’m trying to think of everything without knowing the details of your current set up.
Thanks for the helpful info. It turns out that our old motor is capable of running at either 110 or 220 volts. And it’s got quite a bit more horsepower than the alternative 110v.
Neither one has a variable speed unit, tho, so that’s something that we will look to acquire after we get the motor up and running.
Doug
I’ve made several setups for the C&P, and it ABSOLUTELY benefits you to have a 220v motor if you want to go variable speed with a Variable Frequency Drive. With a 110v motor, you can only run 1 speed with the motor, and have to adjust your speed with pulleys. With a 220v 3-phase motor, you can use a VFD to control the speed of the motor, thus, no need for multiple pulleys.
I would go with a 1.5hp 208-230v 3-phase 1725rpm motor, put a V-belt pulley on the motor, and a V-belt around the left pulley which all C&P’s have. Then connect the motor to the VFD, and from the VFD, into the outlet. You can get a 220v outlet installed for relatively cheap, but if not, you might be able to find a 110v In, 220v Out VFD, but not sure if they have one for a big motor. I know you can easily find them for 1/2hp motors, but not sure about 1.5hp.
Let me know if you need help. Good luck!
TK
“With a 110v motor, you can only run 1 speed with the motor, and have to adjust your speed with pulleys.”
I have a variable speed 110v motor but I’m sure it’s not connected to a VFD.
My unit has a bakelite knob. I’m not sure of the proper term for it. It may be a rheostat or something. No multiple pulleys though, and definitely not a modern VFD.
You may be correct concerning a retro-fit. I simply don’t know.