Setting up my Chandler & Price to print more efficiently
When I first got my press, Joan Holloway Harris, aka Joanie, she came with a motor that was so old it looked like it would catch on fire if I plugged it in. I printed by hand (manually turning the flywheel for every print, which was a great workout) until I could figure out how to install something different.
I bought a treadle, but it turns out my crankshaft was replaced with a straight shaft and there was nothing for it to hook on to. I went back to printing by hand, but as my orders have increased, I needed a way to print faster to keep up.
My husband made it his personal mission to get a motor up and running. After some trial and error, he was successful! Since there are so few resources, we wanted to share our process.
We started with a 3 phase motor with 1/2 horsepower. It hooks up to a VFD (variable frequency drive) TECO Westinghouse L510 on the wall. The VFD makes it possible to use the 110v wall outlet and convert to 3 phase electricity, which is then sent it back to the motor. The VFD allows me to adjust the speed of the motor. The V belt pulley on the motor uses an 86 inch type A belt, which hooks up to a pulley that was already in place on the straight shaft.
It's important to make sure the cables being used are rated for the proper voltage.
Feel free to ask any questions below!