For people outside Canada and the U.S., a furnace motor is the blower motor used to circulate warm air from the heating system (usually in the basement) around to the rest of the house.
I was already wondering, furnace sounded like metalworking furnace and I was wondering how the motor came into play there. Then again, those probably have blowers too to spike the heat up. But good to know anyways that that's not it in this case.
I am so happy you made this video. I have often thought my used motor obsession was a bit odd, but now I feel much better about it. I don't have nearly as many as you. BTW: I absolutely love your creations, and you have inspired me many time to make something I could have purchased. My biggest issue seems to be running out of space. Perhaps I too need a second work space.
You know, seeing this reminds me of a flow jet cutter that I helped a friend build. We used an old power washer pump and designed a nozzle and C&C sled for it. It wasn't that hard to come up with a venturi aggregate injector either. As for the cutting bed we used a sheet of aluminum with some pieces of TIG rod welded to the surface. This held the work surface well above the sealed bottom of the cut bed. This might be a decent addition to your shop.
On the ECM furnace motor, the separate black and white are 110v power. The separate harness generally includes a: the earth ground, b: a 24v common back to the transformer, and c: several 24v speed taps. As opposed to 110v to the high, med, or low windings, the furnace supplies a constant 110v to the motor, then the furnace circuit board activates the motor by applying 24v to a selected speed tap. A 24v hvac transformer runs about $12 American wholesale. This will also be a very low torque starting motor. Hope this helps.
I love and am fascinated by your video's. I am utterly useless at woodworking, and clearly have ten thumbs and no fingers. But I'm learning, and enjoy very much your craftsmanship and incredible ideas and project planning. Best regards. Aj, from Denmark.
Also, really stoked about that belt sander video! Built a 2" sorby pro-edge copy recently, but a big wood sander like that has been in my sights for a while. Perhaps there will be plans...
I have used motors from old or damaged washing machines. Great power and so far many are many years old and are still operating . Also I use motors from upright vacuum cleaners. These are powerful and most of all FREE !
Matthias, for wiring diagrams to help you identify the color code on that furnace blower, just Google search "GE furnace blower wiring diagram". You'll find the pinout information you need. You've got quite an impressive motor collection! I've got a few myself but I have serious motor envy right now.
Old HVAC or furnace blower motors are fun because they usually have a multi tap arrangement that lets you select a variety of speeds. Usually at installation, the tech would likely set up for the highest speed for AC and lowest or near lowest for heat.
I love your videos explaining how DC/Universal motors and Induction motors work. Twice recently you've mentioned brush-less DC motors. Can we one day look forward to a video about how they work? Can't wait to see the belt sander build!
@6:30 please note that there's generally a wiring diagram on the side of the motor itself, and it should tell you what the different wires are for. If yours is like mine, then some of the colors are line voltage for different motor speeds (mutual exclusion, please) and one will be for ground, and maybe the starting capacitor is on its own color of line.
My home HVAC unit has one of those brushless "DC" motors. They're really 3-phase A/C motors with 240V single phase AC rectified to DC then converted to variable frequency 3 phase A/C via an inverter buried under a ton of epoxy. I'm interested in possibly replacing the logic board on my unit with an Arduino so I can add a fan-start delay when the unit cycles on. Humidity control on the Texas gulf coast is a real problem. We regularly hit saturation in this climate and I'm quite surprised this optimization isn't already included in many logic boards. I've read somewhere the signal is a 25 khz pulse-width modulated signal, with full-on corresponding with full speed, but I was unsure the reliability of the source. There seems to be a real information vacuum regarding these variable speed motors. Best of luck! Michael
In Finland the place is littered with 3-phase motors. I probably see a dozen ads a year where induction motors of all kinds are being sold on the local craigslist equivalent.
I don't know if its similar overseas but here in New Zealand the scrap metal dealers often have a bin full of old motors that they will part with for bit more than scrap value ~$10-15. I got a motor for my grandfather's drill-press from there and another for a lathe I'm restoring.
Do you think treadmill motors would work for homemade machines? There seems to be several treadmills for cheap or even free around where I live. Thanks!
As long as you have the controller electronics to go wih it, may be usable. but it could be tricky, with all the buttons and what not on the treadmill.
Here in the U.S. you can find furnace fans with motors almost everywhere. Most were saved and tucked away in a garage or attic. I just used one to power my lathe.
The Sears Craftsman Radial Arm Saw motor may be a recall from Sears, they gave me a $100 for mine and paid for the shipping. You might want to check this out!
I have found a shop vac motor can indeed be used for a blower on a foundry furnace. I too am a motor collector to use on things I build from time to time.
I really love treadmill motors. Good power, variable speed, and people give away treadmills all the time. A lot of times the controller burns out and they throw the entire thing away. Incline motors and pistons are useful too.
Matthias, you have an impressive collection of motors and what is commendable is that you have put many of them to good use. Since you have a washing machine motor waiting to be used, please do a video and tell us how to connect it and put it to some good use.
Well, there is a theoretical possibility that the motor I have is very similar to yours, in which case, I may apply your method and make mine work. If my motor is very different, I will learn more about the type of motor you have. Either way, I benefit.
Motors in Europe are different from what you have in Canada. I have never seen a furnance Motor like the ones you use. For my homemade bandsaw and for my strip sander made from Mathias plans I use motors that came from broken garden pumps I bought on ebay. They are sealed 2 pole induction motors and run counterclockwise. For the bandsaw, a motor that runs clockwise is needed. I built my saw mirrored, but I am pretty sure the motor could be inversed by flipping it's coil part.
Matthias- What about treadmill motors? They are all over the free section of Craigslist. These are variable speed DC motors. They are fairly powerful and seem as if they would be useful. What do you think?
yeah id say they are useful it just depends on what you get and as for table dryer motors i wouldn't bother i think its hit or miss iv used one but its like 1/4 horse power
well, most of those run on 48 volts, so you'd need four 12 volt batteries hooked up in series to power it, or somehow reuse the circuitry to power it, so they would be good for an electric go cart, or an electric bike, but the effort to make it work on a saw or something might not be worth it.
yeah but there will be a transformer inside if you can get the whole treadmill I'm sure it would be possible depends if you have things just lying around or not
Another interesting motor that you can find just about anywhere, is the powered treadmill motor. I see these at least once or twice a month, set out by the street with a "Free" sign. Usually about a 1 hp, DC, motor, just be sure to also collect the controller and transformer, and mark the wires for later reference. And the metal framework that the thing is mounted on can be beefy enough for other projects. Keep the tread belt material to use to protect work surfaces from messy stuff.
Matthias, the brushless blower motor near the end of the video is what's also known as an "ECM" motor. You should be able to obtain something like an "ECM Motor Tester" to vary the speed of it.
I managed to find a 3/4 horsepower DC motor out of an old children's electric motorbike. I managed to get it up some decent speeds with moderate torque by jury-rigging it to a PC power supply, and intend to drive a light duty lathe with it for the purpose of making pulleys for more machines.. Any thoughts?
I have a 12 1/2 inch Central Machinery planer, it planes great and it's not as loud as my 4 inch craftsman planer. The problem is the end of the shaft broke off on the 12 1/2 inch planer. I'm told it cannot be fixed and it's a good planer. The motor also runs great
My favorite source for cheap motors are the local HVAC shops. They usually have a pile of air handler scrap that includes motors and electronic drives, squirrel cage blowers, and ducting that may be salvageable. Prices may be free for asking or scrap price. Arrive in the AM about coffee time with a small selection of doughuts and announce your mission with cheerful cynicism. Graft, suborning employees, and curruption are still excellent tools for gaming the system, even on very small scales. If you are a user of motors, adding HVAC shops to your rounds may enrich your stash. Good scrounging requires regular rounds and establishing a network. Good scrounging can reduce the out of pocket cost of projects by an order of magnitude.
Are all motors able to be run in reverse direction? It's easy enough when wiring diagram indicates how to change wires for 110v/220v and/or reverse. But what about other types of motors? Thanks!
depending on the voltage of the DC blower motor. if its in the 90-130 vDC range. just get a good size full bridge rectifier to convert the 120 vac to DC. there you go. just Google the motor and get the specs and pin outs. if its low voltage get a transformer. then rectify the output from it to the motor.maybe rewind a microwave transformer. remove the vigh volt winding. wrap about 12-14 gauge wire until you get the needed voltage. I been wondering about the drier motors. are they 120 or 240v? only use 1 leg or two legs for 220/240v. great videos
you can also get all sorts of motors from recycling places. People recycle them as scrap, usually alot of them still work and where i live the scrap places give them away very cheap
How about using a non battery circular saw as a motor? They seem pretty strong, cheap to buy, and fairly easy to modify, already have an arbor and nut and stuff. What does everyone think, specifically for building an eight or twelve inch disc sander??
Great video as I'm in the process of collecting motors for future machine builds. Would love to hear where you salvage plywood from as well.. I've had a bit harder of a time finding decent 3/4 inch ply.
I have a 3 HP 3450 RPM motor on a compressor that recently got a small leak. The compressor pump on it works ok too. It is just old and got a small leak. If the tanks on those wouldn't rust the compressors would last a lifetime. I think they designed it so that it would get a small leak rather than explode for safety reasons. I took the belt off it just to keep anyone from attempting to use it. I won't throw it away but I should fund something to use it on. What to use it for is a mystery to me at the moment but I will find a use for it unexpectedly.
Quit a few years ago you make some videos about you turning your band saw into a saw mill. The saw mill struggled quit a bit in one of the videos and at the end of that videos you said that the motor on you saw mill simply wasn't big enough. I was never clear about what you meant by that. Was the HP not high enough? If so, what would the HP have to be for it to run better?
I have a idea for you.. I haven’t come across a video yet were someone has built a 2x72 belt grinder out of wood or plywood only. Giving that blacksmithing and knife making are very popular on TH-cam no one has built one. Keep up the great work ❤️watching your videos
Great and fantastic explanation keep it up, I have got a question that ....what kind to motor is good for machine has to operate in low speed with arm(50cm) holding up 10kg of weight
good morning. I love your videos! This is a bit off topic, but what's the deal with that 12 inch Delta surface planer I see you have. I have the same one and have been using it for well over 15 years. I have no issues with it. just wondering why it was sitting in the scrap pile
+Matthias Wandel I remember those project videos. Those were the first videos of yours I watched. I enjoyed them so much I subscribed to your Channel. Your channel is the very first one I ever subscribed to on TH-cam
Hayward SP2610X15 Super Pump 1.5-HP Max-Rated Single-Speed Pool Pump - I found this on a pallet I bought at an auction for returned Merchandise and have help on to it thinking may find a use for it some day. Thoughts on this motor? It is still intact to the rest of the pump.
I have a washing machine motor. What kind of thing could I make with it? I'm not sure what speed or torque it has. I'm a bit of a novice would it be suitable for things like a lathe or bandsaw etc?
you can get really cheap motors on eBay too, with that your not taking up as much space and can get the specific motor for your need. But you cant beat free. And that DC motor is probably easier to get going than you think.
Speed controllers (ESCs) for brushless motors are dirt cheap nowadays thanks to the quadcopter craze. Sensored ones are a bit rarer (used on RC cars), but still reasonable. If the motor has 3 (or multiple thereof) poles, it would be neat to see if you could get a $30-$40 ESC to drive it. RC ESC voltages usually go up to ~20 V, ~40 V with some good searching, so the power might not be that usable...
I am electrical engineer. My one horse power probably has burnt. Its bearings were removed about 7 months ago. But lately it was staarting after giving it a little momentum. Today the motor is running and pulling water but it stopped and I saw water tank almost empty.
Thats because 60 Hz = 3600 rpm. Cut that in half with multiple poles and capacitors and you get your 1800 rpm motor with a load running at 1700 rpm. Anything under 1000 rpm is typically a gearmotor, which work great.
I read a review on the thickness planer Harbor Freight sells where the stock motor burned out and the guy transplanted the motor from a treadmill and that it worked great.
even though im not always that interested in the topic of your vids, i do love watching them for some reason. looking forward to the belt sander vid :)
Hi, Have you ever thought about using treadmill motors, the motors are Small, DC powered, and they are usually 2 to 3.5 hp and can be set up with a low-cost variable switch?
I have really been enjoying you and Marius's DIY dust collection system videos and would really enjoy building my own. What types of motors are good to use for the blower, or what should I be looking for in a motor?
belt drive furnace motors have no cooling fan internally so you must provide extra cooling to prevent over heating, older type washer and dryer motors are the best for small machines
That sealed unit in your band saw, did you check to see if it's an oil cooled motor? I have one that's basically pill shaped, with no cooling fans or anything on it, i never knew it was oil cooled until the shaft got bent and i had to take it apart to machine a new one. Spilled oil everywhere. Rare motors, rarely gets omelette hot even with almost 10 hours worth of use.
if there's oil inside, that still wouldn't help it much to get the heat out of the motor, unless there was some external radiator that the oil circulated through.
Did you try mailing GE for a diagram or getting on an electric GE oriented forum to ask for the blower motor? I had a GE based pump motor for a deep cooler and i contacted the EU folk that deal for GE, they helped me track a suitable replacement, wasn't even GE, so they didn't win anything out of it.
Do pool pumps and/or water transfer pumps use induction motors? I live in Australia so it's pretty hard to find furnace motors, but pool pumps are a dime a dozen.
Hey Matthias. I could use some advise... I would like to make a fan for the least amount of money. There is enough wood here to make the blades from, but the part I'm struggling with is the motor. It would be easy if I wouldn't have to wire that much. I have had some experience with electronics like 6-7 years ago so it will not be impossible but would like to avoid it. So it would be easy to find a motor which has already regulation and such electronics with it. But that is not easy to find. First I thought about getting it from a washing machine, but I think the motor will be large and overpowered for the setup. Do you have any advice on where to find a motor usable for a fan? I thought about a diameter of 60cm or so.
+Matthias Wandel Thanks for replying! A was fearing that that would be the answer. I was hoping there would be other stuff with electric motors useful for this, stuff that I could get for free from family/friends. But most if not all of my family have banned regular fans out of there houses (because of airco) so now they don't have anymore to give away for free to me. But they sometimes do replace their washing machines or such so was hoping their would be other stuff useful for this. I think I will need to find some cheap fans at a garage sales or such. On internet I don't really find the larger ones for cheap in my region. But thanks for replying! Maybe I should pick up some electronics courses when I have free time.
+Nerino Cucel I meant yard sale with the garage sale. I translated it literally from Dutch. Though yard sales aren't that common here. Flea market is even harder to find. I know some weekly markets but most of them consist of people selling stuff they made themselves and not really flea market like. Sometimes there are some flea markets in the region but they mostly have a central theme such as books or comics or such. There is only 1 flea market I know that is yearly, that's at the town central street around Christmas. But that is also the period that there is a lot of stuff to do and it has been 3 years since the last time I went and then there were no fans, but we found something to store our 'road salt' for our ramp. Thanks for the advice!
Would using a circular saw motor be good for a belt grinder? The housing around the blade is made of plastic, I was thinking of removing that part of the plastic and keeping what is around the motor and working with that. If this is not suitable I also have 2-1/4hp motors and a 1/2hp motor, which one would you think might be more suitable for a belt sander (I'm thinking of making a 2"x72" or a 1"x42" belt sander)
I used a treadmill motor in my 2x72. Made a video of the details. TH-cam search my username. I only have two videos. Cost of the build was $50 and I've been using it for two years
I have a blower off of an air handler, part of the heating system. I use mine as a shop fan. The wiring diagram on mine was on the outside of the fan housing. You can probably google the motors model number, on the nomenclature plate; and find a schematic.
You really think I haven't tried that? Yes, there's wiriging diagrams, all saying how to hook it up to the controller, none saying how to run the motor on it's own.
I thought you probably had. But you are human and sometimes we overlook the obvious. Carry it to a heating and air parts dealer, they can tell you how it wires up. Mine has 3 wires for the different speeds, and 1 for the starter winding.
Find your local garage door companies. We scrap dozens of commercial garage door operators, and most of them have fully functional motors, it's just that the guts of the machines are worn out. I could have a steady supply of good used 1/2 - 1hp motors, 1 and 3 phase, all common voltages.
The motor on your lathe that you show at around the 1 minute mark, I believe that is an original Shopsmith 10E motor. My uncle had one, but the motor went out after a lot of abuse.
I bought the same jobmate table saw for 20 bucks just for the motor ,I bought a leaf blower and was thinking that it would make a good shop vac system ,what do you think?
Hi, I was wondering if there's any use for the motors from aircon units. I have an unvented fan motor from one and would very much like to use it if possible. Thanks in advance if you see this.
Can you do an episode trying to get the brushless DC motor to work? The BLACK has to be line and WHITE is neutral. I guess the others might be thermistors in the windings etc. Could you post a picture of the info plate and I'm sure we can all help figure it out.
That GE brush-less motor should have the model number located somewhere on the body, if not with the voltage and amperage tag. Get model number and see if there is a wiring diagram online, or even through GE motors itself.
Hi Matthias, I have a bandsaw (ryobi) entry level and it's really crappy. When I bent the piece of wood the blade bends with it. I love how yours is so powerful. Any suggestions on how I can upgrade my machine? Is it a saw blade thing? Motor thing or something else?
+Matthias Wandel thanks Matthias. I wish I had the confidence to do that. I'm an armature and just starting out. My aspiration is to be able to build your box joint jig. That is pure genius
In the UK you can't beat Car Boot Sales for motors I've had so many good buys there. Not to mention the often but not always lightly used power tools ,I got my 3hp dust extractor at one for just £10 but you need to be early.
I'm using a 1/2 HP 1725 rpm Dayton motor on my 14" band saw. I recently blew compressed air inside the motor a d it hasn't worked since. I then took it apart and inspected the contacts on the startup switch and cleaned it up a little bit and lubricated it. When I put it back together, it will start up but it sounds like it's not getting up to full speed. It will then get warm and trip the circuit breaker. Do you have any idea what I could check next to figure this out? Could it be the bearings? My bandsaw has stamped onto it 700 rpm. I'm guessing I shouldn't go any faster than that, right? Because I was thinking of swapping out the motors for one that is 1hp 3450 which means I would have to put a bigger pulley on the bandsaw.
I have a 6hp motor that I took out of an old jacuzzi. Is that motor to powerful to use for anything? I ask because I noticed all of your motors were 2hp or less.
Its a brushless motor, so you would need to play around with the motor control electronics. Its possible to use it, but kinda pain in the ass to get those controls working. If the electronics work, you could try do something with it, like belt sander?
Hi Matthias, thanks for all the videos, I've learned a lot. I recently bought a bunch of old drills and a couple circular saws at a yard sale. I was thinking of using these to power some machines; first dust collection then a belt sander. I'm pretty sure the saws will work, but what do you think about the drills? Thanks
@@matthiaswandelI found an antique General Electric ¾ horsepower 1725 RPM induction motor in a dumpster. It was hard to reach, but I managed to get it. It weighs about 70 pounds which was why I had to have my mom support it with me while I climbed down the dumpster and when I loaded it into our trunk. I plan to make a homemade belt driven disc sander with it.
would love for you to do a video explaining how you can tell what horsepower the motor is and what you can use each motor for and also how to hook up motors to machines
those brushless DC motors run off of three phase AC that's made electronically by an ESC it should mention the current rating that the ESC should have on the website try searching the part number
If you are looking for motors locally try asking around at swimming pool companies. I get replacement motors so cheap that I don't even replace bearings anymore, it's faster to just swap the motor on the pump. So my motors end up getting scrapped and they usually just need new bearings and a little bit of love
the bldc motor u only need 3 wires so u probably can find the phases with a multimeter, the rest of the wires must be for hall effect sensors so the sensored ESC knows where the impeller is
You should do a similar video to this talking about where you salvage other parts that you use to build machines (pulleys, bearings, shafts, switches, etc.).
What does Matthias mean when he says "re-sawing?" The word sounds like it's sawing something that's already been sawn, but that can't it, right? It appears is has something to do with thicker material?
I deserved that. "Resawing is a very useful skill to have in the wood shop, it's a fundamental type of cut, just like ripping or cross-cutting, but instead of cutting a board to length or width, resawing is cutting a board to thickness. This allows one to get multiple thin boards out of one larger, thicker piece of wood. This can be used to stretch money and materials further, or to create interesting effects using patterns in the wood grain."
For people outside Canada and the U.S., a furnace motor is the blower motor used to circulate warm air from the heating system (usually in the basement) around to the rest of the house.
My furnace has an inbuilt motor, small but I think powerful
Thanks for the explanation. I really had no idea what a furnace motor is.
I was gonna ask but then I figured I'd read the comments first, thanks!
I was already wondering, furnace sounded like metalworking furnace and I was wondering how the motor came into play there.
Then again, those probably have blowers too to spike the heat up. But good to know anyways that that's not it in this case.
Liofa what do they call it outside of can and us? (I live in canada)
I am so happy you made this video. I have often thought my used motor obsession was a bit odd, but now I feel much better about it. I don't have nearly as many as you. BTW: I absolutely love your creations, and you have inspired me many time to make something I could have purchased. My biggest issue seems to be running out of space. Perhaps I too need a second work space.
My belt driven grinder motor was off a washing machine, running about 25 years now, so I totally agree with you. Love that shade of green btw.
You should make a video on how to repair common problems with dumpster motors, or generally how to wire them
He has a couple vids and articles on it, but I agree it might be nice to have a single primer or compilation video.
A lot of times, the motor itself is good, the problem is a bad capacitor which usually doesn't cost a whole lot if you do some shopping online.
howycwap
Or how about a a video on how to retrieve shopping carts from the bottom of a lake!!
thats easy, just gotta get the old hook and drag the lag, get bikes for the kids and some good carts
You know, seeing this reminds me of a flow jet cutter that I helped a friend build. We used an old power washer pump and designed a nozzle and C&C sled for it. It wasn't that hard to come up with a venturi aggregate injector either. As for the cutting bed we used a sheet of aluminum with some pieces of TIG rod welded to the surface. This held the work surface well above the sealed bottom of the cut bed. This might be a decent addition to your shop.
On the ECM furnace motor, the separate black and white are 110v power. The separate harness generally includes a: the earth ground, b: a 24v common back to the transformer, and c: several 24v speed taps. As opposed to 110v to the high, med, or low windings, the furnace supplies a constant 110v to the motor, then the furnace circuit board activates the motor by applying 24v to a selected speed tap. A 24v hvac transformer runs about $12 American wholesale. This will also be a very low torque starting motor. Hope this helps.
I love and am fascinated by your video's. I am utterly useless at woodworking, and clearly have ten thumbs and no fingers. But I'm learning, and enjoy very much your craftsmanship and incredible ideas and project planning. Best regards. Aj, from Denmark.
Your ingenuity continues to astound me, and I've been a subscriber for years.
Also, really stoked about that belt sander video! Built a 2" sorby pro-edge copy recently, but a big wood sander like that has been in my sights for a while. Perhaps there will be plans...
I have used motors from old or damaged washing machines. Great power and so far many are many years old and are still operating . Also I use motors from upright vacuum cleaners. These are powerful and most of all FREE !
Matthias, for wiring diagrams to help you identify the color code on that furnace blower, just Google search "GE furnace blower wiring diagram". You'll find the pinout information you need. You've got quite an impressive motor collection! I've got a few myself but I have serious motor envy right now.
Old HVAC or furnace blower motors are fun because they usually have a multi tap arrangement that lets you select a variety of speeds. Usually at installation, the tech would likely set up for the highest speed for AC and lowest or near lowest for heat.
I enjoy and applaud all of your recycling and upcycling projects.... I too have a collection of motors waiting for purpose.
I love your videos explaining how DC/Universal motors and Induction motors work. Twice recently you've mentioned brush-less DC motors. Can we one day look forward to a video about how they work? Can't wait to see the belt sander build!
Matthias sure is highly motorvated.
@6:30 please note that there's generally a wiring diagram on the side of the motor itself, and it should tell you what the different wires are for. If yours is like mine, then some of the colors are line voltage for different motor speeds (mutual exclusion, please) and one will be for ground, and maybe the starting capacitor is on its own color of line.
My home HVAC unit has one of those brushless "DC" motors. They're really 3-phase A/C motors with 240V single phase AC rectified to DC then converted to variable frequency 3 phase A/C via an inverter buried under a ton of epoxy. I'm interested in possibly replacing the logic board on my unit with an Arduino so I can add a fan-start delay when the unit cycles on. Humidity control on the Texas gulf coast is a real problem. We regularly hit saturation in this climate and I'm quite surprised this optimization isn't already included in many logic boards.
I've read somewhere the signal is a 25 khz pulse-width modulated signal, with full-on corresponding with full speed, but I was unsure the reliability of the source. There seems to be a real information vacuum regarding these variable speed motors. Best of luck!
Michael
Are dryer motors strong enough? Thanks for sharing all your experience.
In Finland the place is littered with 3-phase motors. I probably see a dozen ads a year where induction motors of all kinds are being sold on the local craigslist equivalent.
I don't know if its similar overseas but here in New Zealand the scrap metal dealers often have a bin full of old motors that they will part with for bit more than scrap value ~$10-15. I got a motor for my grandfather's drill-press from there and another for a lathe I'm restoring.
Jeremy Fielding has good vids on how he uses salvaged motors from household items in the shop.
Do you think treadmill motors would work for homemade machines? There seems to be several treadmills for cheap or even free around where I live. Thanks!
As long as you have the controller electronics to go wih it, may be usable.
but it could be tricky, with all the buttons and what not on the treadmill.
Great idea! People are always hiding those under their clothes!
Here in the U.S. you can find furnace fans with motors almost everywhere. Most were saved and tucked away in a garage or attic. I just used one to power my lathe.
The Sears Craftsman Radial Arm Saw motor may be a recall from Sears, they gave me a $100 for mine and paid for the shipping. You might want to check this out!
I have found a shop vac motor can indeed be used for a blower on a foundry furnace. I too am a motor collector to use on things I build from time to time.
Isn't it a little too powerful for that? I thought a blowdryer was just about right for blacksmithing.
I really love treadmill motors. Good power, variable speed, and people give away treadmills all the time. A lot of times the controller burns out and they throw the entire thing away. Incline motors and pistons are useful too.
Matthias, you have an impressive collection of motors and what is commendable is that you have put many of them to good use.
Since you have a washing machine motor waiting to be used, please do a video and tell us how to connect it and put it to some good use.
If I tell you how to connect mine, that wouldn't help you with with yours, because the motors are all different.
Well, there is a theoretical possibility that the motor I have is very similar to yours, in which case, I may apply your method and make mine work. If my motor is very different, I will learn more about the type of motor you have. Either way, I benefit.
Motors in Europe are different from what you have in Canada. I have never seen a furnance Motor like the ones you use. For my homemade bandsaw and for my strip sander made from Mathias plans I use motors that came from broken garden pumps I bought on ebay. They are sealed 2 pole induction motors and run counterclockwise. For the bandsaw, a motor that runs clockwise is needed. I built my saw mirrored, but I am pretty sure the motor could be inversed by flipping it's coil part.
Matthias- What about treadmill motors? They are all over the free section of Craigslist. These are variable speed DC motors. They are fairly powerful and seem as if they would be useful. What do you think?
Curious about that too...
yeah id say they are useful it just depends on what you get and as for table dryer motors i wouldn't bother i think its hit or miss iv used one but its like 1/4 horse power
well, most of those run on 48 volts, so you'd need four 12 volt batteries hooked up in series to power it, or somehow reuse the circuitry to power it, so they would be good for an electric go cart, or an electric bike, but the effort to make it work on a saw or something might not be worth it.
Ashley King it already has the circuitry to run at 120 v a.c., obviously, as well as a potentiometer for speed control.
yeah but there will be a transformer inside if you can get the whole treadmill I'm sure it would be possible depends if you have things just lying around or not
That GE DC Motor, you should be able to find the schematic pretty easily online one would think?
Another interesting motor that you can find just about anywhere, is the powered treadmill motor. I see these at least once or twice a month, set out by the street with a "Free" sign. Usually about a 1 hp, DC, motor, just be sure to also collect the controller and transformer, and mark the wires for later reference. And the metal framework that the thing is mounted on can be beefy enough for other projects. Keep the tread belt material to use to protect work surfaces from messy stuff.
Nobody throwing out treadmills these days. The hp ratings on these also tend to be somewhat fictional, like shopvacs.
Matthias, the brushless blower motor near the end of the video is what's also known as an "ECM" motor. You should be able to obtain something like an "ECM Motor Tester" to vary the speed of it.
I managed to find a 3/4 horsepower DC motor out of an old children's electric motorbike. I managed to get it up some decent speeds with moderate torque by jury-rigging it to a PC power supply, and intend to drive a light duty lathe with it for the purpose of making pulleys for more machines.. Any thoughts?
Just salvaged a motor from a heavy duty washing machine. Wondering if this type of motor is suitable for any of your home built tools?
I have a 12 1/2 inch Central Machinery planer, it planes great and it's not as loud as my 4 inch craftsman planer. The problem is the end of the shaft broke off on the 12 1/2 inch planer. I'm told it cannot be fixed and it's a good planer. The motor also runs great
My favorite source for cheap motors are the local HVAC shops. They usually have a pile of air handler scrap that includes motors and electronic drives, squirrel cage blowers, and ducting that may be salvageable. Prices may be free for asking or scrap price.
Arrive in the AM about coffee time with a small selection of doughuts and announce your mission with cheerful cynicism. Graft, suborning employees, and curruption are still excellent tools for gaming the system, even on very small scales.
If you are a user of motors, adding HVAC shops to your rounds may enrich your stash. Good scrounging requires regular rounds and establishing a network. Good scrounging can reduce the out of pocket cost of projects by an order of magnitude.
Are all motors able to be run in reverse direction? It's easy enough when wiring diagram indicates how to change wires for 110v/220v and/or reverse. But what about other types of motors? Thanks!
depending on the voltage of the DC blower motor. if its in the 90-130 vDC range. just get a good size full bridge rectifier to convert the 120 vac to DC. there you go. just Google the motor and get the specs and pin outs. if its low voltage get a transformer. then rectify the output from it to the motor.maybe rewind a microwave transformer. remove the vigh volt winding. wrap about 12-14 gauge wire until you get the needed voltage. I been wondering about the drier motors. are they 120 or 240v? only use 1 leg or two legs for 220/240v. great videos
your voice is very calming
you can also get all sorts of motors from recycling places. People recycle them as scrap, usually alot of them still work and where i live the scrap places give them away very cheap
How about using a non battery circular saw as a motor? They seem pretty strong, cheap to buy, and fairly easy to modify, already have an arbor and nut and stuff. What does everyone think, specifically for building an eight or twelve inch disc sander??
Not suitable
Great video as I'm in the process of collecting motors for future machine builds. Would love to hear where you salvage plywood from as well.. I've had a bit harder of a time finding decent 3/4 inch ply.
I have a 3 HP 3450 RPM motor on a compressor that recently got a small leak. The compressor pump on it works ok too. It is just old and got a small leak. If the tanks on those wouldn't rust the compressors would last a lifetime. I think they designed it so that it would get a small leak rather than explode for safety reasons. I took the belt off it just to keep anyone from attempting to use it. I won't throw it away but I should fund something to use it on. What to use it for is a mystery to me at the moment but I will find a use for it unexpectedly.
Quit a few years ago you make some videos about you turning your band saw into a saw mill. The saw mill struggled quit a bit in one of the videos and at the end of that videos you said that the motor on you saw mill simply wasn't big enough. I was never clear about what you meant by that. Was the HP not high enough? If so, what would the HP have to be for it to run better?
I have a idea for you..
I haven’t come across a video yet were someone has built a 2x72 belt grinder out of wood or plywood only. Giving that blacksmithing and knife making are very popular on TH-cam no one has built one. Keep up the great work ❤️watching your videos
Great info. I picked up a 1.5 hp 3450 rpm dayton motor for free. I've been wondering what to use it for. Any suggestions? Thanks
Fascinating. I don't yet understand all the technicalities, but the next time I see a motor in a dumpster, I will take it home with me and study it.
Great and fantastic explanation keep it up, I have got a question that ....what kind to motor is good for machine has to operate in low speed with arm(50cm) holding up 10kg of weight
good morning. I love your videos! This is a bit off topic, but what's the deal with that 12 inch Delta surface planer I see you have. I have the same one and have been using it for well over 15 years. I have no issues with it. just wondering why it was sitting in the scrap pile
I used to have one, but reused the parts to make a jointer (what's left is just a shell)
+Matthias Wandel I remember those project videos. Those were the first videos of yours I watched. I enjoyed them so much I subscribed to your Channel. Your channel is the very first one I ever subscribed to on TH-cam
Hayward SP2610X15 Super Pump 1.5-HP Max-Rated Single-Speed Pool Pump - I found this on a pallet I bought at an auction for returned Merchandise and have help on to it thinking may find a use for it some day. Thoughts on this motor? It is still intact to the rest of the pump.
Yes dear,I am also a motor maniac. Everytime the motors proved themselves to be useful.I also collect different types of motors.
I have a washing machine motor. What kind of thing could I make with it? I'm not sure what speed or torque it has. I'm a bit of a novice would it be suitable for things like a lathe or bandsaw etc?
you can get really cheap motors on eBay too, with that your not taking up as much space and can get the specific motor for your need. But you cant beat free.
And that DC motor is probably easier to get going than you think.
Speed controllers (ESCs) for brushless motors are dirt cheap nowadays thanks to the quadcopter craze. Sensored ones are a bit rarer (used on RC cars), but still reasonable. If the motor has 3 (or multiple thereof) poles, it would be neat to see if you could get a $30-$40 ESC to drive it. RC ESC voltages usually go up to ~20 V, ~40 V with some good searching, so the power might not be that usable...
I am electrical engineer. My one horse power probably has burnt. Its bearings were removed about 7 months ago. But lately it was staarting after giving it a little momentum. Today the motor is running and pulling water but it stopped and I saw water tank almost empty.
nice update. I have found that slower rpm motors are harder to come by, but they are more useful for homemade machines. That dc motor looks cool!
It depends. For my bandsaw design, with the very large pulley on the lower wheel, a 3500 or 3000 RPM motor is ok too.
Thats because 60 Hz = 3600 rpm. Cut that in half with multiple poles and capacitors and you get your 1800 rpm motor with a load running at 1700 rpm. Anything under 1000 rpm is typically a gearmotor, which work great.
@@matthiaswandel 1:08 What brand was that ½ horsepower 1725 rpm motor on your lathe?
you should make a mini dust collector out of those box fan motors even though they have low torque
I read a review on the thickness planer Harbor Freight sells where the stock motor burned out and the guy transplanted the motor from a treadmill and that it worked great.
in the usa, tractor supply (if your near one of course) usually has a great selection of motors
even though im not always that interested in the topic of your vids, i do love watching them for some reason. looking forward to the belt sander vid :)
Hi, Have you ever thought about using treadmill motors, the motors are Small, DC powered, and they are usually 2 to 3.5 hp and can be set up with a low-cost variable switch?
Have any advice about food disposal motors? We just replaced our disposal, and I'm salvaging the 3/4 horsepower motor from the old one.
Never had a look at one. But they are probably not meant for continuous operation, and probably too hard to get a pulley on to.
I have really been enjoying you and Marius's DIY dust collection system videos and would really enjoy building my own. What types of motors are good to use for the blower, or what should I be looking for in a motor?
belt drive furnace motors have no cooling fan internally so you must provide extra cooling to prevent over heating, older type washer and dryer motors are the best for small machines
they do, it's internal, on the ends of the rotor. Pop one apart to see.
That sealed unit in your band saw, did you check to see if it's an oil cooled motor? I have one that's basically pill shaped, with no cooling fans or anything on it, i never knew it was oil cooled until the shaft got bent and i had to take it apart to machine a new one. Spilled oil everywhere. Rare motors, rarely gets omelette hot even with almost 10 hours worth of use.
if there's oil inside, that still wouldn't help it much to get the heat out of the motor, unless there was some external radiator that the oil circulated through.
Did you try mailing GE for a diagram or getting on an electric GE oriented forum to ask for the blower motor? I had a GE based pump motor for a deep cooler and i contacted the EU folk that deal for GE, they helped me track a suitable replacement, wasn't even GE, so they didn't win anything out of it.
Do pool pumps and/or water transfer pumps use induction motors?
I live in Australia so it's pretty hard to find furnace motors, but pool pumps are a dime a dozen.
Yes, pool pumps use induction motors. Anything that runs unattended for a long time tends to be induction motors.
Awesome, thanks Matthias.
a dumb question, but i have a paper shredder motor is this useful for anything? i also salvaged some nice gears from the same shredder.
Hey Matthias. I could use some advise... I would like to make a fan for the least amount of money. There is enough wood here to make the blades from, but the part I'm struggling with is the motor. It would be easy if I wouldn't have to wire that much. I have had some experience with electronics like 6-7 years ago so it will not be impossible but would like to avoid it. So it would be easy to find a motor which has already regulation and such electronics with it. But that is not easy to find. First I thought about getting it from a washing machine, but I think the motor will be large and overpowered for the setup. Do you have any advice on where to find a motor usable for a fan? I thought about a diameter of 60cm or so.
The cheapest way to get such a motor is to buy a fan.
+Matthias Wandel Thanks for replying! A was fearing that that would be the answer. I was hoping there would be other stuff with electric motors useful for this, stuff that I could get for free from family/friends. But most if not all of my family have banned regular fans out of there houses (because of airco) so now they don't have anymore to give away for free to me. But they sometimes do replace their washing machines or such so was hoping their would be other stuff useful for this. I think I will need to find some cheap fans at a garage sales or such. On internet I don't really find the larger ones for cheap in my region. But thanks for replying! Maybe I should pick up some electronics courses when I have free time.
or find one on the flea-market or any yard sale...?
scrapyard, if any near...
+Nerino Cucel I meant yard sale with the garage sale. I translated it literally from Dutch. Though yard sales aren't that common here. Flea market is even harder to find. I know some weekly markets but most of them consist of people selling stuff they made themselves and not really flea market like. Sometimes there are some flea markets in the region but they mostly have a central theme such as books or comics or such. There is only 1 flea market I know that is yearly, that's at the town central street around Christmas. But that is also the period that there is a lot of stuff to do and it has been 3 years since the last time I went and then there were no fans, but we found something to store our 'road salt' for our ramp. Thanks for the advice!
Would using a circular saw motor be good for a belt grinder? The housing around the blade is made of plastic, I was thinking of removing that part of the plastic and keeping what is around the motor and working with that. If this is not suitable I also have 2-1/4hp motors and a 1/2hp motor, which one would you think might be more suitable for a belt sander (I'm thinking of making a 2"x72" or a 1"x42" belt sander)
not useful for anything.
What size motor might be good for these size belt sanders?
I used a treadmill motor in my 2x72. Made a video of the details. TH-cam search my username. I only have two videos. Cost of the build was $50 and I've been using it for two years
You have so many inducers. Where can you get those?
Cool!!
I have been using a furnace motor as my home made bench grinder for more than 30 years.
I have a blower off of an air handler, part of the heating system. I use mine as a shop fan. The wiring diagram on mine was on the outside of the fan housing. You can probably google the motors model number, on the nomenclature plate; and find a schematic.
You really think I haven't tried that? Yes, there's wiriging diagrams, all saying how to hook it up to the controller, none saying how to run the motor on it's own.
I thought you probably had. But you are human and sometimes we overlook the obvious. Carry it to a heating and air parts dealer, they can tell you how it wires up. Mine has 3 wires for the different speeds, and 1 for the starter winding.
Find your local garage door companies. We scrap dozens of commercial garage door operators, and most of them have fully functional motors, it's just that the guts of the machines are worn out. I could have a steady supply of good used 1/2 - 1hp motors, 1 and 3 phase, all common voltages.
The motor on your lathe that you show at around the 1 minute mark, I believe that is an original Shopsmith 10E motor. My uncle had one, but the motor went out after a lot of abuse.
I bought the same jobmate table saw for 20 bucks just for the motor ,I bought a leaf blower and was thinking that it would make a good shop vac system ,what do you think?
Leaf blower has too small a diameter to get much pressure. you want an impeller at least 20 cm in diameter.
Yea I was thinking the furnace blower route too
How do you feel about old angle grinder motors? They're not induction motors, but are roughly 1hp.
Not usable
are there any suggestions on where to find brass or Copper rods? junk yards or something?
Hi, I was wondering if there's any use for the motors from aircon units. I have an unvented fan motor from one and would very much like to use it if possible. Thanks in advance if you see this.
Can you do an episode trying to get the brushless DC motor to work? The BLACK has to be line and WHITE is neutral. I guess the others might be thermistors in the windings etc. Could you post a picture of the info plate and I'm sure we can all help figure it out.
That GE brush-less motor should have the model number located somewhere on the body, if not with the voltage and amperage tag. Get model number and see if there is a wiring diagram online, or even through GE motors itself.
Hey, thanks for these videos.
You've given me a lot of ideas for my own garage.
Hi Matthias, I have a bandsaw (ryobi) entry level and it's really crappy. When I bent the piece of wood the blade bends with it. I love how yours is so powerful. Any suggestions on how I can upgrade my machine? Is it a saw blade thing? Motor thing or something else?
Everytyhing on the ryobi is too light. Build a new one from scratch.
+Matthias Wandel thanks Matthias. I wish I had the confidence to do that. I'm an armature and just starting out. My aspiration is to be able to build your box joint jig. That is pure genius
Even my 12" craftsman bandsaw seems to suck compared to Matthias's beast
In the UK you can't beat Car Boot Sales for motors I've had so many good buys there.
Not to mention the often but not always lightly used power tools ,I got my 3hp dust extractor at one for just £10 but you need to be early.
used equipment stores often have motors for cheap. there's a store near me that sells 1hp craftsman motors for about $60.
I'm using a 1/2 HP 1725 rpm Dayton motor on my 14" band saw. I recently blew compressed air inside the motor a d it hasn't worked since. I then took it apart and inspected the contacts on the startup switch and cleaned it up a little bit and lubricated it. When I put it back together, it will start up but it sounds like it's not getting up to full speed. It will then get warm and trip the circuit breaker. Do you have any idea what I could check next to figure this out? Could it be the bearings? My bandsaw has stamped onto it 700 rpm. I'm guessing I shouldn't go any faster than that, right? Because I was thinking of swapping out the motors for one that is 1hp 3450 which means I would have to put a bigger pulley on the bandsaw.
Any advice on learning more about motors? Books, websites, etc? Thanks, Mattias!
Watch my motor videos.
Could you use one of the 800HP motors we have here at work? 4160V... about 100 amp. Used to pump water for a power plant.... lol.
Do you think that a washmachine motor should be enough for building one of your homemade bandsaws? (Sorry for the english, i'm from Chile)
If it's from a top loading washer, yes. Front loader, no
+Matthias Wandel Nice, it's from a top loading washer. Now I've got a new proyect
I have a 6hp motor that I took out of an old jacuzzi. Is that motor to powerful to use for anything? I ask because I noticed all of your motors were 2hp or less.
Apart from the 6hp, what else does the motor name plate list? You sure it wasn't .6hp? Ie. decimal six hp?
What would you use a washing machine motor for? Just asking as I have not yet thrown the machine out.
Its a brushless motor, so you would need to play around with the motor control electronics. Its possible to use it, but kinda pain in the ass to get those controls working. If the electronics work, you could try do something with it, like belt sander?
Hi Matthias, thanks for all the videos, I've learned a lot. I recently bought a bunch of old drills and a couple circular saws at a yard sale. I was thinking of using these to power some machines; first dust collection then a belt sander. I'm pretty sure the saws will work, but what do you think about the drills? Thanks
motors in handheld power tools are universal motors and are unsuitable.
@@matthiaswandelI found an antique General Electric ¾ horsepower 1725 RPM induction motor in a dumpster. It was hard to reach, but I managed to get it. It weighs about 70 pounds which was why I had to have my mom support it with me while I climbed down the dumpster and when I loaded it into our trunk. I plan to make a homemade belt driven disc sander with it.
I'm surprised you just don't make motors out of wood.
There is a video on TH-cam somewhere about making a wooden motor... no joke.
it is actualy fairly possible
@@wiretamer5710 Probably with some magnets
I've never heard of conductive or magnetic wood, where do you get that?
Hahahahaha 😂😂
On your buffer, how did you attach the buffer wheel to the motor shaft?
Yes
would love for you to do a video explaining how you can tell what horsepower the motor is and what you can use each motor for and also how to hook up motors to machines
Would a compressor motor be of any use for these wood working machines?
If it’s an induction motor, yes
those brushless DC motors run off of three phase AC that's made electronically by an ESC it should mention the current rating that the ESC should have on the website try searching the part number
If you are looking for motors locally try asking around at swimming pool companies. I get replacement motors so cheap that I don't even replace bearings anymore, it's faster to just swap the motor on the pump. So my motors end up getting scrapped and they usually just need new bearings and a little bit of love
the bldc motor u only need 3 wires so u probably can find the phases with a multimeter, the rest of the wires must be for hall effect sensors so the sensored ESC knows where the impeller is
You should do a similar video to this talking about where you salvage other parts that you use to build machines (pulleys, bearings, shafts, switches, etc.).
What does Matthias mean when he says "re-sawing?" The word sounds like it's sawing something that's already been sawn, but that can't it, right? It appears is has something to do with thicker material?
look it up
I deserved that. "Resawing is a very useful skill to have in the wood shop, it's a fundamental type of cut, just like ripping or cross-cutting, but instead of cutting a board to length or width, resawing is cutting a board to thickness. This allows one to get multiple thin boards out of one larger, thicker piece of wood. This can be used to stretch money and materials further, or to create interesting effects using patterns in the wood grain."