John Weber
03-30-2004, 3:08 PM
Like most others that have them, I have found a lot of uses for my drum sander. I use it all the time. While I get good use out of my sandpaper and sand with decent efficiency, I occasionally still stall the drum sanding. For those that do not know, this typically means the motor reset kicks in, causing the motor to stop and makes a divot in you work piece. A major pain, especially when it is on or near the last pass.
Some time ago I though I saw a similar modification to the one I made, however I cannot find it to give credit where credit is due. Panel meters are used on most large equipment to monitor the motor and machine operation, so I borrowed the idea.
I started by buying a 20 AC Panel Amp Meter on eBay for $4 + $5 shipping. It’s a used Weston and a high quality unit. There are typically a lot of meters available, and prices are reasonable. The key was the range of 0-20 amps, so I could use the full scale. Digital meters are also available but a fair bit more expensive. The hook up was very straight forward as the meter is full voltage and simply installs on the hot leg side and full current passes through. The box and other parts were more expensive then the meter, but total cost was still very reasonable. The most difficult part was locating the meter box. I ended up mounting it to the extension table forward and below the main switch. I can easily see it, and it’s out of the way.
The motor is rated for 14 nominal amps at 110 volts. At idle it draws about 10 – 11 amps. Typical sanding seems to run around 15 amps, however it will run up to the 20 and over range (I haven’t done a lot of testing yet to see actual draw when the motor reset kicks in. I suspect it is around 19/20 amps for a short run. With a high amp draw it is only a matter of when the motor trips. The cool thing is by adjusting belt speed and depth of cut you can vary the amp draw from just over 10 amps to almost 20 amps. So it should now be very easy to maintain the 15 amp optimal motor draw. The meter appears very accurate as I double checked several readings with my clamp on meter.
Again, I apologize to whoever had the idea originally, or maybe I just dreamed it. So far it seems like a very useful modification. If I did it again I might use a 30 amp meter, as if would be easier to check the upper end, however the 20 amp range is otherwise perfect.
The first picture shows the overall installation and the others different amp readings.
Thanks for looking – John
<img src=http://www.weberwoodworking.com/picss04/amp1.jpg><p>
<img src=http://www.weberwoodworking.com/picss04/amp2.jpg><p>
<img src=http://www.weberwoodworking.com/picss04/amp3.jpg><p>
<img src=http://www.weberwoodworking.com/picss04/amp4.jpg><p>
Some time ago I though I saw a similar modification to the one I made, however I cannot find it to give credit where credit is due. Panel meters are used on most large equipment to monitor the motor and machine operation, so I borrowed the idea.
I started by buying a 20 AC Panel Amp Meter on eBay for $4 + $5 shipping. It’s a used Weston and a high quality unit. There are typically a lot of meters available, and prices are reasonable. The key was the range of 0-20 amps, so I could use the full scale. Digital meters are also available but a fair bit more expensive. The hook up was very straight forward as the meter is full voltage and simply installs on the hot leg side and full current passes through. The box and other parts were more expensive then the meter, but total cost was still very reasonable. The most difficult part was locating the meter box. I ended up mounting it to the extension table forward and below the main switch. I can easily see it, and it’s out of the way.
The motor is rated for 14 nominal amps at 110 volts. At idle it draws about 10 – 11 amps. Typical sanding seems to run around 15 amps, however it will run up to the 20 and over range (I haven’t done a lot of testing yet to see actual draw when the motor reset kicks in. I suspect it is around 19/20 amps for a short run. With a high amp draw it is only a matter of when the motor trips. The cool thing is by adjusting belt speed and depth of cut you can vary the amp draw from just over 10 amps to almost 20 amps. So it should now be very easy to maintain the 15 amp optimal motor draw. The meter appears very accurate as I double checked several readings with my clamp on meter.
Again, I apologize to whoever had the idea originally, or maybe I just dreamed it. So far it seems like a very useful modification. If I did it again I might use a 30 amp meter, as if would be easier to check the upper end, however the 20 amp range is otherwise perfect.
The first picture shows the overall installation and the others different amp readings.
Thanks for looking – John
<img src=http://www.weberwoodworking.com/picss04/amp1.jpg><p>
<img src=http://www.weberwoodworking.com/picss04/amp2.jpg><p>
<img src=http://www.weberwoodworking.com/picss04/amp3.jpg><p>
<img src=http://www.weberwoodworking.com/picss04/amp4.jpg><p>