The unthinkable happened last week when I was jointing a bunch of maple for drawer sides: the lights flickered and my DC no longer worked!
The short of it is that my DC motor (Jet DC-1200) has burned out. Was hoping it was just the start capacitor but it checked out good and when I went out to the DC shed (my DC is in an attached shed and vents outside) and tried troubleshooting the centrifugal switch, I saw the dreaded sparks and smoke coming out of the motor. Figuring I couldn't break it any more than it was already toasted, I disassembled it and found what I initially thought were ball bearings but upon closer investigation, found that they were little "welding" beads of copper.
I doubt the motor is salvageable at this point (but correct me if you think I'm wrong!) so I looked at buying a replacement motor but it's more than twice my targeted budget (preferably <$200).
So here are a few options I'm considering:
1. I could get a 3hp 3400rpm 240v motor for <$200 but it'll come with a 5/8" shaft. The impeller is odd sized, it's bore is around 23.5mm or 0.93". I would have to get an adaptor to go from either 5/8" to 7/8" and then find a way to shim the remaining gap, or get one that goes 5/8" to 1" and reduce the O.D. to a snug fit. I'd also have to come up with a way to retain the impeller on the shaft, either by drilling and tapping for set screws or tapping the end of the motor shaft to receive a retaining bolt/nut.
2. I've considered buying the HF "2hp" DC but I'm sure I would be disappointed going from a 12" impeller to a ~10" one. Plus, I have the DC all wired up for 240V and would have do some extensive rewiring to change the interior switch, etc to 120V (plus, the current 240V circuit is dedicated to DC, if I went to 120V it would be shared with other tools).
3. Wait it out until I find a similar used DC that's inexpensive. I know patience is a virtue but I'm tired of getting buried in planer shavings and having everything coated in dust. The air cleaner helps but is no substitute for my beloved DC! The good thing is I only need the blower and motor for my setup.