Just got a Rockwell Unisaw for $550... YES! Setup help (VFD and Dust question)

[Brook Gannon]

Just got this saw and I'm not sure the year it was made but its a model 34-461 with a serial number K16174 and it has a 3 phase 3HP motor. I saw this thread https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....ble-saw-advice and purchased a Huanyang VFD in this link https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . Any input would be appreciated :-)

Question: Do I remove the starter and wire the VFD directly to the motor?

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[Bill Dufour]

Remove the starter but use the switch station to control the VFD. You may have to program the VFD to allow remote operation not just control from the touchpad. Do not set the deceleration below 3 seconds or the blade may unscrew.
Bill D.

[Brook Gannon]

Thanks Bill for the quick answer... I will do that :-) Also I would like to keep this thread going with photos as I get the saw going and tuned up but I'm having trouble with posting photos inline with text. I looked at the FAQ page and did not find a way to do that. Does anyone know of a thread that shows how to do this. Quick note I'm able to host my pictures on my own website...

[Brook Gannon]

Another question... Should I put the VFD in a box if I am mounting it to the base of the table saw? I see that the VFD has fans and I'm wondering if I should be worried about dust getting in there.

[Bruce Page]

Brook, welcome to the Creek and congrats on the Unisaw, I love mine. You need to be a Contributor to see or post photos and to send/receive private messages (plus other benefits). Cost is $6.00 a year. A Donate button is at the top of the page.

[Tom Trees]

Another question... Should I put the VFD in a box if I am mounting it to the base of the table saw? I see that the VFD has fans and I'm wondering if I should be worried about dust getting in there.

I would definitely mount it inside a metal cabinet, aint hard to knock one together from sheet metal from old appliances or what have you.
Bob, or Robert Minchin AKA 9fingers, has wrote an extensive PDF on the questions you have called induction motors issue3
You will find it on the wood haven 2 site under his signature (he is a mod there)

Depending on your preference, you might want to make your own button station for use with a big hinged paddle, if the original stop button is a twist locking type.

Tom

[Matt Day]

Your original switch likely will not work with the VFD. If it’s a mag switch it won’t work, it needs to be like a light switch, which by the way, a light switch works fine. I use a mushroom switch with a shop made paddle to bump it off.

I have mine tucked under the table without an enclosure.

[Brook Gannon]

Brook, welcome to the Creek and congrats on the Unisaw, I love mine. You need to be a Contributor to see or post photos and to send/receive private messages (plus other benefits). Cost is $6.00 a year. A Donate button is at the top of the page.

Great Bruce I will for sure donate!

[Brook Gannon]

Thanks Tom!

[Brook Gannon]

Your original switch likely will not work with the VFD. If it’s a mag switch it won’t work, it needs to be like a light switch, which by the way, a light switch works fine. I use a mushroom switch with a shop made paddle to bump it off.

I have mine tucked under the table without an enclosure.

Thanks Matt! I will have to look for threads with the paddle switch. Also is the switch I need like a light switch which is latching? I for some reason thought it was two momentary switches one normally open and one normally closed. I will have to read the manual again...

[Thomas C Barron]

Hi...what is the benefit of having a VFD on your cabinet saw?

[Brook Gannon]

My home has single phase power and the motor needs three phase power... the VFD converts it for me

[Tom Trees]

Probably the cheapest option is to buy an NO (normally open) green start button, and a red NC (normally closed) button for no more than three or four quid each on the bay.
You would need to find or make a housing for it , as a button station would be expensive at about twenty something.

Now, If you want a knee paddle
You will want the same type of push button as the ON switch.
A simple hinged paddle of wood with a dowel for pressing the OFF and finger hole drilled for the ON.


But... what if you want a kick paddle arrangement instead of a knee switch?...
If so, you would need another box for the ON button so you wouldn't have to break your back to turn the machine on.
Seen a nice example of a Startrite 275 with a metal box kick switch on a UK workshop forum.
Plenty of documented Startrite 275's in England running with VFD's.

If your looking at the cheap eBay inverters ask for the dimensions as some of them are tiny and being passed off as the larger units which components are already cramped.
This happened to a fella recently looking to get an Isacon/Askpower drive.

You may need a relay for in between the start/stop buttons on some, for "three wire control".
Some cheap VFD's have the relay, but don't have the tech for the noisy fan to shut off when motor not activated.

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Tom

[Bill Dufour]

[QUOTE=Matt Day;2950187]Your original switch likely will not work with the VFD. If it’s a mag switch it won’t work, it needs to be like a light switch, which by the way, a light switch works fine. I use a mushroom switch with a shop made paddle to bump it off.

Your original switches should work just fine. The magnetic contactor will not. I think this is a vocabulary issue we both mean the same thing. On my planer I added another stop switch on the back side so I can turn it off quickly from the outfeed side. You can have as many stop/start buttons as you want. My lathe came from the factory with three stop switches including one operated in unison with the foot brake.
Bill D

[Tom Bender]

A VFD on a TS is a big improvement. It lets you slow the saw down which is great on most cuts. Occasionally you might want the higher feed rate and accompanying noise, dust and hazard but not often.