Scm S50 planer questions

[Jesse Shriver]

Are you in the US? Your electrical terminology is confusing and throwing me off. What gauge is the cord your talking about?

Wiring / cord is rated in gauge and has a correlation to safe usage below a certain amount of amps, but is not rated in amps. Breakers and circuits and motors are rated in amps at a given voltage.

The FLA (full load amps) on this motor will be in the ~25 amp range @ 220v 3 phase. That is a different thing than 220v single phase. This varies on the converter and efficiencies, etc, but I have to use a 70 amp (single phase 220v) breaker to power my digital phase converter that will then output up to 36 amps (three phase 220v)

From there I have a 3 phase sub panel with 3 phase circuits / breakers and appropriately sized receptacles - both 20 amp and 30 amp. 10/3 ga (+ ground) wire for the 30 amp 3 phase wiring.

I have seen power cords that were very thick and only 12 gauge wire inside. The outer size and thickness of cord wire does not exactly translate to larger ga wire inside as there are so many different types of cord. You want your planer power cord to be 10 ga minimum for a motor that size on a 30 amp, 3 phase, 220v circuit (if its 220v and same specs as mine, that is.)

As to whether it is wired for 220v or 440v, I don’t know without motor tags, but taking a look at the plug itself and seeing what it’s rated for may be an indicator, though not foolproof. Same goes for looking at the switch / starter components.

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I have a pencil beside the cable in the first image showing the wire gauge. My terminology is off because i clearly am not an electrician or do any electrical. But I’m down to learn what i can.

Someone suggested this phase converter i was looking into it.
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[Kevin Jenness]

My guess is the original controls crapped out and somebody replaced the motor starter and put a massively oversized supply cable on it. Does the motor appear to be the original vintage? I bet there is a tag on it that you could find with a cellphone or a mirror and a flashlight. I wouldn't put much stock in a $100 phase converter but what do I know? A good quality phase converter is a good investment and will make possible future similar acquisitions. If you can get that machine going and it's not thrashed it will be a great planer, pretty near invincible one might say.

Link to Philip Mitchell's post on his S50 https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....0-planer/page5 There is another on the same machine entitled "Italian Arn acquired" on owwm.org

[Jesse Shriver]

My guess is the original controls crapped out and somebody replaced the motor starter and put a massively oversized supply cable on it. Does the motor appear to be the original vintage? I bet there is a tag on it that you could find with a cellphone or a mirror and a flashlight. I wouldn't put much stock in a $100 phase converter but what do I know? A good quality phase converter is a good investment and will make possible future similar acquisitions. If you can get that machine going and it's not thrashed it will be a great planer, pretty near invincible one might say.

Link to Philip Mitchell's post on his S50 https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....0-planer/page5 There is another on the same machine entitled "Italian Arn acquired" on owwm.org

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looks original. Same cable lots of patina.

[Kevin Jenness]

Looks identical to Philip's which has a tag on the top of the motor.

[Nick Crivello]

That kinda looks like 10/4 SOOW cord. I wouldn't worry about the wiring size, the cord you have is sufficient so long as it's in good shape.

Are you continuing to attempt powering the machine up with 220v single phase?

Phillip can tell you how to get at the motors, it's highly unusual for any electric motors to not have some kind of data plate on them. That SCM will probably not have it on the outside of the machine.

The large newish looking electrical box on the right side is a disconnect switch; it's probably setup to be used in a hardwire configuration.

The "phase converter" you listed is not a Rotary phase converter, it's a very cheap chinese made Variable Frequency drive (VFD), it would probably be my last choice in trying to motivate a 9hp planer. American Rotary or Phase perfect are two companies among others that make a quality product. Expect to pay in the $1500-3500 range. Some people are enterprising enough to make their own rpc but I wouldn't recommend that in this situation.