It was a bear to get into my basement space, but I finally wired it up Friday night and got to use it over the weekend. Wanted to plug Jack's service providing VFDs for phase conversion. I didnt realize he did this, and it was actually Dave that suggested the idea. My original game plan was to replace the 3 phase motor with a single phase 5-7.5hp baldor with a new switch. After going the VFD route, it was considerably cheaper and easier to setup. Years ago i went through the hassle of swapping motors and controls on a unisaw, and i dont think i would do the same thing today. One, i gave up a 5hp for a 3hp on the unisaw, and secondly, it would have been faster to wire the VFD. In that case, after selling the rabbit ear 3 phase motor, i think swapping motors was the same or slightly less than a 10hp VFD. Hopefully this italian motor has a fair amount of life left in it before it needs to be serviced, and the VFD lasts for awhile. But, this is something i probably wouldnt have undertaken without knowing i had someone to hold my hand through the programming end of the VFD. Wiring is no problem for me, but I probably would have spent 2 annoying hours bumbling through the manual and unit to get it programmed correctly. Matt took me through it at 10pm on Friday in about 7 minutes.
Had a counter height bench and island top to make for a client, and it gave me an opportunity to run the machine a bit. The new Tersa knives planed the 8/4 walnut beautifully. Interested to see how long the edges will last, but so far so good. Surprisingly, my homemade bridge guard works well. I cobbled it together out of some 3/4" plywood scraps and two woodpecker jig knobs I took from my FF jig. I can see why people like bridge guards after using this one for a bit. Edge jointing is especially nice with it. Id love one of the automatically adjusting bridge guards, but ill take free over $1500+. I need to find a way to mount the VFD remote switch, and i think i will improve the DC connection. For the time being im reusing the 6" to 4" line i had for my old 12" grizzly. I ordered the hose to make this 6" all the way to the machine, but i want to go a step further and create an internal funnel for the DC hookup. As it is today, the port is about 24-36" from the cutterhead. I imagine something similar to the euro combo machines with the dust pan design right next to the cutterhead. Then again, im really really lazy with modifying machines and making things for the shop, so ill probably just run a 6" hose to the machine and call it good nuff.
Final question, does anyone have suggestions for nesting a planer and jointer more efficiently? As you can see, I work in a shoebox and every bit of space counts. I thought about cutting down the fence bar a bit, but didnt know if that would turn into one of the bigger regrets of my life. I dont see myself moving the fence back and forth very much. As much as i would like to move it forward for edge jointing sessions, the fence travel isnt parallel to the outfeed table, which means the fence would constantly need adjustment prior to jointing. It is annoying to reach over 20" of bed to edge joint, but atleast i know the fence is square without checking it constantly. Related to the fence, but should it ride on the tables or hover above the tables? Right now it drags across the tables.