Vacuum motor uses

[Scruff Bag]

Anybody got any ideas on what I can repurpose a knackered upright vacuum motor into?

Already stripped it out of it's plastic vacuum frame as I was curious. Shame to throw it away.

[julianf]

blower for some sort of burner thing?

[Julian]

blower for some sort of burner thing?

Speaking of which ... did you ever get any further with your foundry project?

I've just picked up a job restoring some small bronze windows from a cathedral for which I need to get some bronze "cock spur" latches cast.

I 3D printed the patterns ... what a time saver the printer was compared with carving the things from wood.

[julianf]

Sadly, no more progress.  Its nothing more than i always have somthing more pressing to buy than some cement for a project that i have no instant need for.


Anyhow, i assume youre planning on casting the parts yourself?  Or were you looking for someone?  As we have discussed, and, as above, if you need something with not an instant time frame (i have all the other stuff sorted, just not the lining) than that may be the motivator i need!

[Julian]

Sadly, no more progress.  Its nothing more than i always have somthing more pressing to buy than some cement for a project that i have no instant need for.


Anyhow, i assume youre planning on casting the parts yourself?  Or were you looking for someone?  As we have discussed, and, as above, if you need something with not an instant time frame (i have all the other stuff sorted, just not the lining) than that may be the motivator i need!

Alas no, my furnace fell apart years ago, but I have found a sculpture foundry very close to home ... amazing what you find when you look.  The guy quoted silly money to cast a couple of handles, but having chatted and told him I've played with casting in the past, he said if I brought the mold in when he does a pour, he'll use the dregs for my handle.


I think he may be regretting the offer, I appreciate little jobs like this are a pain in the backside for a business, but he's not answered his phone or returned my calls so I visited in person and he had very little time to talk saying he'll try on Tuesday.  So I'll see what happens after the weekend ... if all else fails, I may be building a furnace in a hurry.

If it works out I'll post some pictures of the pattern and casting.

[Scruff Bag]

Think I've found a use for the vacuum motor due to the type of motor it is. It's a one way air flow 1600w motor with a rotating shaft that would normally have been used to drive the front brush wheels via a rubber pulley belt.

I've salvaged as many of the vacuum parts as possible, such as screws/hoses, pipe fittings.

Large capacity DIY table saw with built in sawdust collector.

I watched this video about repurposing a vacuum motor into a DIY cyclone collector:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arB59ilKkvA

Then saw this one about a small DIY table saw:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-iFqTaR1Dw

And got the idea for a larger table saw and dust collector. Hence the combination of both motor features - motor driven shaft and air flow capability.

I'm going through a few ideas of having the motor adapted to include a belt drive on the shaft that then connects to the main bar that drives the circular blade. Then boxing off the section of the circular blade so that, via a cyclone style collection bucket, saw dust can be drawn out of the sealed section straight into the collection bucket.

Or maybe a style of generic dust collection system like this chap's, but with added features to connect other power tools - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weQOy1D_8HI

[Scruff Bag]

This is virtually an exact copy of the motor I have, though I've managed to strip the motor out of my old Argos Simply Value vacuum in one piece with the power cord still connected. I'm guessing the external TOC thing is the yellow component stuck on the side?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YDK-YV2200-Type-Motor-Unit-for-DYSON-DC27-DC33-Vacuum-Cleaner-Hoover-TOC-240V/191626391080?epid=2255999086&hash=item2c9dd2ae28:g:wnAAAOSwu4BVniC2

[Julian]

Before watching the videos, I'd have said the motor was way under powered for a table saw, but the one in the video is even smaller, so I guess if you are only cutting thin stuff you may get away with it.

I recon the cyclone dust collector would be the most suitable use.  If I was going to the trouble of building a table saw I'd get a more powerful motor and make one that would handle bigger timber.

Similarly with the dust extraction system, you'll get a large pressure drop in long pipe runs, especially with the size hose he's using.  Serious systems use circa 4" pipe, but the cyclone idea is pretty much using the motor for it's intended purpose.

You could build a furnace and send it down to the sunny South for testing!

[Tony]

Some of the more sophisticated shop vacs detect the table saw motor's current draw and only start the vac when the tool is running, which sounds great to me.  Just not sure how to detect current to the saw in order to start the vac.

That said if your vac and saw are all one and the same motor then you've got that bit covered already

When I was a student a mate had five vac motors blowing into a box with a single outlet tube (it was ferocious) which he used to spin up his turbo-based jet turbine.

[Scruff Bag]

Before watching the videos, I'd have said the motor was way under powered for a table saw, but the one in the video is even smaller, so I guess if you are only cutting thin stuff you may get away with it.

I recon the cyclone dust collector would be the most suitable use.  If I was going to the trouble of building a table saw I'd get a more powerful motor and make one that would handle bigger timber.

Similarly with the dust extraction system, you'll get a large pressure drop in long pipe runs, especially with the size hose he's using.  Serious systems use circa 4" pipe, but the cyclone idea is pretty much using the motor for it's intended purpose.

You could build a furnace and send it down to the sunny South for testing!

Could be an option to only use the motor as a DIY cyclone vac collector so I can use it with a variety of power tools.

That furnace idea sounds interesting though. I've always fancied knowing the art of metal casting and black smithing. No idea how I'd do that though.

[Julian]

Well, wonders will never cease! I managed to get my casting poured at the local foundry today and these are the results ...




Pattern ... a flippy over job so you get "two for the price of one".  All parts were 3D printed, doing the double curve bit in sketchup was rather taxing!  The prints were filed flat and swamped in primer to get a finish.





As broken out of the mold with the riser cut off.




Components as cut from the riser.

Really pleased with the result and amazed that some of the little wires I added to use as filler rod actually filled with metal.  Bronze must be incredibly runny when molten.

[Jamesrl]

What draft angle did you use?

[Julian]

In the end, minimal ... have you tried to put a draft on complex shapes in Sketchup?  If I was able I'd have gone for 1° as there's no great depth to any of the parts.

I ended up printing with no draft and then filed out the printing laminations and added a draft at the same time (probably could have made it a bit more as there's a lot of flashing on some parts).  I used decorators caulking to add a small radii around the base of the shapes and to smooth the transitions on the runners ... seemed to work OK.

Here's a photo of a finished handle fettled, welded and riveted together.  I know ... I could have made it more shiny but there seems to be a trend on G1 listed buildings not to "over restore" which suits me down to the ground ... saves a massive amount of work!




I have to admit I cocked up the pattern for the base.  I placed the little stop lug below the top screw too low so I had to cut it off, file up a new one and silver solder it higher up ... think I'll get away with it though!

[Jamesrl]

I reckon you've done a cracking job, well done geezer.

It does look like a Crital Hope window catch though.

[Julian]

Thanks, but aren't you blowing the wrong trumpet there!

It is quite similar to the standard Crittle handles, but there are some subtle differences, the biggest being the handle's on the outside and the window opens into the building!