Replies

1. 
   Norse | Jan 20, 2004 08:59pm | #1

   Good luck trying to wire it! Been there........

   Norse

1. 
   forestgirl | Jan 20, 2004 09:16pm | #3

   Doesn't sound promising so far.  It has to have a high probability of being used for me to go to the hassle of removing and storing it!  Thanks.forestgirl Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)  you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)

1. 
   BG | Jan 20, 2004 09:49pm | #4

   FG,

   Don't be discouraged...it's just the right height for your other foot to rest on while at the workbench...lol 

1. 
   bobpowers | Jan 21, 2004 02:38am | #7

   One of my prize posessions is my buffer, which is powered by a washing machine motor from the Ovid, New York dump.  It is a slow speed motor that represent all of the above problems.  I took it to a friend who knows a whole lot more than I about which screw to hook the wires to.  After he showed me how to hook it up, I built a stand with a mandrel on the top that had a hard felt wheel on one end and a soft wheel on the other.  After I am though sharpening whatever on my waterstones or my Tormek, I take it to my buffer.  You can't believe how well it works.  If I haven't bored you to death with this diatribe, let me know, and i will tell you the rest of the story.

   Regards,

   Bob

1. 
   forestgirl | Jan 21, 2004 04:22am | #10

   Oh, please, tell me the rest!forestgirl Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)  you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)

2. 
   bobpowers | Jan 21, 2004 06:53am | #15

   Well.....If you insist!  I wasn't really trying to hide anything, just wasn't sure how much interest anybody had in the subject.  Obviously, the purpose of the thing is to sharpen chisels, knives, plane irons, or whatever fits.

   Some years ago, I went to a woodworking show, and there was a guy there demonstrating a sharpening system using a hard felt wheel and red rouge, so I set out to build one.  It's a simple stand with a small grinder on one end and the buffer on the other.  The hard felt wheel is for chisels, etc., and the soft one for polishing. 

   I don't enjoy sharpening, and look for the quickest and best way to do so.  I gave up waterstones and "scary-sharp" and bought the Tormek, but the Tormek doesn't put a good finish on the tool.  That's where the buffer comes in.  I use the buffer free hand.  This requires some initial experimentation, but as in many things in woodworking, listen to the sound it makes.  When you have the tool at just the right angle, a resonance is set up that I refer to as "singing", easy to describe but not very meaningful. 

   Suffice it to say, it puts a beautiful shine on the tool, and after I have finished with the Tormek, the buffer requires about two minutes for the typical chisel.

3. 
   Norse | Jan 21, 2004 04:47am | #12

   Oh do tell us the rest! I'm gathering up my chisels while you write, how far are you from Trumansburg?

   Norse

4. 
   bobpowers | Jan 21, 2004 06:55am | #16

   I'm about ten miles from Trumansburg in Ithaca. 

   Regards,

   Bob

2. 
   biosf1 | Jan 20, 2004 09:08pm | #2

   I don't think so! A wash machine motor has to many wires and different speeds to know what wires to use , beside some have no outer covers. I kept a motor for a cloths drier and pourparler and I'm setting it up with the dust collector from the furthest distance from the dust collector to help move the dust from the table saw. And I saved two squirrel cage fans from a furnace with motors and have put both to good use. But not every thing  you save is not a waste, it just might take some time to find a good use for them, I've kept thing for years before I find a use or get time to set it up. Guess I picked that up from my Grandfather on Mom's side , and he was handy fixing things.

3. 
   UncleDunc | Jan 20, 2004 11:55pm | #5

   IIRC there was a cover story in FWW years ago about recycling appliance motors for woodworking machinery. It had tips about how to decipher the wiring harness and test for obviously bad motors. There was also a short piece, just a picture and a paragraph or two, about a guy who had built some kind of wood cutting machine with two washing machine motors because one didn't have enough torque. So it can be done if you're willing to climb the learning curve.

   On the other hand, if you don't already have a use in mind, and given that your shop isn't very large, maybe you should ask yourself, What's the worst thing that could happen if I throw this away?

1. 
   forestgirl | Jan 21, 2004 04:28am | #11

   I'm not dying to keep just for the sake of keeping it.  Just don't want to throw it away if there's an obvious (to you guys!) reason to keep it.  For instance, I was smart enough a couple years ago to not let the furnace people take away the motor and blower from the old furnace after they installed the new one.  I know that those two can be used for 2 or 3 different things "eventually".  I'll have to think about the buffer idea.  One thing for sure, if I take the motor out, the washer will be a lot easier to load into the trailer for the dump trip!forestgirl Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)  you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)

1. 
   WayneL5 | Jan 21, 2004 07:02am | #17

   There is likely a wiring diagram inside the pothead (wiring cover).

   Sounds like a lot of you guys are avid viewers of the Red Green show!

1. 
   Steinmetz | Jan 21, 2004 07:32am | #19

   Waynels, Who or, what is the Red Green show?  I live in Connecticut and have cable Is it a D I Y show?  Stein.

1. 
   WayneL5 | Jan 22, 2004 02:09am | #22

   It's a Canadian comedy show.  It's on cable if your area carries Canadian stations.  Red Green is a character who is always making stuff out of junk, like a tinkerer.

2. 
   dirtstirrer | Jan 22, 2004 03:09am | #23

   Its on PBS sometimes too.Steve

3. 
   Steinmetz | Jan 22, 2004 04:33am | #24

   Thanx Wayne, I googled it up and ear marked it.

   Will try PBS.  Those guys look like a heap of fun.

   Just got a DVD burner and want to record all their episodes.

   Stein.

2. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Jan 21, 2004 01:48pm | #21

   f_g,

   Keep it (with as much cable as possible - saves the hassles of a rewire to some extent)

   They also make good lathe motors - good low down torque.

   Cheers,

   eddie

2. 
   edcross1 | Jan 21, 2004 05:10am | #13

   Hi,

   Just wondering if anyone has a copy of the article or any good websites about wiring washung machine motors. I have two that I won't mind using for a buffer if I can get them wired?

   I think any motor is worth keeping - you just never know.

   thanks

   edcross1

4. 
   Steinmetz | Jan 21, 2004 12:43am | #6

   Sure thing F Gurl, It's more than likely a two speed induction motor. Can be bench mounted and with an arbor attached to it's shaft, can serve as a wire wheel brush/polishing buff/grinding wheel/or a horrizontal sanding drum  or all of the above.

   To mount the motor, use big enough hose clamps (TWO)mount it to a wood block base .I use two each for each end by attaching them together to create a larger clamp. The arbors are sold in sears you'll want one to fit a 1/2" shaft .Be sure to mount the motor so the wheel spins downward as it travels.  ED

1. 
   Sphere | Jan 21, 2004 03:34am | #8

   a new buffer/grinder..sweeeeet....belt it to an arbor with a 3 step pulley..hard felt wheel and rouge and theres your final strop on a plane iron..

5. 
   migraine | Jan 21, 2004 04:20am | #9

   Save the drum from the washer.  They make a great b.b.que or fire pit.  The holes in the sides allow oxygen into the fire and they really radiate alot of heat

6. 
   oldsub86 | Jan 21, 2004 06:51am | #14

   There should be a wiring diagram on the back of the washer somewhere. Keep a copy of it - either the back itself or take a digital photo of it if you have a digital camera. Look to see if there are any parts that need to go with the motor - like a capacitor etc.

   Randy

7. 
   Steinmetz | Jan 21, 2004 07:28am | #18

   It's me Stein. again FG,  Don't be discouraged, Think or it as a learning experience. You don't need a belt step pulleys or a mandrel. Just the motor, and the arbor ($4.00 at Sears.) it attaches directly to the motor's shaft by tightening two set screws.

   The motor is powerful enough to do a giant load of wash, so it can just do great as a buffer or grinder or a wire wheel/I once Used two of those motors coupled together to increase the power to a home built table saw.

   Incidently that furnace set up from your old oil burner is perfect to build a gas fired forge to heat and harden or bend metal. Google up Keen Junk   G'Luck Gurl. ED.

8. 
   jackiechan | Jan 21, 2004 09:00am | #20

   Forest Girl,

   This is a shop built spindle sander with a washing machine motor.

   View Image

   Eagle America sells the plans ($11) and the hardware (if needed). http://www.eagle-america.com/html/catalog/productGroup.asp?id=334005

   Dan Kornfeld, Owner/President - Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.