Add on electric height adjuster for jointer/planer combo?

[Len Rosenberg]

I've been using a Minimax FS41 Elite 16" jointer/planer for a few months. I love the machine, it works beautifully and has become the center piece of my shop. But...

I frequently switch back and forth between jointing and planing, and the routine of bending down to turn a hand wheel to raise or lower the bed by 6" each time is getting very old...

I'd like advice/info/photos etc. re how to build an electric motor powered lift mechanism that I can attach to the machine. I can remove the hand wheel, replace it with a pulley, connect that to a motor. What I need help with is how to build this so 1) the motor is reversible, such that a switch located on the top of the machine can be used to raise or to lower, i.e., the motor must turn in either direction; 2) where to find a motor with very low rpm, or what pulley ratios do I need so that the rpm on the j/p shaft is slow enough not to cause damage(I'm thinking very small pulley on the motor, larger pulley on the machine shaft, to allow for very small adjustments); 3) is there a mechanical clutch/pulley that can be adjusted so that the clutch will just slip at the end of the bed travel, to avoid accidental damage; and 4) any suggestions on how to mount this to the machine cabinet rather than have it sit on the floor.

I recall seeing some posts from others who have done this (not limited to Minimax, would apply to any j/p combo with a hand wheel).

Or if such a thing exists that I can just buy, that might work too.

Thanks folks!

Len

[John Lankers]

I'm not familiar with the Minimax setup, on my Felder that I just traded in I drilled a hole in the very center of the shaft where the hand wheel goes on, then I took a 1/4" hex shaft (the kind that fits in a screw gun) and carefully rounded one end of the shaft so it would friction fit in the hole of the shaft. Don't hammer it in, maybe use a dab of glue if you have to but mine worked without. A $15 cordless screwdriver does the rest. I also drilled a 5/16" hole in the center of the handwheel so I could use both if I had to. If this doesn't work for you it might at least give you an idea.
Edit: I should have added, the cordless screwdriver works fine for the initial raise or lowering of the table but the handwheel is probably best for the fine adjust.

[Len Rosenberg]

Clever idea, thanks. But still want to avoid bending over or squatting down, so I plan to pursue the motor idea with a switch on top of the machine.

[John Lankers]

Power window motor from a car maybe, but you still want to be able to micro adjust the bed height somehow.

[David Hawxhurst]

audruino, stepper motor and stepper motor break out board (controls the stepper motor). with this you could even make it programable so that it moves the table to the exact height you want.

[ian maybury]

Might using John's method but combining it with a flexible cable drive as used with shaping burrs to place it at a convenient height (my back acts up) be an option?

[Chris Parks]

audruino, stepper motor and stepper motor break out board (controls the stepper motor). with this you could even make it programable so that it moves the table to the exact height you want.

Which is about what I am putting on my Hammer A3 but using an electric seat motor. I would like to add a DRO to set a target height for the motor to stop at like the more expensive thicknessers from Felder etc. David, would you have the expertise to do something like that?

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

Hmmm, interesting. David would you please point me where to start, like which board to choose, how powerful stepped motor ( 1 kg vs 5 kg?). Any info will be perfect.
Ed.

audruino, stepper motor and stepper motor break out board (controls the stepper motor). with this you could even make it programable so that it moves the table to the exact height you want.

[Mike Heidrick]

Arduino is how they are spelled. www.arduino.cc
An Arduino Uno could do what you want

Arduino Uno + Break-Out Board (BOB) + Stepper Driver + Stepper Motor
Other things needed - power supply, wiring, maybe an LED display with some buttons for input, maybe some limit switches
BOBs may be a shield - a board that plugs onto the Arduino
Your stepper driver is sized by the amps needed for the stepper motor you want to run.
You will size the motor based on the torque needed to accomplish your task (turning the handscrew through its range of motion for example)
Limit switches could handle your range of motion - You would code for them to set limits and zero the travel
Then code a travel distance
Code it to stop at the limits as well and slow down when it gets close if you speed it up during a long travel
Also wire the switches normally closed so if a wire breaks movement will not work. You don't want to have a failure in a switch or wiring and not know it.

If you have no idea what a sketch is or this is new to you, buy a $6-$9 import arduino uno on ebay and just play around with it. Get the leds to blink demonstrating handling of out puts. Wire in a small switch and get it reading in inputs.

Once you are comfortable start reading up on motor shields and stepper drivers. If you can get by with nema17 steppers a pololu drive might just work

For just a few dollars more wire the bob to a RaspberryPi. Hell you could set your jointer height from a bluetooth enabled phone by adding a $9 module to the pi.

Also you could get crazy and wire in a igaging dro scale (or nicer one) and read its location for positioning as an input. Then you could tell it to just go to the thickness you want.

Even if you encode the end of a stepper you will still need a reference point.


Projects like this, folks do not typically just give you (or even sell you) all the answers or do it for you. You will have to start researching and through trial and error and exaples from others you typically learn what is needed for your application.

There is always the cordless screwdriver at the end of the day.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

Mike, thank you for explanation. I know, that I need to do research on subject. Would you please recommend for me internet sites I can start reading?

Ed.

Arduino is how they are spelled. www.arduino.cc
An Arduino Uno could do what you want

Arduino Uno + Break-Out Board (BOB) + Stepper Driver + Stepper Motor
Other things needed - power supply, wiring, maybe an LED display with some buttons for input, maybe some limit switches
BOBs may be a shield - a board that plugs onto the Arduino
Your stepper driver is sized by the amps needed for the stepper motor you want to run.
You will size the motor based on the torque needed to accomplish your task (turning the handscrew through its range of motion for example)
Limit switches could handle your range of motion - You would code for them to set limits and zero the travel
Then code a travel distance
Code it to stop at the limits as well and slow down when it gets close if you speed it up during a long travel
Also wire the switches normally closed so if a wire breaks movement will not work. You don't want to have a failure in a switch or wiring and not know it.

If you have no idea what a sketch is or this is new to you, buy a $6-$9 import arduino uno on ebay and just play around with it. Get the leds to blink demonstrating handling of out puts. Wire in a small switch and get it reading in inputs.

Once you are comfortable start reading up on motor shields and stepper drivers. If you can get by with nema17 steppers a pololu drive might just work

For just a few dollars more wire the bob to a RaspberryPi. Hell you could set your jointer height from a bluetooth enabled phone by adding a $9 module to the pi.

Also you could get crazy and wire in a igaging dro scale (or nicer one) and read its location for positioning as an input. Then you could tell it to just go to the thickness you want.

Even if you encode the end of a stepper you will still need a reference point.


Projects like this, folks do not typically just give you (or even sell you) all the answers or do it for you. You will have to start researching and through trial and error and exaples from others you typically learn what is needed for your application.

There is always the cordless screwdriver at the end of the day.

[Jamie Buxton]

... code ...

Please explain that part more. How do you code one of these things? What language are you writing? What is the programming environment?

[Mike Heidrick]

Start with arduino.cc - Go to Learn Arduino. From that site you can get the Arduino software.

You start out with the Arduino software that includes the IDE to create your sketch (program file for Arduino). You type your sketches there in the IDE and then link, compile and upload them right to the microcontroller/Arduino of your choice (UNO for example).

You can interface other languages with thr arduino as well once you get used to using the sketch.

The links below have good intros to the arduino and then later adding in Python.
http://www.toptechboy.com/arduino-lessons/ and http://www.toptechboy.com/using-pyth...duino-lessons/

I am sure you can integrate C as well if you want to.

[Erik Loza]

What about mounting an electric drill to the handwheel arbor (as others have done), then wiring in a remote on switch in a magnetic box with a coiled cable? Then, you could mount it wherever you like. The remote switch would trigger a relay when you actuate it?

Erik

[David Hawxhurst]

Which is about what I am putting on my Hammer A3 but using an electric seat motor. I would like to add a DRO to set a target height for the motor to stop at like the more expensive thicknessers from Felder etc. David, would you have the expertise to do something like that?

i do not have the expertise to do the programing. i've just started playing with this stuff. for me building the mechanical stuff would be the easy part. mike seems like the goto guy on this.

[David Hawxhurst]

Hmmm, interesting. David would you please point me where to start, like which board to choose, how powerful stepped motor ( 1 kg vs 5 kg?). Any info will be perfect.
Ed.

not sure how you calculate or determine the torque need to turn the handle wheel. most the stepper motors i've seen are list as oz.