This whole "monster lathe" project has been fraught with problems. Sometimes it seems like it has been one fiasco after another. The whole process of getting it here was something of a fiasco. Then there was the ill conceived tool rest. A lot of time and energy went into building it but it ended up being totally inadequate. That was resolved with the acquisition of the Vicmark tool rest unit. Then there was the Dynamotor fiasco which, while it did not end up costing me any money, involved a lot of time and effort with a very disappointing result.

The process of getting the VFD set up and matched up with a motor has also been a fiasco. What with having to send the unit back and the whole issue with having the "wrong" motor, a lot of time and energy went down the tubes there too.

But…. in the end, perseverance has paid off and the monster now has a heart.

VFD_2.jpg

There is still some work to be done. The remote controls need to be set up and I think the VFD will end up moving into an enclosure of some kind. But for now, everything is working and the machine is finally useable. So before I embark on any more tinkering, I'm going to chuck up some wood and turn something!

BTW, the FM50 is apparently available in a "NEMA" enclosure:

http://www.tecowestinghouse.com/PDF/FM50_NEMA4.pdf

…which would be much better than the current setup. I would suggest that anyone considering buying one of these units look into the enclosed version.

Thanx again to all who offered assistance and sorry for the crappy cell phone pic!