Topic: Duracraft Drill press/Milling

[JAG]

I just picked up a Duracraft MD-300 from a family friend, that I thought I could use for doing some custom work. It is a 3 phase system which I assume HAS to run off a 220 current, but the motor has been changed over and it's been "re-wired" to run on 110.

The plug in when I brought it home is a three pronged monster, but has one of it's prongs turned sideways and the other one is straight. I don't have an outlet like that. Went and bought one with the ground and the two prongs running parallel. Hooked it up to an extension cord and through a surge protector. It'll run for a few seconds and then shut it self off. If you touch the extension cord it's incredibly hot, but the cord from the drill press is okay.

Hooked it straight to an outlet and it did the exact same thing..

What's the deal?  I'm no electrician, so anyone out there know what is going on??

Thanks

JAG

[sangyo soichiro]

Is the plug for a 220?  If you have an electric stove, you can compare.

Also, I've had funny things happen with extension cords.  For example, an air compressor kept blowing the breaker with an extension cord, but worked fine without it. 


If you're sure it's wired to run on 110, can you just replace the existing cord with the appropriate 110 cord?

[Duke McDukiedook]

That's a 220V plug. You can turn a 115V outlet into a 220V by combining the wires (look it up first though on how to do it exactly) and putting a 220 V outlet on.
I undid a 220V in my basement to make an extra 110V outlet recently.
I wouldn't recommend trying to hook up a 110V plug to this machine, it is wired 220 for probably a good reason- higher amperage.

[JAG]

It's definitely not one of those big "Who's Your Daddy" plugs that go to your oven. It fits in a standard socket with a ground. The system is set to run on a 220. The wiring for it even has an extra ground, but it has been ran for probably 30 years w/o it with a funky plug, that I don't have. It looks like a standard plug with a ground, but has one prong going sideways. I changed it to the standard wall plug, tried it both through an extension cord and through an outlet directly on the wall and it won't work. I can't move it around to much it took three of us to get it home. It's about 7ft tall and about 600 lbs.

[JAG]

That's a 220V plug. You can turn a 115V outlet into a 220V by combining the wires (look it up first though on how to do it exactly) and putting a 220 V outlet on.
I undid a 220V in my basement to make an extra 110V outlet recently.
I wouldn't recommend trying to hook up a 110V plug to this machine, it is wired 220 for probably a good reason- higher amperage.

So combining the two wires 110+110=220. I gotcha there. But does that mean the entire outlet has to change to 220 outlet? Or marrying two wires into a 100 outlet works too?

I'll have to look the up. Didn't know you could do either.. I thought maybe it would have to change from the breaker box. However I have no more slots to put a 220 in it..

[lrutt]

Sounds like a 20a 110v plug if one of the blades goes sideways. and no you can't just jockey around a 110 plug to 220 without going in the panel and putting a 220v breaker in etc.

[Duke McDukiedook]

Yes, Irutt is right on both accounts, thanks for sparking up the old synapses. 

Yep, 20A 110V is what that plug is, you will probably have to get a 20 amp 110V outlet and change your breaker over to 20A.

Sorry about that, you can turn a 220 to 110 without changing the breaker but not the other way around.

[tramp]

when it shuts down is the motor hot?
get at least a 12gage extention cord
the shorter the better

[JAG]

Yes, Irutt is right on both accounts, thanks for sparking up the old synapses. 

Yep, 20A 110V is what that plug is, you will probably have to get a 20 amp 110V outlet and change your breaker over to 20A.

Sorry about that, you can turn a 220 to 110 without changing the breaker but not the other way around.

That's exactly what I am going to attempt this afternoon.

when it shuts down is the motor hot?
get at least a 12gage extention cord
the shorter the better

Nothing is hot from the wire all the way to the motor on the drill side, the ext. cord is what gets hot. Assumingly it's just for the low voltage stuff, and not made for this application.

Thanks for the help fellas..

[Duke McDukiedook]

Yeah, don't attemp to run this machine with an extension cord either unless it is a naught or double naught. Too much juice tripping your breaker. That thing needs every bit of 20 amps.

[Steve F]

How far is the outlet from the breeaker panel, and are you running 14AWG wire to this?
If you try to draw 20 amps thru 14 ga wire, things are gonna get warm (especially on an extension cord which are typicall only 16AWG).  If you put in the 20A outlet, you should be running a minimum of 12AWG all the way from the panel, and that includes the neutral.
Do you have any pics of this machine?  If you're interested, I may have a digital readout (or DRO) for you.

[JAG]

I just rewired the motor to run on 110, instead of 220.

I've always heard that if a machine is meant for 220 to run in on 220, but this was the easiest means necessary to get it going.

I wish I could find atleast the manual for it. I'll take a pic of it tomorrow, and get it on here.