Slowing down our sewing machine

freddmc

My wife is trying to sew some upholestry and we have an industrial sewing machine with a 1/2 hp clutch motor. Problem is that the motor runs to fast and I have done some mods to reduce the speed with different sized pulleys etc.
I have a variable speed control that I use for my router and angle grinder(when used as a polisher) in the shop and would like to try it on the sewing machine but am a little apprehensive. Anyone have any ideas on whether this would work. I don't want to hook it up and find out I let all the smoke out of the motor.(its good to keep the smoke in)

Thanks

Fred Mc.

BGW

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sonicj

wow, thats a big motor for a sewing machine! is it the original motor? what machine is it?

do you know specifically what motor is on the machine? knowing the motor specs will help in determining the proper type of speed control.
-sj

sonicj

ladyada has a nice write up on how she dealt with the same problem on her industrial machine. link

shes a electrical engineer and she solved the problem mechanically. i think this is likely the wisest solution! your rheostat may work fine for your polishers, but those are essentially unloaded motors. adding a load might be more current than the polishing controllers are capable of handling. (ie: let the smoke out)

another route is get a lower speed motor or rewind the current motor with more turns (= less speed). this solution is likely more complex and costly unless you are into motor rework. my 2¢ fwiw. ymmv.
-sj

freddmc

Thanks.
I had already seen that link and the pulley idea is good but my machine already has a small pulley. I think I may have to replay the clutch motor with a servo motor.
Regards

Fred

freddmc

Thanks.
I had already seen that link and the pulley idea is good but my machine already has a small pulley. I think I may have to replace the clutch motor with a servo motor.
Regards

Fred

sonicj

have you tried adding a reduction pulley?
-sj

Attached Images

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on_the_fly

Set it up like the Amish an convert to peddle power. Went to their leather shop a while back an it's a nice set up. Would love to have one in my garage

sonicj

i actually saw a New Home treadle machine at the scrap yard today! it was difficult to turn, but wasn't totally seized. definitely salvageable! sucks to see a nearly functional, hundred year old, hand crafted in the USA machine nearing reaching distance of the magnetic crane.
-sj

freddmc

Hey, that sounds like just what I need .
When can you send it to me.

on_the_fly

Well they had three machines in there and they were all I'd say 50's electric models, and all still had the electric motors on them. They just added a longer belt to a peddle system like in a paddle boat.