Using RC Brushless motors as spindle

[phill05]

mount the 12mm chuck in the lathe and skim a tad off between the bearing seats this will aid pushing through, freeze the part no need to heat the motor, should go in a treat have used this method myself.

Phill

[Jonathan]

mount the 12mm chuck in the lathe and skim a tad off between the bearing seats this will aid pushing through, freeze the part no need to heat the motor, should go in a treat have used this method myself.

That means skimming a tad off ('bearing relief' is the term I think) in three places. I may well do that. I'll need to accurately measure the bearing positions. I did it on the shaft for the tapered roller bearings on my wind turbine and that was effective. Though that time I made the shaft/housing from scratch...machining 80mm steel bar down to 25.4 took a while!

If the bearing did get stuck half way I can always use my big milling vice as a press. I'll go and machine a tube thingy to push the angular contact bearing on so I don't damage it.

The collet chuck is in the freezer now.

[Jonathan]

I put the motor back together, just to check it still works after splitting the 3 phases - it did. So I dismantled it, soldered connecters/heatshrink on, put it back together and it didn't work. Just twitched...

Found that two of the coils were shorted together
Dismantled it again, jiggled the wires a bit and the short went, so I put it back together and it now works fine. I think I'll spray it with some insulating stuff I've got for PCBs.

Anyway, now the big bearing rattles...the motor was silent before so I'll buy a new bearing. I'm not sure if I should get metal shield like the original, or rubber sealed due to all the dust. The rubber sealed bearings are only rated for 6500rpm though - bit close?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BEARING-6809-2...item2eaf6cc27c

Good news - used emery paper to just to take a little off the very and and now the bearings inside the motor fit, requires a fair bit of force but not a press fit. Angular contact bearing is still a press fit.

Started machining the housing for angular contact bearing - slow progress on my little lathe!