I have an older Black Hawk round column mill that was made in Taiwan with a 2 hp 3 phase motor. It also has a MT3 spindle. I had never seen this model mill before I purchased it. Does anyone know anything about it?

Also, I am considering purchasing one of these VFD's on ebay to power it. Is anyone familiar with that brand and model? Any guesses as to it being satisfactory for me?

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-HP-1PH-AC-FREQUENCY-DRIVE-VFD-PHASE-CONVERTER-NEW_W0QQitemZ360011647914QQihZ023QQcategoryZ78192QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I don't know the mill but the VFD looks good and will work just fine if you have 2hp or less motor, I bought a few motors from them guys on eBay things went smooth. Plus its a good price.

Don't know this mill or the VFD but some points you should note:

1. This inverter outputs a 230V 3-phase supply. You'll need to check that the mill motor is "dual-voltage" i.e. it can be configured for either 230V or 400V 3-phase operation. That will be shown by the motor plate which should show something like "230/400" in the Voltage box.

2. If the mill motor is dual-voltage (and is currently wired for 400V operation), its input terminals are probably set up for "star" operation. In this case you'll need to change the connections in the terminal box to "delta" operation before connecting the motor to the VFD. The 2 different connection arrangements are illustrated in this PDF:

www.kenworthproducts.co.uk/acatalog/EMG%20AC%20Brake%203-phase%20wiring%20&%20Maintenance.pdf

Thanks for the comments. I have looked at the VFD some more and I certainly do like the price. As for the Black Hawk mill, it is currently wired for 208 3 phase so the VFD should work. I have never seen this particular type of mill before. It is round column but the y axis is wider and the x axis is about 6 inches shorter than the RF25 or RF30. Also, to engage the Z axis, you have to pivot the adjustment wheel downward to mesh with the regular spindle handle. The spindle handle continues to rotate also. It was hooked to 3ph when I purchased it so I was pleased with the way it ran. It also uses MT3 collets so I am thinking this machine may have been originally sold in Australia or elsewhere in the UK.

It came with a 1/2 in chuck with a MT3 adapter. The collet closer is missing and there were no collets. I have found collets are available from the little machine shop with a 3/8 thread but I will need to find or make a collet closer. Even the R8 machines use the same thread for their collets. Does anyone know an place to order the closing rod at a reasonable price? It might be easier to just make one and I would have the exact lenght I need. Thanks.