New Tool to join the gang today

[Darren]

 Well I gone and dunnit   Got me a new shaper .... an Elliot 18"

I've got it in and plugged up. You could call it a bitch to start as it's a 3ph 3HP motor and my RPC is 3HP but it just about manages to get it started. Then it runs fine. It's fairly quiet and from the initial test cuts the finish is as least as good as my Atlas shaper which was good anyway. I need some more time with it but it's looking good so far. It's great to chuck a substantial lump in the vice and it fits   Not only that the shaper can cope with it. It'll take a bloody deep cut too, no probs there. Now the most powerful machine in my workshop  

Sorry no pic's as yet, but it's a pretty clean machine all round. Slight issue with the feed mech but nothing that can't be fixed. Something is loose but it does work as is. Nothing seems to be broken at least.

What I instantly noticed is that everything is very easy to adjust and having a four speed gearbox is great.

I think this will be a good addition to the gang.  

Yes I know  

I have a lot on my plate at the mo, all family issues .... but I'll update in due coarse.  

[dsquire]

Darren

Congratulations on the new shaper. 
You keep adding tools like this you are going to have to put an extension on your shed that you just built. Does it ever end.
Hope  everything works out OK

Cheers 

Don

[Dean W]

Nice addition to your shop, Darren.  Two of them now!  Nice.
We'll be glad to see it when you get the time.

Dean

[Darren]

Thanks Guys,

The smaller shaper will be going, not much point in keeping them both.

The starting issues on the Elliot is a rattling contractor relay, once it clamps down it runs fine. It's only a few seconds of rattling but I'm not sure if it is the supply or maybe just the contractor relay?

Any suggestions would be welcome 

[Trion]

Congratulations on the new shaper! Looking forward to seeing some pictures!

[75Plus]

The starting issues on the Elliot is a rattling contractor relay, once it clamps down it runs fine. It's only a few seconds of rattling but I'm not sure if it is the supply or maybe just the contractor relay?

Any suggestions would be welcome 

Darren, Many years ago, when relay logic controlled all our processes, I had a relay that drove me crazy. About 2 times out of 10 one relay, in a  panel with  about 25 more, would fail to pull up properly. After almost pulling my head bald I discovered a tiny piece of metal, a drill cutting, that was being held to one pole of the magnet by residual magnetism. Each time the relay was energized the scrap would stand on end. When it got vertical before the relay closed it would prevent full actuation.

This may not be relevant in your case but it is worth giving that contactor a good, close inspection.

Joe

[Bluechip]

Darren,

If it's an ac contactor, it may have a shading ring fell off cf.

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=3154.0

Other thing to look for is wear on the pole-piece/armature. Any fretting rust in between will cause trouble, also if the wear has caused a wear 'recess', the armature may hang up on the sides of the wear, until it drops on. Check whatever it is that pulls in the coil. It may be a crabby start switch or whatever, arcing away, until some 'holding point' on the contactor grabs it, and holds the contactor on.

BTW, try not to grease the pole piece, you may find the thing vacuum seals, and don't drop out .. how do I know.....secret     


BTW2 sent a mesage on Skype ..

Dave BC

[Darren]

Thanks Dave, I'll look into that when I get the chance ... and thanks for the message on Skype 

[Davo J]

Hi Darren,
I just bought it's big brother over here in Australia, it's an Alba 24inch shaper. It was along way from home (England) and lost so I adopted it for $300. Not much info out there, have you found any?
Davo

[Darren]

That'll be nice Dave, 18" is a big machine, 24" is huge !!

The only info is on Tonys site .... but you don't really need a manual for these, just a few tips and you're off .... 

[Davo J]

Hi Darren,
I'm not after a manual as I have had a Douglas 101/2 inch for a while now. Just after some history, dates, etc. All I have found on Tony's site is info on the small ones, I think they those ones are 1a's. I have read they went from Alba to Elliot somewhere along the way.
I would like to come across a 36incher, now that would be huge, but I am not sure I would be able to move it.
Any pictures of your yet?
Davo

[Darren]

Hi Dave, sorry I will get around to taking some pictures. It's been a tough week here but I will get around to it for you.

From what I can gather Elliot took over Alba at some point?

[Darren]

Had a chance to have another look at this again tonight,

If you remember I was having trouble starting the shaper, the contactor relay would just rattle for ages before locking on. I wasn't sure if it was the starter or my 3ph rotary converter. The shaper motor is 3HP and the rotary is also 3HP. Not a good combination as rotaries should always be larger than the motor you want to start due to a motors high surge current when spinning up to speed.
However, I can report that the "underrated" rotary converter starts the 3HP shaper motor just fine with not a murmur of any complaint ....  Phew, thank goodness for that !!

The problem seems to be the contactor itself, it's actuated by a remote switch higher up on the machine. I took the cover of the contactor and started it directly by pressing the coil switch. No Problems at all, the motor spun up instantly in all four gears engaged.  i.e under load.

After starting the machine like this for a few times this evening, doing some shaper work, I tried the remote start button and it seems to have got a lot better. Not instant, but nearly with hardly any rattling of the contactor. Towards the end of the evening the contactor started to behave altogether.

So my conclusion is that the machine may have been standing for a while and some corrosion had probably started to build up on the contacts?