According to Stephen Young :
Ryan wrote:
Todd,
If your ok with losing reverse.....

[ ... ]

If loosing reverse is a serious problem, (it would be for me) youll
need to rewire, rewind (a good motor guy can do that), or buy a 3ph
230V motor for it. I can also help you with a drive that will take in
single phase 230v and output 3ph. It is not rotary - all electronic.
virtually silent.

I would think having reverse is absolutely essential - can't use low
range and standard tools without it...

I think what he was talking about is the ability to "plug"
reverse. That is, just switch the windings while it is running
forwards, and suddenly it is running in reverse.

You can't do this with the typical capacitor start single-phase
motor, in part because the speed of the motor will keep the start
winding from ever engaging until you coast down to almost a dead stop.
Just throw the switch to reverse, and it will keep going forwards at
full speed.

And plug reversing is important when you are doing tapping with
the mill. Skip that, and you break off a tap in the bottom of the hole.
(Well ... if you have a tapping head like the TapMatic ones, the
reversing is built into the mechanics of the head, but for "rigid
tapping", you have problems.)

Personally, I have gone the VFD route, though I started with a
230/460V motor, not a 600V one. But the advice to pick up a 230/460V
Bridgeport motor and swap it into the head is the right way to go, I
believe.

Enjoy,
DoN.
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