Thread: Craftsman motor. Does it overheat?

I am setting up a long bed Craftsman (with a three phase motor) that has been in storage for several years, and I have never used. I have been considering putting a fan - or two on the back of the cabinet before I put the lathe back on top. Much easier to lay the cabinet on its side and cut the holes now. I have been considering this as my 8" Boxford shaper motor gets hot in its cabinet. It too is an "under drive" set-up. Am I wasting my time? The advice of Craftsman owners is requested.

Hi AJ,

A lot of three phase motors do get quite hot as does single phase ones ! If you look on the rating plate you will probably find a temperature rating or motor class rating. This will tell you what its temperature rating is. Some plates just give a temperature.

Also most motors that require cooling have a fan attached to the rotor shaft and a curved housing that directs air over the motor body. Some more modern motors intended for VFD use often have a fan with a separately driven motor that runs continuously to ensure cooling when the motor is being run at low speeds.

Fitting a fan may be helpful as long as it isn't fighting the air flow from the motor fan. Like in an enclosed space where you are just circulating a volume of air.

Not for a motor but for two VFDs I added a small fan to the box in the cabinet on my Hercus0 mill like this.
https://metalworkforums.com/f189/t20...-2#post1935493
Now that I've done it the fan is unnecessary - probably could have got away with just a vent but it would be different for a motor.

I've been running my Craftsman for over thirty years and never had any overheating problems. When I got it I did convert it to single phase, I would have thought there is enough ventilation in the cabinet to avoid any heat issues.
Noel