Treadle for Kluge
I have a 10 X 15 Kluge which at this time has a motor and is a little too fast for me. I was thinking that maybe a treadle would be the answer. Hern Iron Works is only 40 miles from me, but they said that they don’t have treadles for the Kluge. When looking at the Kluge (new style),it looks very much like the C&P 10X15 (new style), which they do make a treadle for. Can it be done? My other thought is maybe putting a reostate (sp?) on the motor to give control over the speed ?
Thank you.
The big question is whether or not the crankshaft has the “U” shaped section which enables a treadle to crank the press. If it has a straight shaft, then a treadle won’t work.
Bill,You answered my question then, it is straight. So maybe the reostat might be the answer, or just turn the wheel. Thank you. Dave
Just happened upon this post while discussing a treadle for another Kluge.
Not sure if you have done the rheostat yet, but if you are still considering it, a couple of concerns come to mind:
First you would be looking for a variac, since the motor is AC. And even that wouldn’t be great. the deal with AC motors is that they move based on the frequency of the AC with each oscillation of the voltage from the wall (which is 60 times per second in the US) the motor moves a set distance based on how many poles the motor has. Generally two or four, A two pole motor will generate about 3500 RPM and a four pole will generate 1750, with higher torque.
When you apply the variac, you reduce voltage, but do nothing to change the frequency, so the motor will at least try to keep up, and the only speed reduction will be from the motor not having enough power to keep up with the frequency. You may get to a speed you like by doing this, but it is hard on the motor.
A couple suggestions:
First check to see if your motor is a 3500 RPM or 1750, if it is 3500, consider replacing it with 1750, and you will cut your speed in half.
If money is no object, get a variable frequency drive system. These can be pretty expensive, and you need to make sure that you get one that can support the power of your motor, but they work great. They electronically modulate the frequency of the incoming current without changing the voltage, so you dial it down to 30, and the motor goes half as fast.
Change the gear ratio, The net speed of the press is determined by the motor speed (of course) multiplied by the ratio of the diameter of the driveshaft over the diameter of the flywheel. If your driveshaft happens to be over 3”, consider contacting a machinist to reduce that to 2” or so.
This will give you a 30% speed reduction, but can result in belt slippage if the diameter gets too small, as the surface area that the belt rides on is reduced.
Consider a DC motor, you would need to get a big DC power supply (or a car battery) to run it but DC motors vary speed based on voltage, so a rheostat will work.
Finally, look in to a gear reduction motor. You may be able to find a motor with the correct output RPM to run it with no gear ratio, or with a v belt and a ratio much closer to 1:1 than you have with the flywheel.
This has interested me as well. I have a 10 x 15 Kluge with a motor that loves to eat electricity like the spice from Arrakis (sorry, had to add). Anyway, I am currently working on retro-fitting it with a modified bicycle to pedal my press. I know it’s a far out thought, but I could use the exercise as winters in WI hamper my outdoor spirit. Has anyone else done such a thing?
Jared
I’ve seen a photograph of a platen press run by a modified bicycle. It was used by, I believe the French Resistance during World War II. But it took two people: one to pedal and one to feed.