Foredom duty cycle

woodturnerjosh · #1 03-23-2008, 01:35 AM

Hi everyone!
I have recently been using my 1/6 hp Foredom quite a bit and I was wondering how long people out there use them before giving them a break? I know that in the manual it says that they can get up to quite high temperatures, but generally speaking brush motor tools can't be run continuously and need to rest every so often.
So I was just interested in your thoughts, observations and experience on this topic.
Thanks
Josh Stevens

Hugh P. · #2 03-23-2008, 08:14 AM

Josh, I would be careful with the 1/16hp , that is a light motor. I used a 1/8 hp Foredom for a lot of years, carving most every day with it. I've heated it so hot that you couldn't hold your hands on it, and it never seemed to hurt it. I did end up buying the TX HD Foredom.

susieq · #3 03-23-2008, 09:07 PM

Hi Josh,
by continuously run, what exactly do you mean? Are you running it for several hours at a time non stop? Do you stop to change collets? Are you hogging with kutzal bits?

If you run your machine hard, you should grease the shaft more often than the book says..... As for the brushes, when they wear down, you replace them, doesn't matter how quickly you wear them down. I recomend having a spare set on hand.....

If the machine you have doesn't handle the use you are giving it, then it is time to upgrade to something more powerful but unless it is giving you problems.....don't worry about it. Use it like you always do, just grease the shaft every so often and replace the brushes when they need it, period.
Also, if the wood dust is getting up around the motor area, blow it off with a compressor now and then......

woodturnerjosh · #4 03-28-2008, 12:45 AM

Thanks for the replies people!
The motor is holding up fine with the work that I am doing (although I would have liked the TX but they don't make them for Australian power) I was just worried about burning the unit out. From what I have heard though, they take a bigger hiding than I will be giving it. It would be nice to have a second unit though......:-)
I usually grease the shaft after every one or two carvings, as they take between 20-50 hours each, but I am sure i will get faster!
Thanks
Josh

susieq · #5 03-28-2008, 08:30 AM

Hi Josh,
you will have more than one machine eventually. That's just the way it goes. Foredoms are meant to take a lot of punishment. Mine is probably 15 years old. I hog with it and grease the shaft about once a year.....mind you, I am not advocating this, I'm just saying that they take a certain amount of abuse....and mine still has the original shaft. Knock on wood, I have never broken one.