hey everyone. i was getting tired of cranking my table by hand (i have the HF 33686 or whatever), so i decided to build some simple power feeds. well, i got some motors that are geared and seem plenty powerful (maybe a bit on the slow side, but that's ok). i did some searching and found lovejoy flexible couplings to be just the ticket to connect the motor shafts to the shafts on the table.
HOWEVER, the shaft size on my mill is 17mm. i accidently bought 5/8" couplings, which didnt work. oh, and my motor shaft size is 5/16". so, the question is, of these three options, what would you do? 1) modify the shaft on the mill, or modify the opening on the coupler so they work together, 2) buy a 11/16" coupling (i cant find a 17mm, especially one that will work with mm and inches), or 3) something else.
ultimately, i just want to know how bad it would be if i mounted a flexible coupling that measures 0.6875" to a shaft with a diameter of 0.6693". will this be a terrible thing? could i use a piece of tape or paper to "build it out"? it doesnt have to be super accurate, its just for a power feed. if i do CNC, i will do something else.
i must say that i just found a good deal on some motors and i have all the parts neccessary for power supplies, electronics, enclosures, wiring, etc. already. so, with the couplings and motors, im really only spending like $40 on this whole thing. im not expecting much. im really only expecting to not get tired from turning those handles.
eventually, when i have the funds and more knowledge (more of the latter), i will do a full CNC upgrade. so, this is just a temporary thing. any ideas? thanks.