Motorizing a Corona Mill

So I'm thinking about putting a motor on my Corona Mill.

I have access to a 110V 1/4 HP 1700ish RPM motor.

Been playing around with some ideas on how to slow down the RPM's and it seems like I would need a fairly big flywheel on the mill which I'm not sure I'm digging yet.

Has anybody tried a fairly standard off the shefl fan control switch to limit the current to the motor?

I guess i could look into a VFD but I'm thinkin that could get pricey

Any thoughts?

 

VFD would be massive overkill, but also a great modular project. I would think that a standard dimmer switch would work just fine and give you enough flexibility to adjust your RPM to different grains.

 

Varying the frequency on a single phase motor will burn it out. A VFD works on 3 phase equipment. I'd just go with the biggest wheel yo can find.

Disclaimer: I am a terrible electrician. Any "knowledge" expressed above is just what i found out when making my pond pump variable speed.

 

I was wondering it would damage the motor.....looks like its time for more research

 

I've got the Corona clone mounted in a plastic bucket. I have an old Craftsman 1/2" drill that does a good job driving the mill, but I keep toying with the notion of motorizing it. With my bucket mount I'm thinking about a right-angle drive gearmotor. I'll find something one of these days...or just stick with the drill.

 

The trick is to not spend more on pulleys and belts than a big drill...the drill takes about 30 seconds to hook up.