Motor Mount and Bearing Shields

l spent way too long agonizing over how to mount the motor.  My basic requirements were:

• Adjustable motor position for varying pulley sizes
• Must only use one fastener to loosen the motor
• Looks nice
• Elegant, for some definition of elegant

To hold the motor, I made this piece which clamps around the motor housing (clamping bit not in this picture).  I didn't use the mounting holes on the face of the motor to leave more clearance around the pulley.  The ID was cut with a boring head, and the outside was roughed to an octagon, and hand-filed to round:

A steel square nut sits in a slot, so the motor position can be adjusted:

Here's the interesting part.  Rather than just bolting the motor through the slot, I cut a 45 degree counterbore in the plate that holds the motor, and a matching 45 degree brass washer.  When the bolt is tightened, the washer wedges the motor plate down into the aluminum plate below.  This way, the motor is firmly located against the metal both behind and below it.

I also made some simple bearing shields to hold the spindle oil in and stop chips from getting in the bearings. 

In the next episode I'll put the electronics together.