OP
Thank you. I thought a quality VFD would cost more. I guess ÂŁ55 is a budget version? Do I assume from your earlier post that the wiring to the motor, you mentioned 260, would also have to be changed with a VFD? I don't understand star and delta wiring but looking at the the plate I have shown this motor can be wired either way? The machine currently has a 3 phase plug.Well a 2kw vfd will cost around ÂŁ55 off ebay or similar.
It can provide adjustable speed control without having to shift belts in pulleys etc.
It can also soft start to reduce the impact both mechanically and electrically plus a few other advantages.
One other advantage is that to a greater or lesser extent the existing switchgear can remain in place, often when moving to single phase most of the switchgear needs to change.
One other alternative is to use a rotary converter, this takes 230V input and produces a 415V three phase output, you can then use this for multiple machines which then don't require modifications.
My husband uses this to drive his lathe or milling machine, or surface grinder all of which are as they were designed, no mods