Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Fred in NC

>I used a Vega motor and controller for my Jet Mini. They are no longer available.

The motor did not fit under the bed, and being an open frame, would get lots of debris inside. My solution was to mount the motor in a cabinet under the lathe. The Vega motor, being the universal (brush) type, turns in only one direction, CCW. I reversed the wiring inside the motor to make it CW, which is what I needed.

I have just finished the project, and I am planning to post pics very soon.

I have seen the Surplus Center motors and controllers, and they look fine to me. They have permanent magnet motors, used in treadmills, which are very powerful, and will run in both directions without internal changes. The speed control needs to be PMW (pulse width modulation) to retain the full power. Speed control based on voltage has the drawback that it loses a lot of power at slower speeds/lower voltage.

I bought an extra pulley from Jet, and poly-v belts of the proper length from Aarubco Rubber Company. They have a wide selection at best prices.

Best luck with your conversion,

Fred

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Don Henthorn

>I'm probably wrong (usually am) but I have one of the Vega motors and have been told and received wiring instructions for being able to reverse them when needed. I also received an email from the Vega guy (forgot his name but could look it up) who told me by email that the vega motor could be reversed. The motor that I bought is a treadmill motor and is supposed to be rated from one to two horsepower. I would like to know which is right, reversable or non reversable, because I am about ready to install it on my Jet 1014 a la Mark Kauder.

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Fred in NC

>This is what I stated:

" The Vega motor, being the universal (brush) type, turns in only one direction, CCW. I reversed the wiring inside the motor to make it CW, which is what I needed. "

Reversing the wires that go to the motor will not change turning direction in a universal/brush type motor.

The direction can be reversed by exchanging two pairs of wires inside the motor. This is very simple since the wires have spade connectors. It took me less than 10 minutes to do it. I followed the instructions from Vega to do it.

Other motors, of the PERMANENT MAGNET type, do not need any changes inside. Reversing the polarity on the feed wires will reverse the direction. All you need is a two pole, 2 position switch... they have 3 pairs of connectors in them.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Doug Leite

>Bart,

I have a Delta Midi lathe, which for most cases is a twin of the Jet.

Several months ago, I set it up with a D.C VS motor and controller that I just happened to have.

The motor is a 1/2 H.P. 56-C facemount from Dayton and the controller is a Leeson.

If I remember correctly, I machined the mount smaller and made a new offset mounting plate to lower the motor a bit and also move it farther left, as the shaft is considerably shorter then the original.

At the same time I was making a new stand with folding, telescopic legs to make the lathe easily transportable for doing demos. I mounted the machine on about 3" risers so that I could lower the motor and have it clear the rest of the bed.

If you need more info, I may be tempted to take it apart and document and photograph. It is dependable as I have turned over 700 wine stoppers on it in the last 4+ months with no problems, and yes, it reverses.

Aloha

Doug Leite

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

crash

>how much is a conversion of this type costing people here? i have the jml 1014 and was curious.

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

John F.

>yes it can be reversed, in fact I added a switch to accomplish this, now I can sand in both directions.

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Don Henthorn

>Thanks, Fred. I did not read closely enough. Guess I can forget about a reverse switch.

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Don Henthorn

>Doug, I am planning a portable table such as you menthioned in your post. Have you got any tips or plans that I could consider?

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Don Henthorn

>Thanks, Doug and John. Then I CAN install a reversing switch so sanding can be done in both directions. That is good news.

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Bart Castleberry

>Doug that's exactly what I am trying to do. At least I know now it will work.

Where did you find the longer belt I assume you needed?

Did it actually require a 3� lift to accommodate the motor?

I am figuring that the motor will only need to drop down maybe an inch or so. And I think the shafts are about the same length, but I am going to double check�

Any pictures would be greatly appreciated. Don�t feel like you need to take it apart unless you want to, even a shot or two from the outside would be very usefull. The stand sounds very interesting too.

Thanks,

Bart

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Bart Castleberry

>I actually bought two of the vega motors mentioned above, but I after many thoughts I really want to retain the ability to put it on a regular stand and transport it easily.

I have turned on one of the vega modified jet mini's and while it's nice, something seems different from the leeson on my Nova. Most of all I just want to retain most of the original designs of the lathe, and have it perform like my nova as far as response to load, braking and controls. Taking it with me for demos is another big factor, if it's under the machine, it's out of the way.

Don�t get me wrong I think the vega motor mod is great, it�s just not for me.

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Doug Leite

>Peter,

As I said in my post, I just happened to have some used pieces around the shop, so my cost was basically for the steel that I built my stand from and the belt.

For someone to duplicate what I have, it would be cheaper to buy a VS Jet.

Approx motor costs would be around $450.00. Example is the 1/2 HP DC VS from Craft supplies @ $425.99. Shopping around, like at Surplus Center should save some $.

Aloha

Doug

Re: Variable Speed Motor on Mini Lathe

Doug Leite

>Bart,

My stand was constructed from 1 1/2" X 1 1/2" X 1/8" thick square steel tubing. I raised the lathe actually 2 1/2" because I wanted to increase the space between the motor and the lathe bed and between the motor and the top of my stand. My reason was to allow for easier cleaning, mostly. I will take some photos later today and attempt to post them tonight.

Aloha

Doug