Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
What size motor?
tom norton
>I have a Rockwell/Deta lathe.12"x36". I am in the process of "getting back into it" and thought now might be a good time to change out the motor. Right now I have a 1/3 hp. What size would you guys and gals recoomend? Also what rpm.
Thanks
Re: What size motor?
John Trant (Baltimore/DC area)
>Depending on what is available, I would say that a 3/4 HP is a reasonable upgrade if you are going to go through the hassel of changing motors, belts, and/or pulleys. You would notice a difference with a new 1/2 horse motor but it is not worth the effort unless that is the only motor you have laying around. A 1 horse motor would be great.
John
No such thing as too big...
steve antonucci
>Upgraded my Nova from 1 to 1.5 HP...
Looking at 3HP lathes now.
More power rules!
Re: What size motor?
Andy in Raleigh
>Keep the same RPM or you will need a new set of pulleys.
Re: What size motor?
John Lucas
>Most of those came with 3/4 horse. I would go with that or 1 horse. John
Re: What size motor?
Eduardo Sarmiento Hall-Lima Peru
>Anithing above 1hp it will be fine nothing under
Re: What size motor?
Don Henthorn Smithville, Texas
>When I converted the little Jet I have to a DC variable speed, the treadmill motor I replaced the OEM 1/2 hp with is rated from 1 to 2 hp and It really is sweet.
Re: What size motor?
Bill Hale
>I would go with a 1 1/2 DC VS. The price is not all that bad for what you get.
Good turning and be safe
Bill in Casa Grande, AZ.
Re: What size motor?
Bill Hale
>Don & Tom
I have one of those on a 12" and even though they say it is 1 1/2 to 2hp it is not. Mine is jack shafted to get the speed down and it does work just fine. I start new turners on that lathe as it does not have a lot of power to hurt them.
You can buy from
www.surpluscenter.com
ang get great prices on motors and controllers. If this is going to be a lathe you are going to keep for a while I would go with a better setup.
Good turning and be safe
Bill in Casa Grande, AZ.
DC motors
Fred in NC
>Bill, my suspicion is that the loss of torque is more of a controller issue. Without a controller, and with the proper DC voltage and current, these motors seem to develop the proper HP.
Some controllers reduce the voltage as a means to control the speed. That lessens the HP at the same time. Other controllers are PWM (pulse width modulation) based, and are much better. However, the controller only knows the amount of current being sent to the motor.
My DC lathe motor came from a surplus batch what was sold by Vega about a year ago. This motor has RPM feedback to the controller. In turn, the controller increases the current to maintain the RPM.
To give an example, if I have the motor running at a very slow speed, say 60 RPM, and I hold the handwheel, it will stall for a moment. Then I feel an increase in torque, and I can no longer hold the wheel. Very smart controller in my opinion. I know my Vega surplus motor develops more HP than the original Jet motor. I just don't know how much more.
The Surplus center DC treadmill motors are very cheap, some as low as $10, and they have controllers from about $30. However, these DO NOT have the feedback circuit.
I find the variable speed a great convenience. I can change the speed as needed for cutting, sanding, and finishing.
Just my 2 watts . . .
Re: DC motors
Don Henthorn Smithville, Texas
>You got it, Fred. I know my converted DC has all the torque I need for any application in which I use slow speed. No need to spend more money for no incerease in function.
