Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
foot switch for lathe, do you use one..?
Pete Langevin
>a friend of mine suggested i get a foot switch for the lathe.. he said he had been using one for several years.. and it let him focus more on the work at hand and his choice of tools..
just wondering if this works for others or is it a waste of money..
Re: foot switch for lathe, do you use one..?
Fred in NC
>I don't use one, but have considered it in the past. The only reason I would control anything with my foot is to change the speed in a variable speed controller.
Considering the amount of chips on the floor, I am not sure how safe the concept is.
On the other hand, an emergency stop bar would be great in my opinion.
Re: foot switch for lathe, do you use one..?
Jerry Whitaker
>I have one but have never used it. I fear that I may step on it at a most inoportune time. No proof and no experience but I can see where the possibility of danger may outweigh the benefits.
Re: foot switch for lathe, do you use one..?
Kurt Aebi
>I do not use one, but Del Stubbs has an interesting version of a foot-clutch system where he has a foot actuated lever that disengages the belt from the pully allowing the headstock to be loose of the motor, like a clutch.
Re: foot switch for lathe, do you use one..?
Brodie Brickey
>When I had my Delta 46-715 lathe I used one. On the Delta the plastic red switch is up above the headstock, if I was outboard turning or bowl turning anything really, I would have to reach over the top of a spinning object to turn it off.
I got the step switch because I figured that if I ever saw something getting away from me, I'd be torn between getting out of the way and turning the lathe off at the switch above my spinning bit of trouble.
The switch can get covered in shavings, to help with that and keep it stable I mounted it on a board. I think I only had 1 false stop in the two years using it.
I'm waiting for my Powermatic to be delivered now, and with it being 220v I don't think I'll use a foot switch again, but with the Powermatic I have greater speed control. The Delta's slowest setting was 500 RPM which was a little fast for safely roughing a large bowl.
If you're seriously considering a foot switch, there are a couple things to remember:
1. You'll still turn the lathe off at the regular switch when un/mounting a bowl or blank. (At least I did.)
2. I primarily used it for stoping the lathe to check cuts or reposition the toolrest (if you do that).
3. The step switch is there when you don't want to reach over the bowl to get to the main switch. This lessened the potential for me to get a sleeve caught in something while trying to turn it off.
Hope this helps,
Brodie Brickey
Re: foot switch for lathe, do you use one..?
Kurt A, in Vermont
>Brodie,
If you do want to use a footswitch with the 220 VAC Powermatic unit, you can always get an industrial footswitch with a toe-guard (will help keep shavings out, too). The industrial one I am thinking of has a small air-tube that actuates a relay for the power and you should ne able to get a relay rated for the power of your unit. Check McMaster-Carr, MSC or Enco for the footswitch.
Kurt
