building lathe for begginer

[mayang]

hi all
I wanted to build a lathe using wood
i want to know if my 1/4 hp motor will fulfill my need
it had speed of 2850 rpm,the bigest timber i gonna turn is approx 4" by 4"
will the motor have enought power or should i take a bigger one
what speed should i set my lathe ill post the pict soon after i find the suitable motor n speed :U

[Ad de Crom]

Think for small objects 1/4hp will be enough power.
I built also my own wooden lathe with a 0.37kw motor x 1500rpm.
The largest objects are 300mm, used mostly a speed of 800rpm. Have a frequency controle unit for the electromotor,
See my website Your Heading Goes Here (http://mitglied.lycos.de/adecrom)
Cheers, Ad

[orraloon]

Mayang,
A bit more power would be better but the 1/4 hp will do for small work. My first lathe was 1/3 hp and I did some bowls almost 9'' (225mm) in very hard timbers. The worst that can happen is the lathe will stall sometimes so take lighter cuts. Here are a couple of ideas that show you get by with a lot less than 1/4 hp.
Regards
John
woodlathe-treadle.pdf (application/pdf Object) (http://www.vintageprojects.com/machine-shop/woodlathe-treadle.pdf)
TreadleLathe.pdf (application/pdf Object) (http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/content/binary/TreadleLathe.pdf)