Thread: variable speed drive for lathe

Toolin Around is running that setup on his sharpening stand. I saw it at the Toowoomba Sharpening day and it was a great setup.

[QUOTE=Wood Butcher;371507]Toolin Around is running that setup on his sharpening stand. I saw it at the Toowoomba Sharpening day and it was a great setup. ]

Thanks for repply WB,i was hoping for more responses .Do others dont see the need for infinitely variable speed for the lathe a necesity?

Forge another motor to consider is the one we sell.
http://www.cws.au.com/cgi/index.cgi/..._id=1107369645

This is a 1hp constant torque 240v variable speed motor.
It come in either a foot mount or flange mount setup.

Plugs straight into your 240v socket and has a 1.5m lead from the motor to the switch pendant. On the pendant you have the on off switch and the potentiometer and a reversing switch can be added if needed.

Originally Posted by Jim Carroll

Forge another motor to consider is the one we sell.
http://www.cws.au.com/cgi/index.cgi/..._id=1107369645

This is a 1hp constant torque 240v variable speed motor.
It come in either a foot mount or flange mount setup.

Plugs straight into your 240v socket and has a 1.5m lead from the motor to the switch pendant. On the pendant you have the on off switch and the potentiometer and a reversing switch can be added if needed.

Thanks,Jim for taking time to reply to my enquiry .Unfortunately the motor you are selling is even more out of my price range than the one i have been looking at -this was a 1hp, 3phase motor & inverter from Melbourne machinery at Clayton.9548 2000,[email protected]
Regards ,Bela

Forge,
Have you tried Automation Direct.
http://web4.automationdirect.com/adc/Home/Home

Originally Posted by rodm

Forge,
Have you tried Automation Direct.
http://web4.automationdirect.com/adc/Home/Home

Thanks ,for your response rodm.
Just looked at it .:confused: Bit to technical,for me to work out .At first glance they seem to be in USA,the freight would be a bit expensive .But feel free to correct me if i'm wrong
Regards ,Bela

Forge,
Sorry a bit to quick with the trigger.
Try this one which is the Australian site
http://www.automationdirect.com.au/

Originally Posted by rodm

Forge,
Sorry a bit to quick with the trigger.
Try this one which is the Australian site
http://www.automationdirect.com.au/

Thanks ,Rod .Seems the best price so far for the variable drive-inverter control 240v input-1hp/3ph-A$231+gst+25 freight to Melb.Had any dealings with them?
Regards ,Bela

Originally Posted by Wood Butcher

Toolin Around is running that setup on his sharpening stand. I saw it at the Toowoomba Sharpening day and it was a great setup.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi ,Wood Butcher,
Do you know anything about TA's speed controler ?Tried emailing him but it come back undeliverable(the email).Does anyone know,about the conroler?
Regards ,Bela

No but I know somebody that got one of those units last week from them and he is happy with the purchase. He already has his metal lathe up and running with a reconditioned 3 phase motor.

Originally Posted by rodm

No but I know somebody that got one of those units last week from them and he is happy with the purchase. He already has his metal lathe up and running with a reconditioned 3 phase motor.

Thanks Rod .I just have to come up with the folding stuff($)
Regards ,Bela

Originally Posted by forge

Hi ,Wood Butcher,
Do you know anything about TA's speed controler ?Tried emailing him but it come back undeliverable(the email).Does anyone know,about the conroler?
Regards ,Bela

Sorry I don't know much about them. Try sending TA a pm to get onto him. I remember he mentioned that he bought the controller as a replacement for the one on his woodlathe but turned out he didn't need it (I think, don't quote me )

I have ben thinking of one for my wood lathe but at the moment the cost of the controller is stopping me, but at least three phase motors are easy to get and considerably cheaper that single phase. Also with some of the controllers you can easily reverse the motor, which I can see as a benefit for me.

Hi all. We are based in Adelaide and specialise in variable-speed AC motors and controllers. We can offer an inverter rated at 0.75kW (1-HP) for $235 + GST and a 4-pole (1,400 RPM) 3-phase foot-mounted motor, protected to IP55 and conforming with the new MEPS II standard for $145 + GST. Including delivery to anywhere in mainland Oz, you would be paying less than $450 all up, including GST. The inverter is the latest type with digital display and built-in noise filter. It has fully variable speeds or switch-selectable programmed fixed speeds (High, Medium, Low etc). All products have a full 12-month warranty and are brand new.

The important thing to remember is that the inverter connects to 240VAC single phase and outputs variable-frequency 240VAC 3-phase. This means the motor must be connected in delta (easily done by shifting links in the terminal block). This is a standard procedure in industry and allows relatively cheap 3-phase 415 VAC motors to be used with single-phase supply inverters, while retaining full rated torque. The speed is varable from zero up to at least 2,000 RPM, which corresponds to around 71 Hz frequency. The motors can be driven still higher, but the results would be unpredictable. The speed may not be very constant as load changes. Also, with any electronic variable-frequency motor/controller set-up, it must be remembered that the laws of physics don't change. You can't get very low speeds while still having good torque. The best you can expect is constant torque over something like a 20:1 speed range, i.e., 100-2,000 RPM.

At speeds below about 400-RPM, you will need to apply forced cooling as the motor fan won't be doing much work. With a 1-HP motor, a cheap 240V 120mm computer muffin fan would do. It would need to be constantly powered to assist the motor's own internal fan. If you only wanted to go down to 500-RPM or so, an external fan most likely won't be necessary. Another benefit of using an AC inverter set-up is that you have easy reversing capability and adjustable acceleration and deceleration (handy to avoid shock starts which can unscrew chucks).

There's a few things to consider in any variable speed application, but with modern inverters and motors, excellent results are easily achieved at reasonable cost. Don't hesitate to email me if I can help you further. Cheers .. Frank

Most americans doing this conversion that I have seen purchase their motor and controllers from <http://www.surpluscenter.com/>. The best I saw was US$50 for a motor and controller, but it was only suitable for 110V. They often have controllers that are suitable for 240V as well though. Here are some links from a recent post:

http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...-2269&catname=
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...-2102&catname=
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...-2855&catname=
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...-1906&catname=
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...-1257&catname=

Even with shipping (and they will ship internationally) you may find a solution for a reasonable price.

Also, typically recommended is to use treadmill motors and controllers, so you might try looking for a used treadmill or finding a treadmill repair place that might be able to sell you a motor and controller.

This has been discussed a number of times on the 9x20Lathew Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/9x20Lathe2/ .