# Electric motor lathe build



## trevor.veatch (Aug 29, 2015)

I'm rolling the thought around about building my own lathe. I've come across a 1/4HP 1725RPM electric motor. I was wondering if I could get what I need out of this motor for a lathe? Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated! Attached is a photo of the info plate on the motor. 

Thank you


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

For turning small diameter spindles 1/4 hp should be fine. For doing any bigger work it will be under powered. I am in the process of building a lathe. I have a thread on here if you are interested. I enjoy working in the metal shop as much as the wood shop. I have enjoyed the build even though it will probably sit and collect chips while my Powermatic makes chips. If you enjoy a challenge go for it. If you just want a lathe I would recommend just buying one.


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## trevor.veatch (Aug 29, 2015)

Yes I would be interested in your thread. Thank you for the info


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*the motor is only a small part*

The motor is probably the easiest part of a shop built lathe to acquire. The entire bed of the lathe and the tool rest and the chucks and bearings are way more difficult to make and build. The 1/4HP is not really enough either.

My suggestion is find a small used lathe rather than trying to build one. hwebb99 is build a monster bowl lathe, not the same as a small lathe for general purpose turning. :no: Where are you located.... USA? Craig's List will be helpful or ebay.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I don't know how to post a link on my iPad. My thread is in the wood turning section. If someone could post a link that would be great.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*here Ya go*



hwebb99 said:


> I don't know how to post a link on my iPad. My thread is in the wood turning section. If someone could post a link that would be great.


http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f6/bowl-lathe-build-thread-84617/


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## thenodemaster (Jun 14, 2015)

I had the 12"x33" harbor freight lathe which came with a 3/4 HP motor. Turning anything but a pen or bottle stopper size item would cause the lath to bog down and stop. I ended up having to add a 2HP motor onto it to allow for turning some bowls and such. Never had a problem once the 2HP motor was on. I used a dust collector motor running through a 2:1 gear reduction and was still able to use the CVT style speed control that the lathe came with after a trip to a local machine shop for an shaft adapter. I can upload pics of my old lathe of needed. You may want to look at some of the motors at harbor freight. They have 3HP motors with 1750 rpm speed, single phase, 220V for around $150. The only issue I can see at the moment would be how would you control the speed beyond using a few different size pullies and a belt.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

The hf lathe motor was probably over rated. I have turned on a 3/4 hp delta mini lathe and the power isn't that bad. 2 or 3 hp is way overkill on a mini lathe. My Powermatic 3520 is only 2 hp.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

*What else do you need to turn that 1/4hp motor into a lathe?*

A bigger motor. Seriously, 1/4 HP isn't much power, definitely not enough for a lathe unless you exclusively make small pens, and even then its likely underpowered. Shopnotes has some good plans for a miniature lathe build entirely from plywood, but again, get a bigger motor first


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

thenodemaster said:


> I had the 12"x33" harbor freight lathe which came with a 3/4 HP motor. Turning anything but a pen or bottle stopper size item would cause the lath to bog down and stop.....


For many years I used a Delta 1440 Iron Bed lathe with a 3/4 HP motor. The lathe had a swing of 14 inches and never had a problem with anything that I could fit on the lathe. I turned a few things where I had to slide the headstock down to the end and still didn't run into any problem.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

thenodemaster said:


> I had the 12"x33" harbor freight lathe which came with a 3/4 HP motor. Turning anything but a pen or bottle stopper size item would cause the lath to bog down and stop.


 Do you have the 10x18 lathe or the 12x36? I used to have a HF 12x36 and it couldn't turn with my Powermatic, but that wasn't expected. It could turn 6" stuff without issue. Are you sure the belt wasn't slipping?


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## thenodemaster (Jun 14, 2015)

hwebb99 said:


> Do you have the 10x18 lathe or the 12x36? I used to have a HF 12x36 and it couldn't turn with my Powermatic, but that wasn't expected. It could turn 6" stuff without issue. Are you sure the belt wasn't slipping?


I have the 12x36 here: http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch-x-33-3-8-eighth-inch-wood-lathe-with-reversible-head-34706.html

I was quite positive the belt was not slipping at all. I know because that setup was left untouched when I added the 2HP motor. Because I needed to cut the speed of the new motor in half, I rigged up a 2:1 pulley/belt reduction on the fan end of the 3/4 HP motor can for the 2HP motor to go to. This way I could still have the proper speed range of the original with the added power. The original motor does not get power, only needed as a pulley/shaft to get the bigger motor to work. Once I did that, no bogging down and no slipping. I ended up using one of those segmented belts from HP after the original one I was using from an HF belt/disc sander wore out. The motor I used was a spare motor for this dust collector: http://www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-industrial-5-micron-dust-collector-97869.html

The motor was ~$102 delivered. Spindle adapter for the motor to the pullies I had was ~$450. Still way cheaper than what I could have gotten a 2HP lathe for which was the only way I could do it at the time. 

I have been asked by several people why I went through all that instead of buying a 2HP lathe. I reply: I am cheap, I have what I have and prefer to use what I have. If what I have doesn't do what I need, do I really need to replace the whole thing or can I improve it? Improving it agreed with my wallet (the misses) at the time. If mamma says no, the answer is no!

If you want some pics, I can supply them. Still have Frankenlathe while I look for a new home for it. Still good and paid for itself within a year. I replaced with the big Grizzly 3HP lathe and am looking for a home for this one as it is still good--just a little lite in the weight department for the sizes I am doing now. Don't know about you, but I sure don't like having to take my lathe for a walk while I rough out a stump!


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

I used to have that same lathe. If you couldn't turn something bigger than a pen without bogging down something was seriously wrong. Mine was sufficient powered for anything that fit between centers.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

*Making a silk purse ...*



thenodemaster said:


> .... The motor I used was a spare motor for this dust collector: http://www.harborfreight.com/2-hp-industrial-5-micron-dust-collector-97869.html



I can guarantee that is not a 2 HP motor. In fact, it probably is no more than 1 HP if that much. HF is notorious for misstating specifications. For starters, all 2 HP motors are 240 VAC or higher because the maximum ampacity on a 120 VAC branch circuit is 20 Amps in residential wiring. The way that their motor specs are given don't comply with NEMA standards. The 20 Amps that they claim is actually the LRC (locked rotor current) and not the FLA (full load amps). Another clue is that 16 Amps is the maximum motor FLA allowed by NEC (National Electrical Code) on a 120 volt branch circuit to allow for start up surge. They get away with this practice by claiming that the rating is for the machine and not the motor and that the motor nameplate is stating the machine specs. They sell the motor separately, but under the guise as a replacement part.

The original motor on the lathe is probably 1/3 to 1/2 HP even though they say 3/4 HP. I know what a 3/4 HP motor looks like and that one isn't one of them. Even if the motor were only 1/4 HP, it should still be usable for turning most things as long as you're not hogging off wood and that the motor isn't defective. I suspect a defective motor.

The bottom line is if your modified rig works then that is the main thing. Fixation over numbers on the machine doesn't really matter especially if its from HF or Sears.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

My HF lathe probably was close to 3/4 hp, but that lathe was probably 10 years old. A 2 hp motor will run on 110 volts just not on a 20 amp breaker. The motor on my bowl lathe is 2 hp and is 110/220 volt. The problem is it pulls 22 amps continues on 110 volt.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

hwebb99 said:


> My HF lathe probably was close to 3/4 hp, but that lathe was probably 10 years old. A 2 hp motor will run on 110 volts just not on a 20 amp breaker. The motor on my bowl lathe is 2 hp and is 110/220 volt. The problem is it pulls 22 amps continues on 110 volt.


There's no NEMA connectors for a 125 v 30A circuit unless you are bootlegging it with something like a NEMA L5-30R receptacle and L5-30P plug which are intended for generator use or mobile home use. Or, are you could use 120 volts if you wanted to, but know better. :icon_smile: There is less line loss if you run the motor on 240 VAC.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

It will run on 110 volt on a 20 amp breaker under no load. I have used it for a few minutes under no load to test it. When I move it to my shop I am going to wire it on 220 volts. There isn't any 220 volt 20 amp plugs in the metal shop. There is a 220 volt 50 amp plug for the mig welder, and the rest of the equipment is 3 phase or 110 volt.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Bill Boehme said:


> There's no NEMA connectors for a 125 v 30A circuit unless you are bootlegging it with something like a NEMA L5-30R receptacle and L5-30P plug which are intended for generator use or mobile home use. Or, are you could use 120 volts if you wanted to, but know better. :icon_smile: There is less line loss if you run the motor on 240 VAC.


Err... Nemas 1-20, 5-30, 10-30, and 14-30 would all like to disagree, and thats not counting all the nema connectors rated for higher amperage at 120v. Its not that the connectors don't exist, just that high-amp 120 lines aren't common


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

NEMA is a manufacturers standard, it's not the NEC. You can have non-residential hard wired lighting circuits that are rated for higher ampacity. Each leg of a 240 v branch circuit obviously is 120 v. You can have ganged 120 v breakers. But, show me a 120 v receptacle and plug for residential use that is greater than 20 A that is approved for 2 HP electric motors (or anything else for that matter). As I pointed out, there are straight blade as well as twist lock 120v 30 A plugs and receptacles for RV and/or generator temporary applications. Could an enterprising individual commandeer one of these in his garage/shop/studio? Certainly. Would an inspector red-tag it if an electrician did it? Certainly. I have seen dual voltage motors rated 2 HP and up, but they are always 240/480 volts. Why would anyone want to run a 2 HP motor on 120 v?


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## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

1/4 HP is minimum for a lathe intended for small turnings. 1/2 would be better, and if a lathe of any size, the more the better - 1-2 HP not out of the question. The first one I built used 1/4 HP, and was ok for pens and such, but bogged on anything like a 2-3" bowl.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/alchymists-pen-lathe-build-pic-heavy-53142/


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

There is no point in running a 2 hp motor on 120 volt, but saying a 2 hp motor will not run on 110 volts is incorrect.


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