Where to mount motor control?

[Jeff Clow]

I am going to convert my lathe to variable speed DC. I am mounting the speed control, on/off, and a tach readout in a plastic box, about 8" X 8".
What are the opinions on where to mount the control box? I have seen the Oneway lathes with the controls on the arm that can swing to either end of the lathe. I could do this but it be a pain & take me awhile to fabricate, but would it be worth it?
I have also seen controls above & behind the headstock.
Are there other options? Better options?
What are the pros & cons?

Thanks
Jeff Clow

[Dave Schell]

Jeff, how about just expoxing some rare earth magnets to the back of the control box and then just sticking on the lathe close to where you happen to be working at the time? That's how I plan to do it on the Vicmarc I am building.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Jeff - I built a remote switch for my Jet and attached a large rare earth magnet to the junction box. This allows me to always have easy access to the switch no matter where I stand when turning.

[David Walser]

I've recommended Lyle Jamiseon's two DVD bowl turning vidwo, Bowl Basics the Easy Way, before. One of the things that makes is such a great video is that Lyle has a strong opinion about just about everything (turning related) and he's not afraid to tell you why he thinks something is right and another thing is wrong. Here's a link to the video: http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Videos___Techniques___Bowl_Basics_the_Easy_Way___j amieson_bowl_basics?Args=

Anyway, and to the point, one of the many asides on the video is Lyle's exposition on why your on/off switch should be mounted on the tail stock end of the lathe. His reasons:


If something is going wrong and you need to turn the lathe off quickly, you don't want to have to reach through the "danger zone" to turn the lathe off. Say a large bowl blank has started to wobble badly and you're afraid it may fly off the lathe. Do you really want to reach past the blank to the headstock to turn the lathe off? A headstock mounting for the on/off switch, in general, takes you towards the danger. A tailstock switch takes you towards safety.
If you want to turn the lathe off fast, it might be best if the on/off switch were always in the same location -- not mounted on an arm that can be swung from one place to another. On my table saw the switch is mounted in one spot. No matter where I am in relation to the table saw, I can quickly hit the kill switch without looking. Turning the saw off is automatic -- with either hand and no matter where I'm standing. Lyle argues that the same should be true for the lathe.

Contrast all that with the convenience of being able to adjust the speed more easily by being able to move the location of the switch, and I'd conclude that the increased safety of having the switch fixed at the tailstock end of the lathe overcomes the minor convenience advantage. Lyle would argue it's not an either/or matter. Your variable speed control can be movable AND you can have the on/off switch fixed in one location. The wiring's just a tad more difficult.

Good luck.

[Jeff Clow]

I like the magnet idea, but in my case I don't think it will work. The control box I am using will have the speed control, Tach board & readout, and a few on/off type switches. The box I have is 8" X 8" X 3". Its kinda big!
The available room at the headstock is limited & I think the box will get in the way.
I could mount it below the level of the lathe, like on the leg, but them I wont be able to see the speed readout easily without tilting the box.
By the way, the lathe is a Rockwell/Delta 46-111.

Jeff

[Jeff Clow]

I didn't really like the idea of reaching over the headstock either. The on/off switch I will be using is one of those with the large off paddle, for easy emergancy stops.
I hadn't considered splitting up the controls. I could mount the speed control/tach box behind the headstock where it will be easy to see, easy to adjust, but put the on/off on the front of the lathe for easy turn off....out of the danger zone!
I'm not sure I like the tailstock end for the on off, but I understand the reasoning. I think I would rather have it close to where I am working, so in a panic, I can hit the off button as I dive for cover!

Jeff

[David Walser]

...The available room at the headstock is limited & I think the box will get in the way. I could mount it below the level of the lathe, like on the leg, but them I wont be able to see the speed readout easily without tilting the box....Jeff, my Woodfast lathe has it's switches (on/off, variable speed, etc.) mounted on one of the legs of the lathe stand. (The leg is at the headstock end of the lathe. As explained below, if I were doing it today, I'd put the switches on the other end of the lathe.) The switches are just below my waist level, making them very easy to reach by just dropping my left hand. My woodfast doesn't have a digital speed readout. It does have a dial that shows the estimated speed given the position of the variable speed knob. To read the dial, I need to squat. Since I almost never use that information -- I just turn the knob until the speed is "right" -- the need to squat to read the dial is NOT a problem for me. When starting a project, I move the belt to the postion that gives me the maximum speed I want to turn at and then use the variable speed control to set the speed down from there. Very quick to move from turning speed to sanding speed and back with a quick twist of the knob -- all without bothering to verify the knob's position on the dial.

YMMV.

[Don Carter]

Jeff:
Sounds like a fun project. I hope you will show us a picture when you get it up and running.
I have rigged a simple on/off switch mounted with a magnet on the lower tailstock of my lathe. I have only had one "emergency" when I did not want to go through the danger zone to cut the lathe off, but that was enough for me. I can stop the lathe while moving away from trouble and then keep on moving.;)
All the best.

Don

[Bob Hallowell]

I mounted mine on the headstock. fwd/off/rev and the speed control. There is a small peice of conduit epoxied to the headstock and then a 90deg junction box stuck in it that can swivel to where I need it. if there is an emergency that I don't wnat to reach to the headstock I can turn my vfd off by it's self on the wall. It works great for me.

Bob

[Jim Becker]

Mine is "mobile" with a nice big magnet on the back of the switch box. I move it around so it is convenient, comfortable and quite available if I really need to get to it fast.

[Allen Neighbors]

Jeff, I modified my Oneway Pendulum mount. I can now mount the box back on the pendulum, or midway on the offside of the lathe, or on the outboard end.
The pendulum was too far away from me most of the time, especially when I put it on the offside.
If you mount it somewhere that you can get to it at all times, without having to reach past the piece, you'll be glad you did.