What to do any advice

[Rob Mathis]

Guys and gals, I picked up this old lathe a few years ago with the idea of fixing her up. I started by looking for things like a face plate, chuck, chuck adapters. I know that I can get the equipment. but its the 3 phase conversion that kind of makes me hold back at this point. That and the weight of the unit. It has to weigh 500 - 800 lbs. I have had to move it by come-a-long. I currently loves under my corner workbench. If I keep it I am going to have to rebuild the bench to be able to support the weight and I lose my bench. I work in a small shop.
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g39/robert20735/2007_0310Image0275.jpg


http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g39/robert20735/2007_0310Image0273.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g39/robert20735/2007_0310Image0272.jpg?t=1269180530

[Richard Madison]

Interesting piece Rob. Can you post a close-up of the name plate? Are you saying that the motor is three phase? If so might be feasible to purchase a VFD to run it.

[Rob Mathis]

Added in the 3rd picture. As you can see it is variable speed. I do not know how that affects the VFD option. At one point I looked at a phase box but the guy I was talking to said that the variable speeds messes things up. What I don't know.

[Dick Strauss]

Rob,
Your lathe uses a reeves drive for the variable speed now. You can add a VFD and keep the reeves drive intact. As long as you use a low frequency on your VFD (in the 5-6khz range), your current 3 phase motor should work fine with a VFD.

What is the swing of your lathe and hp of the motor? Here are a few links
to some nice VFDs at good prices...

http://www.factorymation.com/s.nl/it.A/id.197/.f?category=32

http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Drives/GS1_(120_-z-_230_VAC_V-z-Hz_Control)/GS1_Drive_Units_(120_-z-_230_VAC)

[Rob Mathis]

5 hp, and it looks like there is 6 inches of clearance.

[Jim Underwood]

5 HP!
Good night a livin'...:eek:

Whatcha gonna turn that takes that much horsepower?

It would be a decent bowl lathe now, but it would be great bowl lathe if the swing was a tad bigger...

Of course that spindle size may limit you a bit also. What size is it?

[Jeff Nicol]

By looking at it and where the nameplate is mounted, and the size of the headstock. Is the motor inside the headstock or not shown in the picture? If it is a reeves drive then you can use a VFD like already stated. I did it to one of my lathes but only a 1hp motor, I took the adjustable pulley off and disconnected the reeves drive. You could leave it all attached but leave the pulley set in one place that lets you use the VFD to its best ability.

Any way with it being such a short little machine with a 5HP motor on it I wonder what it was used to turn in its original application, do you know?

Have fun,

Jeff

[Richard Madison]

Check out the OWWM site. That might be a .5 (as in 1/2) hp motor.