View Full Version : How do you measure lathe speed?
Tim Leo
01-14-2005, 11:41 AM
I have a Delta 1440 lathe that has a mechanical variable speed mechanism, and I would like to know how fast the machine is turning. Any ideas for a method to measure the speed?
I thought of using something like an old record player with the stroboscopic effect on a disk, but I couldn't get it to work. I need some new ideas, and figured this would be the place...
thanks
Robert Cox
01-14-2005, 12:56 PM
You want a non contact tachometer for that.
Harbor Freight has 2 for $70.
A quick check of the wood sites didn't get results.
Richard Allen
01-14-2005, 4:16 PM
Hi Tim
Why do you want to know the speed? Isn't there some sort of indication of the speed on the reves handle? As I recall that lathe has a bottom end speed of to fast and a high end speed of to slow with every speed in between being just right.
You could get a length of fishing line and wind it on a spindle (or bowl) of a known diameter and measure how long it takes to exhaust that length of fishing line. That and a little math should give you a good idea what the speed was.
Basicly if the speed of the piece on the lathe scares you then it is to fast. If you aren;t getting clean cuts with a sharp tool then you are likely turning to slow.
Good Luck
John Shuk
01-14-2005, 6:37 PM
Here is an article by Alan Lacer that touches on this subject. Have a read.
http://www.alanlacer.com/articles/speed_zone.html
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