Yates American #12 Wood Lathe - electrical speed control - need help

[Greg Gill]

Does anyone currently use a Yates American #12 Wood lathe that has an electrical variable speed control?
I think it is 3 phase.
I just purchased one and don't have any information on the electrical motor. There is nothing visable or underneath
several coats of paint. Help !!

I also tried to upload a couple of pics but got error message each time I tried.

Regards,

Greg

[Brian Effinger]

Greg - you should post this in the Turners forum. It is below General Woodworking forum on the main page.

[adam breuer]

The "Everything Electrical" section of OWWM.org has a ton of threads devoted to doing what you're trying to do.

In short, you will need:

All of your motor info. People there can help you by matching your motor to theirs if you cant read the plate, but you should definitely try to read the plate

A VFD. Read lots before you buy, but a TECO JNEV sized for your motor's HP is probably ideal for this application (FM-50 would be OK, but JNEV gives you sensorless vector control, which means much better torque across speeds -- you want this in a lathe). You can buy a VFD that takes 230V single phase in and puts out 230V 3-phase. This is probably what you want, although some other options exist.

READ ABOUT VFD WIRING SUPER CAREFULLY. It's really simple, but instructions tend to be awful. If you do something wrong (like put a switch or shutoff between the VFD output and the motor) you will destroy your new $200 VFD.


If you plan and read carefully, you will be able to set up your machine so that it runs on single phase, has soft start and electronic brakes, variable speed, and you can use your original machine on/off switch (again, you will NOT wire this between the motor and VFD, but rather on a separate 24v control circuit with VFD). I have this setup on a large band saw -- it's fantastic.

PM me if you need more info.

[adam breuer]

I forgot to mention -- the Yates 12 is an awesome lathe...what a beast!

[Brian Weick]

PICTURES or a link? http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/free-random-smileys-1046.gif (http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=3060fc7ffb3b6d570042ee19e8cd34e0&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.contractortalk.com%2Ff22%2Fem oticon-thread-94323%2Findex2%2F&v=1&libid=1328135426050&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.easyfreesmileys.com%2Fskype-emoticons.html&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.contractortalk.com%2Ff22%2Fem oticon-thread-94323%2F&title=The Emoticon Thread. - Page 2 - Off Topic (Non Trade) - Contractor Talk&txt=&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13281354785061)



B.

[Stephen Cherry]

Do you have a specific question? I have helped with some speed controls, and may be able to help.

[Brian Weick]

I have a suggestion,
Most spec tags on motors are stamped into the plate. Get some paint stripper and apply it over the tag(s) and you should be able to see What the specifications are on your motor after the paint is removed.


B,

[Greg Gill]

I continue to get an error mesage when I upload a pic or file from using tool bar.

Thanks

Greg

[Brian Weick]

When you upload picture, hit the GO ADVANCED at the bottom of the page and you will see a new dialog box with options , ATTACHMENTS ..., click manage attachments and a new dialog box will open click ADD fILES.....and go to the location on your computer where they are- you can dump 8 at a time if you wish to....




B,

[Greg Gill]

Followed your instructions. It starts to process and then I get an error message.

Regards,

Greg

[Brian Weick]

What is the size of the picture Greg ? What type of error message are you getting?




B,

[Danny Buie]

There is a little info on OWWM.com
http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=782&tab=3

This lathe will probably be a three phase four speed: 600, 1200, 1800, and 3600 RPM

There was a pair of these in the high school shop and it was one of my favorite tools. This was in the late 60s and they were old then. This was my first OWWM love. I did a lot of faceplate turning and one of my bowls is in the kitchen.

The advice on the VFD is good. You will want to select one motor speed and use the VFD for speed control. This will give you infinitely varable speed control and will also allow you get well below the 600 RPM minimum with the stock setup. I also recommend the sensorless vector contol for the low end torque it will provide.

Nice lathe!

Danny Buie
Baton Rouge, LA