Frank Hasty
05-22-2012, 1:55 AM
I've been turning about three years using a 50's vintage Craftsman lathe with a couple of 3 step sheaves for speed variation. My motor is single phase, 1/2hp capacitor start. When I got to trying to hollow a bowl through a relatively small opening in the top I thought "It sure would be easier to do this with the rotation reversed." So a year or so ago I looked on line and bought a reversing switch for about $25.
I love it.
Wiring the beast would be a snap for an electrician but it took me several hours to figure out how to do it. Two wires inside the motor junction box control direction of rotation and as I recall these are numbered 5 and 8. To change rotation you switch these two wires and that is what the switch does. On my lathe I stop the motor, flip the reversing switch and restart.
Some people said reverse rotation is dangerous but I can't see how it could be any more dangerous than normal turning. I have had no problems and it certainly makes hollowing a lot easier.
Before you try this get some help from an electrician to make sure you don't start tripping breakers or electrocute yourself. Make sure everything is "right" with a 1.5V battery and a multimeter before you put 120V power on it, and don't attempt it with a three phase motor.
Somewhere here on "the Creek" is an article about reversing rotation of a variable speed motor on a Grizzly lathe. I saw it once and plan to add a reversing switch to a new Grizzly lathe that I just bought. It looked like a much simpler modification than the one required for a 1ph. A/C motor.
Hope I can find that article again as I don't know my way around the creek very well.
I love it.
Wiring the beast would be a snap for an electrician but it took me several hours to figure out how to do it. Two wires inside the motor junction box control direction of rotation and as I recall these are numbered 5 and 8. To change rotation you switch these two wires and that is what the switch does. On my lathe I stop the motor, flip the reversing switch and restart.
Some people said reverse rotation is dangerous but I can't see how it could be any more dangerous than normal turning. I have had no problems and it certainly makes hollowing a lot easier.
Before you try this get some help from an electrician to make sure you don't start tripping breakers or electrocute yourself. Make sure everything is "right" with a 1.5V battery and a multimeter before you put 120V power on it, and don't attempt it with a three phase motor.
Somewhere here on "the Creek" is an article about reversing rotation of a variable speed motor on a Grizzly lathe. I saw it once and plan to add a reversing switch to a new Grizzly lathe that I just bought. It looked like a much simpler modification than the one required for a 1ph. A/C motor.
Hope I can find that article again as I don't know my way around the creek very well.