So I picked up and got a 90 running with a VFD and the original 1hp motor, used it for almost a year, and so far only 2 complaints:

Low torque - When I'm turning big bowls, anything beyond 9", I really can't get aggressive before the motor starts to bog and the blank slows down. I'm only using a 3/8" bowl gouge, fingernail grind, 100% motor power, speed reduced by the reeves drive. On green hardwoods like ash or maple, I can barely get a 1/8" push cut going before I have to let off. It just takes extra time to rough out. I'm looking to purchase a bigger gouge to speed things up, but I've held off simply because I don't think I have enough motor. The VFD I think can go up to a 3hp, and it's a jack shaft version, so I think I could swap the motor - I'm just wondering if I should. Has anyone done that, or is there something else I could do to ease the bogging problem (technique, tooling, etc) or just live with it until my bowls buy me a Robust.

The Reeves drive has a mind of it's own - It stays in the slowest speed setting, but pushing it up 1/4 turn results in it not staying put and it increases speed slowly from there to about 3/4. It takes a couple minutes, but it's like turning with a runaway train as the speed increases. The only thing I did to this was take out the limit switch on the inside, but I doubt that had any effect on this. I was thinking about roughing up the contact areas or installing some sort of locking lever to the casing. Again, just wondering if anyone else had this problem or have come up with a solution.

Thanks.