# Motor upgrade on lathe.



## mickeybob (Jan 8, 2015)

I received a harbor freight 14×40 lathe for Christmas. It is definitely a cheap lathe but perfect for something to learn on and see if I want to shell out 2k on a nice lathe later. The thing that really bugs me about the lathe is the speeds. It's slowest speed is over 900rpm and in order to change speeds you have to loosen bolts. I have already decided to replace the motor with a more powerful one that I can run a speed controller on. I have been looking around for a used treadmill motor but after thinking about I realized I have an extra 2hp brushed motor with a speed control already. The only problem is that the speed range is 0-28000 rpm's. I have a set of custom fabricated pulley's that i could use that would give me a 10 to 1 speed reduction which would give my lathe a speed range of 0-2800 which seems like it would be about perfect. What I am concerned about is whether or not the router motor will be able to have enough torque as slow speeds to properly power the lathe. Has anyone here tried using a router motor as a power source for their lathe? I have a hall effect rpm sensor and digital readout that i would be adding as well. I figure i will fabricate a control panel that can swing out from the table with a master on/off, a speed control knob, a tachometer and an emergency off switch. Any thoughts that any of you have would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


----------



## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

mickeybob, I am in the middle of a lathe refurb where I am fitting a lathe with a 2HP treadmill motor with a MC-60 motor controller. The speeds are quite a bit more manageable than using a router motor. MHO would be not to use a motor that is turning that fast for a lathe.

I am blogging it on LJ. Hope this helps. Click here to view.


----------



## Nubsnstubs (Aug 30, 2013)

Mickeybob, I just replied to sawdust, and what I stated could apply to you also…. Jerry (in Tucson)


----------



## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Sounds as if you're spending a bunch for an upgrade.
My Grizz has the Reeves drive and, if kept clean and lubed, will work for a long time.
Bill


----------



## mickeybob (Jan 8, 2015)

Thanks for the replies. I have been looking at using a treadmill motor as well, the main reason I am trying to see if I can do it with a 28000 rpm router motor is that I already have everything I need, including custom machined pulleys. I have found that with the reduction ratio my belt speed is just below the max speed for the belt i would be using. Basically I just don't know what kind of torque that I will be getting from that motor. I would hate to build the whole thing then have to rebuild for a different motor.

Jerry that is the setup my Pulleys have belt wise.

Bill This would be an expensive upgrade, especially on such a cheap lathe, but I already have everything just sitting around collecting dust, and honestly I just like building random things. I figure when I go on to bigger and better lathes the parts are still reusable.


----------



## ChuckC (May 13, 2010)

HF has a router speed controller for about $15. I wonder if that would work?


----------



## mickeybob (Jan 8, 2015)

ChuckC That is the speed controller I have attached to that router, it actually works really well. I just dont need that router anymore so I thought I might as well try to use the motor for something.


----------



## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I suspect the weak link would be the belt when it comes to torque.
Is that a cog belt? How wide?


----------



## mickeybob (Jan 8, 2015)

Well it looks like I will be going with a treadmill motor after all, I was over at my in laws house putting in their New dishwasher and while down in the basement to shut off the water I looked over and back in a corner was a treadmill. They haven't used it in years and said if I was willing to drag it out that it was mine. I love free stuff.


----------



## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I don't think you would have the torque you're looking for at lower speeds, like under 500 rpm. If you are able to find a treadmill motor that would work best, despite having closer to 1 - 1.5hp a motor around 3000rpm will be making much more torque than a motor making 2hp at nearly 30000rpm. The noise could be a problem too as the scream typical of most routers would be enough to make any future turner take up whittling instead.


----------



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

When you say "router motor" do you mean a shaper motor? I've never heard of a router having a separate motor. Is it an induction motor? Is it loud like a router, because I would get sick of that in about a minute.


----------



## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

I've had bad luck finding a treadmill motor to use.. I keep getting treadmills for free that are in too perfect condition, and I just can't bring myself to tear them apart. I keep hoping to find one with a smashed up control panel or otherwise in bad shape, but so far, no luck 

Cheers,
Brad


----------



## exelectrician (Oct 3, 2011)

Tread mill walk on base make a great router table! The slick melamine, and the strength of the core is amazing, and they are usually free!


----------



## mickeybob (Jan 8, 2015)

So any of you that have used a treadmill motor, do you just use a 1 to 1 drive ratio?


----------



## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I am using a "treadmill duty" Baldor 1hp motor on my old craftsman lathe. The motor and spindle have four step pulleys installed and while I could run 1:1, I have it set up with the greatest reduction. I leave it this way as I don't do many small turnings and when roughing bigger stuff the additional torque is needed. The motor can spin up to roughly 4000rpm which is far more than I need, with the reduction set up the way it is, my maximum spindle speed is around 1200 - 1350rpm.


----------



## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

One of the best places I've seen to find treadmill motors is in thrift shops like Goodwill, Restores, etc. They always get used exercise equipment in, and it sells cheap. They usually always test them since they cannot sell ones that are running poorly, or are burned out. I just saw one a day ago in a Habitat For Humanity Store that was rather hefty, for under $50. Plus, like exelectrician said, you get that great walking platform to work with also.


----------



## Nubsnstubs (Aug 30, 2013)

I started with a 2 hp treadmill motor at 3208 rpm. It had a 2" J 8 drive pulley. Since I have a friend with machine tools, mill and lathe, I made a 2 and 4" step pulley for the lathe spindle, and an extension 2" pulley for the motor. I did not have a lack of torque at any speed.
In Arizona we don't get a lot of bad weather, so I work outdoors under a patio roof. About 4 years ago, I went on a rockhounding trip for 2 weeks. I forgot to cover the control panel, and the sun burned it out. So now, I'm using a 2 hp 3ph motor with a VFD. I don't have the low end torque I had with the treadmill motor….. 
If you can get a spindle pulley made to accept the J series belts, it will be a lot smoother than V belts. Leave the flywheel pully on the motor.
If you can't get a spindle pulley made, you can still use the J series motor pulley with a regular V belt as long as the motor shaft is 100% aligned with the spindle pulley. I did that for about 3 months before I made the pulleys stated above. 
The number on the J belts indicates the number of grooves. A J 4 belt has 4 grooves, and mine is a J 8, but I made 10 grooves on my pulleys for easier allignment. These size belts are easy to find in larger towns and cities. ............. Jerry (in Tucson)


----------



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

> So any of you that have used a treadmill motor, do you just use a 1 to 1 drive ratio?
> 
> - mickeybob


No. I don't know the ratio but it's not 1:1. My lathe has a 3 step pulley so I just chose the one that gave me a good speed range, from about 250-3000.


----------



## mickeybob (Jan 8, 2015)

Here is the mc 60 motor controller and the motor from the lathe, i just did a quick pull apart today.


----------



## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Link to wiring diagram for an MC-60, if anyone is interested.
http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-to-get-variable-speed-on-cheap.html


----------



## mickeybob (Jan 8, 2015)

Wiring diagrams are always handy to have, thank you.


----------

