# Delta 46-715 Lathe Refurbish Project



## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Getting the Lathe Home and Mapping the Process*

*The Lathe*










Here is the lathe. I bought it on Craigslist and got what I feel was a good deal. I went to Nashville and picked it up on Saturday. My plans are to replace the AC motor with a DC motor and make the lathe variable speed electronically.

*Empty Head*










This lathe has no drive pulleys. The Reeves drive broke and all the parts were trashed. So the headstock is empty except for the spindle and the indexing pin.

*Motor*










The AC motor is good so I will put it on eBay and sell it. I have a DC motor from a treadmill that is rated 2HP. I Googled how to take the flywheel off the motor and found that it screws on to the motor shaft with a lefthand tread. Well, if I want to reverse the direction, I will have to make sure the flywheel doesn't fly off. Pun intended. So, I drilled and tapped for a 1/4"-20 set screw and flattened the motor shaft where the screw contacts it.










*Motor Mount*
I will have to build a mount for the new motor. That looks like a simple task to build. I have to find some steel tubing and nuts n' bolts.

*Controller and Controls*










I found a MC-60 motor controller on eBay. All of the connections are labeled so it should be 'monkey-ready' to wire it up. I will need to obtain a couple of switches. One will be for the AC on/off, one will be for reversing the motor and one to switch the DC power to the motor. I bought a 250K liner pot to adjust the speed.










*Pulleys*
This lathe is a Type 1 version and has a 24mm spindle with a key. After looking online and calling some local suppliers, I have found the solution to the pulley issue. Now I will have to determine the size pulley I need.

I bought a laser tachometer and it should be here tomorrow. I will use it to determine the RPM's of the motor and with a pulley calculator I found online, I should be able to determine the size of the driven pulley.

The pulley I plan to use is of the type of a V-belt. The pulley on the motor is not a V-belt so I will have to machine the motor pulley to have a V. I think I have found an article on how to do that.

More to come. Thanks for joining me on this journey.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Getting the Lathe Home and Mapping the Process*
> 
> *The Lathe*
> 
> ...


You have been a busy feller. Be sure to keep up the posts as the project grows.
Bill


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## Nubsnstubs (Aug 30, 2013)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Getting the Lathe Home and Mapping the Process*
> 
> *The Lathe*
> 
> ...


If you are going to machine anything, machine a pulley for your spindle. Make your pulley to match the motor pulley. That's a J series shown and looks to be 2"OD. The belt needed, and readily availible at any belt supplier, would be a J 8 belt, because you can accomodate up to 8 grooves with that pulley.

I started with a motor similar to yours, and made a 4" od with a step down to 2". I used a piece of 2' long X 4" round stock,( steel for mine), but aluminum can be used. The grooves are 60°. I was going to give you the distances from center of each groove and the depth, but I can't remember. You can get that info from your belt supplier. The belt is a lot smoother than regular V belts. ............. Jerry (in Tucson)


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## mickeybob (Jan 8, 2015)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Getting the Lathe Home and Mapping the Process*
> 
> *The Lathe*
> 
> ...


That will be a nice lathe when you have it done. If you want to have a continuous readout on your rpm you can always add a cheap tach, this the type i have used before and they work well, and are very cheap.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Getting the Lathe Home and Mapping the Process*
> 
> *The Lathe*
> 
> ...


Thanks, Nubsnstubs. By the time I read your post about the pulleys, I had already ground the flywheel to 3/4". The pulley on the flywheel was originally 1.4" in diameter. Check my latest blogs. It seems to be working.

mickeybob, thanks for the link to the tach. May have to drop a few bucks for this one. I'll have to sneak it by the wife. She keeps asking me the total outlay for this machine.


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## db366 (Jul 2, 2014)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Getting the Lathe Home and Mapping the Process*
> 
> *The Lathe*
> 
> ...


Is there any way you can give me your source for your pulleys and sizes? I have the same lathe, just type 2. I believe it also has the 24mm spindle and I am trying to copy your design exactly.

Thanks
David


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## georgechamplin (Mar 15, 2015)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Getting the Lathe Home and Mapping the Process*
> 
> *The Lathe*
> 
> ...


If you're willing to remove the flywheel you can use a 17mm bore auto alternator pulley. That's the size of the shaft coming out of the treadmill motor. You can file a flat on the shaft and drill the pulley for a set screw.

I was lucky and had a dead alternator, I was able to mount the 2 1/2" pulley, fan and bushing from the alternator to the shaft without modification, except for grinding a flat for the set screw.

The whole sandwich, fan, backer disk and pulley is secured by a 1/2 - 13 left-hand thread nut I got at Ace Hardware for $1.85, and a lock washer. The thread on the flywheel is left-hand 1/2 -13. I was amazed!

Note: the fan will be rotating backwards, but I think it will still provide some cooling ventilation for the motor.


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## crmitchell (Jan 13, 2013)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Getting the Lathe Home and Mapping the Process*
> 
> *The Lathe*
> 
> ...


Would you share some photos of how the new motor is mounted?

I picked up a lathe in similar condition; the fellow had found a treadmill setup and had made a bracket for the control board and motor, but I don't see any good way to mount it with the bracket he made.

All have been sitting in a corner for a year while I got the new shop up and going. Built a stand for it (he kept the stand) today and am now ready to order a pulley for the arbor shaft.

Any help would be appreciated.

CM


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## oldhess (Aug 28, 2016)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Getting the Lathe Home and Mapping the Process*
> 
> *The Lathe*
> 
> ...


would love to see a pic with the motor mounted if you have it? I bought this lathe not knowing the pulley was broken Sad for me but I have a treadmill motor and a control box I plan to use. so I'd love a finished pic of yours. Thanks in advance


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## oldhess (Aug 28, 2016)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Getting the Lathe Home and Mapping the Process*
> 
> *The Lathe*
> 
> ...


One quick question. What's the difference between version 1,2&3? I would love to see a pic with the motor mounted if you have it? I bought this lathe not knowing the pulley was broken Sad for me but I have a treadmill motor and a control box I plan to use. so I'd love a finished pic of yours. Thanks in advance


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Tach, Toilet and Grinder*

The tachometer came in yesterday. Now, I'm ready to start working on determining the pulley sizes.

*I did read, understand and follow all the instructions that came with the my tachometer.* After putting the refective sticker on the flywheel of the motor, I was able to determine that the maximum speed of the motor is 6200 RPM's. That speed is about twice as fast as I need it so my pulley ratio should be around 1:2. I found a pulley calculator online and I have an idea of the sizes I want for the pulleys.

Now we get to the pulleys. I did consider cutting a V shape groove in the drive pulley but I am now oping to put a V pulley on the motor's flywheel. I found some 3/4" bore pulleys that will work fine so I needed to work on attaching this pulley. I tried to file the built-in pulley on the flywheel but I found that the pulley was winning that battle. So, as most of you would do, I went to Harbor Freight for my free tarp. At HF, a revelation came to me… use my angle grinder to rough out the flywheel and finish it off with a file. I did just that. Here is the results:










I took the flywheel off the motor I planned to use on the lathe and mounted it on the other treadmill motor I have. The grinder worked very well and then disaster struck. I told you in the earlier blog that if you reverse the motor there was a chance the flywheel would come off. It will; especially if you have taken the set screw out. That sucker hit the floor; spinning at an incredible speed. It ran across the shop and into the bathroom hitting the toilet and cracking the base. This is what I envisioned my face looked like as the free flywheel streaked across the floor:










And thinking back, it is exactly what I looked like. 5 minute epoxy. I hope I got it repaired.

The business that sells pulleys will be open in the morning so I'm off to buy pulleys. More tomorrow.


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## TraylorPark (Jan 9, 2014)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Tach, Toilet and Grinder*
> 
> The tachometer came in yesterday. Now, I'm ready to start working on determining the pulley sizes.
> 
> ...


Great Scott!! Sorry to hear about the issues, but thanks for the laugh. Hopefully you get it all sorted out, and when you do I might hit you up on some details. I'm planning on putting a treadmill motor on a lathe as well. Good luck.

Zach


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## mickeybob (Jan 8, 2015)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Tach, Toilet and Grinder*
> 
> The tachometer came in yesterday. Now, I'm ready to start working on determining the pulley sizes.
> 
> ...


That made me think of a game we played when I was in the navy. We called it "Danger Nut" ( I know, I know). But basically you put a large nut on the end of a screwdriver and then use 700 psi air blowing past one side to spin it then flick it off the end. With everything being made of metal and the nut being irregularly shaped, it would take very unpredictable paths hence the name. I was funny at the time but I have to admit not one of my brighter activities.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Tach, Toilet and Grinder*
> 
> The tachometer came in yesterday. Now, I'm ready to start working on determining the pulley sizes.
> 
> ...


Nice solution. I lucked out with my first treadmill motor as it has a V groove pulley. But my 2nd motor is nearly identical to yours and I have debated what to do about it.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*A Couple of Pulleys*

I bought the pulleys this morning and mounted the motor pulley on the flywheel only to find out it wobbled. BUMMER! The stub was about .005 too small. Well, I got another flywheel and reground the stub paying attention to stop grinding before I reached 3/4" and finish with a file. After drilling and tapping for the set screw, I mounted the 2-1/2" pulley and it runs sooooooo smooooooth!!










Now, on to the driven pulley. I bought a 24mm split tapered bushing and a 5-1/2" pulley. Since I have a Type 1 lathe, it requires a 24mm. I understand from articles, Type 2 lathes have the same size spindle but the Type 3 lathes have 22mm spindles as well as Type 1 and 2 lathes that have had repair kit pulleys and spindle installed. A quick measure with a set of calipers will verify the size.

I used the pulley calculator mentioned in earlier blog to determine the sizes of the pulleys and belt size. I should have about 2900 RPM top end.

The hand wheel was attached to the Reeves pulleys and since they are gone, I needed to devise a way to attach them to the driven pulley assembly. I sharpened the end of one of the old socket head screws and after positioning it in line with the split taper bushing, hit the end of the screw with a hammer and made a dimple on the bushing. I drilled and tapped the bushing for a 1/4"-20 screw. I reinstalled the bushing and the hand wheel and put in one socket head screw. I repeated the process for a second screw. I couldn't drill another hole in the bushing because of the existing holes in the bushing so I drilled and tapped the hand wheel for a set screw. I did insert another socket head screw and attached it to the hand wheel for even weighting.

After positioning the driven pulley where it lines up with the motor pulley, I screwed the bushing and pulley together and mounted the hand wheel to the spindle.




























In the photos you see the indexing pin. Since one of the Reeves pulleys had the indexing holes drilled in it, I don't have the feature of the lathe. I will continue to look for at least the indexing pulley. If I can find it, I will have a place to attached the hand wheel and have indexing. If you have an extra 24mm outer pulley with the indexing holes, please message me.

On to the motor mount.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *A Couple of Pulleys*
> 
> I bought the pulleys this morning and mounted the motor pulley on the flywheel only to find out it wobbled. BUMMER! The stub was about .005 too small. Well, I got another flywheel and reground the stub paying attention to stop grinding before I reached 3/4" and finish with a file. After drilling and tapping for the set screw, I mounted the 2-1/2" pulley and it runs sooooooo smooooooth!!
> 
> ...


As the Pope said to Michelangelo, "When will it be finished?" 
I want to use it.
Bill


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *A Couple of Pulleys*
> 
> I bought the pulleys this morning and mounted the motor pulley on the flywheel only to find out it wobbled. BUMMER! The stub was about .005 too small. Well, I got another flywheel and reground the stub paying attention to stop grinding before I reached 3/4" and finish with a file. After drilling and tapping for the set screw, I mounted the 2-1/2" pulley and it runs sooooooo smooooooth!!
> 
> ...


And as Michelangelo said to the Pope, "It's all up in the air. Who knows?"


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *A Couple of Pulleys*
> 
> I bought the pulleys this morning and mounted the motor pulley on the flywheel only to find out it wobbled. BUMMER! The stub was about .005 too small. Well, I got another flywheel and reground the stub paying attention to stop grinding before I reached 3/4" and finish with a file. After drilling and tapping for the set screw, I mounted the 2-1/2" pulley and it runs sooooooo smooooooth!!
> 
> ...


I don't think many people use indexing pins, I don't use mine; but you can make them.


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## Pete_LJ (May 11, 2016)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *A Couple of Pulleys*
> 
> I bought the pulleys this morning and mounted the motor pulley on the flywheel only to find out it wobbled. BUMMER! The stub was about .005 too small. Well, I got another flywheel and reground the stub paying attention to stop grinding before I reached 3/4" and finish with a file. After drilling and tapping for the set screw, I mounted the 2-1/2" pulley and it runs sooooooo smooooooth!!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the clear photos on your 46-715 repower project. I am about to take on the same conversion on my 46-715 but I think am going to try to use the 6 rib belt and the original pulley on the treadmill motor.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Indexing and Controls*

After a battle with a head and chest cold and a woodworkers club meeting, I'm back working on the lathe.

I found that at least someone is reading this blog. I heard from one of our Lumberjocks, Fred Borden, over the weekend. He has bought one of these little Delta jewels with trashed Reeves drives. Fred is persuing a little different tack on restoring his 46-715. I hope he will blog his journey and give us another option for these lathes.

Well, I have to report Fred is a great guy too!!! His lathe has an intact indexing pulley and he is sending it to me for my refurbish project and donating it to my lathe project. Thanks, Fred!!!!!










I went tonight to my local Radio Shack and picked up various parts for the new control panel. I will have a switch and light indicator for the AC power, a potentiometer for varying the lathe's speed, a rocker switch for reversing the lathes rotation, and a switch to turn the lathe on and off without having to reset the potentiometer. Plus, a box to put all these controls in.










I guess I had better brush up on my soldering skills.

The motor mount is still waiting on steel but I think I have that under control. A guy at my work is working on obtaining the necessary metal. Thanks, Donny.

Thanks for keeping up.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Indexing and Controls*
> 
> After a battle with a head and chest cold and a woodworkers club meeting, I'm back working on the lathe.
> 
> ...


I've got my eyes on this project. Maybe you can do a change-over on my Grizz if the Reeves ever goes toes up.
Bill


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Motor Mount and Indexing Pulley*

Today was a good day. Received the indexing pulley from Fred Borden in the mail. Thanks, Fred. Installed it on the lathe and it works great. May need to be turned and trued up a bit. It must have had a hard life. No problem to do it.

A friend needed a treadmill to be disposed of and wouldn't you know it, it had a motor mount that I could use. After cutting the motor mount off the frame with a grinder, I put it on the motor and Shazam… it works perfect.

I need to get a belt for the lathe tomorrow but in the meantime, I borrowed the link belt from my bandsaw so I could finish mounting the motor.

Here is what the headstock looks like today.









Now I will need to build the control box and look at some sort of cover for the motor. The old cover won't fit without major modifications.


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## paramount (Sep 30, 2010)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Motor Mount and Indexing Pulley*
> 
> Today was a good day. Received the indexing pulley from Fred Borden in the mail. Thanks, Fred. Installed it on the lathe and it works great. May need to be turned and trued up a bit. It must have had a hard life. No problem to do it.
> 
> ...


It's lookig good! Marty.
I'm Glad you could use it.
Fred


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Fire that puppy up for a test run*

After mounting the motor and installing a temporary belt, I plugged in the controls and tested the lathe. It runs very well and smooth. I think it will run even smoother with a segmented v-belt. I'll run to the auto part store tomorrow afternoon and pick one up. I hope they have one to fit.

Here is a video of the lathe running. The maximum speed of the lathe is going to be 2865 RPMs. Not quite fast enough for turning pens, in my opinion, but fast enough for table legs and spindles. I hope it will have enough power to do some bowl turning. Time will tell.

http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf


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## putty (Jan 1, 2014)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Fire that puppy up for a test run*
> 
> After mounting the motor and installing a temporary belt, I plugged in the controls and tested the lathe. It runs very well and smooth. I think it will run even smoother with a segmented v-belt. I'll run to the auto part store tomorrow afternoon and pick one up. I hope they have one to fit.
> 
> ...


.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Fire that puppy up for a test run*
> 
> After mounting the motor and installing a temporary belt, I plugged in the controls and tested the lathe. It runs very well and smooth. I think it will run even smoother with a segmented v-belt. I'll run to the auto part store tomorrow afternoon and pick one up. I hope they have one to fit.
> 
> ...


Whoa!!! That puppy turns up some Rs.
Have ya figured out the speed ranges?
Bill


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Fire that puppy up for a test run*
> 
> After mounting the motor and installing a temporary belt, I plugged in the controls and tested the lathe. It runs very well and smooth. I think it will run even smoother with a segmented v-belt. I'll run to the auto part store tomorrow afternoon and pick one up. I hope they have one to fit.
> 
> ...


Bill, the lathe goes from 0 to 2865 RPMs.


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## wkerr (Jan 12, 2011)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Fire that puppy up for a test run*
> 
> After mounting the motor and installing a temporary belt, I plugged in the controls and tested the lathe. It runs very well and smooth. I think it will run even smoother with a segmented v-belt. I'll run to the auto part store tomorrow afternoon and pick one up. I hope they have one to fit.
> 
> ...


I did a similar conversion on an HF lathe and retained the reeves adjustable pulley in the headstock which has provided a considerable amount more of speed/torque adjustment. One of these days I'll decide what the right speed range really is and go to a single pulley, but for now I find having the flexibility is nice.


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## rosebud54 (Jul 29, 2015)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Fire that puppy up for a test run*
> 
> After mounting the motor and installing a temporary belt, I plugged in the controls and tested the lathe. It runs very well and smooth. I think it will run even smoother with a segmented v-belt. I'll run to the auto part store tomorrow afternoon and pick one up. I hope they have one to fit.
> 
> ...


I am new to the Lumberjocks site and come across your rebuild ,I recently purchased 46-715 and have been looking for the shaft for the variable speed control. wondering if you may have it in your left over parts.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Fire that puppy up for a test run*
> 
> After mounting the motor and installing a temporary belt, I plugged in the controls and tested the lathe. It runs very well and smooth. I think it will run even smoother with a segmented v-belt. I'll run to the auto part store tomorrow afternoon and pick one up. I hope they have one to fit.
> 
> ...


*FOR SOME REASON MY VIDEO DISAPPEARED. Sorry.*

Click here for the video of the Lathe running.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*

The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.

I also made another change to the controls. I replaced the 250K pot with a 10K pot. I get a better separation between the speeds.

Here is the pictures of the final mounted control box.


















The black toggle switch is for the AC on and off, the light next to it indicates the AC is on, the rocker switch is for reversing the direction of the rotation, the black knob is to adjust the speed of the lathe, and the red toggle switch is to turn the motor on and off.

The indexing pulley still needs truing. I mounted it on the 'new' lathe with my Nova Midi Chuck and turned it with Easy Wood Tools Rougher with a cutter with a slight radius. Wow, those things cut cast zinc very well. I have zinc shavings allover the shop.

Here are before and after photos.

Before:









After:


















Now, the next step is to put a scale on the potentiometer.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...





> I replaced the 250K pot with a 10K pot. I get a better separation between the speeds.
> - Sawdustonmyshoulder


Hmm, will have to check which pot I used. Not sure what you mean by separation of speeds on a variable speed motor. Do you mean the speed increase is more even across the band?


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## altendky (May 7, 2012)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


As you found out the hard way, the actual IC driver chips have their builtin heat pads attached in such a way that they go AC hot sometimes. It's always annoying to deal with when you have to use external heat sinks… Just keep in mind with your insulation that you are possibly/probably isolating full AC voltage. Ditto when you open the box.

Also, what motor controller were you using? That could help understand why the 10k pot is better.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


Rick M, if you visualize the pot turns 360 degrees and see it as a clock face. My effective range, 500 RPMs to 2800 RPM was from 9 o'clock to 12 o'clock with the 250K pot. Now with the 10K pot, that range looks more like 3 o'clock to 12 o'clock. So my scale is much more usable. Hope that helps.

altendky, I am using the MC-60 motor controller from a treadmill. The box that the controller and controls are in is aluminum. I did ground it to the green wire in the incoming AC cord. I would hope that that would make the box safer if the AC got into it. I'm a woodworker first and an electrician about ninth. Any help from someone more adept at electricity would be greatly appreciated.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


I was just wonderin'. How high did ya jump when everything incinerated?
Sure is lookin' good.
Bill


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


Bill, that pop was much compared to what I run into at work.

http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...





> Rick M, if you visualize the pot turns 360 degrees and see it as a clock face. My effective range, 500 RPMs to 2800 RPM was from 9 o clock to 12 o clock with the 250K pot. Now with the 10K pot, that range looks more like 3 o clock to 12 o clock. So my scale is much more usable. Hope that helps.


Here is the scale I made for mine. 
http://lumberjocks.com/wormil/blog/35680

The power band is fairly even and it uses the full 270° or so of the pot. The pot size I used is in one of my blog posts but I can't remember which one.

Are you using the choke from the treadmill?



> altendky, I am using the MC-60 motor controller from a treadmill. The box that the controller and controls are in is aluminum. I did ground it to the green wire in the incoming AC cord. I would hope that that would make the box safer if the AC got into it. I m a woodworker first and an electrician about ninth. Any help from someone more adept at electricity would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> - Sawdustonmyshoulder


Follow my wiring diagram and no more surprises:
http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-to-get-variable-speed-on-cheap.html

Great looking control box, much better than mine.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


Rick M, I looked at the wiring diagram. Got a question. You are showing the AC running into the motor through the blue wires and then to the MC-60 AC in port. What is the advantage or purpose of this?


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


The black wire should be switched/fused. That is how both of mine were wired from the factory plus the board is labeled. When I took the treadmills apart I sketched the wiring and took photos then later made the wiring diagram so I wouldn't forget and to maybe help others. There were also daughter boards involved but they aren't necessary for my use. The daughter boards controlled displays and other motors. I grounded the motor to the main ground from the plug, those are the only things that should have a ground wire.


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## georgechamplin (Mar 15, 2015)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


I'm in the process of converting a Rockwell 46-111 to use a treadmill motor. I stripped down a treadmill with a 1.5 hp motor and an MC-40 board, which is very similar to the MC-60 board in that it can use a simple pot to control speed. I salvaged the pot.

My board has a heatsink attached, it looks like it's isolated from the board except for 5 black components along one side which are screwed to the heatsink.

My board was screwed directly to the frame of the treadmill which was grounded to the green wire from the power cord. So it looked grounded to me.

Here's the motor and ground wire.










And here's the board screwed to the same horizontal bar. The screw is under the blue wire.










So, do I need to isolate the control board when I install it?


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


Mine was also mounted in an aluminum channel, I just left it that way.


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## QHC (Dec 16, 2016)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


I know this is an old thread, but I'm having trouble finding a 90VDC 15-20Amp switch to use for the reversing switch. Anyone have a source?


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


Search for a DPDT (on/off/on) 20A toggle switch, you'll want one rated for 120V.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


The video of the lathe running has disappeared. Sorry.

Click here to see the video on YouTube.


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## Pete_LJ (May 11, 2016)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *Controls Done and Turning Zinc!!*
> 
> The control box is done and mounted. I found a few things out the hard way. One was you don't ground the motor controller. Man, the flash and the smoke! Well, that was a motor controller down the drain. Luckily, I had a spare. Upon a little research, DON'T GROUND THE MOTOR CONTROLLER'S HEAT SINK. The box I bought was aluminum, so I had to isolate the motor controller from the box. Nylon screws, washers and bolts was the solution to the grounding issue. I did ground the aluminum box but made sure the motor controller was well insulated away from the grounding wire and metal box.
> 
> ...


*"I know this is an old thread, but I'm having trouble finding a 90VDC 15-20Amp switch to use for the reversing switch. Anyone have a source?"*

Ebay reversing drum switch (from China) is about $10.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

*It's done!!! Ready to start turning!!!*

I got it done. The only thing I might do is paint the additional parts on the motor cover battleship gray.

The scale was made with a clear self-adhesive shipping label. I got out my tachometer and made a test run and marked the speeds on the lathe. I then took a photo of this pencil scale head-on and laid out on my computer the scale. I made a printout and went to OfficeMax and they copied it on the shipping label for 68 cents. Can't beat that!



















I put the switch for the DC power on the side of the control box because I plan on using this lathe as a duplicator. The duplicator will be mounted on the backside of the lathe so I can't switch the motor from the front or the back.

The motor cover cuts down on the noise of the motor tremendously. I'm really glad I worked all day Saturday building it out of MDF. I think I'll paint it.

Here are photos of the final build. Thanks for following this project. If you want to convert a lathe, feel free to contact me.


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## paramount (Sep 30, 2010)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *It's done!!! Ready to start turning!!!*
> 
> I got it done. The only thing I might do is paint the additional parts on the motor cover battleship gray.
> 
> ...


Looks great!
You did a good job.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *It's done!!! Ready to start turning!!!*
> 
> I got it done. The only thing I might do is paint the additional parts on the motor cover battleship gray.
> 
> ...


Yeah that is awesome. Now I want to redo my control panel and build a motor cover. The motor is loud.


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## Dutchy (Jun 18, 2012)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *It's done!!! Ready to start turning!!!*
> 
> I got it done. The only thing I might do is paint the additional parts on the motor cover battleship gray.
> 
> ...


You did a great job, and also made me glad that you shared it. THANK YOU.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *It's done!!! Ready to start turning!!!*
> 
> I got it done. The only thing I might do is paint the additional parts on the motor cover battleship gray.
> 
> ...


Thanks for taking us along, hello favorites!


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *It's done!!! Ready to start turning!!!*
> 
> I got it done. The only thing I might do is paint the additional parts on the motor cover battleship gray.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing. When (or IF ) I find a treadmill motor, I'll be converting mine.


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## LJackson (Jan 13, 2014)

Sawdustonmyshoulder said:


> *It's done!!! Ready to start turning!!!*
> 
> I got it done. The only thing I might do is paint the additional parts on the motor cover battleship gray.
> 
> ...


I just read this whole series. Wow, this is awesome. And intimidating. I'd love to do a conversion myself, but I don't think I have the skill, time, patience, knowledge, or resources to do it.


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