8x14 lathe mods

[TroyO]

I've done a ton, but i figured I'd post a couple that folks may find interesting.

First up is the variable speed tradmill motor upgrade. The mechanics were dead easy... just drilled/tapped and put studs in to fit the new motor.

Electronics took a bit longer... mostly just lots of wiring.

First pic... added a light to the lathe, which has been nice if a bit bulky.

Second pic.... this was my answer to making sure I stopped the motor before reversing (Which will blow the controller and/or demagnatize the motor.) Opening the fighter jet style interlock cover flips the top switch which cuts the magnetic switch's magnet and opens the circuit. The Fwd/Rev switch is whats under the interlock.

Third pic is of the controller and fan mounted in an old cash box.


Some of the wiring details may be of interest as well. The magnetic switch has a "keep alive" line that will open the switch f power is lost. I used that feature to shorten some of the high power wiring by running the keep alive feed through the motor's thermal switch and the interlock switch.

Either one opens and it shuts the power down and you have to turn the magnetic switch back on. Also note that there's a regular household outlet back there. One is always on, the other is on/off with switch. The always on will eventually run the DRO, the other one may get used here soon for a motor fan. It does overheat if I push it hard. (The fan on the motor used to be on the treadmill flywheel which was removed.)

Edit: Some typos/fixed some less than clear verbage

 

[TroyO]

Here's some pics showing the different gearing... even with varaible speed this comes in handy, especially for the low gear for threading/etc.

I originally just had the belt drive direct... but I found low speed torque was a bit lacking. So, in an amazing stroke of luck I realized the answer was dead easy... flip the drive pulley and put the intermediate pulley back on! It gives me the ranges I need. It's almost always in the middle, except when threading.

Pic 1 is the new setup at 50-1000
Pic 2 is 90-1600 RPM
Pic 3 is 220-3300
Pic 4 was how I had it at first

 

[TroyO]

This one is all about the monster chuck.. LOL.

Pic 1 and 2 show how I worked the cast iron blank... tapped/threaded for 3/4-10 and used allthread through the spindle to bolt it in place. It held it on the bare spindle just fine.

Pic 3 shows the backplate finished... notice the set screws around the perimeter? Those index on the outside of the spindle... kind of a poor man's Set Tru(ish) feature. I was able to dial it in to .0001 on a 3/4 bar. (That doesn't solve everything unless you set it each and every time... but it sure beats the .004 advertised spec.)

Finall #4 is the beast in place and aligned up.

Overall cost was probably around $130, including chuck, cast iron blank and misc hardware.

That 6" is chuck is BIG... holds way more than the stock one. It also works smoother, clamps better and runs more true.

Edit: LOL... would be nice if I included the pics I referenced, huh?

 

[itowbig]

nice man i have one of those and i really like the big chuck idea to. would like to see more people's mods of these lathes

 

[Chazz]

Cool stuff Troy, what are those different looking belts you have there? (they don't look lilke the stock\replacement belts I have)

Thanks for the info,
Chazz

 

[TroyO]

Those are "Link belts". They are often used on woodworking equipment to reduce vibration, figured it might be a nice thing to try. You can also customize the length, which is handy.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Power-Twist-Plu...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4147ab32ee

All told, one day I will measure them and order regular rubber replacements. They are directional for one, and I'm not sure they really help in this application.

Interestingly, I heard they first hit the market as a emergency fan belt replacement.