Convert Oliver 159 Lathe to Variable Speed
rekoch
| Posted in Turning and Carving on
I recently purchased an Oliver #159 wood turning lathe. I’d like to turn large bowls on this lathe but the lowest speed is 900 rpm. I have 3 phase power in my shop. Can anyone suggest what type of 3 phase motor and controller I should purchase to make this conversion. I’m a complete wood head and have very little knowledge of electronics so use little words in your response. thanks
Replies
is the motor a part of the headstock on that lathe or is the motor isolated.
I also have 3 phase in my shop and I have a 3hp 3 phase motor driving it. I run 208volt single phase to it and I use an a/c invertor to convert it back to 3 phase. the invertor is also my speed control from 0-3000+ rpm
on my small lathe I have a 2 hp dc shunt motor single phase 208 volt with a multi-contol dc drive motor controller; 0-3000 again
ron
The motor is on the back side of the headstock and is belt driven. Sort of a side by side arrangement.
then change the motor and use the appropriate controller
ron
Change the motor and use the appropriate controller. I've been looking at the Grainger website for motors and controllers but I have no idea what to order. There are dozens of types of three phase motors and controllers. I'll have to get some help from someone who understands these things.
Thanks for the advice.
what do you have on there for a motor now. where abouts are you.
ron. if you don't know that, then a picture of the motor and or copy the info off the plate on the motor
ron
I haven't picked up the lathe
I haven't picked up the lathe yet but I think it is a 1 hp 220v single phase motor. The owner is David Marks you may remember him from his TV show Wood Works on DIY. I've worked for him on several projects. He has an excess of lathes in his shop and offered this one for sale. David lives in Santa Rosa, CA and I live in Placerville, CA. I'm not going back to Santa Rosa until the Feb. 22nd so I won't have exact info on the motor until then.
Bob
there are quite a few different types of motor is what I am getting to ,like frames for mounting and that. there is afellow in seattle that specializes in motors and control for lathes. when you get it give us the info.
no I don't know who he is
ron
Glad I read more after the first post. I was going to say I've seen David Mark use the same machine. One VERY talented WW. I love what he does with what he has, Though not a complete fan of some of his styles, but techniques are superb.
You really can't judge David
You really can't judge David by the work that he did on his TV show. He had to keep it simple for a half hour show. The work I have seen him do is very unique and artful. Especially his large vessel turnings. Take a look at his website - http://www.djmarks.com. His latest award winning projects are posted on his site. Also information on his school. He is a great teacher and a great guy to hang out in the shop with.
If you haven't figured out
If you haven't figured out the solution to your problem yet, you need to check out this site......www.factorymation.com. They can hook you up with whatever you need to control the speed of your a/c motor. I don't know what setup you're currently running, as I didn't take the time to read this thread, but they can hook you up with a variable speed control phase converter that you can completely control the speed of the motor with. I'll say nothing more....just go check out the sight, and get in touch with their service reps.. It's a well respected company.
I've been getting kind of
I've been getting kind of mixed advice on this subject. On another forum I was told that you can't put a variable speed controller on a single phase motor only 3 phase. Unfortunately the motor on this Oliver #159 is 220v single phase. I don't really need a phase converter in the controller because I have 3 phase power in my shop. I'll check out http://www.factorymation.com. Thanks to all who have tried to help.
In your original post, you mentioned
"Can anyone suggest what type of 3 phase motor and controller I should purchase to make this conversion."
From this question, I gathered you understood that you needed a 3 phase motor already. The link I gave you can supply you with that, as well as a variable speed controller to solve your problem. If you're going to change your mind and run with single phase, then my suggestion is useless.
The solution to your problem is exactly what I suggested. To the best of my knowledge, a 220V single phase motor should not be variably adjusted, as it will burn up the motor quickly.
If you talk to the very knowledgeable reps at factorymation, they can tell you exactly what you need.
Jeff
Yes that's exactly what I'll
Yes that's exactly what I'll do as soon as I get the lathe. I just misunderstood some advice from another source. I checked out the factorymation website looks like a good source.
Thanks - Bob
did I waste my time also. I told you what i have on 2 different lathes or did you not comprehend it.
you cannot control single phase a/c , but you can control single phase d/c with a controller as I explained above.
there are to many people that know crap yet speak about things like they do
ron
and your more than likely not ready to turn large objects yet
this is more than likely a waste of time as I felt that there was something different about the motor mounting. it is integral
to the casting and could be costly to get a motor to do what you want. check out he availability of motors before you by it. you need all of the information off of the motor tag in order to to give to the motor people for the application
ron
that was another question that I aked you previously
Someone on a different forum gave me some bad advice about single phase motors and speed controllers. I understand that I will need a three phase motor to make this work. I have seen several Oliver #159's for sale on the web that have had this exact modification done. So I should be able to get a motor that fits. And yes I will need to turn lots of bowls before I'm ready for larger projects. So doing this modification now is not essential. I just wanted to know if it could be done. I'll have the lathe in about two weeks. When I get the information off the motor I'll get back to the forum with the info. Thanks
No you didn't waste your
No you didn't waste your time. Your explanation was very clear and I believe your advice is correct. As I told you earlier I'm not very experienced with this subject. I had never heard of single phase d/c and did not comprehend that it was different. I though single phase was always a/c. Thanks I just learned something.
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