Jet mini lathe tweak

[gsieracki]

TO All,

Just wondering if anyone out there has "tweaked" their Jet mini lathe
with a slightly more powerful motor.

Since I had to hold off on a new lathe purchase I am thinking of
trying to find a 3/4 HP variable speed motor and replace the stock 1/2
HP motor in my JML-1014.

Mine is currently the non VS model. The thought is them I'd have more
power and VS over 6 ranges.

I'd buy the 1220 but ut is also a non VS model.

Thoughts on this?

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Gerry

 

[john lucas]

Gerry I've been trying but haven't found the right motor yet. I did change my Nova Comet. I mounted the motor below the lathe. I've been working on the same thing with the Jet. All you need is a stand to hold the motor and a longer belt. I put a single speed motor on the Nova because on mini lathes I tend to use the same speed all the time.
I'm looking for the right motor for the Jet VS. Probably a 3/4 horse DC motor. You can find them used on the net if you look long enough. I found one for my old lathe.

 

[waltben]

Not that hard to find . .

Try:
http://www.electricmotorwholesale.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.catalog&categoryID=191


But they aren't cheap.

 

[Dario]

Will an old threadmill motor work?

I have one which I plan to use in the future, it is variable speed DC motor and is rated 3HP (I doubt that though since it is much smaller than my PM3520 motor). Biggest problem for me is that it is NOT TEFC

 

[dkulze]

I gotta ask. I've yet to find a project that needs a stronger motor on my little Jet. I've turned up to full capacity (roughly 9"x12") and can get a nice, 1/4" ribbon going without stalling. Also have had no problems with the 6 available speeds and can change speed in about 30sec or less.

So is the "tweak" more a wood geek thing or a sense of necessity?

Dietrich

P.S.(I fully understand wood geek stuff, as I am one)
P.P.S.(big time)
P.P.P.S.( )

 

[gsieracki]

Dietrich,

More of a wood geek thing. Looking back I wish I had bought the VS version. It would make the change from sanding to burning in the finish a little easier.

I keep looking at bigger lathes but haven't turned anything yet the little mini can't handle. Most projects I work on are boxes, goblets, the occassional small bowl, etc.

Wondering if I really need a bigger lathe or just the VS version of this one to make life that little bit easier.

Perhaps buy the VS version and try to get my wife using this one. Or use one for turning and one for buffing. Or, hold it does the list ever end?????

Thanks!

Gerry

 

[Jake Debski]

Will an old threadmill motor work?

I have one which I plan to use in the future, it is variable speed DC motor and is rated 3HP (I doubt that though since it is much smaller than my PM3520 motor). Biggest problem for me is that it is NOT TEFC

Dario, that motor develops 3hp at a very high RPM. You will probably never run it at that speed so your hp will be much less. You could of course use a jack shaft to allow the motor to operate at a higher speed. Our Chapter has a V-100 outfitted with such a motor. Another problem we've encountered is the controller. It doesn't hold a constant RPM but rather fluctuates up and down even when not under a load. Perhaps some one like Bill (Boehme) could contribute some insight to this.

 

[markb]

I recently put together a Vicmarc VL100 with a 1/2 hp DC motor and Minarik Controller. I purchased both the motor and controller on Ebay for a fraction of what it would cost new. I have not done much turning with it yet but after getting everything adjusted I think it will have more than enough power for anything this small lathe can do. The controller has foward, reverse and dynamic braking along with adjustable speed control. Add this to the lathe with a 6 step pully and I have more speed and torque control than I will probablly ever need.

Jake, mine also pulsated the speed up and down when I had it on the higher speed pullies. Two of the seetings inside the controller are Torque and IR Compensation. I set these to what the manual said was good for my motor but after turining the IR Comp trimpot down a little more the pulsating went away.

As for the 1/2 hp motor, with this setup I don't think I would ever need any more power on this lathe.

Mark

 

[Jake Debski]

Jake, mine also pulsated the speed up and down when I had it on the higher speed pullies. Two of the seetings inside the controller are Torque and IR Compensation. I set these to what the manual said was good for my motor but after turining the IR Comp trimpot down a little more the pulsating went away.

As for the 1/2 hp motor, with this setup I don't think I would ever need any more power on this lathe.

Mark

Mark, your motor sounds more suitable for a lathe application. The treadmill motor we have was designed to produce 3hp(over statement?) at speeds in excess of 4,000 RPM. This is really not the ideal lathe motor. I can't even be sure the controller was properly sized for this application. I will attempt to adjust the controller as you suggest and see what happens.

 

[Petteri Leppikallio]

I'm currently upgrading motor for my mini, not Jet but similar. Biggest difference is that in my lathe pulley is "outside" of tailstock so I can put motor to backside (and leftside). Currently my lathe has 3/4HP motor (however it is good to know that often those power promises are in fact what those motors are eating, not the output power. I can very easily stall that lathe turning say 6-10" bowl.

I was able to get 1HP 3phase motor and frequency converter cheaply enough and biggest challenge seems to be get pulley for this motor. But this should solve two major issues, both speed changing and power.

 

[john lucas]

I upgraded my Nova and want to upgrade my Jet mini because I feel they are underpowered. I have turned an awful lot of bowls on the jet mini and when I do 8 to 10 inch bowls I have to take too small a cut. I'm usually using these lathes for demos and people don't want to stand there and watch you take long slow passes over the bowls. They like to see you finish the project.
They do a wonderful job for most projects but I feel 3/4 hourse would be a better power range for those lathes, especially the new ones that have 12" swing.

 

[Petteri Leppikallio]

My mini upgrade is in quite good stage. I just finished wiring (no smoke or blue sparks and it even works!). Some minor details still missing. I just fixed lathe to bottom plate. Still have to make cover for the peep hole to controller box.

1hp motor controlled with frequency converter. 3/8" steel bottom plate, new motor and all those smaller pieces of steel must be good for stability, bad for mobility but that was one goal. To be able to take this with me. Couldn't be much uglier but "all go, no show"... paint job as well as some other decorations which will follow are that "show" part, I have this with me in some shows this summer.

Wiring this thing was quite interesting task mostly because I wanted to optimize that "controller box". So not much room, 10 feet of thin wire alone + all that "thick current" wire. Nerd factor is quite high, that frequency converter is neat. Even motor whining stopped when I raised switching frequency to 18kHz and enabled heat protection so that it will drop switching frequency as needed. This is one reason for that fan...

 

[dkulze]

Dude.

You have waaaaaaaaaaay too much time on your hands.

Dietrich

P.S.(one of our club members wanted to make a 10" diameter mockup of the end of a bowl gouge so he built a 12' extention and giant varigrind rig. Also modified his belt sander to immitate the arc of an 8ft grinding wheel. Waaaaay too much time on his hands)

 

[gsieracki]

still planning

To All,

Thanks! for the input.

I'm going to keep looking for parts and planning this upgrade out.

There's always that decision of how much power and lathe do you really need. I'm holding off, for now at least, on a bigger lathe until I run into a project my mini can't handle. Besides that leaves those monies for another chuck, ossibly the Klein threading jig, tools, wood, etc.

Sincerely,

Gerry