Mike Charon

[Mike Charon]

Hi, I am Mike. Just found and joined AAW.
I am a career woodworker. Been making cabinets since 1979.
I am about to stop doing that, (dare I say, retire??)
In the home that we just bought, I have a small (~600 SF) shop. One of the first machines on my list is a lathe.
I used to love turning in school, but have never owned a lathe of my own.

In order to be able to outfit the rest of the shop, I have set my lathe budget at ~$1200.
I have always wanted an old PM 90, for it's weight and ruggedness, but I know that the controls must be better on a modern machine.
Ideally, I want something heavy enough that I can turn some medium sized live edge stuff, as well as all the typical bowls, spindles, etc..

I'd love to hear your input.

Thanks for the great forum
Mike

 

[Bill Boehme]

Welcome to the forum, Mike. For a home shop, 600 square feet is quite nice (mine is about 270 square feet). I haven't been following lathe prices, but like all the other stationary woodworking machines, the prices seem to be higher every time that I look.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Mike,

If you find some old iron you can always add a VFD to control the 3-phase motor if it comes with one. Many of the older lathes used a reeves style pulley drive speed control.
The newer lathes have gotten away from the mechanical speed control and moved on to electrical speed control systems which are more reliable and can drop the speed
down to lower RPM's compared to the old reeves drive systems. When turning larger bowls and hollow vessels the slower lathe speeds are needed. In your market area you
could most likely find a used PM90 on Craigslist or at a school auction. .

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Mike welcome to the forum. Like Mike said you should not have a problem finding a PM90 on CL , I see them regularly here. For what you want to spend mostly would be mini's at about 800. For the 1200 you should be able to find a larger and better lathe in the used market just be patient and do not jump unless the deal is right. By the way for turning 600 is a good size but maybe tight for making cabinets.

 

[Mike Charon]

I don't plan on making many cabinets.
I plan to set-up my shop to make toys for the grandkids, and furniture for my wife and I.
I've been watching a PM 90 that is in good condition. Unlike most, it has a single phase motor.
The VFD would definitely be in the equation.

I am also interested in sharpening techniques.
Thanks for the "welcomes"
Mike

 

[hockenbery]

Welcome,
If you can connect with a local chapter of the AAW they often get lathes for sale by members.
Sometimes used lathes come with extras like chucks and tools that the seller bundles together.

 

[Bill Boehme]

I don't plan on making many cabinets.
I plan to set-up my shop to make toys for the grandkids, and furniture for my wife and I.
I've been watching a PM 90 that is in good condition. Unlike most, it has a single phase motor.
The VFD would definitely be in the equation.

I am also interested in sharpening techniques.
Thanks for the "welcomes"
Mike

The single phase motor would have to be swapped out to a three phase motor if you want to install a VFD so that would be an additional big expense. Some things to consider when weighing mechanical variable speed Reeves drive against electronic variable speed:

• The minimum speed of the mechanical drive is too fast when starting to rough out larger bowls.
• A big plus for the mechanical Reeves drive is that full power is always available at the spindle.
• Reeves drives require frequent maintenance to make sure that the sliding components are well lubricated.
• Reeves drives tend to be noisy.
  
• The minimum speed with a VFD system is typically 200 RPM or lower.
• The main disadvantage of a VFD system is that the power available at the spindle is directly proportional to speed. This means if the motor is running at 10% of the nameplate RPM then the available output power will also be 10% of the rated output power (real world example: if we have a 2 HP 1750 RPM @ 60 Hz three phase motor and we use a VFD to reduce the speed to 175 RPM then the output power will be reduced to 0.2 HP).
• When a VFD controlled motor is operated at slow speed for an extended period the motor might overheat because the cooling fan is less efficient.
• Two things to mitigate VFD system disadvantages:
  • Use two or three step pulley system (for the PM90 use the Reeves drive with the VFD).
    
  • Use larger HP motor.

If you go the VFD route, I would suggest the following for the motor: 2 HP 3 phase TEFC 1750 RPM @ 60 Hz insulation class F or better. Modifying an old lathe has to be a labor of love because you probably wouldn't be able to recover much of the money that you put into modifying it. On the other hand, higher quality newer lathes hold their value quite well.

 

[Timothy White]

Mike said:
I have always wanted an old PM 90, for it's weight and ruggedness, but I know that the controls must be better on a modern machine.
Ideally, I want something heavy enough that I can turn some medium sized live edge stuff, as well as all the typical bowls, spindles, etc..

A PM 90 will do a good job on small bowls and do a great job on all spindle turnings. Money saved here (by not converting it to VFD) can be used to buy a good sharpening system and some quality tools.
Join a local club use their tools learn different grinds before buying. Down the road decide if you want to up grade the lathe you will have a better idea of what you need.
I’ve talked too long.
Welcome to the forum

 

[Mike Charon]

Thanks, folks, for the info and welcoming atmosphere.
I will be in touch as this new chapter unfolds.
Mike