Vicmarc VL300

[Bart Leetch]

I am still investigating lathes & or making my own I have lots of time right now to do this as I have no shop.

I just ran across the VL300 & see they sell it without a stand or motor. This is OK by me I already have a 2HP Baldor motor & controller & can weld to make a stand. Does the motor for this lathe just mount underneath with a v belt to the spindle?

I would prefer to make my own stand so I can make it to suit my self wide open underneath so I have room to roll a cabinet underneath it with all my turning supplies & tools & with a low center of gravity think of a sawhorse with legs spread front & back as well as out away from the ends which gives foot room as well as lower center of gravity.

 

[Dave Schell]

Bart - I built my current lathe using that stripped down Vicmarc VL300. It worked out well and I'm happy with the results. I documented how I did it in a thread on another forum. If you search Google for "barebones Vicmarc" it should be the first result returned in the list. Good luck.

Dave

 

[Dave Mueller]

Bart,
I also bought a "tabletop" Vicmarc lathe from Christien Briespierre at Woodworkers Emporium in Las Vegas. I got the long bed, which in hindsight was the thing to do. I don't turn long spindles, but the ability to slide the tailstock down to the end of the bed and get it out of the way without having to take it off the bed is a real joy. It was well worth the extra $200 and a lot cheaper than a swinging tailstock support.

I made my own base out of plywood with the motor mounted in the same place as on the regular Vicmarc. I mounted the motor on the side of the base using plywood with four slots to adjust the belt tension. I also bought a Vicmarc pulley for my motor (be sure you get the right shaft size for your motor).

The base is a torsion box and is really rigid - necessary to prevent any torque on the ways. See a couple of pictures attached. If you have any questions, please PM me and we can discuss further.
Dave

 

[dbonertz]

Bart,

The belt is not a V-belt. It is a flat belt about 1" wide with ridges on the back which fit into the grooves on the vicmarc pulleys.

Dale

 

[Harry Robinette]

Dave
First: Really nice job on the lathe stand and electrical wiring coming through with all the right connectors That most of us forget.
Second: Do you turn in that shop,Mine is clean but thats just not used.
Really Dave nice job, do you have ballast in the bottom for bigger stuff.

Harry

 

[Claude]

Normally the "bare" VL 300 is sold to you with the belt already installed on the lathe pulleys, and, at least in Europe, you receive the pulleys that you will put on your motor.

 

[Dave Mueller]

Harry,
Thanks for the compliment. Yes, I really do turn there. I just happened to take the picture before a club meeting, which forces me to periodically clean up my shop. Our club's website is www.bvturners.com, with some member's pages, including mine.

Regarding ballast, yes, there is about 250# of sand in it. The total base including sand is about 400#, so with the additional 320# from the lathe, it is about 720# total (it does not move). The base is actually constructed of three stress panels. There are two identical top and bottom panels made out of 2X4 webs with 3/4" skins, each filled with 125# of sand. The 3/4" sides were added with end panels plus two cross panels to form the third stress panel - all glued and screwed together. It is very rigid and the top is very flat. The feet are 3" square tubing with nuts welded on the bottom to accept 3/4" bolts for leveling. I figure the total cost was under $3,000, since I had a motor and controller - not bad for a comparable VL300 VS at $6,000.

Dale, you are correct about the belt. That is why I ordered the motor pulley from Vicmarc. Thanks for catching that.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Bart,

The belt is not a V-belt. It is a flat belt about 1" wide with ridges on the back which fit into the grooves on the vicmarc pulleys.

Dale

It actually is a J-section V-belt, also known as a poly-V, multi-V, or micro-V and other trade names. A flat belt is truly flat and runs on a smooth slightly crowned cylindrical pulley similar to what you would see on a belt sander or bandsaw wheel. The outside of a belt is called the "back" -- don't ask ... somebody gave it that name without consulting either of us.

 

[Joe Greiner]

It actually is a J-section V-belt, also known as a poly-V, multi-V, or micro-V and other trade names. A flat belt is truly flat and runs on a smooth slightly crowned cylindrical pulley similar to what you would see on a belt sander or bandsaw wheel. The outside of a belt is called the "back" -- don't ask ... somebody gave it that name without consulting either of us.

Probably because the "front" is the working surface, and the "back" isn't.

 

[Bart Leetch]

I understood about the belt & also about it's need for a special pulley hence the question about the hole size in the pulley in a later post.

I have been in contact with Dave Mueller about the hole size & found out they will ship a pulley for the motor that matches your motor. Thanks Dave.

As I communicated with Dave this is a sometime in the future purchase as I am without a shop right now everything is in storage. This is a good time of research & this is the best lathe I've found for the money with all the features I want in a lathe as well as being able to lengthen the bed if need be. I already have the 2 hp Baldor motor & VFD & want to build my own steel stand open so that the chips can fall through & a cabinet to roll underneath is see attachment, this is the cabinet I use with my Unisaw.