Recommendation for lath motor

[Daniel123]

Hi Guys,

 I’m looking for a second hand lathe motor, does anyone have any recommendations.

Thanks in advance 

Dan

[jdrichard]

2 hours ago, Daniel123 said:

Hi Guys,

 I’m looking for a second hand lathe motor, does anyone have any recommendations.

Thanks in advance 

Dan

Get a sewing machine motor and a counter shaft 

[LittleWatchShop]

7 minutes ago, jdrichard said:

Get a sewing machine motor and a counter shaft 

no need for counter shaft. Configure belt in a figure 8.

[Daniel123]

1 hour ago, jdrichard said:

Get a sewing machine motor and a counter shaft 

I’ve been keeping an eye out on eBay, so many makes out there. I’m hoping to not buy wrong thing 

[jdrichard]

12 minutes ago, Daniel123 said:

I’ve been keeping an eye out on eBay, so many makes out there. I’m hoping to not buy wrong thing 

A lathe on a Borel stand with a countershaft and a sewing machine motor is the best setup. And make your belt out of boot leather for no noise. Here is one of my many videos.

 

 

[LittleWatchShop]

Look for Allen Bradley foot pedal. They are continuous control vs. stepped.

[LittleWatchShop]

1 hour ago, Daniel123 said:

I’ve been keeping an eye out on eBay, so many makes out there. I’m hoping to not buy wrong thing 

When you see something is right, don't hesitate to ask here, or pm one of us.

[nickelsilver]

There are many options, from single speed motors with countershaft to give a limited range of speeds, to variable speed AC/DC motors with or without countershaft, usually with a foot pedal rheostat to vary the speed, to more modern DC motors with variable speed, often with a knob to set the speed but could be with foot pedal or knob and foot pedal for on/off.

 

In my early days most lathes I encountered in the U.S. had the AC/DC "universal motor", mounted on the famous Borel base,with foot pedal, which is familiar to most watchmakers, and which I despise (haha). I hate not having a fixed speed, and those motors hate being run slowly- no torque- so a countershaft is really necessary in my opinion to step down the speed from a fast spinning motor.

 

DC with a proper control will give a very wide range of speed with plenty of torque at slow speeds. There are usually some DC motors with controler ready to mount up for sale on German Ebay, a friend got one and it is very nice. These tend to run very smoothly, and as stated, have plenty of power over their range, are quiet, and eliminate the need for a countershaft. Aside from the mentioned one that's offered as "for watch lathe", there are many industrial sewing machine motors available on Ebay, often marked as servo motor. A servo is just a DC motor that has a precision control. These tend to be overkill in size for a watch lathe, but there are smaller ones, and they tend to come complete with control. That would be far, far, better than the motor on your mother's sewing machine, which is usually a lower rpm "universal" motor, controlled by rheostat.

 

As for belting, that's a matter of choice. There are many options, from miniature V belt, to leather (which is fine), to fusible plastic/rubber belt, which is the choice of most folks I know, myself, and industry. If you have an industrial belting supplier in your town or nearby, they likely carry Habasit belting, which comes in a number of varieties of flat and round shapes. The round stuff is called Polycord and is very good. 4mm would be perfect. It's fused by cutting it to length cleanly, then put a piece of 1 or 2mm sheet brass (or steel) in a vice, and heat with a torch until hot enough to melt the belt. Press the ends on opposing sides of the hot metal, face to face, let melt, and slowly slide it off so the ends meet up. Hold until cool, then trim off the bead around the joint. I have belts joined like this that have been in use for a decade, zero issues.

 

In the pics you can see my primary lathe, the Leinen, with a 380v industrial 3 phase motor, with built in countershaft. That lathe had a motor integral to the base when bought, which was switched to a DC with control in the base, and finally I liked the industrial motor so much I pulled out all the DC stuff and have been running it this way for almost 20 years. The other lathe is a Favorite that my workshop mates use, it has a single speed (1400 rpm) motor, no countershaft, but 4 options on the pulleys, and they are very happy with it. The pic of the motor and controller is the one a friend bought off German Ebay (sells internationally). From the screwdriver stand you can get an idea of the size. Nice looking stuff, was under 200 bucks as I recall.

 

 

Edited April 15, 2022 by nickelsilver

[LittleWatchShop]

So a lathe motor question was all it took to get to see @nickelsilver work space? Wish I had asked a year ago.

I have a large roll of 3mm TPU filament for 3D printing. Makes a great belt.

 

[Daniel123]

3 hours ago, nickelsilver said:

There are many options, from single speed motors with countershaft to give a limited range of speeds, to variable speed AC/DC motors with or without countershaft, usually with a foot pedal rheostat to vary the speed, to more modern DC motors with variable speed, often with a knob to set the speed but could be with foot pedal or knob and foot pedal for on/off.

 

In my early days most lathes I encountered in the U.S. had the AC/DC "universal motor", mounted on the famous Borel base,with foot pedal, which is familiar to most watchmakers, and which I despise (haha). I hate not having a fixed speed, and those motors hate being run slowly- no torque- so a countershaft is really necessary in my opinion to step down the speed from a fast spinning motor.

 

DC with a proper control will give a very wide range of speed with plenty of torque at slow speeds. There are usually some DC motors with controler ready to mount up for sale on German Ebay, a friend got one and it is very nice. These tend to run very smoothly, and as stated, have plenty of power over their range, are quiet, and eliminate the need for a countershaft. Aside from the mentioned one that's offered as "for watch lathe", there are many industrial sewing machine motors available on Ebay, often marked as servo motor. A servo is just a DC motor that has a precision control. These tend to be overkill in size for a watch lathe, but there are smaller ones, and they tend to come complete with control. That would be far, far, better than the motor on your mother's sewing machine, which is usually a lower rpm "universal" motor, controlled by rheostat.

 

As for belting, that's a matter of choice. There are many options, from miniature V belt, to leather (which is fine), to fusible plastic/rubber belt, which is the choice of most folks I know, myself, and industry. If you have an industrial belting supplier in your town or nearby, they likely carry Habasit belting, which comes in a number of varieties of flat and round shapes. The round stuff is called Polycord and is very good. 4mm would be perfect. It's fused by cutting it to length cleanly, then put a piece of 1 or 2mm sheet brass (or steel) in a vice, and heat with a torch until hot enough to melt the belt. Press the ends on opposing sides of the hot metal, face to face, let melt, and slowly slide it off so the ends meet up. Hold until cool, then trim off the bead around the joint. I have belts joined like this that have been in use for a decade, zero issues.

 

In the pics you can see my primary lathe, the Leinen, with a 380v industrial 3 phase motor, with built in countershaft. That lathe had a motor integral to the base when bought, which was switched to a DC with control in the base, and finally I liked the industrial motor so much I pulled out all the DC stuff and have been running it this way for almost 20 years. The other lathe is a Favorite that my workshop mates use, it has a single speed (1400 rpm) motor, no countershaft, but 4 options on the pulleys, and they are very happy with it. The pic of the motor and controller is the one a friend bought off German Ebay (sells internationally). From the screwdriver stand you can get an idea of the size. Nice looking stuff, was under 200 bucks as I recall.

 

 

I’ve been looking at this motor, it’s just motor though.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403592624860?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=zgke2qfwr92&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=rlz7vj34Rf2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[Neverenoughwatches]

3 hours ago, nickelsilver said:

There are many options, from single speed motors with countershaft to give a limited range of speeds, to variable speed AC/DC motors with or without countershaft, usually with a foot pedal rheostat to vary the speed, to more modern DC motors with variable speed, often with a knob to set the speed but could be with foot pedal or knob and foot pedal for on/off.

 

In my early days most lathes I encountered in the U.S. had the AC/DC "universal motor", mounted on the famous Borel base,with foot pedal, which is familiar to most watchmakers, and which I despise (haha). I hate not having a fixed speed, and those motors hate being run slowly- no torque- so a countershaft is really necessary in my opinion to step down the speed from a fast spinning motor.

 

DC with a proper control will give a very wide range of speed with plenty of torque at slow speeds. There are usually some DC motors with controler ready to mount up for sale on German Ebay, a friend got one and it is very nice. These tend to run very smoothly, and as stated, have plenty of power over their range, are quiet, and eliminate the need for a countershaft. Aside from the mentioned one that's offered as "for watch lathe", there are many industrial sewing machine motors available on Ebay, often marked as servo motor. A servo is just a DC motor that has a precision control. These tend to be overkill in size for a watch lathe, but there are smaller ones, and they tend to come complete with control. That would be far, far, better than the motor on your mother's sewing machine, which is usually a lower rpm "universal" motor, controlled by rheostat.

 

As for belting, that's a matter of choice. There are many options, from miniature V belt, to leather (which is fine), to fusible plastic/rubber belt, which is the choice of most folks I know, myself, and industry. If you have an industrial belting supplier in your town or nearby, they likely carry Habasit belting, which comes in a number of varieties of flat and round shapes. The round stuff is called Polycord and is very good. 4mm would be perfect. It's fused by cutting it to length cleanly, then put a piece of 1 or 2mm sheet brass (or steel) in a vice, and heat with a torch until hot enough to melt the belt. Press the ends on opposing sides of the hot metal, face to face, let melt, and slowly slide it off so the ends meet up. Hold until cool, then trim off the bead around the joint. I have belts joined like this that have been in use for a decade, zero issues.

 

In the pics you can see my primary lathe, the Leinen, with a 380v industrial 3 phase motor, with built in countershaft. That lathe had a motor integral to the base when bought, which was switched to a DC with control in the base, and finally I liked the industrial motor so much I pulled out all the DC stuff and have been running it this way for almost 20 years. The other lathe is a Favorite that my workshop mates use, it has a single speed (1400 rpm) motor, no countershaft, but 4 options on the pulleys, and they are very happy with it. The pic of the motor and controller is the one a friend bought off German Ebay (sells internationally). From the screwdriver stand you can get an idea of the size. Nice looking stuff, was under 200 bucks as I recall.

 

 

I'm jealous. What scope is that please Nicklesilver, I want to upgrade mine.

[Neverenoughwatches]

5 hours ago, jdrichard said:

A lathe on a Borel stand with a countershaft and a sewing machine motor is the best setup. And make your belt out of boot leather for no noise. Here is one of my many videos.

 

 

Is that by any chance a wolf hans JD, I'm in desperate  need of help with getting my headstock apart to clean my newly acquired one.

[Daniel123]

2 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Is that by any chance a wolf hans JD, I'm in desperate  need of help with getting my headstock apart to clean my newly acquired one.

What size Wolf Jahn lathe is it? I just managed to dismantle my 6mm Wolf Jahn headstock

[Neverenoughwatches]

3 minutes ago, Daniel123 said:

What size Wolf Jahn lathe is it? I just managed to dismantle my 6mm Wolf Jahn headstock

It's an 8mm Dan

[Neverenoughwatches]

Just now, Neverenoughwatches said:

It's an 8mm Dan

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

 

I only got as far as the back nut , wanted to speak to someone first before I went any further. It was a good ebay find  from a second generation retired watchmaker

[Daniel123]

7 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

I only got as far as the back nut , wanted to speak to someone first before I went any further. It was a good ebay find  from a second generation retired watchmaker

Hope this helps

[Neverenoughwatches]

7 minutes ago, Daniel123 said:

Hope this helps

Now I'm frightened lol

[LittleWatchShop]

54 minutes ago, Daniel123 said:

I’ve been looking at this motor, it’s just motor though

I think all of my lathe motors (5) are 1/10 HP--and they work great for me.  I am an amateur...btw.  This motor you are looking at is almost the same power, so I think it would be fine.

[Neverenoughwatches]

7 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

I think all of my lathe motors (5) are 1/10 HP--and they work great for me.  I am an amateur...btw.  This motor you are looking at is almost the same power, so I think it would be fine.

Hi lws. How do run your motors. fixed switch ?

[LittleWatchShop]

59 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Hi lws. How do run your motors. fixed switch ?

I use Allen-Bradley foot pedals.  They are potentiometers.

[Daniel123]

5 hours ago, nickelsilver said:

There are many options, from single speed motors with countershaft to give a limited range of speeds, to variable speed AC/DC motors with or without countershaft, usually with a foot pedal rheostat to vary the speed, to more modern DC motors with variable speed, often with a knob to set the speed but could be with foot pedal or knob and foot pedal for on/off.

 

In my early days most lathes I encountered in the U.S. had the AC/DC "universal motor", mounted on the famous Borel base,with foot pedal, which is familiar to most watchmakers, and which I despise (haha). I hate not having a fixed speed, and those motors hate being run slowly- no torque- so a countershaft is really necessary in my opinion to step down the speed from a fast spinning motor.

 

DC with a proper control will give a very wide range of speed with plenty of torque at slow speeds. There are usually some DC motors with controler ready to mount up for sale on German Ebay, a friend got one and it is very nice. These tend to run very smoothly, and as stated, have plenty of power over their range, are quiet, and eliminate the need for a countershaft. Aside from the mentioned one that's offered as "for watch lathe", there are many industrial sewing machine motors available on Ebay, often marked as servo motor. A servo is just a DC motor that has a precision control. These tend to be overkill in size for a watch lathe, but there are smaller ones, and they tend to come complete with control. That would be far, far, better than the motor on your mother's sewing machine, which is usually a lower rpm "universal" motor, controlled by rheostat.

 

As for belting, that's a matter of choice. There are many options, from miniature V belt, to leather (which is fine), to fusible plastic/rubber belt, which is the choice of most folks I know, myself, and industry. If you have an industrial belting supplier in your town or nearby, they likely carry Habasit belting, which comes in a number of varieties of flat and round shapes. The round stuff is called Polycord and is very good. 4mm would be perfect. It's fused by cutting it to length cleanly, then put a piece of 1 or 2mm sheet brass (or steel) in a vice, and heat with a torch until hot enough to melt the belt. Press the ends on opposing sides of the hot metal, face to face, let melt, and slowly slide it off so the ends meet up. Hold until cool, then trim off the bead around the joint. I have belts joined like this that have been in use for a decade, zero issues.

 

In the pics you can see my primary lathe, the Leinen, with a 380v industrial 3 phase motor, with built in countershaft. That lathe had a motor integral to the base when bought, which was switched to a DC with control in the base, and finally I liked the industrial motor so much I pulled out all the DC stuff and have been running it this way for almost 20 years. The other lathe is a Favorite that my workshop mates use, it has a single speed (1400 rpm) motor, no countershaft, but 4 options on the pulleys, and they are very happy with it. The pic of the motor and controller is the one a friend bought off German Ebay (sells internationally). From the screwdriver stand you can get an idea of the size. Nice looking stuff, was under 200 bucks as I recall.

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265640776964?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=VyiznPFHT16&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=rlz7vj34Rf2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
 

how about this one

[Daniel123]

This is a potential, 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185381419314?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=xOSWZLSCSNa&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=rlz7vj34Rf2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[Neverenoughwatches]

6 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

I use Allen-Bradley foot pedals.  They are potentiometers.

Mine came with a foot pedal. It say John quale QD Beech and sons suppliers. How do you find working with a pedal as to a fixed switch ?

[Neverenoughwatches]

16 minutes ago, Daniel123 said:

This is a potential, 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185381419314?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=xOSWZLSCSNa&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=rlz7vj34Rf2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I've bought from this guy, a job lot of bits and pieces. Was ok. Not the cheapest for what I got tbf. But had no issues with him as a seller.