I purchased a Taig lathe and want to set it up.
I have a 1/3 hp 1725 rpm motor, but I like the idea of variable speed.
The Sherline unit is too expensive, so I thought of adapting a 4 amp,
3/8 variable speed ( o - 2500 rpm ) drill to turn it.Would this drill ( better cooling, 90 wt. gear oil in reduction drive and bearing lubrication ) work well enough,time to failure, wise, or is this a poor idea?
Any thoughts?
It might be OK in the short term, depending on what your work is. I suspect it will be a poor speed/power match. And most drills are intermittent duty. Might not live very long.
Taig sells a step pulley set that uses a very thin belt that has worked great for me. I have the motor mounted on a hinge and lift it to change speeds. Very quick and easy. Why not use a DC motor and speed control or some type of universal motor with a router speed controller? Hint: of these two choices, DC is much quieter! Universal motor-think vacuum cleaner or router.
Harbor freight sells a 12 VDC pump that has a lot of torque and is on sale for about $25. I think it would be a good match and easy to adapt.
Or just pick up a junk treadmill and scavenge the motor and controller.
Ron Thompson On the Beautiful Florida Space Coast, right beside the Kennedy Space Center, USA
Thank you for the info. I will go with the 1725 rpm, AC motor for now and look for a reasonable priced DC variable for the future.
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