Is this motor suitable for a small lathe?

[skogkatt007]

I currently have a Prazi 5" x 12" lathe sitting unused. It needs a crap ton of other work. But I was rummaging through the garage and found this old grinder. I was thinking if I added a start capacitor it would be suitable for even threading and such.

 

[Jim F]

Way too much RPM

 

[skogkatt007]

The stock motor was 3425rpm.

 

[savarin]

What about a treadmill motor? got a speed controller as well.

 

[markba633csi]

Usually for a small lathe you want a slower motor like 1600-1725 rpm, especially for threadcutting
Faster motors make threading very difficult since you'd like to have a spindle speed in the 50-80 rpm range
It depends on your final drive ratio
A variable speed motor is a great feature to have regardless

 

[skogkatt007]

is it likely to be powerful enough. That's my main concern.

I'll keep an eye out for someone throwing out a treadmill. There's none on my local CL currently.

 

[savarin]

is it likely to be powerful enough. That's my main concern.

I'm using one on my 9x20 and drill press. Very slow speeds still require using the belts to get a bit more power but I've never had a problem.

 

[Chip Hacket]

I think these are the machine specs if yours is an SD300

 

[matthewsx]

I'd be inclined to go with something like this from our forum sponsor Custom Crafter.

550 Watt servo motor external 3/4HP 4 NM torque | ServoMotorKit.

3/4 HP 5500 Watt Computer Controlled Servo Motor.With external rotary speed control switch. This allowsplacment of stop/start speed control as needed.This Face Mount Version comes with button head M6 X 1.0 mounting screws as seen in image 1.If you prefer M6 Flush fit button head, ask about...

www.servomotorkit.com

I got the same type of motor off eBay before he came out with his kit, it's just the thing for a small machine. Variable speed is really nice to have.

If cost is a big factor then free treadmills are a good source, also small motors off appliances can be had cheap or free.

John