Sherline 4400 upgraded GLOCK motor.

Ripdog38

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Hey guys, been doing a lot of reading on here and have setteled on grabbing a Sherline 4400 soon. They are also close to me which gives me some comfort. I’m not doing large projects, mostly Titanium under 1” diameter and a few inches long. Threading will also be added.

I’m a “mo powa” kind of guy (Big Block Chevies) and was looking at the Glock CNC motors 750w. Should I purchase the bare lathe kit and this Glock motor? Haven’t found much info on people doing this.

Any info would help as I’m just starting out with Lathes.
 
I saw this motor a while back and it looks like a monster compared to the stock Sherline motor - 750W vs the stock 60W. That's theoretically 12.5 times the juice! It gets up to 4200 rpm vs the Sherline's 6000 rpm so you'll sacrifice some speed for more power. Thing is, all that power gets passed to the spindle via a belt and I have to wonder how much power is lost to slippage.

I honestly do not know if this is a smart move. You would think that more power is better but an equivalent 1HP motor on a little Sherline sounds like a lot. The Sherline is mostly aluminum with plastic gibs and it works really well with the 60W motor; I cannot say how it would do with 1HP but I'm betting you'll have a lot of belt slippage and failure. I guess this is the equivalent of dropping in a big block crate motor into a car with a stock trans and rear end - something is gonna' give. I could be wrong but ...

I've been on a Sherline lathe for almost 30 years now and in all that time I never felt the need for more power or torque. More rigidity, yes. More speed, yes. More power, not really; it will already keep up with larger lathes with the right tooling. I've replaced the drive belt once in 30 years and haven't replaced a gib or had excessive backlash or any other major issues other than rarely changing a leadscrew nut.

Quite honestly, the Sherline motor is matched to the lathe incredibly well. Throw 12.5 times the power into an infrastructure that isn't intended to handle it and you may wind up with a 9 second lathe. You might also wind up with a broken one. My vote is to buy a stock lathe and test drive it (learn to machine with it first), then upgrade if you think it is warranted.
 
Haha, Thank you Mikey. Always good to have experienced opinions save me some money. Stock it is.
 
And that Glock CNC motor @ 750w is 700 bucks...WOW! With just the lathe and fancy motor you are at about 1500 bucks. What other lathes can be bought for 1500 bucks?
If you also need to thread? The Sherline 4400 can be set-up to thread (more bucks!). BUT, can be challenging. And not sure about how happy the Sherline would be cutting titanium? Titanium is one of the more difficult metals to work with. Maybe someone else that has done/tried it can chime in for you…Dave
 
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Thanks chips&more, I was wondering about Ti. I am searching for a 8-10” older lathe in the mean time. Looking to be at $1500 for the machine. Don’t want a cheap one and would like American or older machine.
 
I see a lot of good old USA iron in the LA area, very plentiful! With patience, good timing and cash in hand you should have no problem. Happy hunting…Dave.
 
I'm glad someone asked about these because I've been curious myself. Not to buy one, but to answer why?

I've seen a variety of modifications to Sherlines on the web to allow much larger work envelopes, but other than learning that many like to make things, and tinker with their machines I again find myself wondering why they didn't just start with a bigger machine up front.

It strikes me very much like a guy cramming a 454 into a VW Bug because he already has the motor, the Bug.. and Saturday is free....
 
I'm glad someone asked about these because I've been curious myself. Not to buy one, but to answer why?

I've seen a variety of modifications to Sherlines on the web to allow much larger work envelopes, but other than learning that many like to make things, and tinker with their machines I again find myself wondering why they didn't just start with a bigger machine up front.

It strikes me very much like a guy cramming a 454 into a VW Bug because he already has the motor, the Bug.. and Saturday is free....
Yes, the industry is trying to sell you every widget, gadget thingamajig that can possibly be thought of for your shop. And marketing does a great job of making you think you gotta have it. I have become very immune to it all! I say, use your brain not your wallet to enjoy your HM shop. I sleep on a project first. Be surprised how easy the project can be done over a night’s sleep and without all those gimmick thingambobs they try to sell you…Dave.
 
Looks like GLOCK is selling a sub $200 servo industrial sewing machine motor with a few brackets... Do an eBay search on consew before parting with your hard-earned.

bob
 
I know this is an old thread but I am thinking about putting a sewing servo motor on a Clausing drill press. It currently has a 3/4 HP motor 120v single phase. I wan't the variable speed. What are your thoughts on this?
Also I see Goldstar, Consew, and Nitron as brands. Is one superior? Can I take apart the foot switch and put all the electronics in one box on the front of the machine?

Robert
 
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