1340GT decision

I do have a 5hp Rotary Phase Converter for my saw.
 
Aukai said:
I do have a 5hp Rotary Phase Converter for my saw.
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I have true three phase in my shop and I’m thinking I’m going to put a VFD on my surface grinder. My lathe has a 27 speed transmission so not real need there
 
So long as you aren't still paying for it when the extra money runs out, I'd say this is a nice lathe for what you've described your needs to be. Only concern I have is that you said money is going to get tighter when this job ends in December. How much tighter? If you're buying on credit, and you know things are going to be tight come December... I think you know that's not a good idea. Don't put yourself in the position of having to part with it in 6 months at a loss to make ends meet.
 
No it will be paid cash that I have now, but my eagerness to spend it is hard to control. I'm pretty much set for all the basic stuff now, but if quality stuff comes up, I tend to buy it, like my last Pratt chuck from the 80s way out shines the new chuck I have. With the cash flow going to diminish for awhile, I'll buy it now.
I also appreciate the concerns :encourage:
My lack of cash flow only effects my spending, she has my Social Insecurity checks, and we have not drawn from the retirement funds yet.
 
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I have owned the 1340GT for 4 years. It’s a terrific machine. I tore mine down to customize it (which you would not need to do), and in the process discovered the internal qualities of the bearings, gears etc. are all top drawer. You will get better surface finishes with a 3-phase motor (lots of discussion on the forum about that if you just dig around). The 1340 has an open bottom Norton gearbox, and that drips oil when you add lube to the gears. The machine also requires gear swaps if you do a lot of metric threading. I have been able to maintain 3/10ths repeatability after some tuning. I do not understand why someone would hesitate doing their own DRO install - most “dealer installed” DRO’s I have seen are hurry-up slap-it-together jobs that work but are not something a quality machinist would take pride in. Just my opinion, but if you can get good machinist results with a lathe, doing a quality DRO install yourself is not difficult and can be very rewarding.
 
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Independent of having 3 phase (RPC), I still recommend considering a VFD (WJ200) with the basic install outline. Adds about $500 to the total cost, can run it off of single phase and you get the benefits of controlled acceleration, variable speed on the fly and much faster braking. The quick braking is a significant factor without a foot brake. No need to run an RPC in the background. Overall, I agree with David, that the 1340GT can give very accurate turning and is a great lathe at the price point.
 
I will look at that, it will complicate things a little.
What hp rating for the VFD?
Looking at the Hitach VFDs online is like looking at an indexable carbide insert catalog, I'm gonna need a little help.
 
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VFD is the Hitachi WJ200-015SF, QMT sells them, but also other vendors like Drives Warehouse.
www.driveswarehouse.com

WJ200-015SF

www.driveswarehouse.com www.driveswarehouse.com

Basic install thread. If you need some help and I can assist and/or send you files directly. QMT also has some information.
www.hobby-machinist.com

Pm1340gt Lathe Basic Vfd Control Conversion Using The Stock Control Board And Switches

Many individuals buy the PM1340GT lathe as a 3 phase machine with the intent to convert it over to a VFD system, the usual VFD that is used is the Hitachi WJ200-015SF. Unfortunately the conversion often requires a somewhat complex and costly conversion process to optimize many of the VFD...
www.hobby-machinist.com www.hobby-machinist.com
 
Perfect, thank you for the clarification on which VFD to use, now I am looking at the wiring and it gave me the vapors, with all due respect, it's not going to be me. I would rather manage a traffic accident with 7-10 injured, and fatalities before I do that. I've gone back, and looked 3-4 times now, and it's not helping....
 
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