# Questions about mounting a lathe and motor.



## AlmostHandy (Aug 2, 2010)

Hey folks!

I'm still cleaning out the garage, and today, I found an old lathe under some shelves. It doesn't look like it's been used in a very long time. The motor is GE, and looks older than Me. It's about 60 inches long overall, about 42" between centers, and has about a 6 inch swing. 

I want to build a stand for it. 

How far from the lathe should I mount the motor fixture? I looked at some pictures and sometimes the motor is near the floor with a very long belt, and sometimes the motor is right under the lathe, with a relatively short belt. 

Is the distance of the motor from the lathe, and subsequently, the belt length, an arbitrary number? 
Can I shop for any cheap belt in the range I can work with, and use it safely? 
Is there a minimum or maximum for this sort of thing? 
Does the motor size, speed, or pulley ratios matter? 
Does in increase/decrease the noise to have a longer/shorter belt?


I even found a 4 piece set of Great Neck wood turning Gouges, brand new in the box! It's totally a perfect starter set for me. I'm totally excited to get this thing overhauled and running!

Thanks everyone!


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

I cleaned out my garage once and found dead spiders and crickets. Nice find! Can't help with the motor position, sorry.


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## AlmostHandy (Aug 2, 2010)

hehe, yeah, it's a great find! I was really looking forward ot saving up and trying to get into turning next year, but this will be a great head start!

Ok, I have another question about speed. 

The Drive pulley has 4 positions. They measure:
1.0625
1.125
1.75
2.25

The driven pulley measures 1 inch.

My calculations say the speeds are, 1832, 1940, 3018, and 3881 RPM. Does that sound like a reasonable set of speeds for a router? I'd eventually like to get an arbor for some buffing wheels too. I'm not opposed to getting a speed controller for it. I'm already planning on getting one of those $20 jobs from Harbor Freight. Would that also work with this lathe? I mean, if I set the belts to the highest gearing for speed, would that be a sufficient range to work with after connecting the speed control, or should I get a larger drive pulley for more top end. 

I really have no frame of reference at all when it comes to what speed is best for each type of wood/project. I'm a total amateur when it comes to turning, and I plan to do a lot of learning before I even turn on the machine. lol


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## AlmostHandy (Aug 2, 2010)

AlmostHandy said:


> "My calculations say the speeds are, 1832, 1940, 3018, and 3881 RPM. Does that sound like a reasonable set of speeds for a router?"


I said router, but I meant lathe. 
(I didn't see an edit option, and I wanted to clarify.)


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## Glenmore (Sep 10, 2004)

Hi Mike probably should mount it as short as possible just enough so you can change the speeds and keep it as tight as possible so you won't have slippage when you are using it. Nice find by the way so I'd keep digging don't know what else you will find. Speed is probably right on. That is what you will need to be able to adjust it for your pulley speeds. Slower is for the bigger turnings and faster is for small stuff and sanding and finishing. Best thing I did I started everything slow till you get used to the machine and the use of the tools. But beware turning is addictive. Please keep the pics coming on your progress and have fun with it.


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## AlmostHandy (Aug 2, 2010)

Awesome! Short as possible to reduce slippage and for making easy speed changes. That makes perfect sense. I'm glad that speed range is compatible with turning. 

Thank you, Glenmore!

I can't wait to build the stand for it! I'm off to research plans now.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Mike the lathe you have is used mainly for spindle turning such as table legs, etc. or would work for turning pens. As for turning bowls or vases not so much. The speed is way to fast to turn those safely from a rough piece of wood. Even cutting them round does not balance them out. If building furniture then you have a great lathe. Good find and hope it works out for you.


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## RJM (Apr 11, 2010)

One thin I noticed is that the motor is an open frame design. You'll need a chip shield over it.


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## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

Hello Mike! As for the speed, I believe that the slowest speed should be around 800RPM for normal turnings. If You will be turning larger turnings where the wood may be out of alignment. 500 RPM is none to slow. You may want to get a double pulley and then You should get enough variation. To much out of round pieces may be very hard on bearings. I am not a turner, I have a lathe, and others may have better input.


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## papasombre (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi, Mike.

I saw your lathe and I want to know if the metallic structure is made of steel angles.

I have some I-beams in my garage and I am thinking to make something like yours. 

Can you post some additional pictures.

Regards.


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## The Warthog (Nov 29, 2010)

I would suggest that you look around for a 4 step pulley similar to the one on the motor, or two 4 step pulleys with similar steps to the one you have, and mount one on the lathe shaft and one on the motor shaft. To accommodate the four step pulley with the present arrangement, you will have to arrange things so the motor can move forward or back each time you change speeds, and up and down to accommodate the difference in wheel diameter. You will have to allow some movement in the motor shaft to allow enough slack to change the belt from one pulley to another anyway.

Another way to set it up would be to have a mandrel below the head end with a 1" pulley driving the lathe shaft, and a 4 step pulley driving the other end of the mandrel.

Lucky find!


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