Brilliant job. I have an old wood lathe and I could not get a replacement motor for it. Now I can see how to use your method and bring my old wood lathe back to life. Great job and well done :D
CAn be a hassle getting everything lined up right, but it works like a charm. I moved up to a Grizzly G0800. Great maching, but as normal I have things I don't like about it. Thanks and take care, Larry
@@TheWoodWhirler: Thanks for the info Larry. Is the Grizzly G0800, the motor you upgraded to and does the 800 part mean it's 800 watts? I am in Scotland and was not sure what you meant. What wattage of motor would you recommend? Cheers mate. Oh, I just subscribed.
@@TheWoodWhirler: No problem Larry. I will get it all worked out. Glad I saw your video on this. It has helped me to go ahead with the project and given me ideas :D You take care too.
That was a great demo of the conversion. I have a Jet 1236 lathe that is just like your lathe and will try to covert my lathe as to what you did to yours. You did a wonderful explanation of the conversion and I saved the video as I proceed to converting my Jet lathe as per what you did. Thank you, Barry Mullen
Thank you for the great detail. I have been looking at wood lathes costing many times more then the Harbor Freight model. After seeing your reviews and common sense information I see no need to start with anything more than the Harbor Freight.
The HF is a good lathe for the money. I wanted to turn bigger bowls and didn't like the swinging head. Seems like when you put it back in the original position it was out of line. Need any thing, let me know, Larry
I found a used shopsmith lathe,,,it' can handle 16 inch diameter must be 300 lbs,,,payed 65 dollars,,,if you look you can find many well built lathes cheap,,,
You should be proud of this work. I am seriously considering this machine as my next lathe. The need for good variable speed and reverse was the only thing on my con list. I have added this video to my saved videos list for future reference.
I really enjoyed this video. I have that lathe and was thinking about a variable speed retrofit myself. Looks like you put a lot of work into it and covered many important details like cooling and the display. Thanks for sharing your work.
Larry, video absolutely worth the wait.Great upgrade on Harbor Freight lathe, instructions and direction of travel for upgrading very well explained.Thank you once again for sharing your knowledge. Larry, you are awesome. Sure glad I found your TH-cam channel.
Sir, You are one amazing and ingenious man. It is heartwarming to see you are spending your retirement years still being productive and challenging your brain. I have never been very "tech savvy though I do enjoy a good challenge. You have inspired me to take my lathe to the next level. Your right about the lathe being a good machine. ( with the exception of lite weight legs). You just showed how we can make it better without spending $2-3000.00 more on a new lathe. You're a delight to watch and I just subscribed to your interesting video's.
trying to wrap up building my wood shop, considering a variety of tools and keeping in a workable budget, so I have been looking at Harbor Freights lathe and disc-belt sander. My shop will be about 10X12 and their lathe seem to fit my needs as a beginning wood turner... Thanks for the encouragement! James
Now that I have made all the changes, I am very happy with it. Lots of low end power, 2500rpm on the high end and pretty quite. Beats spending 4-6K for the same functions. Take care, Larry
It works pretty well Dave. I am a little disappointed in the power. It still bogs down on the large wet bowl blanks. But, I have learned to work with it. Take care and Thank you, Larry
I did this 2 years ago, turned out good, make sure you get the biggest motor. The tricky part is making my own control box -you need to draw a diagram. Heck, after that I made my drill press variable and reversible too.
Thanks for making such a detailed video. I have a large DC motor to attach to a similar lathe. It was nice seeing how you addressed everything. I was considering if I wanted to keep the Reeves drive with it as a secondary system, but I think it makes sense to put in a fixed pulley like you did. I'm also trying to decide if I want to try the upgrade before an event in April. Thanks again!
Larry, you son of a gun! That's hands down the coolest fix I've ever seen! Good for you! Btw, the Bear sticker has a protective film over it so it doesn't get scratched during storage/shipping. You're supposed to peel that off lol :) I wouldn't bother peeling the protective film off the letters. I tried to and kind of destroyed one of the letters lol I'm glad to see you bought the beast! It's a great saw and I know you'll enjoy it! Way to go! Best regards, Peter
I tried to pull the film off, it tried to take my bear with it. Thought about a heat gun, what you think? I like my bear. The grand kids come in and the first thing they focus on is the bear. So I need to fix it.
Nice conversion. I have had the same lathe for about 25 years. I store several bags of sand or concrete on the shelf between the legs. The thing that bugs me is that the tail stock does not stay put when locked down.
I got a HF lath and I’ve burn up two motors. Warranty about to run out and can’t find one local, they will give my money back. Would you do this again it you all ready the thread mill.
I do, I have always wanted to visit Australia. Only problem is, is I am a Federal Firearms Dealer and love my guns. I guess you can figure out the rest. Thanks for the invite. Larry
Well done! One suggestion: Mount the on/off, speed, and reversing controls at the other end of the lathe. There are two reasons for doing this. One concerns ease of turning and the other concerns safety. Where you have the controls now increases the size of the headstock -- which may interfere with your ability to access the headstock end of a turning blank with your lathe tools. Also, if something goes wrong and you need to shut off the lathe, you may need to reach past a spinning object to reach to on/off switch. Ideally, you want to be able to turn the lathe on and off without passing through the "danger zone".
Simple fix for an Emergency shut off, put a commercial light switch controlled plug at the other end and power the switch from the wall. Or Harbor freight's router speed controller. It has an on/off switch, and you can slow their lathe down to around 450 rpms instead of the factory 600-660. Still not reversible, but you can reduce the speed some.
YOu do realize that has been 6 years ago. I don't think I ever had a parts list, but thanks for asking. I generally just have it all in my head. Take care, Larry.
@@garyculver203 I think you meant Speed Indicator. Of course, you know I don't remember. They all work the same with a magnetic on the shaft and the pickup close to pick up the signal. Take care, Larry
Larry,great channel and great ideas! Been watching your HF conversion videos,over and over. Am about to do the same thing to mine. The one thing I saw,and heard,is that you ran 220 to the lathe? Were you actually running the motor on it at 220V ?
No, the HF lathe was 115V, best I remember, that's been 4 or 5 years. It may have been that I was getting ready for my new one, it's 220V. Thanks I checked it's been 6 years next month. Where does time go?
Is your treadmill motor a permanent magnet motor? Are you running it in reverse, if so has there been any negative things with the motor when running it in reverse?
It's been over 4 years since I've had that lathe. Don't remember any problems with reverse. Check here. Motor is available at www.surpluscenter.com/shop.axd/Search?keywords=treadmill+motor. Thanks Larry
Very nice job sir: I would like to ask you, where did you get the hand wheel for the back side of the head stock? I would love to have one for my lathe! I have the same lathe as you. Thanks for the help.
The HF lathe is a knock off of a Jet lathe, go to their site and you can find it. Plus, some where in these comments you can find the part number. Not the first time I've been asked this question. Thanks, Larry
It looked like the Tac showed 500 rpm and the lathe was turned off. What is the speed of the lowest steady revolution you get can get with the modification? Richard Katzman
Great, informative video, really appreciate your contribution. I just picked this lathe up from a Labor Day sale yesterday and was pretty saddened to learn how wimpy the stock motor is. Maybe I just got a bad one, but it bogs down very easily. I've been researching motor upgrades and your video is the most complete explanation I've found so far.
Yeah, that was my biggest grip. Jet has one just like it. You can get parts there(Jet 1236). They might have a motor upgrade, I don't know. Theirs still has a 3/4 HP. The problem isn't finding a motor. It is finding a motor that will fig their mounting bracket. On the bright side, it teaches you to control your cuts. My Grizzly (G0800) has a 3hp and you cannot stall it. That can be good and bad. Sometimes I wish it would stall. Take care and good luck. Larry
Mr. Larry what would it take to build that very same thing and ship it to me with directions on how to install it, here to Pennsylvania??? Side note I wish you was my neighbor!!!
Great job. I have the same lathe and I turn out some very nice turnings. The one thing I don’t like is the low speed, it’s too fast to cut threads. You need 250-300 as the low speed. I was interested to see what your low speed was going to be. Unfortunately it’s still too fast. My lathe starts at about 500 rpm. Maybe I could find a tread mill motor that starts real slow.
Good morning, I am kind of new to turning. I have the harbor freight 12x33. I am trying to figure out what I need for a 3 Jaw Chuck but I am having lots of issues. I find a nice one that I think will work and then it is not threaded or I can find anything out about it. Please offer me some sound advice.
You need a 4 jaw chuck. 3 jaws are generally for metalwork. Check out Nova chucks for wood lathes on Amazon. Yours is 1" X 8 threads per inch. See ya, Larry
Im curious how this lathe set up is still doing. I own this model and just replaced the bearings. I noticed you offset the balance of your pulleys... How are your bearings doing? Also, I would love to add that hand handle off the left of the head stock to mine. Where did you get yours and what are the threads I am looking for? Great video!
Very nice upgrade. I'm planning to do the same thing on my lathe and was wondering where you got the tachometer and how much it cost. I haven't found one I really like yet at a price I'm willing to pay.
I enjoyed your video Larry and I learned some things. That Harbor Freight lathe, how is it just as it comes from the store including price and equipment? God Bless my friend.
It looks like the KB motor controller can handle 2 hp with the heat sink. Looking online, the best price I can find is just shy of $140.00 and $33.00 for the heat sink, both on ebay. What is your source that you got your controller for $90?
Here was the item # 231809961361. The seller is sneaker62. You beat me on the heat sink. You will have to get the right resister for a 2HP. It comes with one for like a 1/4hp. They are only $3. Seems to handle the 2.5 good. Take care, Larry
I have a 17 mm shaft on the motor and a 13/16" shaft on my 1947 Shopsmith. Where can I find pulleys to fit. I can either use the original 8 groove pulely on the motor or put an 8 groove on the lathe. Or find a 17mm V belt for the motor. Motor does not have a spline or slot. Left hand thread thread on motor shaft with no shoulder to stop the pulley. Any help would be nice.
I really can't help you on that. It's just been too long. You can take the pulleys and belt off a tread mill. If I remember right, I took the tread mill pulley, put a new center in (it's plastic) and drilled it to my spindle shaft size, which I don't remember. It worked fine. It's doable. Take care, Larry
Sleeves are available on Ebay to adapt between shafts and pulleys. They had the size I needed to go from a metric shaft to english unit pulley. It was not expensive.
As long as you are turning little things like pens, it's OK. If you turn bigger blanks that are out of balance, sometimes you can't turn over 300 at the beginning. 500 would be out of the question. Glad you enjoyed it. Take care, Larry
One side goes to 5volts, the other to the pickup. You will have to glue the magnet to your driveshaft and mount the pick up where it picks up the magnetic. I can't remember where I got the 5 Volts. It's been over 3 years.
Nice I like it I have a same woodlathe and I cannot find the pulley system may know the cost for the treadmill motor and the speed control please if you say yes were did you find those things
My headstock cracked and fell off right after I turned, have you had any issues like this or at all with it? I am a young turner (14 almost 15) so any advice you have would help me alot as I am mostly self taught beside a few videos, thanks
Wow, never heard of that before. I assume it is a HF lathe. I would take it back to HF regardless of how old it is. But, first I would take pictures and contact HF on line or phone. No offense, age does matter when you want to get something like this done, maybe your dad or mom. They always say "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". The other choice you have is to have it welded, cast iron can be welded. Wish I could help Buddy, Larry
@@TheWoodWhirler Thanks Larry, it is a hf lathe, I used high strength epoxy to repair the head stock since the cracked didn't go across the entire headstock and replace the rod that you loosen to change the position of the headstock and it seems to have solved the issue but I havent turned anything that I normally do just a pen, and my hf is pretty tough on you needing a receipt and warranty even if it is a factory defect, thanks for the advice, Jack
@@thewilddinkus8026 Get away from your local guys, they just follow protocol. Got to go to headquarters and raise hell. JB weld would be better. Take care, Larry
@@TheWoodWhirler will do, the belt just broke today so I am going to, I have had to fix almost everything on this thing in less than a year, I know it is a cheap product and pretty low quality but, that should mean they can make it less safe or this bad! Looks like I learned my lesson for next time though. Can't wait for the next video, Jack
Hi Larry, Well, that was worth the wait. Congrats on the updates! Watching your tach it looked real steady while you were chewing on that chunk of wood. I saw you drop to about 444 RPM there which is a good bit below the stock unit. What's your minimum so far? Also, what is the model of that controller? I'd like to do a little research on that one to see what they brag about for their absolutes. Best! - Bill
I've had it running steady at 80 rpm. I can stall it at that, but I would probably only sand at that speed so it wouldn't matter. I cannot not stall it at anything over about 300. Thanks man, tell your friends. Larry
Hi Larry, I've seen your update and the updated, update. You sir have epitomized American ingenuity, love the flags! Also your moving the controller up makes total sense, sometimes it's all about the angle of attack on the workpiece. My main (I think) interest in slowing mine down is that I seem to think I'd like to try some thread chasing for lidded boxes and other small items. Sam Angelo (WYOMINGWOODTURNER) has a few videos up on this and it keeps rattling around in my head. Without any experience so far to back it up, 300-400 doesn't seem like it would be too hard to keep up with. At 16 TPI that's in the range of 2.4 - 3.2 threads per second, so not seemingly horrific. I think one way to go might be lifting the controller from the treadmill as well since it's sized for the motor already, leaving the final output intact, but bypassing the onboard control circuitry with a custom design. Keep it up, you are a great craftsman and quite inspiring! - Bill
Hey Larry, Check your settings on your channel, was going to wander back over to look at the updated update again and your channel is showing that there is no content. - Bill
I watched one of your other videos and was wondering where and what I might get to be able to try my hand at wood turning and POOF! TH-cam was like...here ya go...watch this video! lol Big Brother! He is everywhere I tell ya!! lol
Thanks man. It really works well. I was a little concerned about low end toque so I just install a much smaller drive pulley. I lost a lot on the top end, it tops out at about 2500rpm, but the low end is very strong. New video coming out in few days on inside/out turning. Tell your friends. Take care, Larry
I noticed that you still have it start in the 4-500 rpm range. One of the reasons I'm looking at a DC motor is to be able to go lower for big, awkward stock. Was that planned or just what you had to deal with. Thanks.
It's all about headstock pulley size. I think it is around 200, not sure. I don't have it plugged in. It's stilled wired at 220 with no plug on it. Take a look at my video #40. Thanks, Larry up.
Hey Whirller. It's Frank from WoodWorxct.com. great build. How is the tork at 250 300 RPM? I just got a motor. I need to start at those seeds with big wood.
@@TheWoodWhirler Larry. Thanks. Do you still use your converted lathe? Do you have tork issues? I have a 14 inch delta with reeves drives that spins at 500 on start up. With a big piece on there it's a bit scary. Wanted to know how you made out and what you turn. Thanks again for all the detail in the video.
@@frankbua5581 No, haven't had it for about 4 years. Yeah, 500 rpm is rough and dangerous. Best I remember it handled it, but that's a small lathe for a big piece of wood. That's why I upgraded. Take care, Larry
I wish I had bought one of these when they still had them. I always knew they could be converted for metal for a small amount of money but now all of their lathes are a pittance in size compared to this one.
Brilliant job. I have an old wood lathe and I could not get a replacement motor for it. Now I can see how to use your method and bring my old wood lathe back to life. Great job and well done :D
CAn be a hassle getting everything lined up right, but it works like a charm. I moved up to a Grizzly G0800. Great maching, but as normal I have things I don't like about it. Thanks and take care, Larry
@@TheWoodWhirler: Thanks for the info Larry.
Is the Grizzly G0800, the motor you upgraded to and does the 800 part mean it's 800 watts? I am in Scotland and was not sure what you meant. What wattage of motor would you recommend?
Cheers mate. Oh, I just subscribed.
@@mikeflight9 Thanks Mike, but it's just been to long. Sometimes I can't remember what I said yesterday, Take care, Larry
@@TheWoodWhirler: No problem Larry. I will get it all worked out. Glad I saw your video on this. It has helped me to go ahead with the project and given me ideas :D
You take care too.
I have a deep respect for people who aren't scared to work with their hands, and I have to say you have done quite a fine job sir!
Well, thanks Dan, Larry
That was a great demo of the conversion. I have a Jet 1236 lathe that is just like your lathe and will try to covert my lathe as to what you did to yours. You did a wonderful explanation of the conversion and I saved the video as I proceed to converting my Jet lathe as per what you did. Thank you, Barry Mullen
Thank you for the great detail. I have been looking at wood lathes costing many times more then the Harbor Freight model. After seeing your reviews and common sense information I see no need to start with anything more than the Harbor Freight.
The HF is a good lathe for the money. I wanted to turn bigger bowls and didn't like the swinging head. Seems like when you put it back in the original position it was out of line. Need any thing, let me know, Larry
I found a used shopsmith lathe,,,it' can handle 16 inch diameter must be 300 lbs,,,payed 65 dollars,,,if you look you can find many well built lathes cheap,,,
You should be proud of this work. I am seriously considering this machine as my next lathe. The need for good variable speed and reverse was the only thing on my con list. I have added this video to my saved videos list for future reference.
It works, Larry
Pretty cool. I am now persuaded to purchase this lathe. With the upgrades you made it looks like a formidable tool.
Go for it, Larry
I really enjoyed this video. I have that lathe and was thinking about a variable speed retrofit myself. Looks like you put a lot of work into it and covered many important details like cooling and the display. Thanks for sharing your work.
You are Welcome, Larry
Larry, video absolutely worth the wait.Great upgrade on Harbor Freight lathe, instructions and direction of travel for upgrading very well explained.Thank you once again for sharing your knowledge. Larry, you are awesome. Sure glad I found your TH-cam channel.
Thanks man, so far I am very happy with it. I will have an update coming later in the week, stay tuned and tell your friends. Larry
Sir, You are one amazing and ingenious man. It is heartwarming to see you are spending your retirement years still being productive and challenging your brain. I have never been very "tech savvy though I do enjoy a good challenge. You have inspired me to take my lathe to the next level. Your right about the lathe being a good machine. ( with the exception of lite weight legs). You just showed how we can make it better without spending $2-3000.00 more on a new lathe. You're a delight to watch and I just subscribed to your interesting video's.
That was awful nice of you. Thank you and take care, Larry
Fantastic upgrading Larry with a great video to accompany it, thanks for sharing.
Thanks George, Larry
I'm glad I came across your video. I just completed my conversion and built the kydex covers.
Kydex is good stuff. I made a video a long time titled 'Kydex for the wood turner" I think. Take care and thank you, Larry
trying to wrap up building my wood shop, considering a variety of tools and keeping in a workable budget, so I have been looking at Harbor Freights lathe and disc-belt sander. My shop will be about 10X12 and their lathe seem to fit my needs as a beginning wood turner... Thanks for the encouragement! James
Sounds like that will work. Take care, Larry
Super conversion Larry, I have a similar lathe, watching your video makes want to go that way also. Thanks for sharing.
Now that I have made all the changes, I am very happy with it. Lots of low end power, 2500rpm on the high end and pretty quite. Beats spending 4-6K for the same functions. Take care, Larry
Nice job. You are a smart resourceful man!
I liked the treadmill conversion setup,in my dreams I would like to try something like what you did in this vidio.
It works pretty well Dave. I am a little disappointed in the power. It still bogs down on the large wet bowl blanks. But, I have learned to work with it. Take care and Thank you, Larry
I did this 2 years ago, turned out good, make sure you get the biggest motor. The tricky part is making my own control box -you need to draw a diagram. Heck, after that I made my drill press variable and reversible too.
brilliant,just what i was looking for.thank you so much for the video
A master craftsman to be sure. I plan to do this with my 1933 Craftsman 36 inch wood lathe. Thanks.
Thanks for posting this it is really helpful I have to collect an old treadmill later today looking forward to getting started
Go for it, it works fine, Larry
Thanks for making such a detailed video. I have a large DC motor to attach to a similar lathe. It was nice seeing how you addressed everything. I was considering if I wanted to keep the Reeves drive with it as a secondary system, but I think it makes sense to put in a fixed pulley like you did.
I'm also trying to decide if I want to try the upgrade before an event in April.
Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the video. Very well done.
if a real estate agent said you lived. next door to a house I was looking at .SOLD! Your a great resource thank you!
To bad, one nice neighborhood. Thanks, Larry
The Wood Whirler n
Larry, you son of a gun! That's hands down the coolest fix I've ever seen! Good for you! Btw, the Bear sticker has a protective film over it so it doesn't get scratched during storage/shipping. You're supposed to peel that off lol :) I wouldn't bother peeling the protective film off the letters. I tried to and kind of destroyed one of the letters lol I'm glad to see you bought the beast! It's a great saw and I know you'll enjoy it! Way to go!
Best regards,
Peter
I tried to pull the film off, it tried to take my bear with it. Thought about a heat gun, what you think? I like my bear. The grand kids come in and the first thing they focus on is the bear. So I need to fix it.
+WoodTurning with Larry Heat gun might work...Don't hold that against me if it doesn't though lol :)
It don't matter. Me think it was in a very hot container for a long time. It's welded. Larry
Nice conversion. I have had the same lathe for about 25 years. I store several bags of sand or concrete on the shelf between the legs. The thing that bugs me is that the tail stock does not stay put when locked down.
You know the tail stock is adjustable, big nut under it. Or you ways are too slick. I haven't had that lathe for ever, maybe two years. Thanks, Larry
Thanks. It’s been some time since I messed with it. I tried adjusting the nut. Maybe time to try roughing up the underside of the tailstock.
I got a HF lath and I’ve burn up two motors. Warranty about to run out and can’t find one local, they will give my money back. Would you do this again it you all ready the thread mill.
Thanks Larry,ideas more and more ideas.
Excellent work mate, I feel inspired. Regards, Simon
Thank you Simon, Larry
Larry would you like to move to Australia you are a very smart man. HAPPY turning. Cheers Roger Barossa Valley South Australia...🇦🇺
I do, I have always wanted to visit Australia. Only problem is, is I am a Federal Firearms Dealer and love my guns. I guess you can figure out the rest. Thanks for the invite. Larry
Thankyou,,,I bought a vintage shopsmith lathe and want to speed control it, going to use your system
Well done! One suggestion: Mount the on/off, speed, and reversing controls at the other end of the lathe. There are two reasons for doing this. One concerns ease of turning and the other concerns safety. Where you have the controls now increases the size of the headstock -- which may interfere with your ability to access the headstock end of a turning blank with your lathe tools.
Also, if something goes wrong and you need to shut off the lathe, you may need to reach past a spinning object to reach to on/off switch. Ideally, you want to be able to turn the lathe on and off without passing through the "danger zone".
I put a emergency on/off switch on the right end and moved the controls. It's all in one of my updates. Thanks for your thoughts. Larry
If I'd just watched your other updates, I'd have seen that you'd addressed both my concerns!
Good we are thinking alike, Larry
Simple fix for an Emergency shut off, put a commercial light switch controlled plug at the other end and power the switch from the wall. Or Harbor freight's router speed controller. It has an on/off switch, and you can slow their lathe down to around 450 rpms instead of the factory 600-660. Still not reversible, but you can reduce the speed some.
Do you happen to have a complete parts list for everything?
YOu do realize that has been 6 years ago. I don't think I ever had a parts list, but thanks for asking. I generally just have it all in my head. Take care, Larry.
I'm sorry. I didn't see how old the video was. I'm getting ready to do the same thing very soon. I loved the video though.
What kind of temperature guage did you use if you don't mind me asking? I'm having trouble finding it on line
@@garyculver203 I think you meant Speed Indicator. Of course, you know I don't remember. They all work the same with a magnetic on the shaft and the pickup close to pick up the signal. Take care, Larry
@@garyculver203 That's cool. See ya
Larry,great channel and great ideas! Been watching your HF conversion videos,over and over. Am about to do the same thing to mine.
The one thing I saw,and heard,is that you ran 220 to the lathe? Were you actually running the motor on it at 220V ?
No, the HF lathe was 115V, best I remember, that's been 4 or 5 years. It may have been that I was getting ready for my new one, it's 220V. Thanks
I checked it's been 6 years next month. Where does time go?
Hi
Good deal
Looks very professional.
I like your approach to the speed issue.
How about the power in the low speeds?
Thanks
Thanks, so far I am very happy with it. Larry
I enjoyed your video and that was a great mod on your lathe
Is your treadmill motor a permanent magnet motor? Are you running it in reverse, if so has there been any negative things with the motor when running it in reverse?
It's been over 4 years since I've had that lathe. Don't remember any problems with reverse. Check here. Motor is available at www.surpluscenter.com/shop.axd/Search?keywords=treadmill+motor. Thanks Larry
@3:42 - The brush arcing won't happen under load.
Thank You Larry!
You be welcome, Larry
Mr. Larry what was the white material that you used for your motor mount? Thank you!!!!
It's been 4 years, but I believe it was cutting board material.
@@TheWoodWhirler Thank you sir!!!!
Very nice job sir: I would like to ask you, where did you get the hand wheel for the back side of the head stock? I would love to have one for my lathe! I have the same lathe as you. Thanks for the help.
The HF lathe is a knock off of a Jet lathe, go to their site and you can find it. Plus, some where in these comments you can find the part number. Not the first time I've been asked this question. Thanks, Larry
It looked like the Tac showed 500 rpm and the lathe was turned off. What is the speed of the lowest steady revolution you get can get with the modification?
Richard Katzman
Man, that's been about 4 years ago. Sometimes I can't remember yesterday. Take care, Larry
Great, informative video, really appreciate your contribution. I just picked this lathe up from a Labor Day sale yesterday and was pretty saddened to learn how wimpy the stock motor is. Maybe I just got a bad one, but it bogs down very easily. I've been researching motor upgrades and your video is the most complete explanation I've found so far.
Yeah, that was my biggest grip. Jet has one just like it. You can get parts there(Jet 1236). They might have a motor upgrade, I don't know. Theirs still has a 3/4 HP. The problem isn't finding a motor. It is finding a motor that will fig their mounting bracket. On the bright side, it teaches you to control your cuts. My Grizzly (G0800) has a 3hp and you cannot stall it. That can be good and bad. Sometimes I wish it would stall. Take care and good luck. Larry
Mr. Larry what would it take to build that very same thing and ship it to me with directions on how to install it, here to Pennsylvania???
Side note
I wish you was my neighbor!!!
I don't hire out. But thanks anyway, Larry
Thanks for sharing. Have you tested this setup on pieces larger than 12”?
I don't recall, it's been over 4 years. Larry
Great job. I have the same lathe and I turn out some very nice turnings. The one thing I don’t like is the low speed, it’s too fast to cut threads. You need 250-300 as the low speed. I was interested to see what your low speed was going to be. Unfortunately it’s still too fast. My lathe starts at about 500 rpm. Maybe I could find a tread mill motor that starts real slow.
Sorry, I just saw you comment. You gotta have more than just eh motor. Thanks, and take care, Larry
Good morning, I am kind of new to turning. I have the harbor freight 12x33. I am trying to figure out what I need for a 3 Jaw Chuck but I am having lots of issues. I find a nice one that I think will work and then it is not threaded or I can find anything out about it. Please offer me some sound advice.
You need a 4 jaw chuck. 3 jaws are generally for metalwork. Check out Nova chucks for wood lathes on Amazon. Yours is 1" X 8 threads per inch. See ya, Larry
Thank you sir
Can you show me the way you did the pulleys
That video is over 4 years old. So, no I can't, haven't had that lathe for about 3 1/2 years or more. Thanks, Larry
Im curious how this lathe set up is still doing. I own this model and just replaced the bearings. I noticed you offset the balance of your pulleys... How are your bearings doing?
Also, I would love to add that hand handle off the left of the head stock to mine. Where did you get yours and what are the threads I am looking for?
Great video!
I haven't had that lathe in about 4 years, so I can't tell you. Thanks, Larry
Very nice upgrade. I'm planning to do the same thing on my lathe and was wondering where you got the tachometer and how much it cost. I haven't found one I really like yet at a price I'm willing to pay.
I got mine on e-bay for $12.95. It works well. It does not come with a case, you have to mount it. Anything else, let me know. Thanks, Larry
i really appreciate what you do!
No problems Will. If you start and need anything, you can e-mail me at earthloc@gmail.com. Take care, Larry
I enjoyed your video Larry and I learned some things. That Harbor Freight lathe, how is it just as it comes from the store including price and equipment?
God Bless my friend.
It's good for the money. A little light. Somewhat under powered. But, you certainly can make good stuff with it. Take care, Larry
It looks like the KB motor controller can handle 2 hp with the heat sink. Looking online, the best price I can find is just shy of $140.00 and $33.00 for the heat sink, both on ebay. What is your source that you got your controller for $90?
Here was the item # 231809961361. The seller is sneaker62. You beat me on the heat sink. You will have to get the right resister for a 2HP. It comes with one for like a 1/4hp. They are only $3. Seems to handle the 2.5 good. Take care, Larry
What motor size did you use and what size is your horsepower resistor in the controller?
I have a 17 mm shaft on the motor and a 13/16" shaft on my 1947 Shopsmith. Where can I find pulleys to fit. I can either use the original 8 groove pulely on the motor or put an 8 groove on the lathe. Or find a 17mm V belt for the motor. Motor does not have a spline or slot. Left hand thread thread on motor shaft with no shoulder to stop the pulley. Any help would be nice.
I really can't help you on that. It's just been too long. You can take the pulleys and belt off a tread mill. If I remember right, I took the tread mill pulley, put a new center in (it's plastic) and drilled it to my spindle shaft size, which I don't remember. It worked fine. It's doable. Take care, Larry
Sleeves are available on Ebay to adapt between shafts and pulleys. They had the size I needed to go from a metric shaft to english unit pulley. It was not expensive.
When did you stop using this lathe and go to the Grizzly?
At least 3 years ago. See ya, Larry
you've had this for a while now. Does the motor handle turning bowls, if you take big cuts? does it slow down?
I got rid of that lathe about two years ago. But to answer your question, no it doesn't affect it. Thanks, Larry
Nicely done! Think if I put in that much effort, I would want those rpm’s a bit lower than the 5 or 600 stock.. depends on what your doing I suppose
As long as you are turning little things like pens, it's OK. If you turn bigger blanks that are out of balance, sometimes you can't turn over 300 at the beginning. 500 would be out of the question. Glad you enjoyed it. Take care, Larry
I have the same lathe and want to do this upgrade. Thanks.
How did you connect the hand wheel to the rear?
It screws on, reverse threads.
Did you wire the tackometer into the speed control board ?
One side goes to 5volts, the other to the pickup. You will have to glue the magnet to your driveshaft and mount the pick up where it picks up the magnetic. I can't remember where I got the 5 Volts.
It's been over 3 years.
Nice I like it I have a same woodlathe and I cannot find the pulley system may know the cost for the treadmill motor and the speed control please if you say yes were did you find those things
I really don't remember, try surplus center, see next post. Larry
ok thanks again
Take care, Larry
Love the mods. Did you mention where you got the control box? If possible could you post a link? Enjoying your channel too, lots of great content. :)
I got it on Ebay. Just make sure you controller output amps matches you motor requirements. Thanks for viewing, Larry
Thanks Larry. I'll search around. :)
Great video. Thank you!!!!
My headstock cracked and fell off right after I turned, have you had any issues like this or at all with it? I am a young turner (14 almost 15) so any advice you have would help me alot as I am mostly self taught beside a few videos, thanks
Wow, never heard of that before. I assume it is a HF lathe. I would take it back to HF regardless of how old it is. But, first I would take pictures and contact HF on line or phone. No offense, age does matter when you want to get something like this done, maybe your dad or mom. They always say "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". The other choice you have is to have it welded, cast iron can be welded. Wish I could help Buddy, Larry
@@TheWoodWhirler Thanks Larry, it is a hf lathe, I used high strength epoxy to repair the head stock since the cracked didn't go across the entire headstock and replace the rod that you loosen to change the position of the headstock and it seems to have solved the issue but I havent turned anything that I normally do just a pen, and my hf is pretty tough on you needing a receipt and warranty even if it is a factory defect, thanks for the advice, Jack
@@thewilddinkus8026 Get away from your local guys, they just follow protocol. Got to go to headquarters and raise hell. JB weld would be better. Take care, Larry
@@TheWoodWhirler will do, the belt just broke today so I am going to, I have had to fix almost everything on this thing in less than a year, I know it is a cheap product and pretty low quality but, that should mean they can make it less safe or this bad! Looks like I learned my lesson for next time though. Can't wait for the next video, Jack
Hi Larry,
Well, that was worth the wait. Congrats on the updates! Watching your tach it looked real steady while you were chewing on that chunk of wood. I saw you drop to about 444 RPM there which is a good bit below the stock unit. What's your minimum so far? Also, what is the model of that controller? I'd like to do a little research on that one to see what they brag about for their absolutes.
Best!
- Bill
I've had it running steady at 80 rpm. I can stall it at that, but I would probably only sand at that speed so it wouldn't matter. I cannot not stall it at anything over about 300. Thanks man, tell your friends. Larry
Check out my update, turns in the 40s. Larry
Hi Larry,
I've seen your update and the updated, update. You sir have epitomized American ingenuity, love the flags! Also your moving the controller up makes total sense, sometimes it's all about the angle of attack on the workpiece.
My main (I think) interest in slowing mine down is that I seem to think I'd like to try some thread chasing for lidded boxes and other small items. Sam Angelo (WYOMINGWOODTURNER) has a few videos up on this and it keeps rattling around in my head. Without any experience so far to back it up, 300-400 doesn't seem like it would be too hard to keep up with. At 16 TPI that's in the range of 2.4 - 3.2 threads per second, so not seemingly horrific. I think one way to go might be lifting the controller from the treadmill as well since it's sized for the motor already, leaving the final output intact, but bypassing the onboard control circuitry with a custom design. Keep it up, you are a great craftsman and quite inspiring!
- Bill
Hey Larry,
Check your settings on your channel, was going to wander back over to look at the updated update again and your channel is showing that there is no content.
- Bill
I don't know. I checked all of them and they are all marked public. Suggestions? Larry
Larry, approx. what size is the tachcometer? Also, is there anything I need to watch for when buying a tach on ebay(volts, amps, etc)?
thanks
zetuskid
It's approx 1X2. You can find them on ebay. 5 Volts, Larry
I watched one of your other videos and was wondering where and what I might get to be able to try my hand at wood turning and POOF! TH-cam was like...here ya go...watch this video! lol Big Brother! He is everywhere I tell ya!! lol
Go for it Tina, it's the best hobby I've had and I've had plenty. Take care, Larry
o you know the part number for the dc speed control box
No Jim it's just been to long. I sold it a long time ago. I think I got it on Ebay. Thanks, Larry
What size is the pulley on the motor it self
I have no idea, it's just been too long and I don't have the HF any more. Thanks, Larry
The Wood Whirler no worries Larry it's a 1/2 in. Reverse thread. Thanks for the video
Great Job!!!
Thanks man. It really works well. I was a little concerned about low end toque so I just install a much smaller drive pulley. I lost a lot on the top end, it tops out at about 2500rpm, but the low end is very strong. New video coming out in few days on inside/out turning. Tell your friends. Take care, Larry
Larry About your band saw if you place a big old ROLL TIDE and photo of big AL you could cover up the Grizzly "smile"
Perhaps you could send me a large Razorback sticker, that would work, sooee pig, Larry
Puure genius.👍
where can i get a regulator larry
By regulator, I guessing you mean DC motor controller? I got mine on e-Bay. Just search for "DC Motor Controller". Thanks for viewing, Larry
thanks
d.c ?
mike pruett
Treadmill motors are DC (direct current), like a battery vs AC (alternating current), like your house. Take care, Larry
not using a treadmill motor have the original thanks
I noticed that you still have it start in the 4-500 rpm range. One of the reasons I'm looking at a DC motor is to be able to go lower for big, awkward stock. Was that planned or just what you had to deal with.
Thanks.
It's all about headstock pulley size. I think it is around 200, not sure. I don't have it plugged in. It's stilled wired at 220 with no plug on it. Take a look at my video #40. Thanks, Larry up.
thanks for the video larry i know what i will be doing when the reeves drive or the motor goes bad.
You are more than welcome my friend. Larry
Motor is available at www.surpluscenter.com/shop.axd/Search?keywords=treadmill+motor
Do you want to do my harbour freight lathe?
Nope, i can't get done what I need to do. Thanks, Larry
I didn't think so but I thought it was worth a shot.
Never get nothing if you don't go for it. Thanks and take care, Larry
Hey Whirller. It's Frank from WoodWorxct.com. great build. How is the tork at 250 300 RPM?
I just got a motor. I need to start at those seeds with big wood.
Man, that's been almost 4 years ago. I have no idea. You might want to look at pully sizes, therein lays the secret. Thanks, Larry
@@TheWoodWhirler Larry. Thanks. Do you still use your converted lathe? Do you have tork issues? I have a 14 inch delta with reeves drives that spins at 500 on start up. With a big piece on there it's a bit scary. Wanted to know how you made out and what you turn. Thanks again for all the detail in the video.
@@frankbua5581 No, haven't had it for about 4 years. Yeah, 500 rpm is rough and dangerous. Best I remember it handled it, but that's a small lathe for a big piece of wood. That's why I upgraded. Take care, Larry
By doggies, I believe that's plenty fine!
Thank you Sir, Larry
I wish I had bought one of these when they still had them. I always knew they could be converted for metal for a small amount of money but now all of their lathes are a pittance in size compared to this one.