# Homemade Controls For Reeves Pulley Lathe??



## Kroll (Nov 25, 2016)

Guys I am kinda at a loss here when it comes to controls for a lathe.If you look over in the SB section I have posted my project which has a project within its self and why I'm here.The lathe is a SB Fourteen lathe 1970 model that use to have at one time the electronic speed control but no longer.In that same control box is a on/off switch and a drum switch Forward/Off /Reverse,and at the bottom of the lathe cabinet is a hand wheel that is connected to the reeves pulley that you turn to change speeds.Guys this is all there is,how did the previous owner tell what the rpms were and there is no starter on this machine which also has a 3hp 3phase motor.One of the good things is this lathe came with a Rotary Phase Converter that I guess at one time power this machine but I don't know that for sure.
Anyway what I would like to do if someone can figure this out is use the old control cabinet that sets on top of the headstock and use the original drum switch,install a start/stop button in the cabinet that will pull in the contactor of the starter and send power to the drum switch if all this is possible.But what can I do to get an ideal at what rpm is the spindle turning as I adjust the hand wheel for the reeves pulley.I don't think it has to an exact reading but a good reference each time like for turning steel,aluminum or stainless steel which I plan on using carbide inserts.Surely I'm not the first person that come across a problem like this,so hoping someone has an answer.If you have any ideals please let me know or maybe post pics of your homemade setup----Thanks
Guys I don't have to use this control box/cabinet if you have another ideal,I'm all ears


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## Tony Wells (Nov 25, 2016)

Best way would be to put a tach on it. It's a pretty straightforward project, and I think there are a few folks here who have done it. Less convenient, but there is a free app for an iphone that is a strobe that can be used as a tach with a simple addition of a marker on the spindle. I don't think the tach setup is very expensive, and is probably worth every penny. Hopefully those who have done it will chime in with links to their work. Our search is not the best, but you could give it a try and you might find those threads. Personally, I dislike Reeves drives units. Seems like every machine (in a commercial environment at least) that I have worked with wears miserably and is a pain to keep going, much less quietly.


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## Kroll (Nov 27, 2016)

Good morning,thank you Tony for pointing me in the right direction.I google tach for a lathe found some information.I also watch some You Tubes which was also helpful,but I guess there is couple ways to pick up a rotation count.One being a magnet and the other being reflective tape where some had installed one piece of tape and others had installed maybe four pieces of tape.From what I understand is the magnet method has problems reading at slow rpm's or I may have that backwards.So I did go shopping for the magnet type cause it looks like thats the way most went.Over to the auction site which is where You Tuber's shop,so using Digital Tachometer as a search.Dang there is over few thousand tachometers that pop up,some hand held,others for auto's and then some that will work for my issue.But for those they all look alike and none come with a power supply.The power supply is something like what you would plug your phone into,or a HF tool.But it needs to match what the meter requires.Average price is around 20.00 then there's couple that's at 50.00 that will read sfm's but you have to solder pieces together if using this kit.Anyway I though I would share this info just in case someone else has a problem guessing at spindle speed.


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## Tony Wells (Nov 27, 2016)

Let me know if you end up needing a power supply. Some of my surplus comes from the hospital where small devices are powered through "wall warts", and they rarely die. I probably have a bushel basket of them, with a variety of voltage and current specs. There aren't all that many in common use, so likely I would have one I could give you. Don't let that stop you from getting this done. Just let me know what you need.


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## Kroll (Nov 28, 2016)

Thank you Tony,will do.That part of my project will be towards the end when I start putting the SB Fourteen back together.I'm glad to hear and see that adding a tach is pretty simple,I consider it an upgrade from having no reference as to rpms.Over in the SB section I have posted my project which when the time comes will also post the tach project for people who may want to add a tach.Thanks


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## Tersti (Nov 30, 2016)

Just since the pictures didn't get commented on I'll add to that - it _looks _to me like not everything in that unit is connected up, those "Increase/Decrease" lights/buttons, which might suggest that there's some bits missing. Many machinists will choose a speed based on "feel" rather than consulting a chart, the previous owner might have been one of those people and probably didn't know exactly what speed the lathe was running at. You can buy a tach and I'm thinking of making my own myself but you certainly don't strictly need one.


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