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Craftsman 12 inch repower
- Thread starter rockyrude
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2013
- Messages
- 10,450
Does the cutting you are doing bog down the motor? I doubt that you could use 1 HP on such a lathe.
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2013
- Messages
- 3,960
i put a 3/4HP, 2 speed motor on my hercus 9" when i had it
3/4 hp was plenty and i push pretty hard
3/4 hp was plenty and i push pretty hard
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2015
- Messages
- 12,238
I am planning to use a 3/4 hp dc motor on my Atlas/Craftsman 12" if I ever get my rear in gear and set it up
-M
-M
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2011
- Messages
- 10,552
1/2 HP should be plenty. Sounds like either the motor has something wrong with it or there is something wrong with your cutters. If you do buy a new single phase motor, don;t exceed 3/4 HP. And do keep and use the stock 8-speed drive assembly. And don't go below about 800 RPM on the motor as below that speed it will tend to overheat,
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2017
- Messages
- 2,138
My Craftsman 12X36 (101.27440) runs a 1/3 HP motor. I don't do commercial or heavy work though. I have stalled the spindle through poor setup or practice. But the motor didn't stall, the belts slipped. I run the machine with a 120 V, single phase Baldor Farm Duty motor. That motor is Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled, NEMA class TEFC. A little overbearing maybe, but I like those motors. And the price was right. . .
If the machine is "free", as in "loose", anything over 3/4 HP is like using a howitzer as a flyswatter. For serious shop use, 1/2 HP should suffice. I would look more toward the motor than the lathe. Not so much "underpowered" as the motor is not putting out rated power. Chinese motors are rated by current draw rather than "Prony Brake" torque. Many American manufacturers also now follow this practice to stay in line with "international standards". Baldor, as of 10 years back (or so), still follows the old school standards.
In my opinion, if you need a stronger motor, maybe you need a larger lathe. As in you're taking too heavy a cut. I can run 0.075" DOC on aluminium for roughing work. Usually I take less because of the size of the stock. As noted, I have stalled the spindle with the belts slipping. To power through that situation could conceivably damage the machine. And the motor will cost much less. Get a good Baldor 1/3HP Farm Duty motor at about the same cost as an Emerson 1.0 HP. Note that I am not up to date on prices, I am comparing prices at a theortical level.
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If the machine is "free", as in "loose", anything over 3/4 HP is like using a howitzer as a flyswatter. For serious shop use, 1/2 HP should suffice. I would look more toward the motor than the lathe. Not so much "underpowered" as the motor is not putting out rated power. Chinese motors are rated by current draw rather than "Prony Brake" torque. Many American manufacturers also now follow this practice to stay in line with "international standards". Baldor, as of 10 years back (or so), still follows the old school standards.
In my opinion, if you need a stronger motor, maybe you need a larger lathe. As in you're taking too heavy a cut. I can run 0.075" DOC on aluminium for roughing work. Usually I take less because of the size of the stock. As noted, I have stalled the spindle with the belts slipping. To power through that situation could conceivably damage the machine. And the motor will cost much less. Get a good Baldor 1/3HP Farm Duty motor at about the same cost as an Emerson 1.0 HP. Note that I am not up to date on prices, I am comparing prices at a theortical level.
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