Central Machinery 12 x 33 3/8

I own one. One year and counting. The Reeves drive chews up standard v-belts. I got the link belt maybe 8 months ago and see no signs of wear yet.

If you are turning primarily as a hobby, the 3/4 hp motor should be fine. I am looking for a way to bump that up to 1 hp or better.

The stamped steel stand is good enough for reasonably centered loads but if you are going to be doing a lot of large, unbalanced, pieces either get something to weight it down (I scaveneged some hardwood 4x4's) or spend another $2-3,000 and get something with a cast iron / welded steel stand.

The bed casting seems to be a good one and I have no trouble matching up the headstock and tailstock centers.

The #2MT tapers and the 1x8 headstock threading are petty common, so acessories such as chucks are relatively painless to acquire.

I suspect that the relatively high minimum rpm will be enough to get you to buy / make a centering jig.

Not that you asked, but I seem to be getting good service out of the HF large lathe tool set usually priced at around $70.

Bill

"W Canaday" wrote: (clip) If you are turning primarily as a hobby, the 3/4 hp motor should be fine. I am looking for a way to bump that up to 1 hp or better.(clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The Jet 1236 is very similar--my experience tells me that the Reeves drive will slip before the motor stalls. Adding horsepower won't change that.

Mine stalls. I'm not trying to be rude, but perhaps you should look into tightening your belt. In a Reeves drive, a link belt seems to act similar to a cogged belt -- and can deliver plenty of torque.

Bill

Hi Bill

I think Leo is right and you are at least a little exaggerating in your claim. A link belt is no cogged belt and has no grip like one, I would go as far as saying that a link belt is just short of the equivalent of a regular v-belt in holding, not better than a good v-belt, however their life span is a lot longer than a regular belt, also one does not have to take the equipment apart in order to get a new belt installed, and the the link belt does away with a lot of equipment vibration. The other thing is the reeves only holds as good as the spring will press the sheaves together, trying to tightening the belt anymore will just open the sheaves up.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

W Canaday wrote:

No I'm not. Mine stalls.

1) When the Reeves drive got stuck open, I cleaned and adjusted it myself. It may be tighter now than originally ... but, other than lining it up with existing clamping marks on the shaft, I have no way of judging that because I don't know how tight it was before. 2) At that time, I took a link out of the belt to tighten it to the newly adjusted pulleys. I had noticed it slipping before. It doesn't slip now. The clutch for the switch kicks out under load, but the belt doesn't slip.

At its lowest speed I can stall it at will. Or even when I'd rather not. It is easy to take a controlled cut with a 1/2" scraper deep enough to stall the spindle.

My bearings are fine. There is, for all practical purposes, no side or end play.

I have nothing to prove and no need to exxagerate. If anyone using this list in or near Detroit requires proof of this, I'm willing to demo it on the condition that he / she report back to the group on what they saw.

I'm not upset or anything like that. But I know what I am looking at and I am reporting it truthfully and without embellishment.

I've been a prototype machinist and a diemaker. I presently maintain a little over 100,000 sq feet of packaging plant equipment for my living. I'm almost certain that I can tell when a machine is stalling.

I'm not trying to wave a diploma or claim an obscene IQ ... just pointing to the possibility that my training may enable me to identify a stall.

I'd like you, please, to entertain the thought that I might be right in my observations.

Perhaps you think that my machine should not do this. In that case let's have some discussion as to the possible causes for this wrong behavior. But questioning my integrity, my sanity or my ability to identify a simple machine condition on Usenet is certainly not going to look good on your resume.

I like my HF lathe. But it stalls ... so I'd like to find a beefier motor with the same mounting face.

Did I say a bad word or something?

Hi Bill

Sorry If you misunderstood the discussion

The discussion was on the claim of the link belt as you said "In a Reeves drive, a link belt seems to act similar to a cogged belt -- and can deliver plenty of torque."

My answer was "A link belt is no cogged belt and has no grip like one, I would go as far as saying that a link belt is just short of the equivalent of a regular v-belt in holding, not better"

And I stand by that answer.

That your motor stall is of course possible, and I do not dispute that, the most simple reason might be a under powered setup, as a claim to high HP is prevalent, especially on Chaiwan made equipment it seems.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

W Canaday wrote:

Best advice is to cut, not scrape. Even there, less you press the better. That way both you and the motor are always comfortable.

The Chiwan motors are a puzzle. I've been told that the steel in the rotors is the beginning - not consistent enough, allowing magnetic eddies - then of course the insulation is virtually nil, and stators show visible rust after their container run. Rest of it can be told by the nameplate on my 3000 motor. 1 HP 14 amps at 120. That is one inefficient motor. Heats like it too.

Lots of times the reason you can stall a motor is because the capacitor doesn't kick back in once the rpm goes below the centrifugal switch cut out.

"George" wrote: (clip) Lots of times the reason you can stall a motor is because the capacitor doesn't kick back in once the rpm goes below the centrifugal switch cut out. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That may be, but it would be preferable to stall the motor than continue running on the starting circuit. That would let the smoke out in short order.