General 260

Those were the days when General still had an operating foundry in Quebec. Their table saws were superb as were all the other woodworking machines they made. They were the same quality as Powermatic when they still had an operating foundry in the US. Note that that lathe has riser blocks to increase the swing from 12" to 20".

I remember the original, real, General lathes. The Woodsmith Store in my t own carried the 260 and 160 lathes about 25 years ago. They also had the t able saw. All Made In Canada. Can't remember if they came with Leeson or Baldor motors. Think the 160 had Reeves drive to get variable speed.

I have the very basic 160, i.e., just the cast iron lathe, 4 speed, that I mounted on a base made to suit my height. The model that came on a base with a motor used a pinching pulley variable speed system (is that a Reeves drive?).

an interesting idea

it is funny you mention it because when i first looked i wondered why the headstock was so tall

For Bowls and vases. Some platters. Not a pen machine. But most everything else. Might do pens.

Mart> >

my town carried the 260 and 160 lathes about 25 years ago. They also had t he table saw. All Made In Canada. Can't remember if they came with Leeson or Baldor motors. Think the 160 had Reeves drive to get variable speed.

Yes. The pulley halves move in and out so the belt goes up and down. Incr eases or decreases the size of the pulley. Reeves drive is what that thing is.

i think i have seen these in delta lathes

did not know they were called reeves drive

interesting approach

does it require adjustment from time to time

Here is a YouTube of a Reeves Drive in action. The two pulleys on the moto r and spindle change in diameter. Thus changing the speed of the spindle. Looks like the guy moves a lever to change the pulley size. And get varia ble speed. Reeves Drive are a "cheap" way to get variable speed on a lathe or other machines. Cheaper than electronic variable speed. Electronic re quires a VFD (variable frequency drive) and a 3 phase motor. Think the VFD takes single phase electricity on the input side and changes it to 3 phase to power the motor. The VFD must be able to change the amount of electric ity that goes through and thus change how fast the 3 phase motor runs. I'm no expert on electricity and how 3 phase motors operate. Have no knowledg e of Reeves Drive other than what it is and how it operates basically.

it is an interesting solution

this is what i learned recently

the vfd opens up some possibilities for using 3 phase equipment

3 phase motors can be powered in homes a couple ways. Homes with 220 volt single phase electricity only. As opposed to industrial/commercial space w hich often has 3 phase electricity into the building from the main electric al system.

You can get 3 phase electricity for motors by using a phase convertor. Rot ary or static I think. Rotary is superior. You put 220 volt single phase in and the rotary convertor makes the third leg of the three legs/phases ne eded to power a 3 phase motor. The other two legs for the 3 phase motor co me from the breaker box 220 volt feed. End up with three legs/phases for t he 3 phase motor.

The other way to get three phase power is to use a VFD Variable Frequency D rive. Common on lathes that need variable speed from the motor. VFD takes the two legs of the 220 single electricity in and creates the third leg to power the 3 phase lathe motor. Assume the VFD can change the amount of ele ctricity going out to make the motor variable speed. VFD are relatively ch eap compared to phase convertors. VFD make three phase power electronicall y instead of rotary phase convertor which makes the three phase by actually having an additional motor making the third phase. Cheap electronics comp ared to expensive copper wound motor.

i see used phase converters for sale once in a while and they all were expensive

vfd has other benefits too iirc it improves efficiency

But you don't need a 220v source if you stick to 1-1.5hp motors. I've been quoted Can$750 for a 1HP vfd motor with vfd and 110v input. Graham

Probably makes sense. Phase convertors are only used by small shops who do not have access to real 3 phase power from the utility company. Big shops and commercial operations get 3 phase power for their machinery direct. N o need for a phase convertor. Its only the little guy who needs them. So small demand and small supply. And if a little guy gets a 3 phase machine, he HAS to have a phase convertor. There is no other option. Otherwise hi s bargain basement cheaply bought magnificent 3 phase Martin or Altendorf t able saw is just a big paper weight. He has to buy a phase convertor at an y cost or his $10,000 Martin is worthless. And his $12,000 SCMI shaper is worthless too.

I follow the Euro, Pound, and Yen every day. But do not keep track of the Canadian dollar exchange rate. So I don't know if $750 Canadian is pocket change or real money. Several companies make mini lathes with variable spe ed. These use 1/2 or maybe 3/4 hp motors and get the variable speed from a VFD using 110 volt electricity. I believe they are all $500-1000 USA doll ars in cost. Not sure though. I know Jet makes a bigger lathe with VFD of about 1.5hp. It uses 110 volt. Think it is around $1500-2000 USA dollars .

That's not how it works. The variable frequency drive varies the frequency (as its name says) to vary the motor speed, which works since the speed of an induction motor is a function of the frequency of the supply voltage (and, to a lesser amount, the amount of load on the motor).

Cheers. Jim