# Speed control on old lathe



## Avfc666 (18 Dec 2016)

Hi,recently bought myself a old draper lathe,going to give turning a try,anyway it's belt driven,I think it as 4 or five speeds,however you have to change speed by changing belts,which I find annoying,is there anything out there that can be fitted to motor so I can turn up or down by using a dial,looking for something cheap!,does it have a correct name and where can I get one,and how much,thanks in advance,regards mark.


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## robe_uk (18 Dec 2016)

a vfd inverter can be used to change to speed, BUT it does depend on the motor, I to am thinking about speed control on my myford lathe but have to do more research to see if I can with the motor on the lathe. Google vfd speed control on AC motor. Ebay has plenty for sale and you can see there are loads of different types to chose from. Sorry this is not a buy this and away you go type of answer.

Rob


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## Avfc666 (18 Dec 2016)

Thanks for that rob,certainly helps.my lathe is a wtl 100 (draper).is it compatible for an inverter speed control? Regards


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## robe_uk (18 Dec 2016)

sorry I do not know, but at a guess I'd say probably not as due to the way induction motors start, they have an auxiliary winding which is slightly out of phase with the main winding and once the motor spins at speed a centrifugal switch disengages this winding. If you listen when you switch your motor off you might be able to hear this switch click back in as the motor slows. 
But without knowing your motor no one can actually say if you can use a vfd, hopefully someone that maybe has tried retro fitting some form of speed control will shed some light.


ps from what I've been reading online over the last few minutes I'd say that you can not add variable speed to the single phase motor typically found in tools


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## RogerP (18 Dec 2016)

There's no quick and cheap way. Topic has been discussed before, here's one thread from a few years ago...
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/variable-speed-conversion-t29495.html


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## Keithie (18 Dec 2016)

fwiw, my opinion, based on my experience of owning both a very similar style lathe to your draper wtl100 (mine was an old coronet) and now owning a modern speed controlled lathe (dml320) is that speed control is nice to have but not really necessary for small - medium stuff (so long as you're careful).

I just left my coronet on the middle belt at the single speed there and never changed it (simply couldnt be bothered!). To be fair, the max sizes I did were a 6" diam bowl 3" deep on a faceplate, a 4" diam 4" long pen pot on a chuck and lots of little stuff. Therewasnt a problem at the single middle speed on mine doing those.

In economic terms I'd guess that an old lathe similar to yours / my coronet can be had for about £100 give or take a bit while a good enough modern lathe with the same capacity and speed control (like my dml320) can be bought new for £400-£500 with guarantees etc. 

Maybe try sticking with single speed and if you cant live with it then consider upgrading?


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## Avfc666 (18 Dec 2016)

Thanks everyone ,still not 100% sure if it can be done,sounds unlikely though.


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## Jacob (18 Dec 2016)

I bought a variable speed lathe (inverter etc wossit called) but it was a mistake - it lost torque with low speeds and you could stop a big turning with your hand just about. 
Defeated the object, which was to turn large objects in low gear with high torque - which you can do with a simple belt and multiple pulley adjustment


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## nev (18 Dec 2016)

Avfc666":3avp1qnw said:


> ..... looking for something cheap!,does it have a correct name and where can I get one,and how much,thanks in advance,regards mark.



I'll say it.
No. There is no cheap option for variable speed, even if you have the correct type of motor, which the Draper doesn't, I suspect.

Speed changes are generally only required in relation to the size of the lump on the lathe. Big and uneven go slow, small and fine go fast. So you'd generally only need to change speeds once or twice during a project. Just go with what you've got and when you reach the limits of your current lathe and want a change look for one with variable speed.

hth


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## AndyT (18 Dec 2016)

I have a lathe, but would not describe myself as a turner. It's a basic, imported model, bought from Axminster in the 90s, and probably similar to what you have.

As supplied, changing the speed needed a threaded knob to be unscrewed, so you can open a hinged cover, which receals the belt and five speed pulleys. The really tedious thing was the time it took to unscrew and replace the knob each time. 

I replaced the knob with a stout toggle catch. It's held on self tapping screws into the casting. It made a big enough difference - changing speed takes only a few seconds. Not quite what you asked for but a very cheap and easy option.


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## Inspector (18 Dec 2016)

If the motor is a 3 phase delta wound motor you can make it variable speed by adding a VDF controller. If the motor is a single phase you can't put a VDF on it.

Pete


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## Avfc666 (18 Dec 2016)

Thanks everyone,will stick with what I've got until I gain experience,then decide later if I want to upgrade,that's if the dust hasn't killed me by then!!


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## Dalboy (18 Dec 2016)

I had the lathe that you now have and as stated above the only pain I found was the allen screw to hold the lid, so either change to a toggle clamp as suggested or find a locking knob from something like a router which is easy to undo. The changing of the belt takes no time at all and once in the habit becomes second nature. I still have a lathe which requires belt changes and think nothing of changing the speed. I also have a lathe with variable speed but I still tend to use the first on more occasions but then that could be down to the larger size of it


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