How much power do I need?

[Nic Rhodes]

I have a 'mini' lathe which I do pen blanks on. It is 1/2HP is is obviously massively over powered for what I use it for. I am looking now to buy bigger lathe and wondering how much power I need to deal with what I plan to use it for. I don't have a huge interest in any massive bowls or spindles at this stage, so their size capability all would do the job, however I don't know how much power I will need to drive it without issue. Many old lathes seem under powered in todays comparisons but had no issue in working great. I have no feel for wha works atm. The wood I use the most is African hardwoods, which are hard and often very dense (things like Leadwood, Mopane, Tamboti, Chacate Preto, Copalwood etc), bowls are typically 5" to 8" for the majority, and only very occasionally unto 10", Spindle mostly 12 x 2 x 2 or 12 x 3 x 3, occasionally longer. Can any offer some guidance on how much power I need. Is 1 HP fine or would i benefit from a little more?

 

[Democritus]

Nic,
I think you should go for a much HP as you can afford. Better to have too much than not enough. I would think that 1 - 1.5 HP would be the bare minimum.
D

 

[flh801978]

Union graduates only have as standard 3/4 hp and thats plenty for spindles and bowls up to 8”

 

[Paul Hannaby]

Mot people who rebuilt Union Graduates put bigger motors in them. I think there is a reason for that!

Where you need the most power is in cutting the larger diameters. A 0.75 hp lathe would cope with 10" blanks but you may have to limit your depth of cut for the worst case. However, a 1 or 1.5 hp lathe would allow you to make bigger cuts and potentially work faster. It depends if you see that as a benefit or not.

I wouldn't say a 0.5 hp lathe was massively overpowered for pen turning. I remember trying to drill a pen blank with a tiny lathe with a 90W 1/8 hp) motor and it kept stalling. Think of the power of an average electric drill motor - these are 500-750W or 0.75 - 1hp.

Also worth bearing in mind is that generally, more powerful lathes are built more robustly.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Thanks that is useful information put in a way I had not thought of in that way. I drill pen blanks on my drill press which is 720w I think. I had not thought of that comparison.

 

[minilathe22]

I have created 8" bowls on a lathe that had a motor rated INPUT 1/2HP, and I think the output was around 1/4HP. It was a slow process! If you are a hobbyist and not in a hurry, then 3/4HP I would say is enough, but 1HP or more would be ideal.

Above 1.5HP is pretty savage if you have a catch.

 

[Duncan A]

Torque is at least as important as power, and motors nowadays will often be variable speed and with higher power than in the past in order to give enough torque at slower speed. Also, in the past, the emphasis was on spindle turning whereas faceplate turning is now much more common.
A number of different size pulleys also help provide torque at lower speeds.
Having said that, most decent lathes have a motor sized to suit their expected usage so your primary concern should be to find the correct lathe for your requirements. .

 

[Spectric]

Don't forget that the power will depend on how the motor drives the chuck, it is torque you need and by reducing the motor speed using belts or gears this increases the power.

 

[Dangermouse 2nd]

Too much is better than not enough..

 

[TheTiddles]

Go for whatever power motor comes on the lathe you want. Remember that indicated power is usually electrical power not shaft power.

Also, shaft power is torque x speed. If
you need to take deep cuts (on a single speed motor, belt-drive lathe) drop the speed and then you have more torque, the power remains the same, just a more powerful motor will likely spin faster at the same torque, so you can make deep cuts faster, which doesn’t sound like a big thing for you.
I’ve only noticed a power shortage on a jet midi lathe when using it as a drum sander, otherwise it’s plenty for bowls of the size you mention.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Thank you everyone, good food for thought. The lathes sizes I have been looking at seem to be between a 0.5 hp and almost 2 hp. Looked at a lovely variable speed lathe this am at local dealer which is 1.75Hp with PWM driven variable speed which seems to have great torque at low and high speeds. Seems very powerful for little old me, looks very capable and way beyond my capabilities atm but I am but young still .

 

[Democritus]

It’s not beyond you. Take care, and (as my mother used to say about clothes) you’ll grow into it.
D

 

[Blister]

A lot we don't know about your requirments ,
1st Budget ?
2 your age ( Are you in it for the long term ) or is it a passing fad ( Woodturning )
3 are you happy doing what you are now , Pens and small bowls / spindles or do you want to grow ?
4 New lathe or used ?

My advice is spend once and get the best you can , Lots of people buy what looks good only to find out later that is not so good after all

 

[Duncan A]

Wot Blister said, get the best lathe that you can. No lathe is "beyond your abilities"; in fact you'll find that a heavier and more powerful lathe is nicer and easier to use. Don't forget that you could well end up spending just as much on tools, accessories, kits etc as on the lathe, so why compromise on the single most important item.
Don't be so coy - tell us what you were looking at in your local showroom!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It obviously depends upon available space, but don't forget you can make very delicate tiny things on a huge lathe, but you can't make large chunky things on a small one. I remember reading a survey 30+ years ago in a woodworking mag. - 87% of people who'd bought lathes wished they'd bought a bigger one.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Budget, not set but nothing I have seen causes an issue to me.
I am a young 56, longterm woodworker and relatively new turner. I have good stocks of wood, turning blanks etc, as well as conventional hand and power wood working tools. My 'shop' would be described as well equipped so not a new fad. No need for sharpening or turning tools, I have these already. Would just need lathe and chuck.
My existing lathe is an Axminster Trade one.
The lathe I looked at was a Nova Saturn DVR, prefer new and quality one.

My abilities are growing but still view myself as a self taught beginner (local club paused due to Covid just after my first interaction). So until I am better linked into a community, likely to stay in beginner category.

 

[scooby]

I wasn't aware Axminster did a trade lathe with 1/2 HP. That seems a bit low for the trade range. My lathe is the same as the AT350 (different supplier) that's the smallest trade lathe at 1 hp.

edit: Ah, just remembered. I presume your current lathe is one of the precision ones with a collet chuck?

 

[Nic Rhodes]

yes it is, I mentioned I really only do pens / small turnings atm (though it can do much more with the accessories) and want something larger to allow me to try bigger spindles (pepper pots for me) and bowls / plates etc. [ I do have a lathe driven by a drill also for larger stuff but do not like using it and always seems underpowered hence this question].

 

[TheTiddles]

yes it is, I mentioned I really only do pens / small turnings atm (though it can do much more with the accessories) and want something larger to allow me to try bigger spindles (pepper pots for me) and bowls / plates etc. [ I do have a lathe driven by a drill also for larger stuff but do not like using it and always seems underpowered hence this question].

A lathe driven by a drill for the larger stuff??! I’ve only seen those as toys, what are you driving it with?

 

[Duncan A]

That Nova Saturn DVR looks like a nice lathe, very similar to the Record Power DVR XP - which was a Nova design!
Nova don't have the best reputation for support in this country (made by Teknatool, a reputable Kiwi company) but they seem to have made a determined push into the UK market lately so may be much better now.
Main problem with the DVR/Nova models is that the motor and inverter are not entirely standard and replacements from the manufacturer are very expensive. Not that they ought to go wrong, but, something to consider.
Clubs will be resuming meetings very soon, so why not wait until you've had a chance to chat with people at your local club?
Duncan