Easy cosmetic way to add variable speed to a Harbor Freight lathe.

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ramaroodle

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Feb 15, 2018
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I sort of inherited a HF 10×18 wood mini lathe and considered it an upgrade from my 70 yr old vintage lathe as long as I could mount the treadmill motor as an integral part of the lathe and not have it hanging off of the back like all of the other ones I've seen. All it required was swapping the OEM motor out for the treadmill motor I had already added to the vintage machine using the same mounting bracket that comes on the HF lathe.

For folks like me that only turn pens, stoppers and an occasional small bowl this is perfect. I figured I'd share it for anyone interested.

YouTube link

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JoeCallahan

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I've been considering doing this same upgrade for some time now. Treadmill motors are waaaayyy cheaper than the VS upgrade kit from PSI (Item#: TCLVSKIT). My question is how you went about powering the DC treadmill motor, and what you used as a speed controller?
 

ramaroodle

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Don't buy anything! You are going to harvest the motor and speed control from a used treadmill that are always available on Craigslist or OfferUp for free. The speed controller circuitry is part of the treadmill. Watch the video I linked to in my video although there are tons of vids on YouTube on how to wire them. I am only showing how to attach the motor.
 

More4dan

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Katy, TX
Just be careful of getting dust and chips in the motor. Most treadmill motors aren't sealed very well. I've seen them used for homemade grinders by knife makers that have had issues with dust and debris tearing up the motors.


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ramaroodle

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Just be careful of getting dust and chips in the motor. Most treadmill motors aren't sealed very well. I've seen them used for homemade grinders by knife makers that have had issues with dust and debris tearing up the motors.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
It can't hurt to blast it with a little compressed air once in a while. The motor I have has been going strong for 4 years. If it dies it is a simple matter to swap it out for another one. They are free on CL everyday.
 
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