Speeeed

[Garno]

I had a "proper" look at my lathe today and see it has 5 pullies (top & bottom).

My belt is on the 3rd pulley. I know by moving the belt to a different pulley will alter the speed.
I have 3 questions related to that.

1) Which way do I change the belt on the pulley to to speed it up and to slow it down?

2) Do I need to change the speed?

3) How do I move the belt to a different pulley?

Hopefully one day I will be able to answer peoples questions instead of being the one who is always asking.

Gary

 

[alpha1]

What make is the lathe.

 

[Garno]

It's unbranded, I got it from eBay and was/am under the impression it is an Axminster.

 

[Padster]

Gary,

I did a quick google - first result gave this link to a PDF manual....

Not sure if it will help you:

http://go.rockler.com/tech/26042013103043-Excelsior_MC-1018.pdf

Regards

Padster

 

[wm460]

This diagram should give you an idea which way to move the belt, just like a push bike, chain on large sprocket on the crank and on the small sprocket on the back wheel makes you go faster.

Basic Pulley Mechanisms : 17 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables

 

[pittswood]

I was always told, the smaller the pulley on the motor, the faster on the spindle speed.
Kelvin

 

[alpha1]

This is the Axminster lathe.
https://cdn.axminstertools.com/medi...73.1679821432.1630054475-768915305.1622583802

 

[21William]

My lathe has three pulleys so I keep it on the middle one all the time. If I only turned small stuff I might keep it on the pulleys that give the highest speed but I turn all sorts of stuff.

 

[Penpal]

My preference for turning is flat out. I do have speed control I fitted electronics,use it to apply finishes. You now have charts cas a result of your question that will make sense,wish you well.

Peter.
Peter.

 

[Garno]

It looks as though my lathe will be running at 1850rpm with it being on the middle pully, Do I need to, or should I, move it up a pully to have a speed of 2525rpm or even run at maximum 3500rpm?

 

[21William]

It looks as though my lathe will be running at 1850rpm with it being on the middle pully, Do I need to, or should I, move it up a pully to have a speed of 2525rpm or even run at maximum 3500rpm?

RPM is not important per se. The important thing is the surface cutting speed. Turning a small item like a pen with the lathe at say 1850 should be fine but spinning a 10” bowl blank at that speed is another matter. My lathe has three pulley speeds but also has an electronic speed control. Does your lathe have this as well?

Just as a “for example” the Cole jaws used for reversing a bowl often have a warning on them not to exceed 500 rpm, which is quite low.

 

[21William]

This may be of interest Gary.

Safe Wood Lathe Speed (Calculate, Determine, Adjust RPM) - Turn A Wood Bowl

 

[Garno]

RPM is not important per se. The important thing is the surface cutting speed. Turning a small item like a pen with the lathe at say 1850 should be fine but spinning a 10” bowl blank at that speed is another matter. My lathe has three pulley speeds but also has an electronic speed control. Does your lathe have this as well?

Just as a “for example” the Cole jaws used for reversing a bowl often have a warning on them not to exceed 500 rpm, which is quite low.

No, the only way to change the speed is via the pullies sadly

 

[Garno]

This may be of interest Gary.

Safe Wood Lathe Speed (Calculate, Determine, Adjust RPM) - Turn A Wood Bowl

That is a good read,

It looks as though I am turning bowls way too fast, I will slow it down tomorrow and see how I manage on the slower speed,

 

[Lons]

I was always told, the smaller the pulley on the motor, the faster on the spindle speed.
Kelvin

It's the exact opposite to that Kevin, small motor pulley on motor to large on spindle will be slow, large on motor to small on spindle will be fast. Equal size pulleys means the lathe spindle will run at the same speed of the motor. Mark's diagram explains the principle very well.

 

[Bill Mooney]

Bob & Mark are right Kelvin. I make my pens at 3200 rpm & I sand at 900 rpm. I make bowls at a slower speed depending on the size of the bowl.

 

[Geoff Kent]

As you are still at the early stages of turning Gary,I would take things easy and use the slowest speed possible until you gain more experience.Bowls in particular are nearly always out of balance at first and the lathe can vibrate badly if rpm is too high.A lathe fitted with electronic speed control is so good for fine setting of rpm.
Re the probs you have had with blanks breaking,take very fine cuts ie dont try to take a lot of wood in one go.If you find that its taking a lot of effort to cut,your tools may well need a sharpen.Even HSS can dull quite quickly,particularly on hardwoods.
Hope this helps.

 

[pittswood]

Sorry, Bob you are correct. The opposite will apply. Am I bad !!!
Kelvin