Need some help on Lathe

Hi guys,

Long story short, it seems like i will be getting an old lathe within a few weeks.
At my school there are two old AI DR1 Lathe's and with an upcoming new building they have to go by the end of next month and will be replaced by new ones.
As a school project i completely disassembled both of them with my students just to show how to disassemble a machine properly and what it takes to rebuild it.
One of those is already "restored" with some new parts but not a re-grind and is sold, the other still needs some parts to be refurbished and will be following me home.
The lathe is quite similair to this one and does have a DRO:



Only thing is my wife doesn't seem to agree with me so it has to be placed and brought home quite sneaky, in other words disassembled and "lightweight" as it ways in around 1200kg in total. So i'll take half of it home and make it a bench top lathe.



My questions are:
1 I exchanged the motors and this one's shot to bits and needs 380V/400V which i dont have at home.
It should be around 1hp and i can get it refurbished but this takes time and money.
The last of which i'm not allowed to spend on something i'm not supposed to have.. :fan:

Do you guys think its possible to take an old 50cc 4-stroke engine from honda wich should be sufficient in hp and hook it up?
This way it is as powerfull as it should be, and i don't need to have an 380V output in the garage.

2 The triple V-belt pulley on the lathe spindle is quite shot and i'd rather not repair but replace it.
If i use an 4-stroke engine i can play with the revs as i please between 3000-7000 rpm the hp doesn't change much.

I can place the triple V-belt pulley of the motor to my engine outputshaft but perhaps i can replace both of them by a single pulley.
(of course keeping the shot motor and pulleys in case i once refurbish the motor)


What do you guys think, is it possible?
p.s. i wish to use this lathe for gunsmithing (chambering of barrels) and i to build miniature engines with it. So i will restore the rest of it and make adaptations to some parts.

Probably you are just trying to wind us all up, but in case you're not, here's my take on the subject!

It is probably possible of course, in fact I did think of driving an old lathe I acquired using a small 4 cyl. car engine (ie when I was much younger), but I soon discarded the idea.
The Honda 50 may have enough HP but the torque required would probably not be enough most of the time and changing gears on the run might be fun but a bit silly!
It would be as noisy as hell and would not produce the right type of power to replace an electric motor! and then you'll have to cool the thing somehow and make up an exhaust system to take out the fumes, this ( if you live in town) will produce noise and annoy your neighbours big time (and probably your wife as well!). Oh, and what are you going to do about the throttle? - I think it's going to be a two man job to operate everything!!
However if you move to the country you can basically do what you like, but I don't believe that your choice of power will prove to be a big success.
Just save up for another electric motor while the lathe is being refurbished, - I don't know what country you live in (in domestic situations we use 230volts and USA uses 115 Volts?) but you can't tell me that there are no suitable 1HP electric motors around at reasonable prices! - A much quieter, cleaner and well proven source of power for lathes.

Between the heat, the noise, and the fumes, would it be worth it? Surely a second hand electric motor can't be that much, certainly not compared to the effort required to hook a car engine to a lathe? Even a washing machine motor would probably give the same grunt and you'd get one of them for just about nix from any scrap yard.

cheers, Ian

I've given it some taught before posting the question here.
Back in the old days machines were driven by steam and intricate pulley systems. So why not try a modern equivalent?

I already have a washing machine motor with 4 different speeds in 230V, but i think its short on power for this lathe.

As stated before i don't have the appropriate power supply in my garage/shop so either way i have to figure out a way to power this lathe when refurbished.
I can get another motor which for sure is powerfull enough but also 380/400V and am not able to use it for at least another year or so.

On the other hand ive got quite a few 4-stroke engines and was puzzling to use it as a 380/400V generator or directly power the lathe. Either way the muffler isn't the problem those original mufflers sure can be quite with a damper. Exhaust fumes can and will be vented ofcourse. Starting up the engine in proper gear, with a welded clutch doesn't seem a problem to me but it may perhaps take some time to get to the required revs. The carb can of course can be modified so i can adjust the revs with a screw instead of a cable.

The difference between the petrol engines as opposed to steam and electric motors is the type of torque they produce, electric motors and steam engines have high torque from almost zero revs whereas the torque of the little four stroke falls away rapidly at low revs.
Horsepower (torque x rpm) - say 5HP in the case of the Honda 50cc really means nothing here as it is achieved by using high revs, maybe 6000, I dunno, but there is just no comparison with a 1HP electric motor which will more or less operate at a constant 1340 rpm (or thereabouts) for torque.
By the way, the washing machine motor would be a bit light for that lathe, I used one on my little 6" centre height lathe (temporarily) while the 1 HP motor was being repaired and found it somewhat lacking!
My advice is, stick to the tried and true methods and you wont go wrong, - you've obviously got 230 volt power there somewhere - maybe not in your garage of course, but a decent cable could sort that one.
I think you will find that there are quite a few 1HP single phase motors around and it seems you've got plenty of time to scrounge around till you find one! - The lathe looks like quite a robust machine too!
Anyway good luck with your project whatever you choose to do and by the way it would be better to come clean with your wife as she is going to find out anyway! (again,talking from experience).