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what horsepower

G

greg millert

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I am new to turning and am buying my first lathe. I've done a lot of research and narrowed my options down to the Jet 1642 EVS. But which horsepower--1 1/2 or 2. I imagine most of my work will be on bowls in the 8" to 12" size with occasionally larger bowls. Do I need to spend the extra $400 on the 2 hp motor?

Thanks.

Greg
 
Horsepower

It doesn't sound like much difference, but it equates to one order of magnitude when translated into how much work it will do. Go for it!
 
I'd probably spend the money for the 2hp, if I had it to spend........but, you'll find that the better you are with tool control, and the sharper your tools are, the less you'll be needing the maximum horsepower available to you.

I had a 1 1/2hp 110v motor with step pulleys for years, and I've found it was enough power to handle anything I put on my 16" lathe. I now have a 1 1/2 HP 230v motor on the same lathe, but now variable speed. I don't feel it's a handicap at all to have 1 1/2hp.

One thing to consider is you'll have less torque available at slower speeds. The torque available to you with a step pulley set at higher available speeds, will mean that lower speeds on that pulley setting will mean less torque. Proper step pulley range is essential for maximum advantageous use of the power available to you.

If you get the 2hp, you might never have to change step pulley range, but it's not much of a big deal to change over to another speed range.

otis of cologne
 
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Wow!!

Wow, a quick reply from a number of people. Looks like the majority vote is that I should be poor for awhile longer! Thanks for all of the input--I would welcome more thinking on this.

Greg
 
I agree with Odie. I turned with a 1 horse and 1 1/2 horse for many years before stepping up. I would spend my money on upgrading your grinder and tools or getting a good quality chuck.
 
Greg,
It's not about money or horsepower. If you get the 2hp, in a year or two you will never miss the money, AND you will never have to wonder if you shouldagot the 2hp. The main reason (IMHO) they make the 1.5 is for folks who do not have 220V available. It is probably more than adequate for nearly all "normal" turning, but you will feel better if you get the 2.
 
Horsepower

After posting my comment about 2HP, Richard's comments made be rethink mine. If you have the 220V available, go for the 2. If not, a good grinder and sharpening accessories will make that 110V, 1.5HP do what you want it to.
 
Texian said:
Greg,
It's not about money or horsepower. If you get the 2hp, in a year or two you will never miss the money, AND you will never have to wonder if you shouldagot the 2hp. The main reason (IMHO) they make the 1.5 is for folks who do not have 220V available. It is probably more than adequate for nearly all "normal" turning, but you will feel better if you get the 2.
Click to expand...

I think that Richard's answer is the most practical. Also, it really does amount to more than the feeling of missing out on something somewhere down the road. There is a performance difference between a purely mechanical pulley drive system and the electronic hybrid version that uses a variable frequency drive along with two pulley speed ranges. With the mechanical system, the lathe is always capable of outputting the nameplate rated power minus the tiny power loss in the drive train (for a micro multi-groove belt, the efficiency runs around 95% so very little power is actually lost in the drive train). When an electronic variable frequency drive is used to control the speed, the motor is only capable of producing the rated power output when running at base speed (i.e., when the motor is turning at about 1750 RPM). Below base speed, the controller tries to maintain rated base torque, but that means the slower that the motor runs, the less power it is capable of producing. Similarly, above base speed, the controller tries to maintain rated horsepower, but the output torque is going to fall off very rapidly with increasing speed.

The essence of what all this engineering speak means to the average woodturner is that the lathe with the 1.5 HP motor is the very minimum that you can get by with for a lathe with this swing and might prove to be a little puny at the corners of the performance envelope. That extra half-horse of the 2 HP motor will come in handy for the occasional large turning that you will eventually do and just might lead you to want to turn more large things. The extra cost of the 2 HP model is a little painful on the up-front end, but you only have misgivings about a better tool once while misgivings never go away for something that doesn't meet your expectations.
 
Your choice. I've got a Nova 3000 with 16 swing and 1 HP. it turns seventy pound pieces fine, and I can hog fast enough without stalling to please me. With less-than-optimum presentation and greater-than-needed pressure you could probably break your arm just as easily with 1 HP as two. Second reason why I don't tension the belt more than the weight of the motor does.

$400 would put a chuck on the lathe and a couple-three tools on the rack.

http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n28/MichaelMouse/?action=view&current=1012052.flv

http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n28/MichaelMouse/?action=view&current=HollowTwo001.flv
 
I turn with a 3/4 horse power lathe and the heaviest piece I have done is about 50 pounds. This for me is not nearly enough. Even once the piece is round and I take it up to speed it still isn't enough power for me. I often overheat my motor and have to sit and wait for it to cool down to use it again. I plan on getting a new lathe in the next few months. I will most likely get the evs2. I can't image not having that power. Especially because I want to be able to turn 100 pound plus items. I think after a few months you'll regret it but it definitely isn't necessary.

Go big or go home.

alex
 
You must be turning large work. I have turned a few 19 and 20" bowls and the blank probably weighted in less than 50lbs. I have also turned several 12" hollow forms and don't believe the wood more than that. Not doubting you just wondering how big you are turning. I'm guessing that I would have to put a log 16" diameter and about 3 feet long to be 100 lbs but that's purely a guess, it might need to be longer. 🙂
 
I have turned several wet eucalyptus bowls that were practically square before I started besides 4 cuts with a chain saw. All of them were about 16" before completely round and about 7 inches in depth. They all weighted in around 45-60 pounds.

Here is a picture of one of them. This piece weighed 54 pounds before it was on the lathe without the face plate. I weigh everything I put on my lathe.

Also this is about 2 weeks since being cut down and I painted it with a sealer and put it in a bag in my damp basement.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=104280&d=1229942834

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=104283&d=1229942913


I am having some trouble posting here. URL won't work and neither will post an image. Says they are all too big.

Alex
 
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thanks

This feedback from all of you has been great. I started furniture building with a Craftsman 1 hp table saw and after about 5 years stepped up to a Delta 3 Hp Unisaw. I never regretted that move and I expect buying the 1 1/2 hp 1642 would leave me with the same feeling of not quite meeting expectations that I had with the Craftsman. The analysis you all have given, both psychological as well as engineering, has ben great. I did not fully understand the engineering aspects of the design but these explanations have sorted that all out for me. Again, thanks for all of your input.

Greg
 
Alex I couldn't open the files. I may have to get a set of scales for the shop. I really don't know what my blanks weigh. I lift weights a lot and kind of go by the "this feels about like a 45lb dumbell".
 
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