Jet MINI Motor Upgrade?

[Bob Winkler]

I've never turned before, but my daughter has been bugging me for a year now to get her a lathe. So I order her (and me) a Jet mini, which should be arriving very soon. I did not get the VS model, because I wanted to save money until I was sure she (or I) was really interested in turning.

Here's my question. After seeing how to change spindle speed at a local store, my daughter was less than thrilled at doing it. I was wondering if anyone knows anyone who has upgraded their non VS Jet to do variable speed?

I'm pretty sure that the VS Mini uses a DC motor because the ease of doing speed control. Can someone with a MINI VS confirm and provide me any information from the motor nameplate? I have access to lots of motors and high tech speed controls at work, and may consider a future upgrade, if it makes sense. I know I could just buy the VS Mini, but that may take the fun and challenge out of it .

Of course, learning to turn may be challenging enough for both of us.

Thanks for any input. Bob

[Matt Meiser]

Don Henthorn upgraded his Jet Mini to variable speed using a DC motor.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=11612

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

Unfortunately the motor and controller that I bought from Vegas is no longer available. It is better than most converters because it has a feed back circuit that increases the power as resistance is increased so that torque remains pretty constant. Most DC motors with controllers tend to lose torque at lower speeds. I have the belt set in the second step of the pulleys which gives me speeds from 0 up to as fast as I normally want to turn. If I need higher speeds I can get them by changing the belt, but so far what I have is working just fine. Another bonus is that this motor has signifigantly more power than the OEM motor.

Be happy to answer any questions.

[Bob Winkler]

Thanks guys,

I noticed that the particular motor and controller are no longer available. It was good reading the upgrade post- gave me sme ideas to go with. Thanks for sharing it.

I'm toying with ordering some of the surplus treadmill motors out there. If I don't use it on the lathe, I could probably find another use for it somewhere. Now that the lathe arrived (just yesterday), I plan to learn with it unmodified to acquire some basic turning skills. From what I've been reading, the motor upgrade and electronics may be the easy part for me .

Thanks again, Bob

[Aaron Heck]

I've had a Jet Mini (non-VS) for a year and a half now, and believe me, when you get use to it, changing the belts is SO not a big deal. Remember, there are still belts to change on the VS model, too. I can change speeds like like 10-15 seconds easy. Just something to think about.

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

Bob, the motor I bought from Vegas is a treadmill motor. I don't know what other treadmill motors are like but if they have the feedback circuit and have the extra power it is certainly worth doing.

Aaron, I agree that changing the belt isn't much of a deal. However the reason I wanted the conversion is not for the convenience, because that is all the VS version of the Jet gives you. The speed range is the same for both the VS version and the regular version. With the conversion I made I can adjust the rpm down to zero. If ypu have never had that ability you can't imagine the difference it makes in sanding, finishing, and certain turning situations where you don't want the terrfific centrifugal forces you get at the faster speeds. 500 rpm is still way too fast for much of the sanding. Now that is just my opinion and you know how much that is worth.

[Jerry Allen]

Bob,
I did the same thing when I bought my Jet Mini because initially I just wanted to turn pens and the initial $100 didn't seem worth it. I subsequently started turning a lot more than pens and just love that machine. Several months later I saw a deal at Amazon and got the VS model for just $50 more than I paid for the AC motor version. I was going to sell the non-VS one but ended up keeping it.
As mentioned by Aaron and Don, once you get used to changing the speeds using the belt, it is pretty easy and quick, and the VS model with a stock motor has definitely got a lack of torque at low speed using the knob. I also prefer the switch on the non-VS model. The torque on the VS model is much better if you don't turn the speed down using the knob, i.e., full speed at any given pulley combination, but it is still less than the non-VS model.
When working it's nice to have two machines and chucks so I can keep working without changing jaws, etc. I like to do my sanding on the VS model because the knob is convenient. When squaring off a rough blank, I prefer the non-VS model.
They are both pretty good machines for the price.