Motor size

[GORDON CORWIN]

I just got into wood turning and I'm wondering, is a .5 hp motor strong enough or should I get a bigger one, the lathe has a 12" swing

[Duane Meadows]

Depends on what you wish to turn, but I would go 3/4hp, myself.

[Paul Williams]

40 years ago my first homemade lathe had a 1/2 hp motor. Today I believe that most 12" swing lathes have 1 hp. I think it will depend what you are tuning. For spindle work, and certainly for pens and other small items that might be enough. If you are just starting out and have the motor and lathe, I would wire it up and see how it goes. If you are thinking about 11.9 inch bowls I would look for a bigger motor. If your speed control is pulleys you will have more torque at low speeds, so you could just accept the power limitations turn slow and get some experience.

I'm sure there are going to be lots of opinions on your question. The important thing is that you get to enjoying turning.

[GORDON CORWIN]

Thanks it is 220 so it might work for a bowl

[Josh Bowman]

Frankly it might be too small, but if you already have it, use it. You'll find what diameter that you can turn with the motor. Start with some spindle stuff and work up to the bowls.

[Geoff Gaudet]

It'll be fine. I turned for a decade with only a ½ hp motor on my lathe, and did bowls and platters up to 18" diameter with it. Yeah, you'll be able to bog it down, but that'll teach you to keep your tools sharp and cut with a gentle touch.

[Ron Rutter]

Gord. I was given a homemade lathe that had an old 1/4hp motor. I turned a 13" bowl with it. I ran it 1/2 hour finishing the inside. A while later when I fired it up the motor had seized. It had sleeve bearings!!! Try your set-up out. Just keep an eye on the motor temperature!! ( I did free up the motor & it still runs) Ron.

[Michelle Rich]

My first lathe was homemade & had ONE FOOT POWER from a bungy cord , and I turned into a pretty good turner. when I got electricity and a mini lathe with 1/3 hsp, I was in heaven. THE POWER!! I think folks worry too much about all the bells and whistles, and don't spend time learning to sharpen, & technique. The 1/2 hsp should be fine to learn on & more!

[Richard Coers]

It'll be fine. I turned for a decade with only a ½ hp motor on my lathe, and did bowls and platters up to 18" diameter with it. Yeah, you'll be able to bog it down, but that'll teach you to keep your tools sharp and cut with a gentle touch.

Come on, 18" bowl with 1/2 hp? How many days did it take to turn it? Sure theoretically, you can turn 18" with a cordless drill, but who wants to? I can pretty easily stall my 2hp Oneway on an 18" bowl while roughing out. Gordon, 110 or 220, it makes no difference with the hp.

[Reed Gray]

My first lathe was a small 4 speed Atlas with a 1/2 hp motor. It worked fine, but when the motor fried, probably at least in part from me being rather heavy handed, the 1 hp motor I replaced it with was so much better. 1/2 hp would be fine as long as I was only turning spindles on that lathe, but even then, for heavy cutting, 1 hp is much, much, much, better. Not necessary, mind you, but better.

robo hippy

[Geoff Gaudet]

Come on, 18" bowl with 1/2 hp? How many days did it take to turn it? Sure theoretically, you can turn 18" with a cordless drill, but who wants to? I can pretty easily stall my 2hp Oneway on an 18" bowl while roughing out. Gordon, 110 or 220, it makes no difference with the hp.

Not long, really. I use sharp tools and cut, not scrape. Also, I geared the lathe down to raise the torque. Once the outside was turned round (and that was always the hard/slow part, truing up the outside on a rough piece--I used a chainsaw to get an octagon, not having a good bandsaw), I never had any power issues. As for stalling out...yeah, I could, but I learned how not to (I can't even imagine stalling out a 2-hp Oneway).

Keep in mind also, not all motor horsepower ratings are equal. A good motor with a half-horsepower rating might actually have more continuous power than a cheap motor with a ¾ hp rating. I tend to look at the amperage (the ½ hp Baldor on my old lathe is rated for 7 amps at 115V), but even that doesn't always tell the tale.

I agree with Michelle, I think a lot of guys get too wound up with the machinery and forget about the goal, which is good turning. I read an article (published, I think, in Fine Woodworking in the 70s or something) about an itinerant bowl turner in Africa. This guy would wander from village to village with his tools, and set up a lathe from a couple sticks of wood and a metal point...one of the villagers would turn the "headstock" by pulling back and forth on a piece of rope wrapped around it, and the turner would sit on the ground and use his foot as the toolrest, cutting only on the downstroke. This guy didn't have much machinery, but he made surprisingly nice bowls (mostly wide, flat bowls that would be set on a pedestal and used for communal dining).

My point is, while big power is nice, it's not necessary. Back in the 90s when I started turning, I was never told I couldn't turn the pieces I was doing on my lathe, so...I just turned them anyway. And I'm not gonna be the guy to tell someone else what he can or can't do.

[Richard Coers]

Not long, really. I use sharp tools and cut, not scrape. Also, I geared the lathe down to raise the torque. Once the outside was turned round (and that was always the hard/slow part, truing up the outside on a rough piece--I used a chainsaw to get an octagon, not having a good bandsaw), I never had any power issues. As for stalling out...yeah, I could, but I learned how not to (I can't even imagine stalling out a 2-hp Oneway).

Keep in mind also, not all motor horsepower ratings are equal. A good motor with a half-horsepower rating might actually have more continuous power than a cheap motor with a ¾ hp rating. I tend to look at the amperage (the ½ hp Baldor on my old lathe is rated for 7 amps at 115V), but even that doesn't always tell the tale.

I agree with Michelle, I think a lot of guys get too wound up with the machinery and forget about the goal, which is good turning. I read an article (published, I think, in Fine Woodworking in the 70s or something) about an itinerant bowl turner in Africa. This guy would wander from village to village with his tools, and set up a lathe from a couple sticks of wood and a metal point...one of the villagers would turn the "headstock" by pulling back and forth on a piece of rope wrapped around it, and the turner would sit on the ground and use his foot as the toolrest, cutting only on the downstroke. This guy didn't have much machinery, but he made surprisingly nice bowls (mostly wide, flat bowls that would be set on a pedestal and used for communal dining).

My point is, while big power is nice, it's not necessary. Back in the 90s when I started turning, I was never told I couldn't turn the pieces I was doing on my lathe, so...I just turned them anyway. And I'm not gonna be the guy to tell someone else what he can or can't do.

I have also used razor sharp gouges, and cut not scrape. I've been doing that for almost 30 years. The curls I bring off a big bowl are at least 1/2" wide and a heavy 1/16" thick. The goal for me is to make money and enjoy myself while I do it. If I can't hog out an 18" bowl in less than 2 hours, I don't make much money. Power is a necessity for me. I think of what a 1/2hp motor is like on my little Jet mini lathe, and can't imagine how frustrating it would be to rough anything over 6" with it. To each his own, I just wanted to further explain my work.

[Mike Cruz]

Actually, Richard, the Vega bowl lathe I bought (used) had a 24" swing and per the manufacturer's recommendations, there was a 1/2 hp motor on it. It had a jack shaft and step pulley... That said, I have a 2 hp motor and can't imagine anything less on large turnings.

[Mike Cruz]

I can hear Tim The Tool Man Taylor saying to put a V8 on it!!!!

[Geoff Gaudet]

If I can't hog out an 18" bowl in less than 2 hours, I don't make much money. Power is a necessity for me. I think of what a 1/2hp motor is like on my little Jet mini lathe, and can't imagine how frustrating it would be to rough anything over 6" with it. To each his own, I just wanted to further explain my work.

I think you might be surprised...my old, cheap Teknatool with the half-horse Baldor actually hogged stuff out pretty good, and I could pull some pretty big shavings (especially in green wood). Nothing like your Oneway, of course, and I admit to lusting for a more powerful machine myself...but that said, though, not everyone is a professional, and for a newbie like the OP, I dunno if much more than ½ hp is required. For spindles and small stuff, ½ horse is plenty...and when he moves into larger vessels, I'm gonna suggest that it might be best to start out without too much power. In my short time on this site, I've read about more catches, broken tenons, failed recesses, and flying bowls than I ever experienced in my decade of active turning...is it possible that some of these incidents are at least partially due to inexperienced turners running with too much power?