Rockwell 46-450 value?

[Alex Cam]

Hey All,

Can someone tell me what they think a fair price range for one of these beasts is? 12 inch swing, 16.5" in the gap, 38" centers, 1HP 3 phase motor, in excellent condition? I'm thinking ~$500.

[Don Baer]

It'll cost you afew $$ for a new 1 phase motor or a phase converter. An inverter (VFD) would be my choice. You can pick one up for $150.oo that will convert 1 Phase to 3 Phase. The market around here for that lathe is around $650 so I'd offer $300.

[John Hart]

I just did some browsing around some of the evil auction sites, and I'd have to agree with Don....offer low. But I was thinking about that horsepower. Seems like 1 horsepower will probably not seem like enough umph for a large piece if you were to try and max out the swing eventually. I know my 2HP gets angry at me when I try to put something really big on it.

just some random mindless thoughts...

[Alex Cam]

Good stuff -- thanks for the input. I'll throw a low-ball out there and see what happens. It looks like with a static phase inverter I'd lose about 1/3 HP also. That brings it down quite a bit. What would a compatible single phase motor cost? Same price range?

[John Hart]

....What would a compatible single phase motor cost? Same price range?

In my humble opinion...this is where flea markets come in handy. I got a 1 HP motor for $10 a couple of years ago. Works great. But you gotta look around.

[Alex Cam]

Is the spindle size of electric motors (and whatever other specs I'm ignorant of) fairly standard?

[John Hart]

Is the spindle size of electric motors (and whatever other specs I'm ignorant of) fairly standard?

Yup...they meet standards but there's a wide spectrum of sizes within those standards. Chances are, your existing pulley hole will not fit a motor found at a flea market. A new pulley will run you about $20 for a good one. We have a pulley shop here in town and I just bought a heavy duty precision 3 grooved pulley for $32. I'd be willing to help you out in that regard.

[Randy Privett]

Alex,

If you have 220 Volts in your shop, I would suggest you look into a variable speed invertor. One for the 1HP are about $120.00 and come with a free potentiometer to make it variable speed. I know Drives Warehouse in Texas handles a Hitachi that does this.

Randy