Used Lathe Pinnacle PL1340C Gap Bed

I actually thought due to him being so honest and everything being photographed and the videos etc i wouldn't bother getting Ian to go, i thought it was a bit squealy sounding as well but its been little used for a while and probably could do with a good clean up and oiling.

Not sure what to say now?

It sounds ok to me ....I’d consider my lathe to be quite quiet in use but on occasion when i sent video to people it sounds loud and rough

its got a 2 speed motor on too

you will struggle with vfd if you needed to

It's a bit noisy in reverse but mine does that in some gears too.

I found the pictures and video reassuring rather than worrying. The real danger sign is lathes that can't be demonstrated at all. Not shown screw-cutting and a bunch of other simple tests it would be good to try in person, but the seller doesn't seem to be hiding anything.

You can't hope to be anything like 100% confident from a distance. With an unproven but probably OK decision like this I'm inclined to toss a coin. If the coin says 'go', bad luck rather than my foolishness can be blamed for any subsequent bother! Not my fault guv. If the coin says 'No' and I feel relieved, absolutely best to walk away. But if the coin says 'No' and I feel strong disappointment, it shows I really want it deep down and should go for it. The coin doesn't really decide, it's just a way of getting past the emotion that cloud risky decisions once the facts are in.

Good luck

Dave

Thanks for the info, i think i'm gonna go for it, he is being fair and honest and lets be honest 1200 for a machine like that isnt a lot of money, 2 chucks, a steady and enough tooling to get me going.

Any idea how i could go about powering this, VFD out the question due to it being a single voltage motor

Also, whats the 2 speed part about? which speed will it be running in, or is there a switch for going between low and high speed?

Thanks
Robert

I thought earlier you said you had 3 phase?

2 speed motors are fussy things...you can probably wire it for 240v 3 phase then put a VFD on it but then it will be single speed

or replace the motor with a single speed 3 hp motor 3 phase with vfd or single phase.

but if you have 3 phase in your workshop leave it as is then all those speeds to choose from.

you select the speed range 1 or 2 with a switch

Edited By Ian Parkin on 14/05/2020 14:51:50

Hi Robert,

If it is a twin speed motor think of it a two different motors in the same "Can".

Normally one of the 'Motors' is twice the speed of the other 'Motor'.

Lathe should have control gear to switch between speeds as required.

Michael

2 Speed , 3 phase motors are basically a 4 pole motor with a switch to cut out two of the pole windings. So you can have 1440 or 2880 rpm from the motor. I have seen a motor with low, medium and high speed settings on a horizizontal borer. You were supposed to stop the motor to change the speed settings but I remember one man who switched the speed on the fly until one day there was the most awful bang and the dust shield on the end of the motor flew about 6 feet along the bed of the lathe! He never did it again!

Must be cabin fever setting in but I'm confused. Is the lathe motor single phase or 3-phase? And is it 2-speed or not? While 2-speed single phase motors are not unknown they're pretty rare.

A 2-speed 3-phase motor is N or 2N poles; it doesn't have to be 2 and 4. Poles are not switched in or out but are connected in different orders to switch number of poles. Having unconnected windings would really mess up the magnetic performance of the motor. Whether you can switch poles on the fly depends upon the motor design.

I have a 2-speed motor on my horizontal mill. It needs to be turned off to change speeds. There are two controls that need to be moved, one on the electrical cabinet and one on the column of the mill. As well as switching poles the poles are also configured as star in high speed and delta in low speed, so that low speed is not half power.

My repetition lathe also has a 2-speed motor; it operates in star for both high and low speeds. There are two coaxial electrical switches on the headstock, one for changing speed range and one for forward/reverse. These can be operated while the motor is running, either individually or together. So you can go almost instantly from high speed forward to low speed reverse.for instance. Although you do get a 'thunk' from,the motor.

Andrew

Looking at the video & pictures. It is a lot of machine for the money. Not a hobby toy, but a industrial beast. Yes it needs a good clean & paint but would make a nice machine when done.

The motor is as said above is 2 speed. Suspect dual wound as the 4 pole config is 1400 rpm & a 2 pole is 2800. Your 3 phase supply should work fine on that motor. It is French & rating is 380volts , but should not matter.

Steve.

Thats the biggest issue, i have no 3 phase supply, is there any way to get that lathe working with a VFD? or a phase converter of some sort?

Thanks in advance
Robert

That is a good motor configuration to have, but you do need to simulate a proper 400v 3 phase supply. As a general observation forget VFD's. A well specified rotary converter will serve very well for this. I have several 400v 3 phase machines with both single and two speed motors and a wide variation in power requirements. My 5HP rotary hums away quietly and serves all of the machines very adequately.

The headstock noise, along with the gearbox, driven as it is in that demo is typical 600 group lathe (Colchester/Harrison) noise - and usually noisier in reverse.

Robert, One minute you say you have 3 phase and the next breath you say you do not. ???

If you are going into business it might be a good idea to look at what actual resources you have to work with.

It really does help people to help you if everyone is on the same page.

regards

Apologies, it was a moment of madness, what i have is a "Split Phase" supply, or single phase 3 wire, basically 2x single phase supplies, so not 3 phase
Not sure why i would've typed that, anyway.

I may have found a phase converter locally, just had a message after putting out a wanted ad.

Hi again all

Ive been offered a transwave 5.5kw static converter, couple of miles from home for cheap, would that work?

Thanks

Robert

I'm a cynical old barsteward, but I wasn't overly impressed with the video. Obviously one can't cover all aspects, but a run in the lowest and highest speeds would have been good, along with some proper cuts.

I had a quick play with my Harrison M300 this evening. At 800rpm it's definitely noiser in reverse. But at 400rpm there's no difference and it was much quieter than the video. The speed in the video doesn't seem that high to me. When cutting there were horrible noises, although it's not clear if that's the lathe or poor material, tooling or technique.

Personally I'd either get someone to have a proper look, or walk away. The only upside is that on Shetland a boat anchor may possibly be of some use.

Andrew

If you have a two phase supply, it's possible to generate the third phase via a transformer arrangement.
I have two friends who use this for their workshops, and at least one of them has a dual speed motor on their lathe.
The load needs balancing to a degree, as it's possible for one of the meters to run backwards it it's an older non digital one. Not free electric though as the other meter speeds up to compensate, but it might cause problems with the billing.

If it's of interest, drop me a message containing a normal email address and I'll see if I can find the arrangement from my friend(s)

Bill

i'll post 2 comments. This one is to answer what you say. You have 2 single phase supplies. You need to look at these closely as I suspect they will both be of the same phase. Which means you have a single phase supply. end of. Yes a transverter will do the job so not a problem if you can get one locally, great it will do the job. They buzz a bit sometimes but definitely create a out of phase situation that works.  Back soon. Just going to watch that video again of the horrible noises Also to check your supply put a volt meter between the 2 lives coming in. It should read 415 ish. If they are the same phase it will read zero.

Steve.

Edited By Steviegtr on 15/05/2020 03:18:57

Edited By Steviegtr on 15/05/2020 03:19:07

Ok so I have just watched the video again. Grab it with both hands before it has gone to someone else. That is a nice machine. I don't know what people are trying to put you off it for. There must be when new today £15 grands worth there. Your paying scrap for it.

Soon you will be truing up Fairline phantom shafts with it. Had a Fairline targa 34 for a while myself , with twin Volvo 200's, 3.5 lire 6 pots.Single turbo before they went to turbo + supercharger.  adq I think. With Hydraulic stern drives. 

All the best . Let us know the outcome.

Steve.

Edited By Steviegtr on 15/05/2020 03:24:24

I have already bought it, i know it sounds a bit squealy in reverse but i think its more the video and microphone being sensitive as he said (and i believe him) that there is no real difference in sound where he was, just trying to book shipping for it at the moment.

The 2 phases are coming in from a "split phase" transformer, taking the two phases from overhead, putting a meter across the two reads 445v, and each phase to neutral is 239. that is what i have, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Steve

Just to say, the DNO people said when they were installing the power cable that it was a 2 phase supply, split 180 degrees apart on a center tapped transformer. hope thats of some help?