southbend countershaft question

[Nesh559]

first of all i'll say this might be a dumb question but im gonna ask it any ways. can i remove the countershaft from my lathe and run it with a larger motor and a vfd? i understand the counter shaft provides the torque advantage needed to remove metal but if i acount for that while choosing a larger motor could this theoretically work?

 

[Johnwa]

Which Southbend? My 9A spindle speeds (without back gear) range from 300 to about 1400 rpm. If there is no belt reduction the motor/vfd would have to be at 10Hz to get 300 rpm I suspect this would be outside typical motor/vfd operating range? You would also have to make sure you don’t exceed the upper limit as the headstock bushings lose lubrication at higher speeds.

 

[Dabbler]

+1 to @Johnwa comments. You know you can run a bigger motor: the flat belts are capable of handling a lot of torque. 1400 RPMs is not too shabby for any lathe.