"Christopher Tidy" wrote in message
...
Plenty of sound advice, but there is one thing that hasn't been mentioned.
Modern motors are more compact than old motors, so you may well be able to
fit a more powerful motor than the original 3/4 hp. There is a down side
to doing this, though. Should anything go wrong (say the tool sticks in
the work, or you're tired and run the carriage into the chuck, etc.) a
more powerful motor is more likely to do major damage to your workpiece
and/or lathe. In this case you might be saved by the belt drive slipping,
but if so a larger motor is wasted.

The major reason for me to go with a 3HP 3-phase motor is that I can get it
for free... Which gives me money to buy a VFD if I decide to go that way.

Peter