Making a power switch for my lathe

[@120Livi]

The thing I love about metalwork most is the glue dries so quickly!

[@aiTheVulture]

If only that metal glue wasn't so toxic to skin and cloth.

[@patrickd9551]

@@aiTheVulture You might want to look up the definition of toxic ;) The correct word for metal snot glue is "dangerous" or "hazardous". Yes I know, just trolling here, sue me.

[@jrkorman]

Jer, very nice!. I have one safety concern. Wire colors are coded on purpose. Please wrap the green wire from the switch with some red electrical tape or heat shrink to indicate that it is a hot wire. Green should never be used for anything except for grounding. The white wire should be wrapped with black for the same reason.

[@gregfeneis609]

Agreed, very nice work. Additional considerations for future builds: When painting the enclosure, do a small paint mask for the head of the contactor mounting screw where all the ground wires tie together. You might have done this and I missed it. Commercially made metal enclosures often have an inward facing 10-24 stud or similar with no surface finish surrounding the stud for ~1/4” radius for tying grounds together and bonding the enclosure ATST. Ideally, avoid use of a momentary switch for the stop circuit. It's going to be more mechanically complex to realize with your hip bar switch operation scheme, but not impossible. When you smash the bar in, it should open the stop circuit and that circuit should remain open and not rely on the contactor successfully dropping out to keep it open. When you pull the bar forward it could close the stop circuit and then momentarily close the start circuit. These are just typical machine control schemes.

[@stevestofiel3521]

Great work! Your videos are so well structured and thought out. So glad you are back on KZbin!

[@chris_1337]

I'm in awe of your creativity, troubleshooting, craftsmanship and precision. Amazing work!

[@uncletoy774]

it's nice to see you putting stuff out on a regular basis again. hope everything is going well for you buddy.

[@EyeOnTheTV]

Please please please continue making these amazingly well thought out tools and videos. You're one of the smartest out there.

[@curtlundgren6867]

The easy access to the power switch is a very good idea for convenience and safety. The control scheme, with two switches, one normally open and one normally closed is a good basic control idea. I remember doing the same to control a turntable in a small broadcast booth in 1969 or 1970. The biggest criticism I can offer is that you should be consistent with wire color codes. Using the green (normally a ground) as your common wire to the switches is generally a no-no - but if you wrapped some black electrical tape around a short portion of it, you'd be indicating it is not a ground wire. Same thing when using a white wire for hot or a black wire for neutral. You'd use white tape in that last situation. Your videos are always entertaining, you present your topics very well, and I very much enjoy watching them. Thanks, Jer!

[@kappagrapes]

"...so that you can see my design process." Yep, always my favourite part of these videos! The thought and attention to detail you put into this stuff is always a joy to watch.

[@dangerdave616]

Your problem solving skills and ingenuity is breath taking dude, keep up the good work.

[@johnolver3217]

Nice project! And nice south bend. My grandpa left me the exact one when he past. I bought your 2x72” grinder plans. That project turned out perfect! An brings a whole new level of quality to other projects now thanks again!

[@digrat]

The alignment hole in the 3D printed box is brilliant.

[@billybike57]

Your “problem solving skills” are outstanding, well done!

[@xraybox]

A few thoughts, it would be a lot safer if the contactor coil was 12, or 24 volts, then you wouldn't have the potential for a short in the micro switch wiring causing a fire, as well, remove the risk of a hot wire energizing the metal push bar ! Other option, you can add a ground jumper from push car to lathe base pan (don't rely on pivot bolts for ground, you'll be lubricating them, an oil isn't a good conductor;) 3D print a plastic cover, and add fuses for power legs going to micro switches. Two last items Add a ground wire to switched outlet, the two screws holding it in are not a code approved grounding method And use a star washer under head bolt that's holding contactor to box, and a nylock nut, so you're guaranteed a solid ground years from now

[@AdamS-nd5hi]

Ur ability to think ahead and prototype while fabricating was satisfying to watch. Order of operations can be a cruel mistress so great job. Thats a sub from me

[@keithviolette5870]

I always love seeing the clever tricks you come up with. The L shaped rod that fit into the hole in the 3D printed switch housing to keep it centered during welding was genius. This makes me want to reconsider adding a similar switch to actuate the barrel switch I have on my 9" south bend...

[@homemadetools]

Great solution. This type of safety switch should be common more tools. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum this week 😎

[@user93237]

Is it a public forum?

[@ericnicastro]

Your problem solving and solutioning skills are amazing. Well done!!

[@randyrru]

Well done lad! Very nice design and layout!!

[@tomim7187]

This WAS helpful. This summer is when I get the South Bend hooked up and running! Thanks, Jer!

[@AdityaMehendale]

Would you consider adding a secondary start-switch in series with the microswitch at 12:18 so that you cannot inadvertently switch-on the lathe (say - if your apron gets caught on the switch-rail, or if you have pesky visitors). The secondary (momentary) switch would be placed far away from the rail, of course, and switching on would become a two-handed affair.

[@kennethelwell8574]

This could be accomplished with a simple ON/OFF switch on the power cord to disconnect power to the whole thing without unplugging. The switch/outlet combo device might actually be able to be rewired to do this, or more simply, a handy box with a single switch could be added beside the micro-switch box in front.

[@Hephera]

@@kennethelwell8574 an on/off switch on the power cord would run the danger of a lazy or inattentive operator forgetting to or neglecting to switch it off every single time the lathe is stopped. and would be very inconvenient to do so. a momentary switch in series with the main switch to require two hands to power on would be both convenient and safe

[@improprietary1]

A foot operated pedal would be an easy addition and used in industry. They have two levels of pressure, first level is normal operating procedure and bottoming it out breaks the circuit as a failsafe

[@AdityaMehendale]

@@kennethelwell8574 The problem with on/off switches is that they tend to be left in the on-position :) For the two-handed safety, the switch must be of the 'momentary' type.

[@bogmaerke]

​@@AdityaMehendale two handed solution is the way to go.

[@UncySpam]

What a great idea. I am going to do this with my lathe. Thanks for dumbing it down enough that even I could work it out 😁

[@delucain]

I'm LOVING that you are back, Jer! Thanks for the videos!

[@robertcrossley9803]

Another great video. The power switch bar is a well thought out and engineered piece of work. Thanks for the video

[@Zophus1]

I never do any of the electrical stuff cuz I don't want to fry my brain but I love watching this video just the same

[@aquaknot]

Might I recommend installing a locking stop station in series with your NC (stop) microswitch and placing it in a visible location. I'm only worried about accidental starting of the motor. Say you're leaning over the lathe and your belt gets caught on the paddle, you could easily start the machine and put yourself in harms way. A locking stop station would allow you to have a way to lock out the motor quickly without unplugging the unit. It would also allow for a layperson to stop the machine in an emergency without needing to be taught where the stop mechanism is.

[@PavelKraus_webdesign]

YES!

[@TimPiggott]

Watching you work is like music for my eyes! ❤

[@paulhammond7489]

I love your videos Jer. Because you are not an electrician, here is an electrical tip for your consideration. Placing the ground wire on the contactor nut / bolt is not recommended, as it could be loosened over time, or during fault-finding etc. Better to relocate it to a unique place. A stud is always the preferred fixing for earthing purposes. This simple modification could be carried out when you modify the contactor enclosure for reversing the motor or when you modify it for variable speed etc in the future. I already see comments about the choice of wire colours, those issues can also be easily addressed in the future updates with coloured sleeves or tape. You know what these wires are today, but in decades you or the next owner will find it much safer and much easier to conduct fault-finding with the correct colour coding on wiring. Keep up the great content Jer.

[@hawkie333]

I can see a whole lot of this build is to allow for oil to flow into the pan. Cables are being routed over the table to avoid holes in the pan. This is a 9" lathe built around 1950, which doesn’t hit speeds you’d require coolant or make so many chips you’d have tons of oil. But it’s beautiful and who cares!

[@Saugstauber123]

Your ideas, build quality and solutions are on such a high level, I sometimes ask myself how you are going to top that in the next Video and you do! Again and again! Your Channel is easily one of the Best in that Genre!

[@Blasfemurr]

Glad to see you back :) Following you for a long time, love your stuff

[@Enigma-Sapiens]

Great looking and working setup Jer, thanks for sharing it with us!

[@rootvalue]

Truly a unique approach to problem solving and fabricating.

[@AquaPeet]

Love it! Seems super duper safe, robust and functional! Thanks for sharing! :)

[@Kopsu87]

Clicked like before watching. Was not disappointed.

[@rolliebca]

Thanks for another great video Jer! I really like it when you share your thought process with us. Looking forward to your next video. Cheers!

[@doco6186]

I'm impressed with your design skills

[@lennyf1957]

Nice design and execution, thanks for the great video.

[@CraigRoyK]

I love this. Great idea. If one wanted some addition safety in terms of the chuck key, you could use some sort of “key” based switch to cut power and attach that to the Chuck key. Then to use the chuck key you have to remove the power key, hence cutting power and preventing any restart (as the micro switches would be disabled) and vice versa.

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

I really like the old lathe. Very classy. ✌

[@NV..V]

Another great video my friend. Everything you create is impressive and inspirational as hell!

[@macswanton9622]

Rarely do I see someone else's project of which I wouldn't change a single detail. 👌

[@daviddickmeyer5231]

Very nice design. And it works perfectly!

[@Everythings_Adjustable]

Really nice work Jer! There are a lot of useful comments about controls and wiring below so I won't add anything to them, Here's a couple of things that might help with future wiring, I have found Ratcheting Wire Crimpers work very well and look out for 'piggyback spade connectors' . Thanks for posting all your videos they make me want to do better

[@phooesnax]

I always enjoy seeing what you are up to. Always interesting and well done.

[@jt9498]

Brilliant! Beautiful work!

[@wifidon6617]

A good idea and better implementation. Good to see your content again.

[@Ede74]

Hey Jer, stunning video as always. your switch is very convinient to use. S+thanks for sharing 🥳

[@ianvicedomini2648]

Awesome work jer and practical too. Great video buddy 👍🏽 👏 👌

[@thymekiller]

Super nice lathe and build. Thanks for sharing.

[@Cenedd]

Like the emergency stop feature and the NVR feature. I'd personally be tempted to add a lock-off switch (even just an SPST switch in the 'Stop' line) as I can see if being possible to knock it on as you're leaning over it. It shouldn't but all that's got to happen is your belt catches on the switch and it could be pulled - especially with such a short throw. Paranoid? Perhaps, but cheap insurance. Interesting way of doing it though; I'd never have thought microswitches for that problem...and that's not a criticism in case it comes across that way!

[@Sludgepump]

Up to your usual high standards, Jer. Terrific video... I always learn something from you.

[@WarriorWise1]

You have such a brilliant mind Jer!

[@juyfjgfjhgfjugf4702]

I really hope you get into more metal projects!!

[@stephencoster9532]

Hiya Jer, Great video; thank you so much for perfectly demonstrating your build. I was an electrician in the UK for many years, and I have a few minor points. As we use 230v rather than 120v, they may not equate. The 1st point is non-voltage related. The crimp pliers you use, I used the same for many trouble-free years, but then the ratchet style was designed. These always apply the correct pressure to your crimp with much less hand pressure making for a better joint. I tried a pull-apart test using both pliers and the ratchet type won very easily. Worth noting. Where you have cut down the conductors to fit two wires into one connector? I would have used a yellow insulated crimp connector, which allows for a greater conductor size. Even with mA, it is worth developing correct habits. I can still hear my instructor telling us that over and over during my five-year apprenticeship. The 2nd point, which may be voltage related, is we were never allowed to have bare contacts against flammable materials, as in your contactor and the MDF. Something like mica had to be sandwiched between the two. This was made compulsory in the 80s. Even with the air gap you have, there is nothing non-inflammable between the two. The mechanical setup was very impressive; I can see where your head is at. Stay safe, Steve...

[@randomreviews7574]

Dang Jer i thought this switch video was going be kinda dull but man your ability to get all this working and be so clean is amazing. Great Job and another great video -- and you said you aren't an electrician

[@BrownCreature]

Legend thanks Jer. It's a beautiful switch

[@BSpinoza210]

Well done Jer. Keep kicking ass!

[@barthanes1]

Now it just needs a bold label etched into it. Nice work.

[@mckenziekeith7434]

Good video! I'm not an electrician either. I am an electrical engineer but mostly I do electronics not electrician type stuff. I think the only violations were related to using green insulation wire for something other than ground, and using white for something other than neutral. Overall I feel like it was a pretty good installation. Way better than most DIYers. Maybe some of the wire termination and combining schemes are not technically allowed either (I'm not sure).

[@mcknottee]

Maybe you already did it when I wasn't looking. But the metal lid on the box containing the micro switches needs to be grounded, or swapped for a non-conductive material. Love your work. 🙂

[@memyselfandeye1234]

Very nice Jer as always .... Thank You Kindly for sharing peace

[@themagiccoasterlover]

Great work Jer! Love electromechanical projects! I'd love more details on that lathe, from the few frames I saw it appears to have an "Atlas Machinery Canada" plate on it. That's a very well known machinery shop here in Toronto. Would love a walk through of that beast!

[@thechumpsbeendumped.7797]

Excellent as usual.

[@Dingbat217]

That box came out great! 🙂

[@genemcintyre5352]

Very inventive, well done Jer.

[@phivestarz]

Great video - and I know how a contacter works thx to technology connections. Cool project as always.

[@Jer_Schmidt]

I thought about plugging that video since the timing was perfect. Probably should have.

[@farmerjohn8726]

Interesting ... nice detail work and great explanations! It does seem that if you are, say, changing tools or in the process of mounting a workpiece in the chuck, and reach down into a drawer to grab a wrench or chuck key or shim, that you run the risk of clipping the horizontal switch on the upstroke from the drawer, and accidentally powering things up in an unsafe configuration. Just imagining; you will have a better feel for how it will work in practice. Cheers, John

[@1889michaelcraig]

Beautiful machine brother. I have the same exact Lathe. I have the Furnas forard and reverse switch though. Lol and of course the reverse doesn't work

[@diyfireking]

Great video as always. 😀😀

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

Great job. Thanks for the videl keep on keeping on.

[@tomhoffman8873]

You are amazing. Good job. Well done.

[@andreblanchard8315]

Looks like that chuck is threaded onto the spindle. If that is the case reverse is of limited use, can even lead to some excitement.

[@romanlastname4133]

I was scrolling through the comments to see if someone else had mentioned it. For thread mounted spindles, any reverse operations can cause the chuck to come off at operating speed and therefore common practice is no reverse operations with this type of chuck. Do you know what type of chuck this is? Roman.

[@Exodus5K]

Brilliant. You mentioned maybe using a VFD in the future, I've been wanting to put one on my drill press for a while so I don't have to move belts, but I'm not well versed in electronics! Would you ever consider a video walking through that whole process?

[@Jer_Schmidt]

That could be a good quick video sometime. Especially since most people building my belt grinder need this info. I'm far from an expert though. Will consider it.

[@Exodus5K]

@@Jer_Schmidt Thanks Jer, I appreciate you

[@DirtyEngineer]

Great video and project!

[@mauserkk98]

Love it ,well thought out .

[@phooesnax]

Nice job. No left thread chasing for you:-0)

[@WilliamAlanPhoto]

Beautifully done!

[@johnkaufmann4711]

Beautiful set up . We'll done .

[@drhender6943]

As usually, your design and execution is impressive!! Suggestion-- it has been my experience that Turing on a light with the motor (on a lathe or saw or drill press) is sub-optimal. I't nice to have that light remain on, even when the motor is off so you can see what you're doing while doing setup, changing bit, etc.

[@EitriBrokkr]

The only thing I'd change is some proper cord grip/strain relief. And circuit protection! You're probably going to be plugging that into a 20 amp outlet. If something goes wrong, it will melt, smoke and catch fire long before the breaker trips.

[@michelecrown2426]

Freakin awesome. Love the way this works.

[@mattym8]

This is clever. Thanks for sharing.

[@LariFariYoutube]

Hi, Jer.. I wonder, why you did not weld a small tube into / trough the pan...right next to the motor... So you could thread the motor cable right through the table top.. Would be much neater... I think it is more likely for the cable to catch on something, the way you routed it... But anyway... The relais circuit fulfills the KISS principle... I tend to overcomplicate all of my homemade machines.. xD Greets from Germany..

[@Jer_Schmidt]

That would have been a good idea. Now I'm sad I didn't think of that because it would have been much neater. Thanks!

[@sambonefarmer9139]

Very nice work!

[@FishyBoi1337]

AYO!!!! was bored, now I got somethin worth watching 😁

[@pmiknguyen]

Same!!!

[@Polothy]

Nice work, good concept! Although starwashers on your ground terminals would be nice

[@breakinn403]

Great job as usual. Well thought out 👍

[@Roger-O]

Very nice Jer. I've been following you (as sub'd) since doing all that work developing the ultimate belt sander. You must have exhausted your thoughts on that subject and now your spending time and brain cells working on an antic lathe. Very interesting concept for dealing with the on and off of the power while being as versatile as you desire. I love following your thought processes as you develop the final product. Your workmanship is SPOT-ON! What will you be using the lathe for now?

[@Jer_Schmidt]

Thank you! I am still working on some more niche belt grinder attachments in the background, but yeah I've mostly moved on from that project. The lathe is just for general use, I don't have anything specific in mind. I've had it for over a decade and it's just handy here and there. I will be using it on my upcoming cargo bike build though.

[@dognoseranger]

Very satisfying!

[@dmytro.d]

Ah interesting. Before I saw the video I thought you would make a bistable mechanism that would switch between on/off states. Making a detent didn't occur to me. Well done, as always.

[@carlospitcher4335]

This peoject has been brilliant through and throught. If I may just point a couple of things: - I would recomend to use a wago connector for the 3 or 4 wires you connected in the contactor box. Vibration and conection nuts might not hold well more than 2 ends together. - your system is not fail safe, i don't know if that was your intention or not. But the 2 switches are NO... in order to introduce a FS system you might want to consider a NO and NC switch in series. The NC switch in case some cable in the box gets loose in a few years down the road, it will disconect power and there will be no nasty surpirses. - I imagine a few people will comment on those belts, i guess at some point in life you just have to be careful with stuff. I try not to comment on videos of such quality as yours because you are a top talented person, and you clearly know what you're doing. Anyways, this is stuff i advise from experience I have. Thank you for posting such great, informative and entretaining content. Have a great day.

[@Abrikosmanden]

Very cool, Jer!

[@chadjmoore]

New project idea. A Jer Schmidt designed and built metal brake. AAA quality!!

[@jimsjacob]

Love the planning and the detail. It’s kinda like a chess game. You have to think several moves ahead on manufacturing and assembly or you’ll find yourself in a pickle….

[@vallejokid1968]

I think it’s pretty cool you’ve gone the Tom Scott route an wear the same clothes for every video now. Makes it feel like a continuous process 😄

[@k9elli]

Super clean

[@truckguy6666]

matthias aint got nothing on you. And let me tell you thats as good a compliment as I can give a youtuber.

[@Jer_Schmidt]

Thank you! I still prefer watching his videos to mine though ;-)

[@mikehill3426]

Super cool as always

[@worldsmostrandomvideos7566]

as a machinist, i can not stress it enough you need to add guards over the belts!!! you will become ground beef!! But looks great

[@monophoto1]

Great project and outstanding execution. And the followup comments about color coding, wago connectors instead of wire nuts, and star washers on the ground connections are great suggestions for improvements. Re the discussion about the basic idea of a single-point on-off switch that is as accessible as your design - don't take it as criticism, but rather as a debate over options. Frankly, it comes down to balancing convenience against potential risk, and I'm not sure what a better arrangement would look like. It might be helpful for you to post another video after a few months of use to let folks know what your experience has been with that approach.

[@monophoto1]

Feel like I need to say more about my safety concern. This design allows the lathe to be started with one motion of the hand - and I agree that's convenient. But as someone else noted, it also possible for that bar to be inadvertently snagged in a way that could start the lathe when you aren't ready for it to start And therein is the conflict - convenience vs safety. I understand that there could be situations when you might want to start the lathe while one hand is doing something - holding a tool or an air hose, for example, so a design that requires simultaneous actions by both hands is probably also not ideal. I wonder about adding an additional switch wired in series with the 'on' microswitch that acts as a permissive allowing the lathe to be started using the bar switch only when that permissive has been enabled. Perhaps using a foot switch as the permissive would work - that way, you would have to consciously engage both one hand and one foot to start the lathe. Sure, we could imaging scenarios that could compromise even that design, but I think it would still be better than the situation where an inadvertent encounter with the switch bar by itself could start the machine.