Union Graduate 1phase or 3 phase ? Need good torque and want to update motor.

[Shiver]

Hi there, I'm just in !
Hello to everyone.
Have a question ... I have a Union graduate lathe I'm looking to use as a metal spinning lathe, cutting Wooden former to shape aluminium over.
I do woodwork on the lathe, but I'm not getting enough torque for my requirements.
The motor I have is a single phase motor which has been installed at some stage ... prior to me purchasing it.
My question is this, should I go back to three phase to get good torque on my machine or is it possible to still get good torque with a three phase motor and an inverter?
I have looked at a package which comes with 3 phase motor and control box variable speed and an inverter.
So not sure what my best options are ...
Can someone who has experience with this give me good advice.
Kind regards
Shiver (Cyril)

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Shiver I have a 3 phase Graduate with a phase convertor. I only use it for woodturning and I have to say it gives me enough torque for what I want. But as I have never done on my lathe what you wish to do on yours I cannot say specifically one way or another. Sorry.

[Bill21]

I’ve only seen metal spinning done a couple of times on video but it looks to need a fair bit of power due to the friction involved? I don’t think this is a problem on metal lathes but they normally have quite powerful motors.

[Paul Hannaby]

If power is the question, it isn't as simple as just single phase or three phase. A 1hp single phase motor has the same power as a 1hp 3 phase motor...

What motor is fitted to the lathe and which pulley are you running it on? If you want more torque, use the smallest pulley on the motor. This makes a difference without changing the motor.

I have done some metal spinning and I think a 1hp motor should be enough for simple pieces. For harder metals you might need more.

If you want maximum versatility go for the variable speed inverter drive with 3 phase motor. It will give you the most flexibility but will cost the most!

[Bill21]

As far as I’m aware 3 phase motors are more powerful for their physical size than single phase. Could it be the case that someone’s had a less powerful single phase motor installed in your lathe to fit the housing? As far as I can see they were originally fitted with a .75 HP motor but can’t see what phase.

http://www.lathes.co.uk/harrisonwood/index.html

Do you know what the power output is of the motor currently fitted?