Motorized carriage for my mini lathe

[Guy Marsden]

I've seen several people post videos on YouTube about how they motorized the carriage on their mini lathe. Many of these designs are overly complicated so I decided to do something using the KISS principle. I found a very high-powered DC gear motor designed for opening doors and used it to drive the lead screw. But the best part of my implementation is adjustable position limit switches that automatically shut off the motor at each end of the travel. This is a major safety advantage so that you can prevent the carriage from bumping into the chuck. adjustable speed, and forward off reverse switch are easily accessible from the front panel.