Thread: 220v Lathes

OK, so I'm living in Germany now, (when I'm not deployed) and I've been looking to find something to occupy my time between fests and I'm thinking that woodturning could be it. Brush making would be a bonus side effect of that. I've gone and read quite a few reviews on some lathes, and it sounds like either the Delta 46-460 or the Jet 12x21 seem to get the best overall reviews. A little more expensive than some other options, but good reviews none the less... My problem, is they're 110v. I need to find something that is either dual voltage or straight 220v. Any ideas where to look? I've tried Amazon, Sears, Home Depot, etc. (at least their websites) but I can't seem to find anything that will take the increased voltage. I'd really rather not plug them into a power converter because of the Hz difference. 50 vs 60 hertz. I know it's not good for cheap alarm clocks and they'll lose time, so I figure plugging a 500-1000 dollar machine into one is a bad idea too. Any thoughts?

Is 110 not available?

Not in my house. The whole place is wired for 220, and it's a rental, so I really can't go poking around the power box to change an outlet or two to 110. The other issue comes with the hertz. European electronics run on 50 hertz, vs the 60 hertz that most US based electronics run on. That caused me to be late more than once... my alarm clock would "lose" time and until I figured out what it was, I was always trying to figure out why I ended up nearly late. lol

Your best bet will be to go to a local hardware store in Germany and talk to the owner/manager/clerk. As I am sure that your house is typical of Germany they will have what you need.

Buy 2 and put them in series?

I found many machines will take 110 V even if they don't say so, when checking inside I've found dual wirings, guess it's cheaper to make one motor for both the 110 and 220 series.

Actually it's not 220 V anymore, they raised the voltage both in Sweden and Germany to 230 V.