I am new to this forum and i’m Looking for advice. I am going to be purchasing a new heavy duty wood lathe shortly and there are two different types of variable speeds being offered now. In the past any high end lathe would come with an AC motor with a VFD. In the last year however a few very reputable companies have begun to offer lathes with a DC motor with PWM controllers. With all things equal ie: voltage input, HP can a DC motor offer the same low end torque as an AC motor?
Thanks for any input.

 

The simple answer is 'Easily'.
A DC motor typically exhibits maximum torque at zero RPM.
Have you source any type of controller yet, there are typically two types currently used, the lower end is the Triac bridge type, the better one is PWM.
Max.