New Toy

[Parm]

Been away with work this week and come home to this.

It's a Raglan Little John MK 1 lathe in what I believe is in 100% original condition. It's been stored under a workbench for the last 25 years, it switches on and rotates fine but not been used for any work. It was supplied, moved, delivered and dropped off by a very nice man who refused to take any money. It's fitted with a factory 240v motor.

I will be starting a thread about its rejuvenation in due course, but in the mean time can anyone offer any Information, particularly about a more conventional tool holder

In the words of someone on the forum I'm now a latheist, that's on top of being a mentalist !!!

 

[MattH]

Nice.

It's got a t slot on the compound so you can easily fit whatever type of tool holder you want. Just choose the correct centre height model.

I'll be watching with interest.

 

[Parm]

Nice.

It's got a t slot on the compound so you can easily fit whatever type of tool holder you want. Just choose the correct centre height model.

I'll be watching with interest.

I don't know anything about lathes but dad had his own precision engineering company until he retired, he was trained by my grandad.

I've got all my dads old turning tools and kit so I'm planning on a bit of father son bonding by getting dad involved to show me how it all works and what to do with it so we can have some fun. First thing is to clean and inspect it all and make a solid table to put it on as it doesn't have the original cabinet/stand

 

[Parm]

That is a conventional toolholder

You'll probably want one of these newfangled quick change jobs or a 4 way malarkey though

Yes that's what I meant, it doesn't look like the tool holder seen on most lathes

 

[jackjosh]

That is actually a Mark 2 which are stronger! Try never to start it without the variable drive being set to minimum speed, you may have to go against this rule to wind the speed down as this looks like it has been stopped at mid speed, the odd time will not damage her. IMO these are better than Myfords (I have owned both) and it will make a great machine for you. Mine is fitted with the Norton screw cutting gearbox and this is a godd retro fit if you can get one.
Anymore advice please pm me.

 

[julianthegypsy]

That has a really unusual variable speed drive. It works very well, and you change speeds by moving the lever with the knob on the end while the lathe is running! You then lock the lever wherever you set it by twisting the knob. It's a variable pulley system and you cannot change speed while it is stopped. Great fun to play with moving the lever and watching the speed go up and down! (I'm such a child)

 

[gaz1]

I don't know anything about lathes but dad had his own precision engineering company until he retired, he was trained by my grandad.

I've got all my dads old turning tools and kit so I'm planning on a bit of father son bonding by getting dad involved to show me how it all works and what to do with it so we can have some fun. First thing is to clean and inspect it all and make a solid table to put it on as it doesn't have the original cabinet/stand

just make a vid of it then its so worth you getting the lecture from your father about what not to do and you should be doing this... and not that way your so doing it wrong pmsl

 

[jackjosh]

It looks like the tool holder is one of the really early Mk1 tool holders fitted to a Mk2 lathe.

 

[jackjosh]

A lot of the tool post and topslide fittings are the same as the US Atlas lathe.

 

[Parm]

just make a vid of it then its so worth you getting the lecture from your father about what not to do and you should be doing this... and not that way your so doing it wrong pmsl

Mate he's staying with me this week. Lathe is in the garden at the mo, BUT I'm already getting the lecture. I've told him that it can cut threads if required, but why do you need to do that, do you know how complicated it is, do you know how to grind tools, thread, pitch angle blah blah blah blah

 

[jackjosh]

Mate he's staying with me this week. Lathe is in the garden at the mo, BUT I'm already getting the lecture. I've told him that it can cut threads if required, but why do you need to do that, do you know how complicated it is, do you know how to grind tools, thread, pitch angle blah blah blah blah

You will need the change wheels to cut different threads but learning to grind tools will be a godsend to you.

 

[Fazerruss]

Here is a member of its family, also with the vari speed drive.......

 

[jackjosh]

Here is a member of its family, also with the vari speed drive.......


View attachment 87910

The Raglan Mill.

 

[Wedg1e]

Nice; bit like a MIG welder though... you wonder if you'll ever use it and then you find you can't live without it
All of a sudden lengths of round metal become interesting, to be kept just in case. You find yourself making tools you never knew you needed... e.g. I turned up a set of press tools to let me fit Metalastik bushes to my TVR without crushing them or getting them stuck at a wonky angle as usually happens if you use sockets... wad cutters for knocking 12mm holes through 6mm rubber sheet used as chassis packing... new innards for an old torque wrench... just last weekend I turned some thick-wall alloy tube into spacers to support two buckshee lengths of 38mm square alloy box to make a roofrack for the Connect so I could collect a new fence panel from Wickes OK, I could have rough-sawn them to length but where's the engineering in that? Plus I made it from junk that was laying around, much more satisfying than paying £150 for something I may use once a year (and can turn it back into junk if another project needs it!).

 

[Parm]

You will need the change wheels to cut different threads but learning to grind tools will be a godsend to you.

As a complete total novice cutting threads will be the last on the agenda. I've got plenty of other important things to learn before I get to those heady heights

 

[Parm]

Nice; bit like a MIG welder though... you wonder if you'll ever use it and then you find you can't live without it
All of a sudden lengths of round metal become interesting, to be kept just in case. You find yourself making tools you never knew you needed... e.g. I turned up a set of press tools to let me fit Metalastik bushes to my TVR without crushing them or getting them stuck at a wonky angle as usually happens if you use sockets... wad cutters for knocking 12mm holes through 6mm rubber sheet used as chassis packing... new innards for an old torque wrench... just last weekend I turned some thick-wall alloy tube into spacers to support two buckshee lengths of 38mm square alloy box to make a roofrack for the Connect so I could collect a new fence panel from Wickes OK, I could have rough-sawn them to length but where's the engineering in that? Plus I made it from junk that was laying around, much more satisfying than paying £150 for something I may use once a year (and can turn it back into junk if another project needs it!).

I know what you mean, I'm only about 18 months into welding, usual - you don't need that, you can't weld etc etc, but now I've sort of worked it out and just about stick some metal together every and any excuse to get the mig out. Best one to date is welding the front axle (made out of two pressed parts) of my lawn tractor. Tractor man said it couldn't be done !!!! And I needed a new part

 

[Parm]

That is actually a Mark 2 which are stronger! Try never to start it without the variable drive being set to minimum speed, you may have to go against this rule to wind the speed down as this looks like it has been stopped at mid speed, the odd time will not damage her. IMO these are better than Myfords (I have owned both) and it will make a great machine for you. Mine is fitted with the Norton screw cutting gearbox and this is a godd retro fit if you can get one.
Anymore advice please pm me.

Please tell me more about the vari speed drive ? Is there a manual available that I can read

Also is there a general purpose lathe book or manual I can read for a general heads up on things

 

[Wallace]

Some reading here. Not sure if the MkII has an inhibitor on the screw cuttting and feed levers to prevent them both being engaged simultaneously like the MkI where lots of gear teeth proceed to fall out! The varispeed is easy to use, turn the knob on the lever end anticlockwise to release it then move towards the chuck to slow down or away to speed up to the desired speed then turn the knob clockwise to hold that speed.

 

[jackjosh]

Please tell me more about the vari speed drive ? Is there a manual available that I can read

Also is there a general purpose lathe book or manual I can read for a general heads up on things

There is lots lots of stuff to read on wrt turning and I would research that first.
There are also a couple of Raglan sites that you can download the manuals from and not have to pay eBay prices. I don't have the details to hand.

 

[skotl]

Congrats, Parm Looks like an awesome bit of kit and you have the screwcutting kit, which I missed on mine.

You're about to discover, I suspect, that this lathing thing that doubleboost makes look so easy is actually pretty hard!