Show us your lathe

[lchris21]

it just needs a bit of a clean up. just some old coolant stains and has been gathering dust for a few years. its all in good nick, little or no wear. "ex" school as they all are
may be a bit of truth in it though, the wooden school type tooling cupboard, no obvious impact damage on bed or chucks, the gap has never been out, the micrometer stop unused, original Harrison tool holder, set of Harrison spanners and hand lube pump, the fixed and traveling steady all wrapped up, plus the faceplate has never been out of its rust paper...

need to sort an inverter, then coolant pipework and she's ready for action.....need to get rid of the Boxford now as space is a bit tight

 

[lchris21]

couple of hours elbow grease and she's looking happier already......

My pet hate...............what is it with people turning wood on metal lathes . Sawdust + lube oil + no cleaning = nightmare

 

[Maker]

.what is it with people turning wood on metal lathes

I think it's a school thing, the ones at my school have a tool holder with a piece of 20mm box section to be used as a tool rest when wood turning. We have to clean them down when we're finished (turning ali) and there's all this horrible grime crap in the holes through the bed from where sawdust has been allowed to stay for years.

Nice lathe you've got there BTW.
I should be able to add something to this thread soon.

 

[MattF]

couple of hours elbow grease and she's looking happier already......

That's made one hell of a difference to the appearance. That's cleaned up lovely.

 

[Pete.]

If you used a jetwash you better check the apron sump for water.

 

[DanielW]

If you used a jetwash you better check the apron sump for water.

I'd be more concerned with the electrics.

 

[lchris21]

If you used a jetwash you better check the apron sump for water.

yeah will be changing all the oils as a matter of course. if its anything like the other lathes I've worked on over the years, its still on its original factory lubes!!!

No electrics were harmed during the making of this production.........

 

[lchris21]

I think it's a school thing, the ones at my school have a tool holder with a piece of 20mm box section to be used as a tool rest when wood turning. We have to clean them down when we're finished (turning ali) and there's all this horrible grime crap in the holes through the bed from where sawdust has been allowed to stay for years.

Nice lathe you've got there BTW.
I should be able to add something to this thread soon.

the evidence is clear M'laud......I present exhibit A, found whilst rummaging around in the box of bits!!!!

plus the chuck key has been left in once or twice during its life

 

[lchris21]

bit more scrubbing this afternoon..............I got dish pan hands now, first the Sunday dinner wash-up then the cross slide !!! A man's work is never done........

 

[Keith 66]

Re schools & wood on metal lathes. The teacherr i worked with asked if we could turn wood on the metal lathe, even though its a chinese machine i said, we have a Union graduate wood lathe use that!

 

[roofman]

Wow she,s come up a treat.

 

[Maker]

Is there any damage to the bed from that chuck key?

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Is there any damage to the bed from that chuck key?

Its normally the forehead that gets damaged when the chuck key is left in!

 

[awemawson]

Wow - just a bit of a difference !!!

Well done

 

[lchris21]

Is there any damage to the bed from that chuck key?

just a few blood stains on the key itself thank god.....

 

[Maker]

Its normally the forehead that gets damaged when the chuck key is left in!

Not always; The ones at school are the type with a spring that won't stay in the chuck, a mate let go of it and it sprung out and hit him in the nads.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

My school pal left one in, it bounced off his forehead, knocking him out, it then hit the double fluorescent tube above his head showering him in glass and powder.

 

[Ian X]

I was looking to buy a Dickson 3 way toolpost for my 1960 Colchester Chipmaster, a machine I used at college and bought eons later when the engineering block closed. Anyway, scouring the internet as one does and getting side tracked I found just such a toolpost, it was attached to another Chipmaster.
This one was from 1976 and had lived in the toolroom of a Merseyside precision engineers that sadly went bump this May.
There was also a Harrison VS330TR and every type of machine tool on an online auction run by an auction house in Birmingham.
The Harrison was a nice machine, it went for about £1800, with all of the standard tooling but I was not spending a 4 figure sum.
I took a punt on the Chipmaster as I still wanted a toolpost. I got that for £700 complete with extra tool holders for the Dickson.
Now by my deluded justification technique the lathe cost me about £400, maybe less as there are 7 toolholders in all.
My old Chippy has a 3 ball variator which still runs quietly enough, this "new" one has the six ball. I went to view before bidding and the dealers handling the machinery for the auction house/liquidators ran it up for me to play with.
The variator on this one is super quiet. I took the tailstock off to see if it had any rocking chair effect on the base but it looks like it has not had much mileage on the bed yet. Very little backlash on any of the 3 screws either.
I am mulling over selling my older one which is still a very accurate machine or stripping it down and cleaning the crud out of the gearbox, apron and headstock and changing the gearbox seals and bearings. There is acceptable but annoying backlash on cross and compound slides so I would buy Acme 3G from Kingston of Hull. They have offcuts so you can furnish a replacement for cheap. They also sell bronze nuts in square, cylinder and spigoted cylinder.
That Harrison lathe was a very well looked after machine, about £11,500 if you fancy a new one, it is a current product. They regularly go for less than £2K on online auctions. Decent mills and surface grinders which I also viewed up close could be had for £2/3K, Meddings or Startrite pillar with little table rash, £350.
If anyone wants a lathe and has the time to travel and time to research auctions they will save a considerable amount over getting fleeced by a dealer. He has other prices but if you aren't buying a lorry full he wont quote those other prices.
A useful size turn will measure 2 metres and weigh about 500 to 700KG. It will fit in your mates trailer or on a £75 a day Transit flatbed with tail lift.
As others have said a VFD is a very good way of running an industrial machine in a domestic setting. The low speeds torque suffers a little but for none production work would be fine.

 

[Maker]

View attachment 60283 My little French mistress

View attachment 60282 View attachment 60283
De Valliére H140

Interesting tailstock on that. Does it have a fine and course feed?

 

[Ian X]

Interesting tailstock on that. Does it have a fine and course feed?

Just belt or gear via the headstock controls. That De Valliére is a nice machine I used one in the 1970's. It has 200KG on the Chipmaster and the finish on work shows that.