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A collegue of mine know's i'm into making stuff from metals and was wondering if i was interested in some kind of rusty tool with a shaft or something in the attic of his father in law. Dropped by for a visit and was told it had been grandpa's and was a DIY lathe. My interest cooled down for a moment but after they told me grandpa had been a teacher in mechanical fabrication, i knew it was worth taking a look.Looking at the heap of mildly rusted parts I recognised some high quality parts and acessories and decided to take it home. The story is these parts have been in the atic for 35 years. Before grandpa had finished the lathe he stumbled on some hardly use bigger lathe and this project was forgotten. Before he found the time to finish it he kicked it. The nice part is my collegue and his father in law wanted me to have it for free because then they'd be sure it would be used again, and their only wish was to see it running again. At the moment the electric motor and a decent chunk is missing and everything is sticking together due to dried out lube but that'll be ok in a few hours elbow grease.Here's the start.
Reply:Nice find.I'll bet it's alot easier to move when it's in pieces.You might need to do some carefull work with an indicatorto get the headstock aligned properly.Do you know who made it?Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:Looks like everything is there except the motor (as noted), guard for change gears (not a quick change machine) and motor controls.I DO see a collet nose for the spindle (I think) and an indexing head for the tool post slot. The indexing head is very handy and may be very valuable.I'd say you gotta nice catch there.Matt
Reply:Hey and you've got almost 5 months till Christmas to get it all assembled and under the tree. Note: Some minor assembly may be required. .No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Fabulous find and project! Once you get enough of it together to start turning pieces of metal you'll find a lathe can make most of its own replacement parts! So if something is missing or unfinished or out of "spec" you can fix it or make a new one!- MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on. |
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