Thread: New old lathe

Originally Posted by Friwi

Hey Maca, you need to install a digital readout on your lathe, make it more 21 st century :-)

It's on the guest list, re I mean the menu. Just the cross slide!

Originally Posted by gadgetman

I'm finding out where I can get a linked belt as that would be the preferred option.

I'll check my contacts for you

Originally Posted by gadgetman

I'm finding out where I can get a linked belt as that would be the preferred option.

Paykel engineering had it before they became blackwoods. Saeco probably has a better range of belts now though

Went to Lynfield College (west Auckland back then),
Did Engineering (metalwork - prac and theory).
My cobber and I got really excited about model pulse jet engines (V1 bomb engines).
Built one in Metalwork, filled the tank with a mix of meths and turps.
Fired it up by blasting oxyacetylene flame through it.
Was supposed to be held static, by an engineers vice.
It took a month of detentions to compensate for the hole in the workshop roof, and complaints from a couple of Blitz survivors (who recognized the sound of the jet) plus a few strokes of the flexibamboo.
Never did find the vice or engine either - despite the aerodynamics being similar to a lead balloon.

Originally Posted by WallyR

Went to Lynfield College (west Auckland back then),
Did Engineering (metalwork - prac and theory).
My cobber and I got really excited about model pulse jet engines (V1 bomb engines).
Built one in Metalwork, filled the tank with a mix of meths and turps.
Fired it up by blasting oxyacetylene flame through it.
Was supposed to be held static, by an engineers vice.
It took a month of detentions to compensate for the hole in the workshop roof, and complaints from a couple of Blitz survivors (who recognized the sound of the jet) plus a few strokes of the flexibamboo.
Never did find the vice or engine either - despite the aerodynamics being similar to a lead balloon.

now wally if you did that these days ,preferably with a couple of politicians as test pilots ,youd be hailed as a hero on what they call public media.actually that gives me an idea-if i scaled it down might make me duck decoys a bit more lively -testbed lake ellesmere

Originally Posted by gadgetman

I'm finding out where I can get a linked belt as that would be the preferred option.

Radio Spares has them: Same day despatch on Twist Link Belting parts | RS Components
Free delivery on web orders too.

These guys Conveyor and Power Transmission Specialists | Conveyor and Transmission Ltd - Contrans just made me two for this old girl .Fast service as well as cheapish

I didn't fancy taking it all apart again either. Just has a joining pin. Piece of string, measure at or near center of adjustment.
Too easy. VSD for any speed under the sun plus reverse to fix things for when you take to much off

Originally Posted by quentin

Radio Spares has them: Same day despatch on Twist Link Belting parts | RS Components
Free delivery on web orders too.

Order placed.

When I was a kid learning to use the gear in my uncle's engineering shop, I was always amused by his old flat bed lathe that was run by an overhead electric motor and a 3-speed flat belt set-up. To give a better range of speeds (and reverse) he mounted a pre-war ford V8 gearbox upside-down between the motor and the top pulley. To change speeds you just rerached up to the gear stick and selected what you wanted. It looked mickey mouse but it worked well!

Originally Posted by gundoc

When I was a kid learning to use the gear in my uncle's engineering shop, I was always amused by his old flat bed lathe that was run by an overhead electric motor and a 3-speed flat belt set-up. To give a better range of speeds (and reverse) he mounted a pre-war ford V8 gearbox upside-down between the motor and the top pulley. To change speeds you just rerached up to the gear stick and selected what you wanted. It looked mickey mouse but it worked well!

Pretty much what they did for the lead screw feeds for thread cutting too.

@Happy what kind of lathe is that? It looks similar to my selson lathe. Will post up a pic of it when I get home

Originally Posted by Guypie

@Happy what kind of lathe is that? It looks similar to my selson lathe. Will post up a pic of it when I get home

Just went and had a look. There's actually no nameplate at all on it

Quite enjoying this thread. Got to love old lathes - not much on them that can't be fixed or rebuilt.

Originally Posted by deadidick

I recal many years ago at homo hill (Westlake boys HS) being a turd former a fella by the name of piglet turned his lathe on in reverse (fortunately I think??) with the chuck key in, sending it out through the top window pane.
Farkn hilarious

Even more to our amusement he was promptly marched out back for 3 licks of the cane for being stupid.

Was a good lesson for the rest of us not to leave the lathe key in the chuck.

Poor old piglet was a bit accident prone, I also recal the same lad at home economics class or sewing as it happened to be on this occasion, sewing up his shoulder bad, ripping along, feeding it in to the machine with the foot up! Chunks chunka chunka three stitches through the hand. Piglet went pale that day.

We had a guy like that who was ultimately banned from all our shops - he managed to get his tie pulled into a big hand held belt sander that he was inexplicably trying to sand a very small loose piece of wood with; he almost killed himself by poorly mounting a very large and unbalanced piece of wood in the wood lathe, starting it at a high rpm and then diving at it with a gouge, which ultimately ended up in the ceiling, and finally, spent a good minute trying to cut through a piece of wood that had a large bolt in it with a chop saw, and wasn't noticed until the industrial vac system burst into flames and blew smoke and burning sawdust back through the vents into the shop. The fire department put the vac system out and he was never allowed inside any rooms with moving equipment again.

I'm fairly certain he runs a couple McDonald's franchises now. Nice guy, just not situationally aware.

Here's my old lathe



Shes pretty tired, the wear in the front headstock bearing causes a bit of chatter on larger pieces and when parting off. Fortunately the whole spindle/chuck/headstock assembly is so heavy it doesn't really affect turning of smaller peices. Long term I would like to get a better lathe or refurbish this one, but I'm not sure how to go about doing that. It would probably involve casting new bearings and bluing/scraping til the clearance was just right.