Junk Or Gem? Tool Or Antique? Hardinge Cataract Lathe

Nkolav29 · Aug 9, 2017

I'm new to lathe work. Wanted a smaller setup to tinker around and try to learn something. I was interested in complimenting some welding/fabrication/beginner tool making. Please see the link below for a bunch of pictures of a lathe I picked up from an older man. Thoughts? Antique or Tool? Sell or Keep? Was going to try and attempt to make the gingery lathe....and found this during my preparations....

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L Vanice · Aug 9, 2017

Good lathe, and it looks like you got enough to do some useful work. I did not see any collets in the pictures, but Cataract collets are still very easy to get. I think, from the pictures, it probably uses the small ones, now called 3C.

I estimate the date at around 1907, so it is an antique.

That T-rest is probably more useful that you think. It is easy to find small woodturning chisels with high speed steel blades. Those tools are perfectly capable of turning steel and other metals. They are especially handy for making curved shapes that the slide rest is not designed to do.

Have you found the online Cataract info?

http://www.lathes.co.uk/cataract/index.html

Hardinge Bros. - History | VintageMachinery.org

Larry

Nkolav29 · Aug 9, 2017

Thanks Larry for the reference info! I do recall the old man saying "4C Collets"

ElginVM2 · Mar 7, 2019

Antique Cataract lathe

Nkolav29 said:
Thanks Larry for the reference info! I do recall the old man saying "4C Collets"

I also have a Cataract which I bought from a fellow down in New Orleans last spring and who brought it from upstate NY from his grandfather's estate. I have spent the last year cleaning it up and am curious about its age. The serial number on the headstock is 426 and on the bed is 3009. The slide was intact but a lot of backlash. Any idea about the age. I'd love to post pictures but can't figure the posting out.
Fred

L Vanice · Mar 7, 2019

Your lathe has a 9" swing, but the tall tool post indicates that you have a slide rest for a 7" swing. To fix the backlash, you could find a 9" slide rest in good shape.

Larry

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