Paula
Titanium
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2005
- Location
- Indiana, USA
Hi again!
I now have my "new" lathe unloaded and setup for preliminary checkout. (This is the lathe first mentioned in this thread. Please don't laugh at the flimsy stand! I know it's not rigid enough for leveling the bedways, or absorbing vibration, but it will serve as a temporary support for evaluating the lathe, and making various improvements.
Here's how it looks so far in my basement workshop:
From the serial number, I was able to determine that the lathe was manufactured in 1947. For such an old machine, it does appear to be in remarkably good shape. The spindle, backgear, gear train, leadscrews, tailstock barrel, etc., seem to operate very smoothly, and with no apparent wear. The bedway surfaces show only minimal wear, with the original "frosting" still faintly visible even in the high-use areas.
I placed an indicator such that it would read vertical movement of the spindle on the registration diameter just behind the threads. Pushing upwards firmly on the end of the spindle gives a movement of around .0015", which I think is about the right clearance. The 1-1/2"-8 threads look perfect, as does the MT3 inside taper:
The cross-feed screw has less than .005" backlash. Same for the compound. The leadscrew has less than an eighth turn of backlash -- probably on the order of .010"-.012" -- and has no visible wear whatsoever. I checked the alignment of the headstock and tailstock centers using the following setup:
Rotating the indicator around the tailstock center shows about .010” horizontal offset (which can presumably be adjusted out at the base), and about .005” vertical offset, which is probably within tolerance.
I haven’t actually powered the spindle yet, but the motor works great (though the wiring should -- and will -- be replaced), and the countershaft bearings work smoothly, with no sign of any wear.
So far, I’m extremely pleased with this purchase! I am planning on dismantling the lathe for a complete cleaning and paint job. I also need to come up with a more substantial base. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions here?
Paula
I now have my "new" lathe unloaded and setup for preliminary checkout. (This is the lathe first mentioned in this thread. Please don't laugh at the flimsy stand! I know it's not rigid enough for leveling the bedways, or absorbing vibration, but it will serve as a temporary support for evaluating the lathe, and making various improvements.
Here's how it looks so far in my basement workshop:
From the serial number, I was able to determine that the lathe was manufactured in 1947. For such an old machine, it does appear to be in remarkably good shape. The spindle, backgear, gear train, leadscrews, tailstock barrel, etc., seem to operate very smoothly, and with no apparent wear. The bedway surfaces show only minimal wear, with the original "frosting" still faintly visible even in the high-use areas.
I placed an indicator such that it would read vertical movement of the spindle on the registration diameter just behind the threads. Pushing upwards firmly on the end of the spindle gives a movement of around .0015", which I think is about the right clearance. The 1-1/2"-8 threads look perfect, as does the MT3 inside taper:
The cross-feed screw has less than .005" backlash. Same for the compound. The leadscrew has less than an eighth turn of backlash -- probably on the order of .010"-.012" -- and has no visible wear whatsoever. I checked the alignment of the headstock and tailstock centers using the following setup:
Rotating the indicator around the tailstock center shows about .010” horizontal offset (which can presumably be adjusted out at the base), and about .005” vertical offset, which is probably within tolerance.
I haven’t actually powered the spindle yet, but the motor works great (though the wiring should -- and will -- be replaced), and the countershaft bearings work smoothly, with no sign of any wear.
So far, I’m extremely pleased with this purchase! I am planning on dismantling the lathe for a complete cleaning and paint job. I also need to come up with a more substantial base. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions here?
Paula
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