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Hydraulically driven Leblond Lathe for sale.

Harold Mulder

Hot Rolled
Joined
Mar 15, 2011
Location
Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario, Canada
I'm not posting this as a for sale post more as a post of a unique way of driving an older lathe. I found this lathe for sale on Kijiji up here in Ontario Canada. I was surprised to see that the owner had adapted a hydraulic motor to run this lathe. Here are a few pictures for posterity.
$_59.jpg$_59 (1).jpg$_59 (2).jpg

Harold
 
Not uncommon in some (not all) Amish and Mennonite shops for all the machinery to be run by hydraulics or compressed air.

A shop I do business with has a hydraulically driven very old lathe much like the above pictured. Among other tools they have a recently imported electric drill press still with the motor and cord coiled up hanging there and a small air motor tucked under the belt guard. Foot control for the variable speed air motor, waste less air and keeps your hands free for other stuff, it works well.
 
Years ago, I used to see air motors on Amish machines, hadn't seen hydraulic motor conversions. 9-10 years ago, we had a tribe of Amish move in around here. I call them faux Amish, traditional methods don't seem to be an issue. They burn the roads up, running tractors all over, but on Sunday, it is buggy day. I have yet to see horse drawn equipment. They even have Mexicans picking their peaches
 
The Mennonite, and I assume Amish too, all seem to have different versions of the rules set by their local church.
Some can't have engines, some can but 2 or fewer cylinders, others more. Some can drive, some not, some with normal tires, some without air..
Some live simply at home but fully modern business across the yard.
I've seen windmills and waterwheels setup to run air compressors.
For hydraulics I've mostly seen small to medium size diesel engines.
 








 
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