Looking for a small "junk" lathe

99Panhard · Aug 17, 2018

I'm thinking of making a machine to put grooves in bearings from this short piece in the October 1926 edition of Popular Science. It's within my capeabilities and it would be quite useful to me. But, I need something to make it out of. It can't be too large - a bench lathe of some sort would be perfect or a a small lathe like one of those "trade school" Reed & Prentice machines that someone has pilfered the legs from. I do not want to make it from an otherwise useful machine. I'm in Rhode Island so something in New England would be appropritae and, of couse, I don't want to pay much. That said, it's a chance to make someting that is otherwise scrap into something useful.

https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/images/attach/jpg.gif

Aejgx6 · Aug 17, 2018

I love the use of bacon grease in the article. I think the names of the machines you are looking for are mostly forbidden. Cruddieslist would be a great place to start.

billzweig · Aug 17, 2018

Any old screw-cutting lathe should do; there are hundreds of those around - many in the scrap yards.
As for the bacon grease....I am actually using lard for occasional metal spinning. Works better than any grease. Bacon grease sounds good. I could do my spinning right after breakfast....

99Panhard · Aug 17, 2018

Actually... I think the unmentionable machines are too light. I confess to having owned one many years ago, purchased after I'd closed my garage and no longer had my anchient Pratt & Whitney. I knew next to nothing about machines in those days but learned quite fast that those were a total POS. Oddly enough, after cleaning it up and discovering it was only good for turning plastic, I actually sold it for a profit. It may be the only time I've ever done that. You can see from the article that neighter the tail stock or the compound are needed and there is no need for a QC gearbox so I'm hoping to find something something the size of a 9 or 10 inch SB though the make is unimportant. The more obscure, the better.

There is't much in the way of scrap yards around here - at least not that you can look around in.

Franz© · Aug 17, 2018

In 1964 I was nearly murdered for using lard enhanced with bacon grease to run a hole saw through cast iron a thousand times.
Company VP came out to the shop to eyeball the job after I busted the first 6 hole saws with the expensive cutting fluid. He asked if I had any ideas so I mentioned lard might help. Got to walk down to the grocery store for lard, walk back and ask for money from petty cash, and back to the store to get lard. Shop manager went in the office to bitch about the aroma, and came back knowing if lard saved money lardwas getting used.

Monday I slipped about half of mom's bacon grease into the lard bucket and stired. Hole saws were holding up longer and the company owner was happy when he came to see what I was doing. Aroma didn't bother him any it smelled like profit.

Honest, I had no idea lard required refrigeration and nobody was real anxious for me to put it in the shop fridge. I had no idea the cardboard container the lard came in would leak sitting there on the wood top bench in front of the heater either.

Shop boss took an absolute dislike for me in that shop just over 5 pounds of lard.

He really wanted me dead when I developed my ability to launch 5/8 Whitney punch slugs at his desk.

I really liked working there. They had a lot of engineers in the office.

partsproduction · Aug 17, 2018

I wish I could read the article. It's possible to come up with a program for CNC lathes, but was told it takes a macro probably.
Instead of a lathe bed my concept was to use roller rails since the length of bushings I'd use is under 6". A swash plate geared to the spindle would drive the tool back and forth.

Derek Smalls · Aug 18, 2018

I've got some South Bend 9" parts you may be interested in. Not a complete machine, but I've got a couple of clapped out beds and probably enough other parts to cobble together a head stock, rear drive, and a saddle. PM me if interested and you can come take a look.

tdmidget · Aug 18, 2018

I seem to recall an antique car site, maybe "The Old Motor", where a shop had such a machine factory made for the purpose. Possibly Le Blond?

thermite · Aug 18, 2018

99Panhard said:
Actually... I think the unmentionable machines are too light. I confess to having owned one many years ago, purchased after I'd closed my garage and no longer had my anchient Pratt & Whitney. I knew next to nothing about machines in those days but learned quite fast that those were a total POS. Oddly enough, after cleaning it up and discovering it was only good for turning plastic, I actually sold it for a profit. It may be the only time I've ever done that. You can see from the article that neighter the tail stock or the compound are needed and there is no need for a QC gearbox so I'm hoping to find something something the size of a 9 or 10 inch SB though the make is unimportant. The more obscure, the better.

There is't much in the way of scrap yards around here - at least not that you can look around in.

Don't base it on a lathe. You need no "bed length" for grooving bearings.

Adapt a small horizontal mill instead.

Or even a brake-drum/disk rotor "lathe". Integral power. Very compact. One of those might be handy, anyway, the stuff you get into, yah? Those were once Van Norman's mainstay, garages all over the country. Now we mostly swap-out rather than resurface. Bound to be plenty of those surplused, just not all of them cheap - eg; $500 to nearly $4,000. Tooling a part of that.

Dupa3872 · Aug 18, 2018

I am in Walpole Ma and have an old 9 inch South bend lathe. It's pretty dirty and has not run in 10 years. It has a 5C draw bar and 6 inch three jaw along with an aloris tool post and random other tooling. It needs a lot of clean up and adjustment but would be a good project and decent lathe once you do the work.

it's going to the scrap yard for $100.00 within two weeks. You can have it for the same. It's a ground level easy move.

PM Me or reply here if you want it.

Make Chips Boys !

Ron

99Panhard · Aug 18, 2018

tdmidget said:
I seem to recall an antique car site, maybe "The Old Motor", where a shop had such a machine factory made for the purpose. Possibly Le Blond?

That's David Greenlees... the machine is a LeBlond lathe set up to finish connecting rods. As far as I know, it doesn't cut the grooves. It was originally made for Federal Mogul - the local area depots had them to size Babbit lined connecting rods. They were all made underzise and then finished to whatever specs the local auto machine shop ordered.

maynah · Aug 18, 2018

A little O/T
Not made for oil grooves but here's a scarce Drummond con-rod boring jig.

Derek Smalls · Aug 18, 2018

Dupa3872 said:
I am in Walpole Ma and have an old 9 inch South bend lathe. It's pretty dirty and has not run in 10 years. It has a 5C draw bar and 6 inch three jaw along with an aloris tool post and random other tooling. It needs a lot of clean up and adjustment but would be a good project and decent lathe once you do the work.

it's going to the scrap yard for $100.00 within two weeks. You can have it for the same. It's a ground level easy move.

PM Me or reply here if you want it.

Make Chips Boys !

Ron

Hey Ron, If the OP passes on it, I may be interested. Please send me a PM if it's available. Thanks.

99Panhard · Aug 18, 2018

Two members have asked me for a larger copy of the article. Since I have the original magazine, I can scan it larger so if you want a copy, just send me a PM and I'll forward the original.

99Panhard · Aug 18, 2018

maynah said:
A little O/T
Not made for oil grooves but here's a scarce Drummond con-rod boring jig.

The LeBlond works in the same manner except that the rod is held vertically. I thought abut making one of those too but it's a lot of work to make 4 rods.

thermite · Aug 18, 2018

99Panhard said:
it's a lot of work to make 4 rods.

Hmmm.. I suspect.. that I could do those with a bit of black art applied to my H. B. Priese Panto-engraver. Which is why I have one of the old fossils.

Micro-mill, not hog, as to cutters and grinders, but flexible work envelope and OY! the "tool paths".

justin.mercier · Aug 19, 2018

I've got a partial (but complete enough for this purpose) Barnes #4 1/2 with your name on it if you'd like it.

99Panhard · Aug 20, 2018

OK... Bring it by... or I'll come over and get it.

jp

justin.mercier · Aug 22, 2018

Came down with a wicked cold, sorry was out of communication. I can toss it in my van probably tomorrow, friday if not tomorrow and swing on by.

Chip Chester · Aug 23, 2018

Popular Science - Google Books

Page 133... courtesy of Google while PS works on their internal (free) archive of material.

Looking for a small "junk" lathe

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