Here's the latest status on the lathe. A guy posted this on OWWM. The seller is to blame. Darn fools! Jake
"Hello
This is my first post on this forum. I hope it the first of many. I recently bought my first two lathe restoration projects.
One of which is kind of a mystery. I've seen some posts else where that speculate this one lathe is a Bement or some variant. There aren't any tags or serial number stamped that I have found yet (I doubt I will). On the front the casting has "Industrial Works Philadelphia". I'm actually the second buyer from the same seller. Somebody was there ahead of me and made off with the legs, most of the gears, half the belt cone, and the chuck. I was interested in the other lathe they had (more in a different post). Anyway the guy was saying about the dude that paid for the lathe and let the bed, head and tail stock, and apron lay. I asked him what he was going to do with it - he said scrap it. I asked what he had to have for it - $50 Me: SOLD. I got it home and made up a cart to sit it on. It does have the main spindle (brass plain bearings), cross slide and compound slide (which the tool post slot is immaculate but rusty).
Now I need to find out about it. If it is truly a Bement or variant here's my problem: The handles on the apron are backwards from everything I've seen pictures of. In fact they are downright just backwards. The feed is on the right and the half-nut is on the left. Every lathe I've ever worked on or seen is the other way around.
I have attached pictures: The first picture is from Craigslist and is definitely a before picture. The next four show the head gears (or lack thereof), the apron, the tail stock, and a detail of the tail end of the bed which shows a particular design (faux base moulding). If people will direct me for more helpful angles please feel free to speak up. If you look close you can tell an electrician did the carpentry work on the cart I made. I can't get a good picture of the words cast in the bed - they are behind the lead screw. I apologize the pictures are upside down - I don't know how to change that.
The whole machine is coated it seems in grease and some surface rust. I believe it was barn-kept except where I bought it from. It spent a little time out in the weather. The plain bearings don't look terrible but were disassembled when I got the machine. I'm not sure if the compound and cross slides are froze up - I don't have any hand wheels to turn them yet. The tail stock and apron slide on the ways pretty good. The Apron looks well greased and I believe the half-nut is intact.
I appeal to the mercy of those more knowledgeable - Please help me found out what this neglected orphan is. I plan on giving it a good home and hope to get it operational in some way."