# Colchester lathes and carriage stops.



## john.k (Feb 14, 2020)

On another forum ,nowdays never a week goes by without some newbie busting the feed gearbox on a Bantam or Student by useing a bed stop ........clever operators like.....the saddle just pushed one stop along,so I used two...... and ..........my one screw bedstop slipped ,so I altered it to three screws........and now the gears are busted.....Simple fact is there are no spare feed gears anywhere ,unless you are prepared to pay several thousand dollars to have them made.....So ,dont use a bed stop  and dont wreck your lathe.


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## benmychree (Feb 14, 2020)

Or, use hard stops and kick out the feed before hitting them; most every machinist in training learns to do this!  "Experience keeps a dear school, but a fool will learn in no other"


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## wa5cab (Feb 15, 2020)

And from the quotes in the previous message but one, some fools never learn.


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## middle.road (Feb 15, 2020)

I wonder if it would be doable to make replacements using 3D Printing in metal. Aluminum, SS316, Titanium, and even Inconel.
Or for that matter would acetal (delrin) work?


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## john.k (Feb 15, 2020)

Found another....ME 12/jan/20.........."seems to load up the feed ..lot of force.....broken teeth off the rack".....If you break rack teeth ,imagine the damage to the rest of the geartrain.......I used to buy these machines in quantity from technical colleges ,and if youve ever seen feed gears with the teeth all bent backwards,or every tooth broken off a gear.....another goodie is using the bedstop with the leadscrew.


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## Janderso (May 7, 2020)

I was watching one of Joe Pieczynski's Youtube videos, he was turning to a hard stop.
His lathe is equipped with a clutched feed kick out in his apron.
He has a Clausing Colchester 13. I have his same lathe except it's a 15.
The first time I tried it, I was wearing diapers. Works slick.
I think all gear heads should have this feature.
Like Bemnychree said, I would kick out the feed right before the stop and finish by hand until I learned a little more about my lathe.


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## sgisler (May 10, 2020)

I think my Colchester 15x50 has but I’ve always been scared to try it!


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## Janderso (May 10, 2020)

sgisler said:


> I think my Colchester 15x50 has but I’ve always been scared to try it!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have a Colchester 15X50. Which style? Round head? Rainbow dial change gears on the front or top of the head stock?
Do you have a 2" knob on the left side of your apron?


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## sgisler (May 11, 2020)

Janderso said:


> I have a Colchester 15X50. Which style? Round head? Rainbow dial change gears on the front or top of the head stock?
> Do you have a 2" knob on the left side of your apron?



Well, its a square head gap-bed, apron handwheel on the left. 1996 I think, need to look at the badge again. 
Have never been able to find the ‘exact’ owner’s manual, but have a couple that are close. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			






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## Janderso (May 11, 2020)

You have the newer style. Nice lathe sir!
I believe that's mfg. by the 600 Group. Do you know if it's made in Colchester, England or had they moved off to Taiwan by 1996?
Either way, those are professional quality lathes from my research.


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## Janderso (May 11, 2020)

sgisler said:


> Well, its a square head gap-bed, apron handwheel on the left. 1996 I think, need to look at the badge again.
> Have never been able to find the ‘exact’ owner’s manual, but have a couple that are close.
> 
> 
> ...



I don't see the tension adjustment knob on the left side of the apron.
You can contact Clausing customer service, give them your serial number and download a PDF of the manual, I think.
No chip pan?


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## sgisler (May 11, 2020)

Janderso said:


> I don't see the tension adjustment knob on the left side of the apron.
> You can contact Clausing customer service, give them your serial number and download a PDF of the manual, I think.
> No chip pan?



Now that I’m back in the shop this afternoon;
Its actually ‘98 manufacture, 600 group in UK;




Thanks for the compliment and contact idea, guess I din’t try hard enough .
I am quite smitten with it and embarrassed to say what I paid for it!
It is a great machine! Oh, and the chip pan; just not in place at time of pic. Riggers had just set it in shop. 
I’m going to reach out to Clausing right now..,

Stan


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## Janderso (May 12, 2020)

Stan,
Made in England, is very good news. I was under the assumption when the 600 Group got involved they moved production to Taiwan.
I too have the 7.5 hp power plant. Plenty of power.
I bet you have the apron clutch, surely the later models wouldn’t delete a function like that. The other really cool thing is you can instantly reverse the cross feed and apron direction.

Stan,
I found this video of a tool sales shop with my 15x50 showing the hand wheel on the left side of the apron for the clutch adjustment. I'm wondering if yours is on the right?


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## Cheeseking (May 13, 2020)

Just to chime in I bought that exact 15x50 Colchester brand new for our tool and die shop at work in 1998. Its been an awesome machine. I doubt the newer ones (ugly pastel blue made in China looking 600 group version) are made nearly as well. The only issue has been the oil pump belt getting chewed up by chips that somehow worked their way thru back spindle and behind the cover. They are unholy expensive to replace.
At home I have a small 11” colchester Bantam with the feed kick out feature and it works beautifully. I can run the feed hard into it and it stops instantly. No broken gears etc.


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## sgisler (May 13, 2020)

It is a great machine with power to spare! I’m hoping to hear back from Colchester on the manual, but in the meantime I’ll be back in the shop tomorrow and will investigate the apron more thoroughly for a clutch adjustment. One of the manuals I did find referred to a spring loaded adjusting screw on the left side of the apron, though it also pictured the carriage handwheel on the right. 
Does the clutch work both for threading and feed?


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## AGCB97 (May 13, 2020)

My 1920 (that's year not model) Springfield has the feed kick out feature. Great for threading and no need for a relief groove. It simply moves the feed lever to the neutral position. Not all the features of the lathes you mention though.
Aaron


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## Cheeseking (May 13, 2020)

Ok I dug up the manual for you. Turn out it was 1997 haha. 
Heres quick shot of the relevant page from manual.

Good question on the half nut/feed screw disengagement. I know on my 11” Bantam it does NOT disengage half nut. Only trips the feed engage lever. 
I have the manuals pdf if you want I can wetransfer them to you.


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## Cheeseking (May 13, 2020)

Deleted.


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## Cheeseking (May 13, 2020)

Deleted


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## sgisler (May 13, 2020)

Cheeseking said:


> Ok I dug up the manual for you. Turn out it was 1997 haha.
> Heres quick shot of the relevant page from manual.
> 
> 
> ...



A PDF of the manual would be great! I much appreciate that. I’ll PM you my email. 

Really eager to dig deeper into it now. 
Thanks!
Stan


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## Cheeseking (May 14, 2020)

No good deed goes unpunished.


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## walzfab (Sep 12, 2020)

sgisler said:


> Well, its a square head gap-bed, apron handwheel on the left. 1996 I think, need to look at the badge again.
> Have never been able to find the ‘exact’ owner’s manual, but have a couple that are close.
> 
> 
> ...


walzFab chiming in,  
what you have is a rebadged TS Harrison lathe.
 TS Harrison, Cholchester, Clausing, are all part of the 600 group.
I own a slightly, lightly used 1997 TS Harrison M250, 11x 30 lathe,
lathe has an identical nomenclature plate similar to yours. 
 Excellent lathes, my M250 is precise, under 10th TIR, at the spindle
nose warm.


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## wa5cab (Sep 12, 2020)

sgisler,

You should check whether or not we have that specific manual (probably not) and if not, upload it to the appropriate location in Downloads.


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