MY NEW (TO ME) MYSTERY LATHE

[ΧΡΗΣΤΟΣ]

I was looking for long time for a bigger lathe to handle larger parts that my 7X12 lathe cannot handle.
I have turned down a few candidates for several reasons: either too small, too big, too expensive or I was too late to decide on buying.
Checking sites and WebPages almost daily for a year I made so many calls and rejected so many machines that I was convinced that a lathe at the right size, condition and price does not exist! Eventually I was so frustrated that I started looking for a new one but, for the size I wanted (12X36), the price was too high ($5000) for a machine that will be used just for hobby.

View attachment 337171

So the whole idea remained a wishful dream that was not meant to be true.
Until, one day checking at Facebook’s Market Place I spotted this for $1500.

View attachment 337172

When, through a message (there was no phone on the ad) I asked the guy for the size of the machine, it took him two days to send me this.

View attachment 337173

Knowing that each one of the parts of the meter he used is 20 cm I estimated the size between centers to be some 90 cm (36”) Perfect!!
The guy I was talking to was advertising the lathe for his uncle that was too old to do it for himself. The lathe was a few miles away from me so I arranged a visit to see it and test it.
The lathe was in good working order, as the old man using it was a hobbyist himself. He told me that he had the lathe some 20 years and he had bought it from a school in an island between Greece and Italy (Corfu). I gave him a deposit and arranged to go in the weekend to dismantle and carry the lathe home.
A few hours later, in the next Saturday, the lathe (together with some tooling) followed me home.

View attachment 337174


TOOLING THAT CAME WITH THE LATHE

The old guy also gave me all the tools he had that related to the lathe:

View attachment 337175

1. Some measurement tools

View attachment 337176

2. Some files and levers also

View attachment 337177

3. Some more files

View attachment 337178

4. The lathe had the following gears 20, 45, 55, 60, 75, 80, 91, 95, 127
Missing gears (according the lathe table) are: 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 65, 70 (I must make them)

View attachment 337179

5. Lathe came together with steady and follower rest

View attachment 337180

On the lathe was a 6” 3jaw chuck in good condition

View attachment 337181

6. An 8” 3jaw chuck that was pretty neglected came with the lathe

View attachment 337182

7. Also I was given a poorly maintained 5” 4jaw auto centering chuck

View attachment 337183

8. Several bits & pieces also came with the lathe (drills, wrenches, metric and imperial taps an extra flat belt, many tool inserts etc.)

View attachment 337185

The only info I have for the lathe comes from the head plinth cover that says SLOTTA

View attachment 337184

As there was no user manual whatsoever with the lathe, my first concern was to find a manual or at least any info for the lathe.
That proved fruitless as the only SLOTTA I could find was the German makers DOLZE & SLOTTA (lathes.co.uk) but none of the lathes there was even similar to mine as mine is Italian. I came to that conclusion as next to oiling points it has scribed “OLIO” (the Italian word for oil) and the bearings I have changed in the underdrive cone pulley were “made in Italy”. My search using Italian words for “old SLOTTA lathe” (vecchio tornio SLOTTA) gave no results either!!!!

DO I OWN A UNIQUE LATHE? (I don’t think so)

If anyone knows anything or has any suggestions I would be happy to hear.

Thanks for reading
Petros

Hello, Petros we have the same lathe, I bought inverter for it and had made custom clutch. I'd like to discuss with you for our lathes.

Christos