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Unknown lathe
- Thread starter martik777
- Start date
Google Tony Griffiths Engineering. He has a huge list of lathe makers. You can begin selecting lathes and looking at the pictures. That will keep you occupied for months. I have actually looked at every lathe he has listed!!
The legs alone are worth $150
If i,m not mistaken thats a Pratt and Whitney yes the same company that made airplane engines.
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I've bought legs like that for scrap value at the local junk yard. Made a wire drawing machine with them.
It looks very close to a Springfield Foundry lathe I sold years ago.
Many old lathes had the same look.
Many old lathes had the same look.
$150 is about what a real old lathe is worth. You are getting no change gears,perhaps no gear quadrants to mount them on,likely VERY worn out bed and cross slide. The spindle bearings are no doubt plain,no ball bearings. That is not bad in itself,but can you make the new bronze bearings for it? Some old lathes,like old South Bends had plain cast iron bearings cast right into the headstock. No way to replace those bearings,and I've actually seen one that looked nice,but you could lift up the chuck 1/8" with a crow bar!!!! THAT lathe wouldn't even turn wood,and I've no idea how it was ever used with half that much play. Myford lathes had cast into headstock bearings for many years. Rated 30 years with PROPER OILING. Well,30 years is long gone!!! And,a lot of people seem to not have enough sense to ever oil a machine. I think I was the ONLY one to ever maintain the machines in Williamsburg.
George you are not correct (Some old lathes ,like old South Bends had plain cast iron bearings cast right into the headstock. No way to replace those bearings).
My 1916 Southbend has bronze replaceable bearings in the headstock. Both are in very good conditions.
bearings are not cast iron early bearings are made fron BABBIT and are replaceable.
My 1916 Southbend has bronze replaceable bearings in the headstock. Both are in very good conditions.
bearings are not cast iron early bearings are made fron BABBIT and are replaceable.
I certainly AM correct. I personally took the old Southbend I referred to apart and found cast-into-headstock bearings there,worn out. And,Earlier Myfords used the same deal. The ML10 might have used them till Myford went out of business. South bend made different models. You got lucky. The SB I looked at was about a 13" or larger model.
Your old lathe could have been line bored and fitted with bronze bearings at some time. Not an operation the home shop guy might have the tooling to do. It could have been done during WWII,for example,when machines were desperately needed. martik says his cast iron bearings are fine. He's lucky to have a lathe that was not run too hard,or was oiled properly during its life.
I certainly know babbit from cast iron. I'm a retired master toolmaker.
Martik,you are lucky to have missed that lathe. I have seen BETTER antique Barnes lathes sell in the junkyard for $100.00. But,if you want to do real work,buy a better lathe. Make sure you get the change gears,at least,or get a QC gearbox.
Dirty tools: You need to be sure you are correct before making a statement that someone is wrong. I used to rebuild lathes to re sell,and rebuilt some old SB lathes with cast into headstock bearings.
Your old lathe could have been line bored and fitted with bronze bearings at some time. Not an operation the home shop guy might have the tooling to do. It could have been done during WWII,for example,when machines were desperately needed. martik says his cast iron bearings are fine. He's lucky to have a lathe that was not run too hard,or was oiled properly during its life.
I certainly know babbit from cast iron. I'm a retired master toolmaker.
Martik,you are lucky to have missed that lathe. I have seen BETTER antique Barnes lathes sell in the junkyard for $100.00. But,if you want to do real work,buy a better lathe. Make sure you get the change gears,at least,or get a QC gearbox.
Dirty tools: You need to be sure you are correct before making a statement that someone is wrong. I used to rebuild lathes to re sell,and rebuilt some old SB lathes with cast into headstock bearings.
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