To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Show off your vintage lathe.

To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

DocsMachine

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 16, 2006
Messages
1,868
Just test-chips so far. Hoping to get the first actual paying job through it this weekend.

Doc.
 

islandkent

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2009
Messages
281
Location
PEI,Canada
Here's a pic of my modified 1936 Craftsman. Oldie but a goodie.
lathe-1-jpg.1042702
 

steel 35

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 20, 2011
Messages
2,105
Location
Between the PNW and the Emerald Triangle
Far cry from the Axelson I ran 30 years ago but changing tools is much easier.
This picture was 17 years ago and can't see concrete in this area anymore, I Know this forum had something to do with that:dunno:
 

Attachments

  • lathe 618.JPG
    lathe 618.JPG
    76.5 KB · Views: 133

Roberts210

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
3,177
Location
Missouri
Steel35, what is the base of your tractor-seat chair made from? Looks as though it might be from an axle housing, which would be a great idea.
 

Provincial

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 21, 2011
Messages
6,872
Location
Near Salem, OR
I got my Atlas QC42 (10" swing, 24" between centers, quick change gearbox) in 1983. It had been abused and the bed was sway-backed. Lead screw was totally worn out, as were many of the gears. Fortunately, the quick change gearbox was all serviceable, and the worn parts were still available from Clausing. I sent the bed to a grinding outfit in Portland, OR and they did a great job, taking almost no material off the sides, and much less than I expected off the top and bottom of the ways.

I took a Craftsman workbench and threw away the pressboard top. I took two pieces of plywood subfloor and glued them together. I trimmed the edges with thin fir strips, and had the local HVAC shop make a chip pan from 22 gauge galvanized sheet steel. We doubled the edges to provide strength and also to make a rounded edge. The seams were soldered to keep any oil from seeping through. I modified the bench to use adjustable feet so I could make up for any tilt or uneven area in the floor. I used a floor flange and a piece of 1/4" pipe to make a socket for the lamp to swivel.

I'm very happy with the result. I've been using it for 35+ years with no problems. I added the plywood back when I moved it behind a parked car. No chips make it over the plywood, and if I keep the drawers closed, I don't get any chips in them. The chip pan extends out enough to protect the drawer area.

Ball-bearing slides would be welcome on some of the drawers. I keep the spare chucks in one drawer, and it doesn't move easily. Some of the other drawers are also overloaded from tooling.

I put a 3/4 HP motor on it during the rebuild. I think this is a good size for the Atlas/Craftsman lathes with 3/8" thick ways. The availability of small carbide insert tooling with formed chip breakers has reduced the power needed to turn steel parts. This has reduced the temptation to up the power on this lathe. I have a later Atlas 12" model (one of the last made) with 1/2" thick ways, and it came with a 1 HP 3-phase motor from the factory, and I think that this is the maximum power for the design of the headstock and gear train.

The QC42 has come in handy for odd jobs lately. My son wanted to cut a spiral slot in a tube for a project, so we put together a gear train for 2 TPI. He turned the spindle by hand and laid out the spiral with a Sharpie. He then cut the groove with an abrasive wheel on a Dremel tool. Last month I shortened a couple of piston pins for a Briggs & Stratton engine by 1/8" by using a cut off wheel in a "poor man's tool post grinder." It is an air die grinder that I made a mount for that clamps it in an Aloris-style tool holder.

My Atlas 12" is used for larger projects and where the added horsepower is needed. The cross-slide feed graduations are much easier to read, as well.

I acquired a Clausing (Atlas-branded) 12x36 that is much heavier duty and has a 1-1/4" spindle bore (vs. the 3/4" bore of the older lathes), but it is on a poor bench that takes up too much space. I'll have to make a new stand for it before it gets used much. I'll post that one when it is ready to go. :3gears:
 

Attachments

  • QC42_1.jpg
    QC42_1.jpg
    136.2 KB · Views: 90
  • QC42_2.jpg
    QC42_2.jpg
    140.1 KB · Views: 77
  • QC42_3.jpg
    QC42_3.jpg
    115.2 KB · Views: 72
  • QC42_4.jpg
    QC42_4.jpg
    93.6 KB · Views: 65

slodat

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
3,682
Location
Central-ish, WA
Re: Show off your vintage or not so vintage lathe.

fefb597b154740ca9ea8c5848b9f97e5.jpg

My 1953 American Tool Works Pacemaker 14x30 lathe with 15HP spindle. Awesome machine.
 

Attachments

  • fefb597b154740ca9ea8c5848b9f97e5.jpg
    fefb597b154740ca9ea8c5848b9f97e5.jpg
    301 KB · Views: 19

WAS Jr

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
275
Lol, that Pacemaker following the little Atlases is like meeting the guys in your local church basketball league before a game starts.
Then Lebron walks onto the court and wants to play.
Bill S
 

macgee

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Messages
2,834
Location
Sepulveda Pass, CA
Very nice EZ-Duzit,

Congrats on the new addition. Even has the a local L.A. made KDK tool holder and a Trav-a-Dial.

I love the art deco industrial lines of Monarch's. I'm very jealous

May you have many chips on your floor :)
 

ez-duzit

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 24, 2013
Messages
5,101
Location
Marina del Rey
m--thanks. I looked and waited a long time to find one in good condition. Was open to a Monarch, American Pacemaker, or Hardinge. Responded to the c/l ad within an hour of its publication and the seller had already had several inquiries.
 

Provincial

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 21, 2011
Messages
6,872
Location
Near Salem, OR
Glad I revived this thread! It brought out some really nice "BIG IRON."

It was in response to a request for photos of my bench and chip pan on another thread.
 

macgee

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Messages
2,834
Location
Sepulveda Pass, CA
Glad I revived this thread! It brought out some really nice "BIG IRON."

Seriously,

subscribed.

The ones above are some serious players and awesome to see and extremely jealous. I find it too often that I run out of swing, the ones above, not so much as an isuse.

Here's a Montgomery Ward Powr-Kraft Logan lathe (TLC-2136A) that was given to me (not exactly a Practical Machinist qualifier), which I ended up selling to a friend as I quickly found a complete mint lathe (Emco Compact 8) with all the tooling, sadly I never made any chips on it but my friend is very happy and report's good tolerances.

51025179177_0db9b1c7ae_h.jpg


51024350123_ce2fb6ee54_b.jpg
 

DocsMachine

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 16, 2006
Messages
1,868
-December 22nd:

WSno2TL-700.jpg


Just a day short of five months later, fully rebuilt and now 100% mechanically complete! She just needs a little adjustment, some cutting oil, and to be tooled up for her first job!

Doc.

-In case anyone's interested, I made a quick video of the first payin'-job setup on this machine. :D

Don't laugh too hard, it's literally the first time I'd had more than one tool set up on this thing, and since it was basically all drilling, I was running short on ways to hold drills. :)

Plus the shanks on some of the ER holders were too long, and would hit other tools inside the turret, I was short a few collets for the larger ER size, etc.

But that's like any machine- it takes time to sort out the tooling. And once I had the tools set up, I did 24 pieces in right about 30 minutes. With a minor change in the drill sizes, I then did the other end in about another 30 minutes. Trying to do those with a typical hand-crank lathe tailstock would have taken 30 minutes each. :D

Doc.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

macgee

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Messages
2,834
Location
Sepulveda Pass, CA
Been awhile so I figured I post. I repowered with a vintage DriveAll and Wagner induction 2PH. Its running nice. 1911 Hendey 12". Love this thread. it's new favourite!

Very nice Adrian,

Well done, I really like the way you put the work area is put together. Does the rug on the floor stay when you make chips?
 
Last edited:

AdrianBoomer

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 16, 2015
Messages
235
Location
Novato, California
Thanks guys. Lots of great machines this thread. Im a sucker for this stuff. I haven't totally set up my work space around this machine. I do most of my work on a smaller Dalton. But I am slowing getting this dialed. I appreciate the interest. I have restored a lot of machines however I would humbly suggest the Hendey was a challenge, not due to scale or mass (there are much big lathes in this thread and some impressive restoration work), but rather, obscure threads, weird OD/IDs, very tight tolerances built the "hendey" way and then there was the wear due to age. While it is actually still quite tight, I think this machine did a lot of jobs in it's heyday. One day I will scrape it in but Im not to work for the type of machining I do.

I leave with before and After shots.

View media item 110944View media item 110945
 

Machinitect

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 28, 2021
Messages
87
Location
Louisburg, Kansas
The Sidney was an awesome find. I was searching for a larger Monarch and ran across an ad for the Sidney on CL. The seller was a great guy, and had 2 telelehandlers to load it up when I arrived after an 8 hour drive. It is a herringbone gear model. The headstock is the most complex engineering that I have seen in a lathe. Super quiet, and runs in a several gallon oil bath.

It needed a few minor repairs in the carriage, and a few in the headstock when I got it. Now it is a terrific runner.
 

Attachments

  • 86E08434-2397-4730-8B1A-371AB2BA43F6.jpg
    86E08434-2397-4730-8B1A-371AB2BA43F6.jpg
    132.6 KB · Views: 78

Machinitect

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 28, 2021
Messages
87
Location
Louisburg, Kansas
Roberts,
The two things I had never seen before on any machine are herringbone gears and hirth serration joints. The “clutch” for the feed levers on the apron lock into place with hirth joints. It’s a terrific design.
 

macgee

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
Messages
2,834
Location
Sepulveda Pass, CA
Adrian,

Very impressive on the restore, I cant imagine the work needed dealing with a lot of non-standard threads, that would keep you busy. I Love seeing the quick change gear box on a lathe of that age.

When looking at you lathe it keeps reminding me of Rivetts 608 that I had my eyes on; they look similar. Were your bed ways orig. scraped ?

PS> Machinitect, that's an awesome Sydney! Thanks for posting it
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom