I need a small project…

[Rick Denney]

It has to be easy, you have to supply the materials, and with no time pressure.

But I will work for $0/hour on the right little turning project.

Rick “an old dog learning new tricks” Denney

[DanMax]

Rick,

Thanks for your generosity.

Someone will surely supply a project quickly.

But...

Why oh why didn't you get a BIG lathe?

[Tubajug]

Ooh! I hope I can think of something!

[bort2.0]

Okay, move this to the other side of the railyard.



(It's a locomotive engine, right? )

[the elephant]

I cannot even begin to describe the level of my avaricious jealousy at this moment…

CONGRATULATIONS!

[arpthark]

For the ignorant, uninitiated and unaware (I am all three), what exactly are we looking at here?

BAL?

(Big @$$ Lathe)?

[the elephant]

Looks like a 16" swing South Bend lathe from about 1950 or so, with a lot of nice extras. I hope Rick snagged the steady rest with it; those are super handy to have, and hard to find.

[York-aholic]

That should keep you busy for awhile.

[Beyond16]

I have the same exact tool box. I bought it in the late 1970's. Craftsman, right? (even though it didn't follow the Craftsman color scheme).

[the elephant]

Looks like a Kennedy machinist's toolbox (or any of several brands made for industrial work). I have one on my bench in my shop. Mine is newer, and not as nice as Rick's older one (different pulls on the drawers). It might be an old Craftsman, though.

[matt g]

@Rick Denney, I’m hoping you post some more pics just so people can see the scale of that lathe!

[bloke]

Several years ago, a friend of mine - who was slowly dying - offered me a very similar lathe - also belt driven. I just didn't have any way of getting it here.

I tend to wonder if it's the same one, because at that time he was in Richmond, which isn't all that far from Rick.

[Rick Denney]

Looks like a 16" swing South Bend lathe from about 1950 or so, with a lot of nice extras. I hope Rick snagged the steady rest with it; those are super handy to have, and hard to find.

Close. It’s a 14-1/2” South Bend lathe from 1945. It was first delivered to the electrical maintenance shop at the Bethlehem Steel Sparrows Point Shipyard on June 15, 1945. It’s been overhauled since then, but has also suffered mishaps and neglect, so I’ve already rebuilt about half of it.

It fits between the “hobby lathe” and “big-a$$” lathe categories. The were called “light industrial” lathes in the day. It only weighs 2300 pounds—not heavy by lathe standards.

Yes, I got the steady. And it came with the 4C collet chuck, a different and larger collet chuck, an 8” Rohm 3-jaw scroll chuck, a 10” Skinner 4-jaw independent chuck. Plus a bunch of centers, a Jacobs chuck for the tailstock, a big pile of high-speed-steel tooling, taper attachment (which is awesome), 8” dog plate, 12” fixture plate, big-a$$ milling attachment, etc. I added a quick-change toolpost and a bunch of carbide insert tools.

Wade, you should come for a visit and play.

Rick “new shop getting full” Denney

[Rick Denney]

I have the same exact tool box. I bought it in the late 1970's. Craftsman, right? (even though it didn't follow the Craftsman color scheme).

It’s a Park, but Park made the Craftsman boxes for Sears.

Their machinist boxes were competing (at a lower price point) with Kennedy boxes, so the brown crinkle paint was part of that.

I wasn’t going to put my old Gerstner box on the floor under all that oil.

Rick “an eBay cheapie” Denney

[arpthark]

Whatcha gonna do with it?

Or more generally, what scope of projects could this thing tackle?

I am standing by my aforementioned "uninitiated, unaware and ignorant" labels here.

(but eager to learn!)

[the elephant]

Lathe Porn


I love it…

[Rick Denney]

Several years ago, a friend of mine - who was slowly dying - offered me a very similar lathe - also belt driven. I just didn't have any way of getting it here.

I tend to wonder if it's the same one, because at that time he was in Richmond, which isn't all that far from Rick.

No, this one was the Redhead’s Uncle’s, which he bought from an aircraft-mechanic friend of his about 40 years ago. I think his friend got it when Beth Steel liquidated it, which I think was in the 60’s, judging from the motor. The motor is a mid-60’s Dayton single-phase 2HP industrial model, not the 550-volt 25-Hz 3-phase motor Beth Steel put in it.

Rick “moving it was difficult and nearly disastrous” Denney

[Rick Denney]

Whatcha gonna do with it?

Or more generally, what scope of projects could this thing tackle?

I am standing by my aforementioned "uninitiated, unaware and ignorant" labels here.

(but eager to learn!)

The Redhead asked me what I was going to make with it, too.

Rick “lathe parts” Denney

[Rick Denney]

Okay, more serious answer, but still not serious. There really is no justification that would meet Joe’s “this makes more money than it costs” criterion.

When I converted the motorhome to rear-wheel disks, I needed to clearance the mounting plates for the hubs. Had to use a grinder, and that was ugly. The brake rotors are typical of what one buys today—0.020” of runout. It would be nice to machine them true, and that will raise the pedal because I won’t need as much hydraulic capacity just to close up the runout on six rotors when applying brakes.

Just try to find a shop that will turn brake rotors rather than sell you new Chinese rotors that all have runout.

The mower deck on the tractor has a problem with the starboard pulley getting loose (it really should have left-hand threads on the mounting studs), and I have had to replace it twice rather than just fixing it, which requires turning.

I’ve needed to make four or five unique fittings for various antenna projects but haven’t been able to.

And then there are small round things for tuba stuff. I need a knurled nut for a valve mech shaft—easier to make than to chase down from the manufacturer, and places like Allied won’t sell to me. I can also make dent tools, at least eventually. I don’t yet have a ball turner.

With the milling attachment, I can make all sorts of small items, cut slots and keyways in steel, etc.

But most of all, I can make tools and jigs for making other things. A lot of specialized tools for old cars aren’t made any more and are insanely expensive even when you can find them.

If I can find a way to correct the runout on my drill press, I may offer the same service to Wade.

Rick “wait a bit and I can come up with even more abject BS” Denney

[iiipopes]

Wow! The last time I saw one of those was as a boy growing up in the 1970's: a machinist in town who had his own shop for handyman/repair/fabrication/custom work had one of those.