Restoring an early 80’s Woodfast Lathe

[LanceC]

I thought that rather than post this at the tail end of the "value of old Woodfast lathes" thread, I'd stick it in its own thread in case it may help others down the track.

An many will know from the above noted thread, I’ve been on the lookout for an older heavy cast iron lathe for a long time, and last weekend the wait finally paid off. An old (70’s or early 80’s) Woodfast lathe was put up for sale at a great price, and I snapped it up. It appeared to have been left out in the weather in its recent history, so a bit of spit and polish was required, but the bones were in good condition.

This particular model has been my dream lathe, so to have found one is brilliant. Part of it is that as an old Australian cast iron machine from the days when iron wasn’t economised like now, it is heavy and very solidly built. The other factor, esoteric as it may be, is the styling. There’s just something about them that appeals to me. Particularly the tailstock. It evokes visions of the art deco styled steam trains of the 40’s and 50’s. I think it’s beautiful.

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This is what it looked like when I got it. What you can’t see is that the bed had a good coat of surface rust, as with every bit of unpainted steal too for good measure. This also meant that any moving parts that could be seized were. The bench it came on was very stout, except for the top. Being chipboard, it now resembled my breakfast Vita Brits.

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As I picked it up on a Sunday late afternoon, there wasn’t much that I could do on the weekend other than to get it settled into the shed. What followed was a week of afternoons and evenings cleaning it up.

The first port of call was to strip the whole machine down. This included removing the headstock. The whole bed was cleaned up with copious amounts of RP7 and 1000 grit W&D. Fortunately it came off fairly easily so no heavy force was required. Each evening I would disassemble the bits I could, and apply either oil or more RP7 into a seized part and let it sit till the following evening when it would have loosened up enough for me to work it apart. This proved difficult at times without an exploded diagram. Whilst some bits looked like they should come apart, they were so solidly joined I just had to persevere with nightly oiling until my hunch was proved correct and they finally moved, allowing me to congratulate myself on my deductive powers. I take my victories wherever I can find them.

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Removing the spindle and bearings was a little scary considering the force that was required. Firstly the grub screws in the pully need to be removed, then the spindle knocked, hammered and finally pounded from the headstock toward the tailstock. Despite my penchant for hyperbola, in this case I’m not exaggerating, I really had to lay into it. Going the other way will not work, as the spindle is wider on the tail side. To be clear, you have to hit the spindle so that when ejected it lands on the bed.

Removing the bearings also required significant effort. They were a pretty tight fit with a bit of rust to hold them in place that little bit more securely. But with several pieces of wood as rams, I got them out. A note on the double bearings. They can both be ejected in either direction. At first I tried ejecting each one out on its side, assuming there was a ridge between them, which there isn’t. In the end I knocked them both through together. For reference, the bearings in mine were sealed 6205 units (the letters afterwards are generally manufacturer specific, so just find sealed units in the 6205 size.

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With all the parts stripped, they went into a small bucket of vinegar and left overnight to loosen the rust. This is a triumph of chemistry over elbow grease. After a day or two of soaking, the vinegar will have eaten a lot of the rust, but not damaged the iron at all. For pieces with only light rust, I was able to simply wipe it off with a rag. More stubborn parts needed a quick going over with 1000 grit W&D to polish it up.

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Then it was re-assembly time. I did purchase new bearings. At $8 each, it seamed silly not to while I had it all apart. I took some exploded photos of the head and tail stocks in case I needed to service it again in the future, and forgot how it came apart, or for some other poor sap in my position who is trying to figure out what does and doesn’t disassemble. Note the spacer in the headstock which I photographed in the wrong position.

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Of course not everything went to plan on reassembly. See if you can spot the problem below (hint, I wasn’t planning on installing a linked belt). I woke up during the night, and whilst thinking pleasant thoughts about the lathe, had my epiphany.

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Because I’m an expert at removing spindles, the next morning I gave it what for, but after a little initial movement, it simply wouldn’t budge. I even pondered if because it was a rather chilly morning the castings had contracted, and compressed the bearings onto the spindle, so let it sit in the sun for an hour or so to warm up (yes, I know, I know). Still no joy. Then with the clarity of hindsight realised that I was knocking it the wrong way. Perhaps now you understand why I take my wins wherever I can find them.

With the lathe all in one piece again, with the belt now hanging from the pulley, the final job was to fit a new top to the bench and cut the legs down 100 mm. The last owner must have been a giant of a man or woman, or they held the turning chisels in their teeth. Regardless it was far to high for me and my family. Unfortunately the top was nailed and glued down which made for a messy removal. I screwed the new top down in consideration for the next custodian of this lathe.

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And that was it. All done. I mounted the lathe and finally late last night, almost one week to the hour, I managed to spend 30 minutes turning, (butchering), pieces of scrap. I really need to get my sharpening sorted out now, but that’s a topic for its own post.

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In closing, you will notice the cleverly positioned cut outs in the bench top to allow shavings to fall down and slide forward to the floor to aide clean-up. I thought it a rather clever idea from the bench builder so replicated it in my top. I carefully measured the exposed bed areas and cut out just enough, but not too much. Having worked quite late into the evening to mount the top, and apply the first coat of varnish, I slept the satisfied sleep of progress made. Waking up during the night again, my mind drifted to having forgotten to put the belt on the pulley when inserting the spindle, and was having a chuckle as such a silly mistake. And then it hit me. I had forgotten to add a hole in the bench top between the lathe and motor pulleys. Sigh.

[powderpost]

Hi Lance,

Very gratifying to see a grand old machine receive such tlc. As a matter of interest, my first Woodfast lathe is a 1981 model, with the square headstock, so your lathe would be pre-1980.

Jim

[LanceC]

Thanks for the clarification Jim,

I based my date on the stamp on the bed. I, erroneously it seems, interpreted the “81” as the year of manufacture.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200531/7e76b2cd53d54efb8c2ed91ae9e858bb.jpg


It’s a later model than those with grease nipples, so the real date remains a mystery.

[Simplicity]

Lance Another great story,

With regards the bearings, in the past I’ve put bearings in the freezer in a bag(to keep the piece) over night.
They shrink ever so slightly.

An if possible lightly heat the part they a going into.
It just makes the going in a bit easier, tho in your application it maybe hard to head the the headstock.
Actually I wouldn’t recommend heating a headstock

Hope I’m telling you how to suck eggs tho.

Cheers Matt..

[NCArcher]

It probably is an '81. Might have been the changeover year. I had two of those lathes (still have one in storage) and they were '76 and '77 I think. Both had grease nipples. You should do a VSD conversion. Makes those old lathes so much better.
I'm sure I read somewhere that the numbers are the model, week and year of manufacture. I think the tail stock is stamped as well.

[LanceC]

You should do a VSD conversion. Makes those old lathes so much better.
Funny you should mention that Tony. Over the weekend I thought I should work out the respective RPMs of each pulley combination, which was enlightening. My options are 435, 1120, 2455 and (wait for it), 5985! My four speed lathe has now become a three speed lathe. So really I have speed settings for moderate, fast, very fast and warp factor three.

On a separate matter, I was getting a fairly strong vibration coming through the bench, so set about investigating. Minor adjustments to the belt tension made a massive difference. In my case reducing the belt tension a fair bit has it now purring like a kitten. I should probably have put a new belt on when I had the head stock apart, but with so much else to think about at the time, I didn't.

[powderpost]

It probably is an '81. Might have been the changeover year.

I would agree that, that is most likely. I understood the middle number was the production sequence number, could be wrong there though.

Jim

[NCArcher]

F
I should probably have put a new belt on when I had the head stock apart, but with so much else to think about at the time, I didn't.
Buy a link belt and cut the old one off. The link belt will make it run even quieter.
Sending you a PM re VSD control.

[Colin62]

My options are 435, 1120, 2455 and (wait for it), 5985! My four speed lathe has now become a three speed lathe.
That sounds like someone may have replaced a four pole motor with a two pole motor at some stage in its last. Dropping the motor speed by half would give you a decent spread of speeds, from slow enough for an unbalance log to fast enough For small spindles.

[LanceC]

Buy a link belt and cut the old one off. The link belt will make it run even quieter.

I did look at them initially. While I can buy a regular belt for $12 with overnight shipping, the best price I could find for a link belt was $130 (@ $80/m) plus shipping. I'm already an old hat at removing the spindle, so will go down that route.


That sounds like someone may have replaced a four pole motor with a two pole motor at some stage in its last.

No, it's an old 1425 RPM motor.

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Feel free to check my maths though.

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[Colin62]

Well, that’s my theory blown out the water. :-)

Your calculations look 100% correct to me.

[AussieTommo]

I just picked an older one up (the ones with grease nipples and different spindle set up).

Since you have taken it apart... i am having trouble with the tailstock quill lock.

it didn't come with the lock handle/bolt.

i can use a screw to tighten it but not to sure how to loosen it?

and i can't figure out how to take the hand wheel off the tail stock either haha

i feel like the biggest newbie hahaha

could anyone please give me some pointers? i have it sitting in mineral turps as we speak, hopefully that loosens some stuff up lol

[LanceC]

Hi Tom,

The hand wheel is not keyed to the shaft at all, just a friction fit, with the nut to hold it in place.

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I took a bunch of photos trying to demonstrate how the components of the quill lock work, but in the end I thought it would simply be easier so show how it fits together, then you can dismantle as required. Interactive drawing at Fusion (https://a360.co/2AXM8mE). Essentially the screw simply pushes the "cam" down on the quill to lock it. Releasing the screw releases pressure on the cam and the quill can move again. If yours is anything like mine was, it's not releasing due to corrosion not allowing the cam to move. The cam just drops into the hole in the tailstock, it's not secured in any way. This was the part that required the most oil soaking and repeated jiggling and pulling with a wire hook over several days to get it to become free. There is a little hole below the cam to allow fluids to drain out. I plugged this from the outside to ensure the oil wasn't all leaking out during the soaking stage.

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[Paul39]

Lance, Try your speed calculations using this: How to Calculate the Speed of Two Different Pulleys | Sciencing (https://sciencing.com/calculate-speed-two-different-pulleys-8459769.html)

Nice job on the lathe.

[AussieTommo]

Thank you so much Lance! Especially drawing it up in fusion :) :)

i thought that so dunked in vinegar last night (gonna be painting it anyway). i'm thinking of putting a light spring under it if i can without interfering with the hole.

that hand wheel is just a friction fit? so you take the handwheel and spindle bolt out all as one? i thought maybe it needed c spanner or something (came to me in bed haha) i think mine was made in the 60's lol

thank you so much again for all the help, champion!

[LanceC]

that hand wheel is just a friction fit? so you take the handwheel and spindle bolt out all as one? i thought maybe it needed c spanner or something

On mine, remove the nut behind the handwheel, then pull the hand wheel off, then knock the quill spindle forward (toward the headstock), taking care not to damage the thread. If the hand wheel won't come loose, you could try knocking the spindle through the hand wheel and tailstock body together.

[AussieTommo]

Thanks Lance!

I haven't had the time to even look at it, so tomorrow morning i'll give it a go. thanks again for all your help :)

[Mr Fix]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this site so please bear with me. I have obtained a Hyco lathe that used to be in the local college in Te Awamutu, NZ. It has been abused a bit and spent some time outside in a scrap dealers yard. I don't think this is straight out of the college. I feel it may have another life elsewhere. It cost me nothing. I have completely stripped it down and got rid of the bright blue paint. Once I got the drive shaft off everything else was easy. Banjo was 'welded', probably by an inexperienced 14 year old by the look of it but that can be rectified. The motor was burnt out too. The only things I haven't got are the centre barrel of the tailstock and the index pin. Any ideas would be appreciated. I have priced getting one made and that was a no-no. I have limited funds for that. It has an offset motor mount. The headstock has two grease nipples and the only provision for any belt protection is one little screw hole on the very top. On the tailstock end of the bed it has the numbers 955 stamped deeply. Other than that nothing. There are two small screw holes on the lower front below the headstock which may have held a name plate with the model number etc. The circular nameplate is still attached. I am in the process of repainting it and then putting it back together for a trial run. Fingers crossed.

[delbs]

Thanks @LanceC for making this thread. i recently have picked up the same lathe missing a few parts so this is very useful for me to read.

im researching a suitable motor and VFD to purchase for my lathe and am thinking of making a timber stand similar to yours instead of trying to work with finding large metal casting legs etc.

I have the Banjo and tail stock but am missing the handle to tighten the banjo, ill need to pickup a cheap ring spanner to permanently keep on the tail stock so i can keep moving it around.

Were those red bearing you picked up approximately $50-60 each?

[LanceC]

Hi Delbs, sorry, for some reason I missed your post, hence no reply.

1. The stand. I'm waiting for the opportunity to make a new stand. I don't like the bench as it just holds shavings everywhere, and makes it hard to clean up underneath. I will re-purpose the timber and make an A-Frame, mimicking the cast units. That will allow the waste to fall through down to the floor, which is then easily accessible to clean up.
2. The bearings were $8 each from RS Components (https://au.rs-online.com/web/p/ball-bearings/6190468/). Create an account and get free shipping too.

[LanceC]

Adding variable speed control to my lathe

I realised pretty quickly that constantly changing belt speeds for various operations becomes more and more frustrating, and leads to shortcuts, like sanding at 3000 RPM. I know, it was a simple inconvenience, but given that this is a problem with a solution, I embarked on converting my lathe to variable speed.

The components.



Three phase motor. ($215) Given that my existing motor was a 1 HP, I upgraded to 2 HP to compensate for the reduced power at lower RPMs. I chose a Weg W21, 1.5 kW, which when wired for Δ (delta) supported 230 Volts. I should note that I searched for a second hand motor for months, with no success.
Variable Frequency Drive (VFD). ($205 inc. freight and resistor) I required a VFD which would convert single phase to three phase (which the motor requires), and as suggested by the name, vary the frequency from the standard 50 Hz, which results in a change of motor speed (RPM). Given the great reputation for both product and support on the Woodwork forums, I purchased a Powtran PI150, 2.2 kW direct from the manufacturer. Given the negligible price difference between the 1.5 and 2.2 kW models, I purchased the larger capacity unit, allowing greater re-use potential in the future if required. I also purchased a matching break resistor from Powtran, which allows the unit to brake heavier loads without overloading the in-built resistor.
Multi conductor cable. Whilst any cable with four conductors will suffice, the specialist which supplied my motor strongly advised that I source some shielded cable for connection between a motor and VFD. As is the case when living on an island, some items can't be had for love nor money without a special order, and so I had to wait an extra week for the shielded cable to arrive.


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Programming the VFD

Setting for Vector Drive. Vector drive as I understand it allows the motor to run with far more torque at lower frequencies than simple variable frequency. The setup is a little more involved, but not enough to not do it. The following parameters were set. Note that all the bx.x parameters were based on the motor’s specification:




F0.00 (Motor control more) = 0 (Vector)
b0.00 (Motor type) = 0 (General asynchronous motor)
b0.01 (Rated power) = 1.5 (kW)
b0.02 (Rated voltage) = 230 (V)
b0.03 (Rated current) = 5.7 (A)
b0.04 (Rated frequency) = 50 (Hz)
b0.05 (Rated speed) = 1455 (RPM)

With that set, it was time to run the AutoTune routine, in which the VFD runs a test cycle and determines the exact values to set for a range of additional motor parameters.




b0.27 (Auto tune) = 2 (Asynchronous motor parameters comprehensive)
Press [Start]


Setup for the remote. Given that the VFD has the capacity for integrating a remote, I took the opportunity to configure it such that I could mount a remote head anywhere on the lathe.




F1.10 needs to be set to 2 (three wire type 1).
F1.00 set to 1 (forward run)
F1.01 set to 3 (three wire control)


Wiring up the Remote Head


I setup the remote to enable me to Start, Stop and Change speed. I had anticipated adding a reverse switch, but after many months of not having the facility, honestly, I have no idea when I would use it. I left a spare wire in the head just in case I want to add that, or another feature down the track.


For the buttons, I chose push buttons with an integrated LED, so that when powered up, the Start and Stop buttons light up with green and red respectively.


Note that the stop button should be normally closed. I didn’t realise when I ordered them. None the less, a pull down resistor and harnessing the 10 V line allowed me to convert my NO stop switch to act as NC.


Magnets epoxied on the back allow it to be repositioned wherever my fancy takes me, and an eight pin DIN socket allow it to be disconnected as required.


The circuit diagram below shows the ports on the VFD to which they connect through the cable.

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And then it was done. the photo below doesn't really do it justice. It looks great!

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Conclusion


I had read comments from people noting that once you have tried variable speed you can’t go back. I am rather smitten. The variable speed, when so quick and simple to adjust makes different operations a joy. I had expected to use it much like I did the belts, having a couple of speeds and switching between them. What I find instead is that I am frequently making small changes as a piece gets closer to round. It certainly encourages me to start much slower, knowing that I can effortlessly speed up as required.


One feature provided by the VFD that I truly love is the soft start and braked stop. Having my lathe set to accelerate over three seconds ensures the start-up is far less violent than 0 to 3000 RPM in an instant!


The braked stop too, means that I no longer put my hand on the piece to slow it down, as it will actively break the rotation to a full stop within three seconds too. All calmly and gently.

Thanks to all who helped along the way, with a special mention to BobL and NCArcher.

[BobL]

Nice work with the switches Lance.


I had read comments from people noting that once you have tried variable speed you can’t go back. I am rather smitten. The variable speed, when so quick and simple to adjust makes different operations a joy. I had expected to use it much like I did the belts, having a couple of speeds and switching between them. What I find instead is that I am frequently making small changes as a piece gets closer to round. It certainly encourages me to start much slower, knowing that I can effortlessly speed up as required.


Agree about the speeding up as workpiece gets closer to round.
A couple of other ways I use changes of speed on the fly are (I also do these on the MW lathe)
1) parting, start slowish then speed up as the diameter decreases and then slow down again just before the actual parting.
2) reducing vibe, sometimes just a small change in speed can reduce the vibe at some speeds.

[Aussiephil]

Very nice work Lance

setting the bar up another couple of notches.

Cheers
Phil

[NeilS]

Lance, thank you for your excellent write up on your VFD conversion.

You will find the VFD invaluable with many advantages.

The advantage I find most invaluable myself is finding the precise speed that an out of balance bowl blank will start to set up a vibration in the lathe. By backing the speed off a fraction below that resonance speed the blank can then be turned towards true without stressing the lathe components. The speed can then be progressively bumped up as the blank comes into balance, testing for the resonance point each time until the optimum turning speed is reached.

[LanceC]

Oh, something else I had meant to add. I had intended to add a tachometer to the remote head to monitor the RPM of the lathe. Whilst researching the conversion, lots of experienced turner's mentioned that an RPM readout was unnecessary, though I couldn't understand that point of view.

I made a post recently about a trophy I made, which had a large base and narrow neck. It was this that provided me with the Ah-huh revelatory moment, as I had to change the speed rather significantly depending on which part of the piece I was working on from moment to moment, regardless of turning, sanding or finishing. Slow down for the base and speed up for the neck. The diameter ratio between the two ends was a tad over 4:1.

I came to understand that it's more about the linear surface speed of the piece at the tip of the tool than RPM of the axis.

Even now whilst still on a fairly step learning curve, I now find myself when turning thinking "this could do with a bit more speed", or "boy this sandpaper is getting hot, I'd better slow down". I think I'm learning to feel where the sweet point is. If turning has taught me one thing, it is that developing a better feel for what is happening at the tool tip is so important.

So you will note that there is no tachometer on my remote head. I think they're unnecessary. ;-)

[NeilS]

So you will note that there is no tachometer on my remote head. I think they're unnecessary. ;-)


Me too. Never had one on any of my lathes and never felt the need for one.

The only time I have found them useful is when teaching novices. Telling them to start at, say, 1,000rpm gets them into the habit of thinking about what is a safe starting speed. Hopefully they will learn to look at what that rpm translates into by way of surface speed and later on adjust the rpm themselves if it needs to be dialled down.

[BobL]

Initially I only put a tacho on my ww lathe because I ordered 4 of them at the same time and after fitting one each to my MW lathe, DP and Metal Mill I had a spare. The tachos I bought were from ebay - a whopping $12 each. It's very easy to power them from the 24V output pole of most VFDs.

The tacho has indeed been useful when teaching Newbies wood turning but I don't really use it on the WW lathe except as I am in a habit of using the tacho when using the DP (especially bigger bits like Forstners) so I find myself using the tacho for drilling on the lathe as well.
.
I even made up a m/s linear speed chart for newbies to use and suggest they use it as a guide (not gospel) and make sure they take other important factors into account.

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[delbs]

it is that developing a better feel for what is happening at the tool tip is so important.



This is great. Something I've certainly tried to be more conscious of this time around with woodworking in general.

To listen, feel and understand more about grain orientation and feedback from a hand tool. Instead of just assuming my electric tool isn't performing.

Most likely just common sense for everyone but it's just another level of appreciation I have this time around :)

Cheers
Nathan

[BobL]

This is great. Something I've certainly tried to be more conscious of this time around with woodworking in general.

To listen, feel and understand more about grain orientation and feedback from a hand tool. Instead of just assuming my electric tool isn't performing.

Most likely just common sense for everyone but it's just another level of appreciation I have this time around :)

Not just hand tools, sound can be just as useful a guide as to what is going on in terms of operational efficiency and safety on machinery . I was constantly amazed at the mens shed with blokes operating things like drill presses with blunt bits at the wrong speeds (usually too fast) with the bit screeching like a stuck pig - "does that sound right to you?" "Dunno - what's it supposed to sound like" etc.

[delbs]

Yeah absolutely which would just come from experience and exposure to a range of tools and techniques? .

To form a baseline of what normal sounds like and then be able to identify when it's not at all :)

[delbs]

G'day Lance. Just wanted to share my enthusiasm with you about now owning a VFD enabled woodfast lathe thanks to NArcher and Fletty from the forum. Talk about an awesome shed setup Fletty has and thanks for the help loading it into my ute!

Still picking up parts so I can take it for a proper spin but regardless the VFD with speed control and reverse switches are a fantastic addition. Looking forward to being able to make my own tool handles and pens small bowls again

Cheers
Nathanhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210518/4ff3c0cb8cf3c99c13d37926d4eac9ac.jpg

[LanceC]

That's fantastic Nathan!

[Bushmiller]

Lance

I am not sure if the Australian Tough brand is a knock-off of the Woodfast or a machine made under license. It is remarkably similar. My son has one for (currently in my custody, but not utilised) for which I modified the stand and cabinets (I still have the old cabinets at the back of my shed). I sat the lathe on a length of heavy six inch channel (might have been 8"). Once I did that, new cabinets had to be made. It gave mass to the lathe and removed what was already a low level of vibration.

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Having had a modicum of success with that build I went on at a later date to beef up my lathe, which is not much more than an entry level Carbatec model. The first problem is that my shed has a dirt floor, but it is only temporary,(the shed not the dirt, and at some point will revert to a car garage.) Consequently a slab had to be set into the ground so it does not interfere with vehicles.



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Two legs were cast in concrete with a couple of metal brackets to receive the now ubiquitous steel channel. which was further refined by filling with concrete.

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Today the larea doesn't look quite like this as there is so much rubbish, umm materials, around it that it can hardly be seen.
I mention all this in case you wish to have fun mixing concrete. :wink:

Regards
Paul

[powderpost]

Lance

I am not sure if the Australian Tough brand is a knock-off of the Woodfast or a machine made under license. It is remarkably similar

Charles Hagan, the founder of "Woodfast Machinery", made that claim to me, in 1987. I was demonstrating woodturning at the Cairns Show, using a Woodfast lathe.

Jim

[LanceC]

Thanks Paul. I find your concrete stand intriguing. Mine currently sits on a bench, which is not ideal as far as cleaning up goes, and have been tossing up various leg designs, as the more open style will hopefully allow easier cleanup.

The trouble has always been mass, and how to achieve it. Here are a lovely set of old cast iron legs at the local men’s shed, but despite having sat unused for years, my offer to buy them was rejected. Casting some concrete legs may be the way to go. The only inconvenience being that my cement mixer motor got burned out when I last lent it out, so will have to revert to a shovel and wheelbarrow for mixing.

[BobL]

The trouble has always been mass, and how to achieve it. Here are a lovely set of old cast iron legs at the local men’s shed, but despite having sat unused for years, my offer to buy them was rejected. Casting some concrete legs may be the way to go. The only inconvenience being that my cement mixer motor got burned out when I last lent it out, so will have to revert to a shovel and wheelbarrow for mixing.

A mate of mine has about 150kg of barbell weights thathe picked up during a kerbside rubbish collection sitting on a shelf under his lathe bench.
He's had to move house several times and said this arrangement made it very easy to move.

I only have a small lathe (~45kg) on a steel frame that weighs about the same but I have thought of putting my rarely used swage block (~85kg) on the frame shelf under the lathe but mostly I turn spindles so its not necessary.

[Bushmiller]

The trouble has always been mass, and how to achieve it. Here are a lovely set of old cast iron legs at the local men’s shed, but despite having sat unused for years, my offer to buy them was rejected. Casting some concrete legs may be the way to go. The only inconvenience being that my cement mixer motor got burned out when I last lent it out, so will have to revert to a shovel and wheelbarrow for mixing.

Lance

A replacement motor could be a possibility?

Alternatively could you do a deal with SWMBO? Perhaps something along the lines of if she could see her way to do the shoveling and mixing, you might be able to offer some lathe time. I have to acknowledge that similar suggestions to my other half have not been received the way I had hoped, but I have always put the lack of enthusiasm down to the heat and you may not have that issue in your neck of the woods.

In the same way as with cars there is no substitute for cubes (not quite true any more with the advent of turbochargers and now electric motors) there is no substitute for mass. I can stand a coin on edge on my lathe with it running. In spite of this it has not improved my turning abilities.

Effectively the lathe stand is in three pieces and can be broken down for moving if necessary, but I would not plan on doing that on a regular basis. I can move each of the three pieces by myself providing I have a hand trolley. Nowadays there is a shelf underneath the lathe to accommodate various bits and pieces.

Regards
Paul

[Bushmiller]

How it looks today complete with shelf and clutter.

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The concrete is a little rough :rolleyes:. A cheap sander on the outside of the formwork makes a good improvised vibrator, but I didn't do that. A couple of close ups:

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Regards
Paul

[Rod Gilbert]

(I am not sure if the Australian Tough brand is a knock-off of the Woodfast or a machine made under license.)

I believe it is the opposite woodfast bought out tough and their subsequent lathes used the old tough designs my tough has the much heavier bed design than the later woodfast's but the head and tailstock castings are identical. (Except for the logo.)
Regards Rod.