my lathe

[texx]

just thought i would put a couple of pics of my home made lathe in here now that i have dragged it out and got it where i can use it .
i built this lathe about 30 years ago with almost no tools ( i had a welder a drill and an angle grinder ) but with the help of my mate next door who had a 2 engineers lathes and a milling machine so he did a few things for me to the head stock shaft . ( he was machine shop boss for rheem australia at the time .
it is made mainly from 2x2 rhs with some 2x3/8 bright mild screw to the top of the bed.
1,100mm between centres , and 200 bed to centre height
no 2 morse 1inch 10 tpi both ends on the shaft
1 HP sealed motor .wired with forward and reverse
the pulleys give me
500 rpm
850
1350
2000
3000
it aint flash but it works .
i am thinking of building another cos i have at my disposal an old engineers lathe that has had it as far as engineering goes .
its very old very heavy and very had it
cant find a name plate on it but its all there bar the motor, the 7 foot lead screw and follower is cactus and the traveling tool post casting is cracked .
it is in a few bits at the moment but its looking a lot like it could be a winter project
anyway here is my old lathe i am bringing out of retirement .

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v83/johno/P1010210.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v83/johno/P1010212.jpg
started cutting up a few of the silky logs today too , i got 2 medium size trees worth of it .
when i finish this post i am going up the back of the shop to cut down a white cedar that is pushing the old outhouse over and the news agent next door dont like cos of the caterpillars and the lady at the back is allergic to the flowers , thats enough excuse's to get some wood ,
its not very big maybe 12 inch at the bas and for about 7 foot up , then a coupld af worth while branches .
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v83/johno/P1010214.jpg

[Ad de Crom]

Texx, more people should do that making there own lathe.
It's to easy to buy one, I made my own lathe too, and I'm working with this lathe since 2004.
The only thing I miss sometimes is a chuck, but I made a clamping chuck by myself, it can hold a 2'' diameter tenon, which is glued on the piece of work.
So I can use for my turnings this chuck, or a faceplate, or doing spindle work.
Do you only spindle work, by seeing no faceplate on the pictures.
Good luck with your turnings.
Ad

[texx]

no mate quite the opposite i do mainly bowls , goblets , egg cups that sort of thing .
i have 2 face plates and an expanding collet chuck . the reason that drill chuck is in there in the picture is because i wanted to check the lathe speeds and was the easiest to put the tacho onto.
that drill chuck is mounted via number 2 morse

[texx]

you can probably see from the pic when i built the lathe it was going to be for spimdle work then only a few days after i started using it i worked out i liked bowls better so i added the channel iron to raise the centre height on the head stock and extended the height of the tail stock , never did paint those added on bits .
i did a some out board turning way back when i built it but i never had a tool rest for the out board end.
so i lived in stafford brisbane at the time in a high set house and i used to clamp a piece of steel across 2 house stumps and drag the lathe over to it :C worked

[Ed Reiss]

Slick build Texx....a lot of satisfaction in doing your own build!:2tsup:

[new_guy90]

this is the best of simple but very effective home built lathes! i love it and cant wait to see this new old metal lathe your going to convert ..............not sure what it will be like but good luck:2tsup: