My last post was in 2009 and my Hercus restoration project languished untouched since then until a year ago. Most of it lay under a bench at my former workplace until I dragged it home late in 2019 not sure what I would do with it.

An examination of the collected parts inspired me to do a little further research that quickly turned up the AMH website, and I realized that it was a viable project. Being in Melbourne and working from home since March has helped with progress. I’m guessing COVID 19 has fast tracked more than a few old projects.I’m now going to attempt to document this project in the hope that some may my find my experiences useful, or at least entertaining!

Before I begin a couple of caveats: I have a trade background, but I am not a trained machinist, and although I have restored many things this is my first attempt at a machine tool.

The lathe is a 1956 ‘B’ model which was given to me around 2003. It was obviously quite worn, and I quickly discovered a serious problem, the gear teeth cut into the end of the main spindle were pretty well stripped. Shortly after that I brushed past the lathe reversing switch and there was a blue flash and all the smoke got out!! It then sulked in the corner until May 2008

0 As I begun dismantling the Hercus in May 2008 (1).JPG

A retired toolmaker friend offered to have a look at the problem, so I pulled the headstock off and passed it to him. In very short order he handed it back to me having repaired the main spindle by machining off the gear teeth and fitting a toothed sleeve that he had manufactured along with making replacements for the tumbler gears. I didn’t expect that!

Further dismantling of the lathe revealed it was in very poor condition. It appeared to have been run extensively without proper lubrication, but I suspect long use of a tool post grinder sharpening slitter knives without protection from the grit was the major cause of the severe wear

A few new parts were sourced with some difficulty along with a replacement second-hand bed with almost no wear (circa’68). The new bed and some other parts were cleaned, stripped and sprayed with colour matched paint, but by late 2009 I had run out of affordable/available spare parts and ideas.

So in February 2020 I launched back into it, painting the next batch of components and placing an order with AMH – the first of many.

The ‘new’ bed’s ways whilst essentially unworn had suffered some abuse, but an oilstone and fine diamond hone removed the high points around the dents - still leaving plenty of character! The first real challenge was that my saddle was extremely worn with deep ridges formed each side of the ways preventing it from sitting on the ‘new’ bed’s ways. I removed the wear ridges from the saddle’s ways with die grinder and files then had to relieve the underside of the saddle in several areas to ensure clearance of the tailstock ways and bed lands.

I then armed myself with a modified file and a tube of bearing blue and taught myself how to hand scrape, scraping in the saddle and tail stock base to fit the ‘new’ bed. I don’t claim any expertise with this but the result seems to work ok The clearance groove at the base of way’s ‘V’ required deepening with a hacksaw

The cross-feed’s dovetails needed a little careful work with a fine stone to bring them back to parallel, along with the gib to allow all it to be set tightly with no binding as the cross feed is wound full travel. Some good news here – seems like the cross-feed screw and nut had been replaced prior to me getting it and were in acceptable condition.
fettling the crossfeed dovetail.jpg
The lathe bed was then assembled onto the cast iron legs
Lathe bed assembled onto its legs.jpg
Attached Images




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