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Thread: Start on my RS

  1. #1
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    Default Start on my RS

    I made a start on my RS Wadkin 8 inch lathe today.
    Picked it up on the pallet jack and platform lift and moved it under the 'I' beam and chain blocks.
    Unbolted the bed and rear leg,disconnected the wiring and took the extra switchgear for the safelight off.
    Had to dismantle the gear change as it was rusted solid.
    Everything unbolted ok nothing was butchered most of it had probably never been taken apart before.
    Painted a faded yellow with possibly the original grey underneath.
    Interesting instructions for changing gear on the headstock, unfortunately one word didn't come thru.
    H.
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    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

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  3. #2
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    Love the instructions, are you going to re do them?

  4. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by wallace1973 View Post
    Love the instructions, are you going to re do them?
    I thought the same. What's the missing word (having never used an RS)? "idle", "run", "spin"?

    Welcome back. In Canada even the birds fly south for winter .

    Thanks for the tag photo. Test No. 43516 dates to 1952, which doesn't seem right for that machine... Was there yellow paint behind the tag?

    Cheers, Vann.

    Edit: the cast aluminium "Wadkin" plate on the headstock, and the webbed handwheel on the tailstock, are both wrong for 1952.

    attachment-3.jpg

    At first I thought someone might have switched tags with one of the other four machines, but maybe it's been overhauled by a Wadkin dealer and had the cast plate added (and tailstock switched) at that time? To "modernise" it.

    It will be interesting to see what clues emerge during your rebuild.
    Gatherer of rusty planes tools...
    Proud member of the Wadkin Blockhead Club .

  5. #4
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    Hi Vann and Wallace,
    I doubt if I will redo the sign.
    I am seriously looking at swapping the 2 speed motor for a single as I will be running a VFD on this lathe.
    I have been playing in Alberta on what I consider to be 2 of the best lathes available and the instant variable speed was an eye opener for me.
    I agree the Al Wadkin badge is inappropriate for the age of the rest.
    There was no yellow behind it?
    Tailstock isn't even yellow,as I remember there wasn't a yellow one when we picked them up.
    Original wiring was incased in steel flex with a large conduit fitting, will post a pic later for you Vann.
    When using the Oneway and Titan lathes in Canada I was leaning on the headstock and remember doing the same with my previous Wadkins. On the Wadkins the gear lever is in your way.
    Are the broken off gear levers(which are common) a result of this interference?
    H.
    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

  6. #5
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    Vann, what the age of the RS Mark (funman) is doing, that had the new style badge. If it was modernised they would have had to grind the wadkin which part of the headstock casting.
    I have seen loads of handles broken off the speed changer and the banjo's, I think it must have been a weekness in the design, they changed them to a screw on ball.

  7. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by wallace1973 View Post
    Vann, what the age of the RS Mark (funman) is doing, that had the new style badge. If it was modernised they would have had to grind the wadkin which part of the headstock casting...
    I'm at work as I write this (yeah, on a Sunday ) so I don't have access to my Wadkin photos - but I thought there should be a "Wadkin" cast into the earlier RS headstocks. So what do you think - are you suggesting the cast aluminium "Wadkin" badge came out many years earlier? Or that it's got the wrong Wadkin tag? Or that they did grind off the cast iron "Wadkin" in order to fit the aluminum plate?

    I don't know which one is Furnman's - and can't really search from work.

    Quote Originally Posted by wallace1973 View Post
    ...I have seen loads of handles broken off the speed changer and the banjo's, I think it must have been a weakness in the design...
    Agreed. A long thin lever in cast iron isn't the strongest option.

    Clear out, I don't see a toolpost holder nor a patternmakers carriage on that lathe. Are you missing both?

    Cheers, Vann.
    Gatherer of rusty planes tools...
    Proud member of the Wadkin Blockhead Club .

  8. #7
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    I'm sure I read on something that the PP came out in the 50's and that had an ali logo on it, I will have a look at my EQ because that's a 'new' one

  9. #8
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    I checked my EQ and it is test 71378 1964

  10. #9
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    Hi Clearout,
    Nice to see another resto.
    My Rs is nearly there. No resto just a get it functional. Got the bits. Will post on my previous thread when done.

    Phil

  11. #10
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    Default Progress.

    I'm not normally bothered with repainting but the yellow was such a mess it had to go.
    I've just been hand scraping it off so far.
    I currently have a cold thanks to the flight home from Canada so won't be sanding until I feel better and can stand wearing a mask.
    So far we have found nothing butchered, lots of surface rust but by using plenty of penetrant and careful use of hammer and drift everything has come apart easily.
    My mate was even motivated to clean up inside, should have taken a shot with his feet only hanging out.
    H.
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    Last edited by clear out; 18th October 2017 at 11:06 PM. Reason: Typo
    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

  12. #11
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    Default RS progress.

    I’m back into the resto of my RS finally.
    Has anyone undone the brake rod in the headstock?
    It is held into the brake shoe/lever casting with a 1/8” Allen headed grub screw which undid no probs.
    The rod is 1/2” and threaded 1/2” whitworth for the ball handle.
    I have used two 1/2” W nuts locked together and the rod turns counter clockwise but is not coming out.
    Is the thread stripped or was it just a press fit?
    I have a large slide hammer but I thought I’d post the question on here first.
    I plan on replacing the rod with stainless as I have an impossible rust prob here just off the harbour.
    H.
    Last edited by clear out; 1st May 2018 at 09:10 PM. Reason: Added pics
    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

  13. #12
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    I never managed to get the rod out of mine with the grub screw removed.
    Cleaned and polished as best I could and replaced it.
    Like the color.
    Phil

  14. #13
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    Default Update on my RS

    I have had my RS up and running for a month or so now.
    Just using the 2 speed original motor and pulleys which gives me 8 speeds.
    A friend of my daughters wanted to try some metal spinning for a Uni project.
    I turned up a small rough buck in timber and then a slightly larger one from the end of an old oxy bottle on Macson.
    After we got confident on those I dig out roughed out Blackwood bowl that I’d scored years ago, about 300 dia.
    Made up a tool rest and used some Hosaluk handles with homemade tooling.
    Went ok. She was happy.
    I need some instruction to make much more progress at this point in time.
    I had previously made ends and baffle in Stainless for a dragster style fuel tank but that was brute force on the Macson.
    Since rigged up a vacuum chuck but I’ll do another post for it.
    H.
    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

  15. #14
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    Default Vac chuck on RS.

    Made up a vacuum chuck from an old Al scuba bottle end.
    Turned it on the Macson and drilled and tapped the 1 3/8” Whitworth thread whilst on the lathe.
    A mate loaned me a cross slide so I jury rigged that on the Waddy and trued the last mm or so.
    Used a sealed bearing in the stash and machined up plastic bits to locate the vac outlet on the outboard faceplate.
    Hardest job was boring the spindle.
    Welded a 500 long extension on a 1/2” drill and using cutting fluid in a squirt bottle took me hours to drill the 600mm long spindle.
    At 150 dia the chuck is a bit large, I will make another from an old fire extinguisher if I can score one.
    I used a few lathes set up with vac chucks on my last Canadian trip so am keen to see how this works out.
    Another pic of the metal spinning also.
    I had to repair the broken gear lever so I welded a short steel stub on and tapped it to take an extension with the ball on it. I’ve found the gear lever gets in my ribs at times so I’ll be able to remove the extension when needed.
    The on and off switch is another jury rig until I sort thru the stash and get my son to wire me up something better.
    H.
    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

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