Thread: Antique Drummond hobby lathe

There are a few of us who are suckers for this old stuff. The auto travel stop is neat, wish my lathe had one.

BT

They have a neat idea with the change gears - they all have a dowel pin and a corresponding hole in the hub area . You can make a compound gear simply by fitting two individual gears together ..endless combinations ..almost .

Yes I'm a sucker for old stuff ..except old women

MIKE

Just been playing with my new 100 year old toy

The little 3"chuck is off without any drama .It is badly worn and needs replacing .

I noticed something very odd - the fixture bolt threads on this machine are BSF and BSW as you would expect ....but the two threads on the end of the headstock spindle are actually UNF........The inner UNF thread ( looks like 3/4" ) is for the bearing loading collar and the outer one ( 5/8" 18 tpi I measured this one accurately ) is where the stud ? gear is located .

Unusual to say the least

The chuck thread is 1" 8tpi .

MIKE

wow neat lathe your getting quite a collection.

Mike
My first lathe at 14 yrs of age was a round bed Drummond.
It was a 3 step flat belt drive from a large cast iron pedal operated system underneath the lathe.
I converted it from pedal to power by installing a washing machine motor.
Installed & glued up a 1 inch wide leather drive belt & later made up a back gear set up using gears purchased from Hercus in S A .
I used that lathe for some years, & now regret selling it.
Later I had a couple of Hercus 9 " lathes & today a Hercus 260 I purchased new about 20 yrs back.
Just made up a milling attachment for it using the cast iron angle plate off the old Drummond Lathe.
Interesting machine history reading up on Drummond Lathes, you have a nice purchase.
regards
Bruce

Originally Posted by Abratool

Mike
My first lathe at 14 yrs of age was a round bed Drummond.
It was a 3 step flat belt drive from a large cast iron pedal operated system underneath the lathe.
I converted it from pedal to power by installing a washing machine motor.
Installed & glued up a 1 inch wide leather drive belt & later made up a back gear set up using gears purchased from Hercus in S A .
I used that lathe for some years, & now regret selling it.
Later I had a couple of Hercus 9 " lathes & today a Hercus 260 I purchased new about 20 yrs back.
Just made up a milling attachment for it using the cast iron angle plate off the old Drummond Lathe.
Interesting machine history reading up on Drummond Lathes, you have a nice purchase.
regards
Bruce

Bruce

You would have many memories of that round bed Drummond then . At 14 I was gluing airfix models together .. the lathe at school I used sparingly . I never did finish the copper salt/pepper shakers in form 3.

The yahoo Drummond group has been a wealth of info . Turns out the thread I thought was UNF, is actually a British conduit thread , A UNF nut fits on it nicely

The overall build quality of Drummonds is very good .

I am amazed to find out that the model enginering hobby started out in the UK in the late 1800's . The famous ME magazine was first published in 1898 !

MIKE

Originally Posted by morrisman

Just been playing with my new 100 year old toy

The little 3"chuck is off without any drama .It is badly worn and needs replacing .

I noticed something very odd - the fixture bolt threads on this machine are BSF and BSW as you would expect ....but the two threads on the end of the headstock spindle are actually UNF........The inner UNF thread ( looks like 3/4" ) is for the bearing loading collar and the outer one ( 5/8" 18 tpi I measured this one accurately ) is where the stud ? gear is located .

Unusual to say the least

The chuck thread is 1" 8tpi .

MIKE

Mike
It must have taken a bit of searching to discover the screw thread types.
I just looked up my Screw Thread Book & yes 5/8th "- 18tpi is a Conduit thread of 55 degree & the 1"- 8 tpi is Whitworth 55 degree.
Not often one comes across a Conduit thread on a lathe, combined with BSW threads.
The search of screw threads is always fascinating.
Please keep us up to date as your Drummond Lathe progresses.
regards
Bruce
I have an opportunity to purchase an old 9'' flat belt drive South Bend Lathe with the WW2 munition plate on it & your purchase has prompted my interest again.
There is something about this old stuff, that appeals.