Old Metal Lathe

[mick88]

Picked this up yesterday, it's an old Scrutton brand metal lathe, dating back to the days when machine shops/workshops had overhead belt driven gear. It has been converted over to an electric motor and is in good working order. It has a decent gap/swing, large diameter (13") three and four jaw chucks, and "back gears" which offer very low speeds if required.
The price was right and it came with loads of accessories, cutting tools, carbide tools, various measuring tools, etc. etc.
I have another modern lathe, but i have a few "dream" projects on the bucket list that this old girl will make a reality.
My wife and myself went out early to collect it, but it was a bit of challenge getting it out of the previous owners low roofed shed and getting it onto the trailer. He only had an engine crane for lifting, which he assured me would do the job easily as he used it many years previous when he purchased the lathe. Well..as we all know, engine cranes lift ok, but they don't wheel very well on uneven concrete, or dirt. It was well after lunch when we arrived home and the thermometer in the Landy was reading 49 C in the cab, and that was with the windows open ;)


Cheers, Mick.

[Bigbjorn]

That is an old girl, isn't it. Probably well prior to WW2. I started my apprenticeship in 1957 and line shafts and countershafts were in the majority in older shops. Millwright was a trade on its own. Installing machinery and setting up the shafts, belts, and pulleys in large factories. A bit of a trick using some of these. Well worn, should have been replaced in the 30's but the owners had no work or no money. During WW2 you needed a priority number and be doing govt. work to be allowed a new one, and after the war the demand was so great to replace old worn out gear that many had to keep on using the machines. Some I came across were so worn that it was near impossible to accurately screw cut on them. No wonder all geared head machines with individual motors took over the market.

[4bee]

Bloody Hell! The workshop I was in during my Post War apprenticeship had used one of these to mass produce the steel cores for the .303 pointy bit during WW2.

Just sayin'


Btw, if I'm not mistaken I think God is sending a message via the Church roof, Something to do with a question? [biggrin]

[Bigbjorn]

Mick, pull it apart and thoroughly clean. Check the ways and slides for wear using straight edge and dial gauge. Scrapers and hand stones are used to refinish beds and slides. Check for play in the headstock bearings and wear in the tail stock. Adjust where possible using gibs and shims. When you install it in its permanent spot adjust any twist and off-level with shims and an engineer's precision level. You may have to borrow one. Good ones are quite expensive (Starrett or Brown and Sharpe).

[mick88]

Mick, pull it apart and thoroughly clean. Check the ways and slides for wear using straight edge and dial gauge. Scrapers and hand stones are used to refinish beds and slides. Check for play in the headstock bearings and wear in the tail stock. Adjust where possible using gibs and shims. When you install it in its permanent spot adjust any twist and off-level with shims and an engineer's precision level. You may have to borrow one. Good ones are quite expensive (Starrett or Brown and Sharpe).

Thank Bjorn, i will do that.
My intentions are to give it a bit of a birthday before i install it and put it to use.

Cheers, Mick.

[Bigbjorn]

Thank Bjorn, i will do that.
My intentions are to give it a bit of a birthday before i install it and put it to use.

Cheers, Mick.

Add to my list (I forgot) to check the alignment of the tailstock with the headstock. You should find, borrow, steal a test bar for this and use in conjunction with a dial gauge.