| Review by RBWoodworker | posted 55 days ago | 722 views | 1 time favorited | 13 comments |  |
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- Rockwell 46-525
- Brand: Rockwell | Category: Lathes
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I found this Delta Lathe off of Craigslist for 450.00.. I have been looking for this particular lathe for years.. I passed up a chance to buy one about 15 years ago..and regretted it ever since.. when I got this one home.. it was not in bad shape, but I wanted to really refurbish it and give it a new life.. It’s solid..I mean solid!! heavy cast iron everything..I could not find any of the blue/gray paint that Rockwell/Delta uses, so I completely sanded off all the old paint all the way down to the bare steel and applied 4 coats of Rust-oleum Hammertone silver paint.. I was very happy with the results.. I replaced bearings, and bushings as well and the live center and took apart the dead center and honed it to a needlepoint and sharpened the studs to a razor sharp so it will not allow the wood to slip during turnings. I want to send out all the handles and turn-wheels to be chromed and polished. The lathe came with the motorbox that I remounted on the front and cleaned it up good.. I replaced the cord with a 12 guage heavy duty cord and made it 12 feet long to give it plenty of slack..I will be running the cord inside and out the back of the lathe later. The motorbox has a speed dial, off/on switch, as well as a reversing switch which I love.. the head of this lathe is an “Indexing” head with is perfect for “fluting” or “reeding” spindles. The Motor is a 1 1/4 HP DC motor.
While I have not actually used the lathe yet since I was soo busy restoring it..I can’t wait to get into the shop after the weekend and give it a run for it’s money..but I will say this.. I think these old machines are very well made and well worth the money restoring them and I know this lathe will be in my family for generations to come..
-- Randall Child
13 comments so far
cabinetmaster
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8652 posts in 455 days
posted 55 days ago
WOW. Nice job of restoring that lathe. Now lets see some wood chips fly and get some projects done.
-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps
Berg
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45 posts in 87 days
posted 55 days ago
Nicely done. Chroming the handles and wheels will be a nice touch. Be sure to post a pic apre-chrome.
-- Berg, Central NH & Gulfport, FL - "It's raining...what a beautiful day to puddle jump" 3y/o Devlyn
Splinterman
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4897 posts in 259 days
posted 55 days ago
Hey Randall,
Nice restoration….well done.
-- I will just keep doing it till I get it right.
Innovator
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3125 posts in 311 days
posted 55 days ago
Craigs list can be a gold mine, nice work.
-- Whether You Think You Can or You Think You Can't, YOU ARE RIGHT!!!
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 877 days
posted 55 days ago
Hi Randy,
You did a great job with this. No surprise there, though.
What a great lathe. I’m sure you’ll really enjoy using it.
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
Scott Bryan
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20740 posts in 719 days
posted 55 days ago
Randall, this is a pretty nice looking lathe that you have put in your shop. It looks like a solid tool and your restoration job is wonderful. I really enjoy seeing older tools like this being given a new lease on life. Once you get in a position to begin using it I am sure you will have fun using this.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
Roper
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769 posts in 610 days
posted 55 days ago
i have been turning for a while now and i was just wondering what is so special about this lathe that you waited 15 years to find one? nice job an the restore it looks great, now you just need to get some chips flying.have fun and be safe.
-- Roper - Master of sawdust-
RBWoodworker
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215 posts in 249 days
posted 55 days ago
Thanks everyone.. I can’t wait to see chips flying myself.. first thing monday morning to be exact..lol
Roper.. the reason I waited 15 years is because when I first saw this lathe..I had the money to purchase it but declined..and back then I was not as computer literate as I am now where I know where to look.. the second a prolly the real reason, was money..I couldn’t afford one.. I looked at a lot of lathes and the cheaper one’s never had an indexing head which I was adamant about having..I really wanted to add reedings or fluting to my spindles for table legs..I don’t know how to do that yet, but I’m pressuring a few people into telling me how the best way to add reeds or flutes to a leg.. anyone who has done this before..I implore you to pass on the info to me if you please..
-- Randall Child
woodbutcher
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432 posts in 1063 days
posted 54 days ago
RBWoodworker,
Nice job on the restoration. Glad you finally got another chance at the lathe even if it was 15years later! I’m sure it is a solid and heavy unit, especially with that DC motor and the phase converter needed to operate it. That indexing feature is a real plus. I believe the easiest way to handle that reeding and fluting will be to build a jig to allow you to mount a router above the work piece and slide along the ways of the bed. Congrats again on your new toy.
Sincerely,
Ken McGinnis
-- woodbutcher north carolina
stefang
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1655 posts in 231 days
posted 43 days ago
Nice lathe restoration. Hope you get a lot of joy out of it.
-- Mike, American in Norway
a1Jim
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17007 posts in 474 days
posted 43 days ago
It looks great randy congrats
-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon
Ken Waller
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44 posts in 68 days
posted 43 days ago
Randall,
Nice job on the restoration. Old machines, once restored can be a delight.
Don’t feel bad when the lathe becomes the focal point of your work :-)
-- Ken in Sharbot Lake, Ontario
derek81
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7 posts in 14 days
posted 13 days ago
Randall,
I am new to using a lathe. I had my wife’s grandfather who has done it most of his life show me a few things and I feel I am ready to get going. I have found a lathe like the one you are going to restore, I am about ready to buy it, but I need that extra push. What do you think now that you have had a chance to use it a little bit.
Thanks for any info.