# Nice new lathe thats 23 years old



## tierraverde

Great find. I love older, solid, machinery.
Enjoy.


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## dbhost

The term Behemoth comes to mind…


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## Bluepine38

Beautiful machine, I almost ruined a keyboard, but I backed up before the drool hit it. Those old solid Deltas
are a dream to operate. Do you dare tell us how much it cost? I have a 1950s 12 inch model and have a
VariDrive in may basement shop I hope to put on it this summer. Hope you have lots of fun playing with
this beauty.


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## dfdye

Very nice find! That lathe should serve you quite well for a good long time.

I can't resist, however, commenting on the state of the "old vs. new" tools debate for just a moment:

With the increases in the cost of raw materials and shipping, the simple recommendation "add more mass" often results in a prohibitive cost. The old tools certainly were tanks, but the refusal of consumers to pay for the current costs associated with tanks has driven the decrease in mass, not the manufacturers refusing to go with what has been proven to work. Simple economics says that the lighter, cheaper tools sell better.

You can certainly still get very heavy, superior quality tools! You just have to pay for them. I seriously doubt anyone would question the quality or mass of the high end OneWay lathes, but then again, not many people are willing to shell out the cash for them either. Yea, I know "old tools were made better" is partially waxing nostalgic, but in all seriousness, the current high end crop of tools is fantastic! Can you really tell me that you would rather have a 1950's era table saw fence than a Biesemeyer?

IMHO, the only reason we seem to think "old tools were better" is because all of the crappy tools that were made 50 years ago already ended up in the trash. All we have left to compare with modern tools are the "antique gems," so our opinion naturally gets skewed as to the overall quality of manufacturing "back in the day."

Granted, I would not pass up a solid "vintage" Unisaw if I was able to get a deal, but I would be giving up a great fence, riving knife and front adjustment wheels vs. the current model. I frequently use an old Bridgeport mill and lathe for fabricating metal parts for instrumentation that I build at work, but I won't hesitate to use a newer CNC machine if the part consists of is more than basic square or round cuts. The newer tools are just as solid and accurate. It is simply a function of how much you are willing to spend, and whether you are shopping in consumer land or industrial world.

OK, I have gone on long enough. I think I made my point.

PS In no way would I EVER think that someone shouldn't get an old tool if it meets your needs! Just sayin' that you can buy good quality new.


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## tierraverde

David,
Well said. Many times, as an example, items like a $100.00 bench top hobby band saw are purchased and then compared to a industrial, metal band saw, and the complaints abound.
I was in the machining business, like you and I started before there was any CNC. All of our equipment was manual, cast iron behemoths that did a great job, as long as the operator/machinist/tool maker knew what they were doing. Today the latest NC machines are far more lightweight, but with new materials and processes, are highly accurate and reliable. And the quality ones still are not cheap by any means. Accuracy is controlled by feedback from computers and electronics vs. the old ways of highly accurate lead screws that were intense to be able to machine them to the accuracies required.
Having said all that, in a shop for occasional hobbies, and not profitability, I still would like that lathe that is the subject of this post in my shop. You just have to be vigilant and fast to find these deals. HA!


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## dfdye

Jim C,

NO DOUBT I would take that lathe in a heart beat for my shop! I would also love an old Bridgeport knee mill, but costs and space will probably mean I never get either. I actually use a bunch of cheap tools in my home shop and just modify them or make custom jigs to make them work properly, and am more than happy with that arrangement. It just takes a little extra time during setup, but the results are generally just fine.

Honestly, I don't need big iron for my home garage shop, but if I ever happen into a great deal, I guess I'll have to negotiate with my wife regarding where she gets to park her car! 

So, any tips for a $100 band saw with a 10" resaw capacity?


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## tierraverde

Take the saw and build 20" risers, ditch the motor and outfit it with a 6 liter GM crate motor.
That'll show all the naysayers !
HA!


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## dfdye

Yea, I realize we are half way threadjacking, but speaking of modifying saws. . . .






So, back on topic, I think you could put four wheels on that Delta and make quite a drag racer out of it!


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## tierraverde

We're gonna get hollered at…...........again!
;-)


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## JPNpro

I'm looking for something like this. It looks like a nice quality piece of equipment.


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## thamar

I've had one of these lathes for some years now. No real issues with it until last week. The lathe stalled a couple of times when I was turning a bowl (blew the breaker). After the second time it is now dead. The fuses on the electronic unit are still OK but nothing happens except a "click". There are no replacement parts for the electronics. From what little I can gather from the internet, the electronics on these things has always been probematic.

I'm in the process of (hopefully) coming up with some kind of a "fix" for it. If anybody has already been down this road, please let me know. I've got absolutely no experience with DC motors / controllers. With some luck I'm hoping to replace the electronics with a $200 eBay purchase. At this point I'm hoping the motor is still OK and that it can link into the new controller.


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## partspimp

Looking for a switch for a DL 40 
Info on switch
Brand: clarostat(Honeywell)
Stamped nubers: C45890 19-8739
I AM ASSUMING IT IS MOUNTED ON THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE AND MAY BE A REVERSING SWITCH'''''''LOOKING FOR A REPLACEMENT


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## Bluepine38

The American Association of Woodturners had a post of this lathe and "Craterdog" said he had an electric
shop match up a Baldor Controller to the lathe and it works great. He also mounted a jackshaft with a
second variable step pulley to slow the lathe speed and up the torque. Hope this will help and that you
will have fun turning. Have you tried talking to an electrical shop about possible Honeywell parts?


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## thamar

I ended up buying a KB Penta KBPC-240D Indexing DC Motor Speed Control 9338 on eBay. I mounted it on the door to the lathe. (I had to buy the reversing switch separately). Anyway, it works absolutey GREAT! I like it better than the original Delta setup.

Hope this helps anybody who has a problem with the electronics on this lathe.


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## EricMSaperstein

We happen to have one of these - been a good lathe for something like 33 years! ... Of course yesterday it started bolting on the startup (3300 rpm vs. the desired 300) - which kinda sucks given I'm mounting large re-glued 106 year old massive table legs to clean them up after gluing all the components back together again for a restoration project.

I may be looking for a new motor control and/or motor … TBD hoping a buddy can look at it and test it out ASAP. Need the machine running - not planning to replace it anytime soon as when I do I'm getting a Oneway and the cash just isn't an option to part with at the moment.

If I have to upgrade thinking a new 3phase variable setup w/ a little extra horsepower. The body of this lathe has always been good so there's no reason I'll ever get rid of it even if I get the Oneway this will be a backup / second machine.

We also have a pair of unisaws - one bought new the other was a toss out from an old school. Cleaned up the surface rust and it ran great. Only problem is we have the saws setup on the same table opposing … and we can never get to the second one the floor space in front of it is generally piled with a project!


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## chrismusaf

I know this is a very old thread, but does anyone have a DL40 motor control board? I just need to know what fuse is in F1. I'm helping someone fix theirs and that fuse is missing.


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## Turningnut

I am looking for the motor pulley diameters for this lathe, or more precisely the one that came with the jack shaft. Anyone have one?


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