# Rockwell Delta Lathe; Circa 1960s (Never Used !)



## RonInOhio

Came across this lathe yesterday. I am not really in the market right now for a lathe but 
after seeing this I'm thinking …....maybe.

Guy said it belonged to his grandfather/father ? And as far as he new, it was never used. By the looks 
of it I believe that.

Asking 700. Great buy ? Very good buy ? Your thoughts ?


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## Loren

Worth $100-$150 or so.

I had one. It may look good but corners were cut in
the machine's fit and finish.


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## RonInOhio

@ Loren. Wow, glad I asked. I thought this thing was worth a lot more. Thanks.


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## shawnmasterson

That belongs in the gone nuts post


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## Bluepine38

It would make a good beginners lathe, if those lathe chisels are good, the first thing I would do is raise that
motor to shorten the belt drive. He would have to drop the price though.


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## tefinn

It also doesn't have the original cord and motor. So, it's probably not as "new" as he says it is.


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## Planeman40

I'm With Loren, although I might go $200 max. Not a bad lathe, but there are much better ones available for $700 and even less.

That lathe was offered by Rockwell/Delta after Rockwell bought Delta out and the bean counters wanted Delta to cut the cost of their previous well designed and well made 12 " wood lathe. See if you can find an older model that has the better head and tail stock like this one from the 1940's.

http://vintagemachinery.org/photoindex/detail.aspx?id=15754

This is the one I have (but not the exact one in the photo) and it is a wonderful lathe. It takes standard #2 Morse taper tooling in its head and tail stock (something that is a "must have") and the headstock has an indexing setup built in.

Planeman


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## RonInOhio

@Planeman40

Thanks for the info. I am not really all that knowledgable when it comes to lathes. Appreciate all
the replies. I was impressed by the condition and brand, but was wary of the price. Didn't think
it was worth 700.


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## wormil

It is a 46-111 Delta/Rockwell, 4 speed, 1"x8tpi spindle, 2MT head/tail; made in the 60's & 70's. Stands, if original, often sell for more than the lathe but I don't think that is an original Rockwell stand. It's complete with a couple tool rests, tools, centers, faceplate, tailstock ram and looks to be in excellent condition for a lathe of that age that hasn't been restored. I have no idea of the value but I personally wouldn't pay $700, maybe half that.

Here is the manual.
http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/1141/1245.pdf


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## tefinn

@Rick M.

The stand is an original for that era lathe. That lathe was made '67 to '72 and that stand is what they used then. Looks identical to the one my grandfather had in 1970. The manual you linked is from '59. The wishbone leg stand in it was used from the early '50's to early '60's. After '72-'73 the stands got really cheap and light weight.

I don't believe the lathe for sale is "unused" though, it's probably restored. The cord is an obvious replacement. The switch is not original. And I don't believe the motor is original. Even if the motor was made by Dayton for Rockwell/Delta, they were branded with the Rockwell/Delta logo somwhere on the plate.

I agree that it's a good deal at half the asking price!


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## Loren

I sold mine for $150 and it took several weeks to sell.

I think it had cast iron legs with a wood top and a wood
stretcher underneath.

Maybe I sold it for $120 - don't recall exactly. I think
I gave $100 for it at a yard sale. Got a bunch of
nice face plates in the deal too - I kept several.

The inside of the toolrest post hole is not machined
at all. It has cast v-shapes in there and the travel
of the post is not consistent.


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## REO

same lathe with an attatched grinder for 50.00 here in the Minneapolis area


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## johnstoneb

You could buy that lathe without the motor that is what it looks like happened. I have the same lathe that I bought new and put the same switch setup on it so it could be the original. $100 to $150 is probably what it is worth if that. The lathe new was about $400 in the early 70's.


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## RonInOhio

*" The lathe new was about $400 in the early 70's."*

Yes but 400 dollars in the 70s is a lot more in todays dollars. A typical Rockwell lathe like the one being 
discussed might go in the 100 or 150 range. But that lathe isn't typical. Its near mint. So I would disagree
that its only worth 100-150. More like 250-350 in my opinion.

As for the motor. I agree. I purchased a Craftsman lathe in the late 70s without a motor and got 
a motor seperately.

I also noticed the seller took down the price and changed it to best offer.


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## wormil

According to an inflation calculator, $400 in 1970 is about $2300.00 in 2012 dollars. But it really doesn't matter what they sold for new, what matters is what it is worth today. The guy who owns it probably has no idea what it's worth either and is just fishing.

You really have two customers for a lathe like this, collectors who love old iron and turners wanting good bang for the buck. I don't believe these lathes have much collector value. Most are probably sold to users which explains the low selling price in many places.


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