# Restored the lathe I bought



## cabinetmaster

WOW. Nice job of restoring that lathe. Now lets see some wood chips fly and get some projects done.


----------



## Berg

Nicely done. Chroming the handles and wheels will be a nice touch. Be sure to post a pic apre-chrome.


----------



## Splinterman

Hey Randall,
Nice restoration….well done.


----------



## Innovator

Craigs list can be a gold mine, nice work.


----------



## LeeJ

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


----------



## sbryan55

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.


----------



## ropedog

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.


----------



## RBWoodworker

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..


----------



## woodbutcher

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


----------



## stefang

Nice lathe restoration. Hope you get a lot of joy out of it.


----------



## a1Jim

It looks great randy congrats


----------



## kwaller

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


----------



## derek81

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.


----------



## tpobrienjr

Something I did that you might try with your new-old lathe is to lap the ways flat and to a mirror finish. I started with 150 grit sandpaper on a flat block, and worked on up to 1200 grit wet-dry paper. The mirror finish is spectacular and the tailstock moves like it's on ball bearings. I also used a block and the same range of grits to lap the working edge of the tool rest. Both surfaces have been protected with Boeshield. I think it was worth the time to dress up my mini-lathe (between turning projects).


----------



## solidoak

woodbutcher, I went to a lecture/presentation a couple weeks ago given by Dan Hamilton out of Hilton Head. He had a bed there he had made with 9' high fluted posts. He explained how he he did the fluting. What he did was to mount the post on his lathe and lay out the flute lines. He then used a small veneer saw to make some guideline cuts. Once the lines were cut he used a wood carving "V' tool and carved in the flutes by hand. The purpose of mounting the post in the lathe was only to take advantage of the clamping capabilities. Hever actually turns on the lathe when cutting flutes. The lathe is basically just a big clamp that he can rotate by hand and lock in place when he needs to. Some people use routers and jigs for fluting, but the hand work was pretty impressive. Good Luck.


----------



## Sudsy

Beautiful job !
I just found the site while doing a search on this exact lathe. 
I just picked one up a few days ago and was looking around for information.

I love the electronic control ! At some point of time when the Reeves drive gives out I'd like to do the same thing.
Noticed something interesting….... forward and reverse ??? I have a duplicator on the frontside and rather then swap it to cut upside down (strains the unit) I'd love to be able to reverse the direction so I can freehand from the opposite side.

The question is….... can the lathe spin in reverse or will bad things happen, like parts unscrewing themselves and coming off or things flying apart. (obviously all turning in reverse would be between center as my nova style chuck would unscrew itself - which would be bad.)


----------



## RBWoodworker

well.. between centers.. nothing will fly off, but I don't think a nova chuck will stay on especially if it's screwed on ..unless there was some sort of set screw to prevent it..


----------



## Sudsy

Update
Yes the lathe runs fine in reverse. Since it had a reversible motor it was simply a matter of wiring in a (rediculously expensive $80) reversing switch. It's now set up with a duplicator on one side and can be reversed to do freehand on the other. Best of both worlds


----------



## handmade101

I have one just like it I have been wanting to sell of course it's not restored like his boy what a beautiful restoration but it is in better shape than his when he got it from his description of it when he bought it. Tired to put up some pictures but having trouble with that but if someone wants to see them I'll get them up here just let me know


----------



## Sudsy

> Update
> Yes the lathe runs fine in reverse. Since it had a reversible motor it was simply a matter of wiring in a (rediculously expensive $80) reversing switch. It s now set up with a duplicator on one side and can be reversed to do freehand on the other. Best of both worlds
> 
> - Sudsy


Bumping this with an update
Learned the hard way that going both ways causes every set screw in every pulley to work its way loose
Redoing the Reeves drive so it wouldn't eat belts was a royal PIA
Locktite -LOTS of Locktite is key !!


----------

