I've been looking for a lathe for home for a while. So do I go and buy
a nice new, clean chinese hafco (like yer hyundia)?
Nope - I buy a 1948 Hercus 9 inch model A flat belt with norton quickchange box needing
restoration. The back gear and spindle gears look like someone has been
at them with a hammer (that's thread cutting stuff it will do basic turning).
Filthiest thing I've ever seen - ended covered in black sludge every time
I went within a meter of it.
Pretty excited though (probably shows I need to get a life)......if only
I could get it off the trailer!
Pics after an afternoon's cleaning (it's still filthy....).
Rob I totally get the going for old machinery (as I would expect most people on here would ).
There is a beautiful old (what looks like a) steele press out the front of a building in North Road near Rick's place that I would love to hijack. Just cant squeeze the damn thing in the mini (its bloody huge - the steel press not the mini)
I wonder if anyone will be restoring the "hyundai" lathes in 59 years.
Makes sense to use the old gear though as it was what our cars were made with in the first place.
(mine was a little later model but)
Last edited by lobus on Sun Apr 01, 2007 1:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You know the answer to that one, ratty paint and dumped is always going to be better.
All you need is a wee trench beside it so you don't hurt your back
robk wrote:
I wonder if I should paint it and have it at stock working height or
leave it ratty and dump it?
careful, what classifies a rat lathe??..
nice bit of kit, saw an old drill press once, was sposed to be 3phase, some old mate put 3 washing machine motors on it, made it 240 x 3?.. he also liked the idea of speed change, so attached a 4 speed box off some small car, it was a sight to be seen!...
Decided to call him herky.....I thought about something like 'daryl' but that
seemed a bit gay.......
Anyway, got the headstock rebuilt. Also included a pic of the old bull,
spindle and backgears so you could see what sort of life herky had
lived up to this point....
I'm painting him too - dunno....just don't seem to have a rat in me!
Now you're just plain showing off Rob.
Hmm and by the way if I could see inside my little ZF steering box, I reckon there might be more teeth missing than on your Hercky!
And tell the boys how did you move the old lathe? Let me guess, you've also got fully restored (and dumped) 1950's Diamond T mobile crane at home.
.....
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