Old lathes photo thread.......

[odie]

Do you turn on an older lathe? I'm interested in seeing photos of old woodturning lathes. Post them here:

Here's mine......1992 Australian Woodfast 908 lathe. I bought it new and have been turning on it ever since......

About a year ago, I upgraded the banjo with one from Robust.....turned out to be a good upgrade:

 

[Gary Beasley]

Heres an older lathe I encountered at a museum in Baton Rouge. My brother told me they were turning wood on it on a subsequent visit he made.

 

[Daniel Warren]

Purchased this delta from my former high school (where I started on a lathe) cleaned it up, and added a VFD.

Delta 46-450 HD

Unfortunately I out grew it and sold it.

 

[Richard Coers]

1992 is old or older? My Oneway 2436 is a 1998.

 

[William Rogers]

Well no longer in my service, but I owned and turned on this 1974 PM 90 for two years. Initially a 12” swing, but I raised it to 18” swing. Bought from a school auction for $180. Great lathe, but decided I wanted a modern lathe as so many things different such as a 1-1/2” 8 tip spindle thread. I just about took it totally apart and rebuilt. Surprising I could still buy many OEM parts from Powermatic

 

[odie]

1992 is old or older? My Oneway 2436 is a 1998.

Depends on how you look at it, I suppose.......probably older than most active turners, though!

-----odie-----

 

[john lucas]

I don't have any photos of my older lathes. My Powermatic is 15 years old.

 

[egsiegel]

We turn on this at the Great New York State Fair

 

[Don Bunce]

Here is the lathe I had from 1993 till about a year ago. Donated it to the Hesston Steam Museum in Hesston, In. 26 inch swing, 8 foot bed, Babbit bearings. There are no markings on it, so no idea how old it is, or who made it.

 

[Timothy White]

Way cool
Tim

 

[Rob Fridenberg]

My 1986 Powermatic 90 that I have owned for one year! My plan was to put it in the basement but I am still waiting on my wife to make some room. I gave up (for now) and have set it up in the garage temporarily so I can get started using it! The lathe works great - all original including the reeves drive.

The speed control knob was missing so being a hot rod guy, I put a Hurst shift knob on it!

 

[Bernie Hrytzak]

My 1986 Powermatic 90 that I have owned for one year! My plan was to put it in the basement but I am still waiting on my wife to make some room. I gave up (for now) and have set it up in the garage temporarily so I can get started using it! The lathe works great - all original including the reeves drive.

The speed control knob was missing so being a hot rod guy, I put a Hurst shift knob on it!

View attachment 30860

So is it "automatic shift" now?

 

[odie]

This is where I started my turning excursion into what has become an obsession:
(Photo pulled from the web, but it was exactly like this one)

I know a few here can relate to this, because I hear of the old Shopsmith from time to time on here. It's probably started more than a few turners to turning......even though they bought it for other reasons.....at least that's the way it was for me! (Bought it at a garage sale for $200, IIRC) I had mine for several years, before I decided, one day, to convert it to a lathe around 1982......the rest is history!

-----odie-----

 

[William Rogers]

You had a much better experience with the Shopsmith than I did. I had the opposite effect on my first turning try. I bought my Shopsmith Model 500 from my brother who bought it new and never turned it on. He bought the lathe chisels with it. At the time my only piece of equipment was a 1970 Craftsman radial saw. So one day after looking at the pictures in the Shopsmith manual I converted it to the lathe. Had a 4 x 4 piece of pine about 4 inches long and was going to make fence post top. Turned the Shopsmith on and approached the wood with a roughing chisel, it came flying out away from me across the room. I figured turning was not for me and the Shopsmith never saw lathe mode again. A year later I saw a turned wood pen and Lowes was clearing out the Delta midi lathes (10” swing) that I ended up buying for $119. Figured small pieces of wood wouldn’t do much damage. I made hundreds of pens and kit items on that lathe and was hooked, bought a Jet 1014 with VS, then moved up to the PM 90 with 12” swing, then a Laguna 18-36, and finally a Robust AB. I’m done buying lathes. I still have the Jet 1014.

 

[odie]

You had a much better experience with the Shopsmith than I did. In had the opposite effect on my first turning try. I bought my Shopsmith Model 500 from my brother who bought it new and never turned it on. He bought the lathe chisels with it. At the time my only piece e of equipment was a 1970 Craftsman radial saw. So one day after looking at the pictures in the Shopsmith manual I converted it to the lathe. Had a 4 x 4 piece of pine about 4 inches long and was going to make fence post top. Turned the Shopsmith on and approached the wood with a roughing chisel, it came flying out away from me across the room. I figured turning was not for me and the Shopsmith never saw lathe mode again. A year later I saw a turned wood pen and Lowes was clearing out the Delta midi lathes (10” swing) that I ended up buying for $119. Figured small pieces of wood wouldn’t do much damage. I made hundreds of pens and kit items on that lathe and was hooked, bought a Jet 1014 with VS, then moved up to the PM 90 with 12” swing, then a Laguna 18-36, and finally a Robust AB. I’m done buying lathes. I still have the Jet 1014.

Oh, I'm not recommending the Shopsmith to anyone, William......It was a bit "shakey", being so light duty, and all. It's what I had, so it's what I used......and I was such a newbie back then, that I didn't know any better as to what did and didn't work well! After a couple of years of that, I bought a Northwood 16" lathe with a Reeves drive.....which I hated! :mad: I turned on the Northwood for about 7-8 years, before I finally bought a well designed lathe......the Woodfast that I've now had for 27 years, and am still using.

I am a great admirer of the Robust AB, and kudos to those who have the resources to have one.......but, on the other hand.....I'm a firm believer that upgrading at this point won't make me a better turner!

-----odie-----

 

[Dave Landers]

This is the only photo I could find of the lathe I turned on for about 25 years. Home-made in the mid-80s from plans in (I think) Wood magazine. Worked pretty good, and didn't cost a lot. But after a couple decades I just couldn't keep it in alignment.

 

[Rob Fridenberg]

So is it "automatic shift" now?

LOL - you should hear the engine noises I make when I crank up the speed!

I see you are from Chatham - my father grew up there, and his brother had a clothing store downtown. Good memories!

 

[Brent@TurnRobust]

Saw these two (smaller one hiding to the left, displayed the wrong way) in a museum in Iceland last summer...I'm not sure what the rig on the right of the big one if for.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

This is my powermatic 90 that I still use, list of the changes made:
1) 1 1/2 HP 1125 RPM motor.
2) VFD and adding a speed pot
3) 3" height blocks
4) Bed extensions for turning up to 105"
5) Mobile base from 2" x 4" steel tubing with retractable casters
6) Eliminate the reeves drive and replacing it with 2 step multi rib belt and pulleys
7) (as part of (6) new headstock bearings and had a machine shop change the thread to 1 1/4 - 8

The pictures that I had planned to include are to big so I will need to find a different method to get them to you. I have posted the pics on my face book page as public.The turning shown is a barber pole being made form a white pine 8" x 8" x 6'. The picture below is a table leg being made on the lathe in 2002.

( have a number of 1 1/2 -8 accessories to get rid of)

 

[Bernie Hrytzak]

LOL - you should hear the engine noises I make when I crank up the speed!

I see you are from Chatham - my father grew up there, and his brother had a clothing store downtown. Good memories!

Small world!

 

[Keith Mombourquette]

I believe my old Union Graduate was built in about 1962. I have upgraded mine with a 2 HP 3 phase motor and VFD, and lowered the bed 4" to yield a 20 inch capacity. With the capacity increase, I replaced the banjo with a Oneway retrofit banjo. I love this lathe!!

 

[Bob Ballard]

I have two powermatic 90s. The 1961 spindle lathe has a 20" swing.The 1963 bowl lathe has a 24" swing with a 29" bed. I shortened and sectioned the cabinet, added a 2hp motor with vfd, oneway banjo and robust toolrest. This is my first try posting pics so I apologize if I screw up.

 

[odie]

@Keith Mombourquette, @Bob Ballard......

I do enjoy seeing how others improvise and modify their lathes and tooling......great job!

-----odie-----

 

[Mike Crescenzo]

1944 Delta. A friend was going to toss it As it was buried in sand following Hurricane Sandy. I was able to restore it to working condition...love using this iron horse most weekends. Before...after...and now pics attached.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Mike, Your 1944 Delta looks really nice after refurbishing I had the same lathe about 40 years ago, that design is easy to build riser blocks if you ever want to increase the capacity of the lathe and you can easily add a 3-phase motor and control it with a VFD.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

Mike C I also have had similar lathes to that one and I did add height blocks and a 3 phase motor & VFD plus I had a lead screw drive mounted in the height block. The lead screw drive was connected to the head stock spindle via chain and sprockets with a two to one ratio. The lead screw I used was 4 pitch ( 4 TPI ) so the result was 2 pitch. The lead screw moved a carriage holding a router with a 60 degree bit and I was able to produce 2 1/2 - 2 wooden bench screws.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

I have two powermatic 90s. The 1961 spindle lathe has a 20" swing.The 1963 bowl lathe has a 24" swing with a 29" bed. I shortened and sectioned the cabinet, added a 2hp motor with vfd, oneway banjo and robust toolrest. This is my first try posting pics so I apologize if I screw up.View attachment 30873 View attachment 30873 View attachment 30874

I noticed on the photos that you are using the original clamping screw on the tail stock. The tailstock casting on my PM90 was to thin around the hole so I was unable to clamp it secure enough for spindle work. The solution I came up with was to add a cam type locking arrangement in the height block and bolt the tailstock to the height block

 

[Bob Ballard]

Interesting thought Don.would you have a picture of the cam lock?

 

[Mike Crescenzo]

I noticed on the photos that you are using the original clamping screw on the tail stock. The tailstock casting on my PM90 was to thin around the hole so I was unable to clamp it secure enough for spindle work. The solution I came up with was to add a cam type locking arrangement in the height block and bolt the tailstock to the height block

Don the tail stock does get wonky on spindle work. Appreciate your insight...one the the best things about this forum.

 

[RichColvin]

1944 Delta. A friend was going to toss it As it was buried in sand following Hurricane Sandy. I was able to restore it to working condition...love using this iron horse most weekends. Before...after...and now pics attached.

Your workshop looks awesome!

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

reply to Mike C & Bob B
The picture below shows the parts needed to make a cam clamp and you can see that it operates the same as the banjo clamps. The two shoulder bolts are screwed into off center taped holes in the 1" "cam" and will raise the clamp bolt to lock the tail stock in place. The tee handle allen wrench points out where the cap screws are located that hold the tailstock to the riser block assembly.

 

[Tom Albrecht]

My first lathe in 1985 was a Conover:

It was such a sweet idea; I built the bed ways with Baltic Birch Ply, Timken bearings, heavy cast iron fittings, but a real bear to use and change the tail stock and banjo positions.

 

[Mike Crescenzo]

Your workshop looks awesome!

Ha ha thanks Rich. It is an outdoor shop for sure. No garage and my wife has the basement for her felt studio.
Had to dig out a pit for headroom...and flannel lined pants for winter turning. The things we do for love...

 

[Bob Ballard]

reply to Mike C & Bob B
The picture below shows the parts needed to make a cam clamp and you can see that it operates the same as the banjo clamps. The two shoulder bolts are screwed into off center taped holes in the 1" "cam" and will raise the clamp bolt to lock the tail stock in place. The tee handle allen wrench points out where the cap screws are located that hold the tailstock to the riser block assembly.
View attachment 30891

Thanks Don,I believe I will give that a try.

 

[Grant Determan]

My first and only lathe was made by "Duro" 10" swing guessing about 36 inches between centers. I don't know the year on it but the company went out of business in 1981. I'd be interested in more history or rough guess as to the age if anyone has one. This was an estate item from my friend's late father who received it the same way. Next step is going to be to replace this rickety stand (my garage floor isn't helping)

 

[Karl Loeblein]

I believe my old Union Graduate was built in about 1962. I have upgraded mine with a 2 HP 3 phase motor and VFD, and lowered the bed 4" to yield a 20 inch capacity. With the capacity increase, I replaced the banjo with a Oneway retrofit banjo. I love this lathe!!

View attachment 30870

Keith,

What camera is on your hollowing jig?

-Karl

 

[Keith Mombourquette]

I'm sorry Karl, I've been away for a few days. I am using an old Microsoft web cam with a sub to micro adapter connected to a 10 inch windows tablet. Works great.

Keith

 

[Roger Wiegand]

Here's a lathe I'm working on restoring at the Charles River Museum of Industry in Waltham, MA. If you know anything about it I'd love to learn more-- age, manufacturer, etc.

View media item 17032View media item 17031View media item 17030View media item 17029

 

[Steve Schaefer]

Not as beefy as yours but it's old

 

[Bobby Smith]

This was an old friends of mine lathe. He used to make his own wooden golf clubs. His wife gave it to me earlier this year. Said he would have wanted me to have it. He hadn't used it in years as he had a stroke about 10 yrs prior to his passing. I took it home and tore it apart and cleaned it all up. Works great!