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Lathe at Auction

S

Sean Boyle

Joined
Feb 22, 2012
Messages
115
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Location
Ontario
I just found this in a local auction on June 23rd. There is little description does anyone recognize it and what can you tell me. I know General make good lathes I take it is not electronic variable speed but stepped pulleys can the motor be changed any info would help and what price range
 

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A three phse motor and variable speed drive electronics will cost between $300 to ?? depending on horsepower and functionality. Cheap drives do not perform well at very slow speeds. The amount of power that you need depends somewhat on what size motor the mchine now has and whether you want a bit more power. In any event, I would consider using a motor of twice the current HP rating because the downside of that method of control is that mechanical power output takes quite a hit when compared to using stepped cone pulleys.

BTW, it may be in fine condition, but I would not buy a pig in a poke.
 
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From what I can find on the net by comparing pictures it looks like a General 2024DVR but the photo of the lathe at auction doesn't show the control. Did general make older lathes without DVR
 
I don't understand

BTW, it may be in fine condition, but I would not buy a pig in a poke.n

cause I'm Canadian eh
 
Go for it I say, something New today would run you somewhere between $2000 to $4000.
If the bidding goes over $1000, Pass on it
 
Sean Boyle said:
I don't understand

BTW, it may be in fine condition, but I would not buy a pig in a poke.n

cause I'm Canadian eh
Click to expand...

Buying a "pig in a poke" comes from an English expression dating back to the Middle Ages. A poke means a sack where you do not see the meat that you are getting. Pigs were often in short supply, but puppies were not so sometimes meat bought in a poke was not what it was said to be by the butcher. So basically the expression has come to mean buying something sight unseen.

Like I said, you might get lucky and get a machine that is in top mechanical condition. More likely, it isn't. Things could range from just a few minor repairable problems all the way to hunk of junk, eh. (I can speak Canadian)

Somebody else mentioned something about DVR (digital variable reluctance) which is just marketing gibberish for stepper motor and controller. Steppers have been around for a long time, but only in servo type applications where output torque requirements were very small. Steppers motors are very simple and therefore relatively cheap to build. However, they are an entirely different creature than conventional motors. Fundamentally, they are position devices whereas conventional motors are velocity devices. They are only able to operate by using a special microprocessor controller and driver. The bad news is that these devices are expensive and specific to particular motors. Larger stepper motors in the fractional HP range (meaning up to a few HP}are now available and that is what the Nova DVR lathe uses. I have no idea why they chose to use that type of motor, but I guess that they found an off-the-shelf motor-controller that met their requirements. It sure does leave a question many years down the road about availability of replacements. General never produced a DVR lathe to my knowledge. Our club had one that had a DC motor and variable voltage controller, but I was told that was an aftermarket mod. I am fairly certain that they did not have any older lathes with VFD speed control.
 
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What's wrong with step pulleys. I used several lathes that had single speed motors and step pulleys. I turned an awful lot of stuff on those lathes. Granted variable speed is awfully nice but certainly not essential to turning.
It is a good lathe probably worth the 1000 limit someone else said.
 
john lucas said:
What's wrong with step pulleys. I used several lathes that had single speed motors and step pulleys. I turned an awful lot of stuff on those lathes. Granted variable speed is awfully nice but certainly not essential to turning.
It is a good lathe probably worth the 1000 limit someone else said.
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Yes indeed stepped pulleys are a win-win solution and even most lathes with electronic variable speed control still use stepped pulleys.
 
Good chunk of iron. Continuously variable rpm is overrated. What you want is a lathe which has sufficiently low rpm to turn a large rough with safety. Most Reeves setups in the bowl age start at around 325, which is bearably slow. A lathe with simply pulleys with a minimum of 600 can use a 1:2 counter setup to halve the final rpm through the range. Cheap, and since it's purely mechanical, reliable and non-proprietary.

Bid, but $1k is at the high end for that one if it's lathe alone.
 
Bill thanks for the pig in a poke explanation I had herd the term before but never knew what it meant

and thanks everyone for the price range. I bought new King Canada (Chinese knockoff ) 2.5 years ago for $500 it got me back into turning but I am really starting to notice the limitation so wish me luck I will be bidding at this auction there are lot's of other tools in it so I may have to bring the whole bank account
 
There are lots of old General 260's around. Some have the Reeves drive with variable pulley and some are just pulley driven. Both can be upgraded. Many are the 12" version and can be upgraded to 20" but gets costly and should be done soon if desired as the 260 is now out of production and a parts run was done before the factory closed last fall. Was a good thread on an upgrade at canadianwoodworking.com a few months back. I live near Hamilton, ON. Had a look for the auction but couldn't locate. Often they are from schools and have 3 phase motors. Can be contacted through our guild website if you want to discuss further www.ghwg.ca
 
You can research it some at vintagemachinery.org. If you post that picture there someone will know it
Jack
 
Can you take a look at it?

The picture is small but it looks like there are two switches or controls on the small sloping panel. This also looks like it would swing 20" diameter or so. Any chance you can take a look at it??
 
I have a call out for the auctioneer but I wont get to view it until the morning of the auction. there is another pic post of the of the plate on the head and it is variable speed also any pics I have found that looks like this one are 20 inch also I don't think is all that old
 
Sean Boyle said:
I have a call out for the auctioneer but I wont get to view it until the morning of the auction. there is another pic post of the of the plate on the head and it is variable speed also any pics I have found that looks like this one are 20 inch also I don't think is all that old
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The general 26020vdr is the current model with electronic variable speed.
It is close in performance with the Powermatic but the head stock is fixed.
We have one in our shop that we use for classes and as and extra lathe.
I put Powematic owners on it in classes and they are quite comfortable.

The electronic switch from general is a movable box with a magnet.

Could be a good machine.

Al
 
Bill Boehme said:
Buying a "pig in a poke" comes from an English expression dating back to the Middle Ages. A poke means a sack where you do not see the meat that you are getting. Pigs were often in short supply, but puppies were not so sometimes meat bought in a poke was not what it was said to be by the butcher. So basically the expression has come to mean buying something sight unseen.

L

a sack usual contains 40 or 50 lbs or more
a poke can also refer to a paper bag
Click to expand...
 
ray hampton said:
a sack usual contains 40 or 50 lbs or more
a poke can also refer to a paper bag
Click to expand...

... or what can happen to a football quarterback or what happened to settlements on the English coast when the Vikings came calling or what folks during he Middle Ages might have used to carry groceries from market or the cloth sacks now being sold in supermarkets so that folks today can do the same or a "sad sack" which meant a "goof off" in the Army or a myriad of other things.
 
Bill Boehme said:
... or what can happen to a football quarterback or what happened to settlements on the English coast when the Vikings came calling or what folks during he Middle Ages might have used to carry groceries from market or the cloth sacks now being sold in supermarkets so that folks today can do the same or a "sad sack" which meant a "goof off" in the Army or a myriad of other things.
Click to expand...

I watch sad sack on the TV or was he in the funny paper but did not know that he was a goof-off
thanks for refreshing the list , I wonder how many more we can think of
 
It was a good day at the Auction it is a General 26020VS it was never commercial used it was purchased new by a hobbyist 15 years ago it runs smooth and silent. 2 4 jaw chucks a oneway and a nova. 2 steady rests a 12 bed extension and the out board extension. 6 different shaped tool rests

$1600.00
 
Sean Boyle said:
It was a good day at the Auction it is a General 26020VS it was never commercial used it was purchased new by a hobbyist 15 years ago it runs smooth and silent. 2 4 jaw chucks a oneway and a nova. 2 steady rests a 12 bed extension and the out board extension. 6 different shaped tool rests

$1600.00
Click to expand...

Well, it sounds like a pretty decent deal.

How about some photos?

Congratulations........😀

Out of curiosity, how many were bidding? Was there a reserve price?

ooc
 
I will post some pics once I get it in. There was no reserve my opening bid was $1000.00 ant the auctioneer had to work the crowd to get a second bid then one other guy took it to $1600.00 It is currently sitting on a trailer with a trip across a lake and then get hulled up a big hill by ATV or 2 to get it into the shop
 
I is now in the shop 3 miles across a lake and up a big hill it only took 2 ATV and seven men but it is now in safe and sound
 

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I hope you have electricity back in them "boonies". :cool2: I would truly love living by a lake.
Tim.
 
Electricity phone and internet both my wife and I work from the cottage. I live here 10 months of the year and only leave for freeze and thaw
 
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