-
Congratulations to Alex Bradley winner of the December 2024 Turning Challenge (click here for details) -
Conversations are now Direct Messages (click here for details) -
Congratulations to Gabriel Hoff for "Spalted Beech Round Bottom Box" being selected as Turning of the Week for January 6, 2024 (click here for details) -
Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.
The "Delta Project" - or - my first lathe
- Thread starter bellcr8v
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2005
- Messages
- 13,037
- Likes
- 5,480
- Location
- Dalworthington Gardens, TX
- Website
- pbase.com
Nice to see a fine old machine getting a new lease on life. If it was like most eBay auctions that I see, it was probably advertised as "NEW Used only once -- has some slight surface rust". I peruse the eBay auctions for three-phase motors and see so many of them that look like they were dredged up from a landfill and the seller will proclaim, "NEW IN BOX -- only slight surface blemishes from sitting in storage". Occasionally, I find a diamond.
Bill
Bill
Amazing what a good cleaning and paint job will do...
Looking at this, and a couple of other old lathes recently almost makes me wish I hadn't bought a brand new lathe....
I'm with Bill, I like seeing these fine old machines come back to life. 🙂
Keep us posted on how it's doing. When you get it running post a couple more photos. Thanks for sharing this one.
If I get some photos of the two I know of I'll post some.
Looking at this, and a couple of other old lathes recently almost makes me wish I hadn't bought a brand new lathe....
I'm with Bill, I like seeing these fine old machines come back to life. 🙂
Keep us posted on how it's doing. When you get it running post a couple more photos. Thanks for sharing this one.
If I get some photos of the two I know of I'll post some.
Nice photo montage and story. Looks like this stout lathe now has a second lease on life!
I have the same model lathe which I bought off of ebay. It was not in the condition as yours but I paid a lot more than you did. I completely stripped it down and replace all bearings etc. It is one great lathe, you won't be sorry. A couple of things I learned which may help you. The bearings and v-belts are available from your local bearing store at half the price Delta charges. For parts that have to be Delta try burnstools.com. The parts I got from them were about half what Delta wanted. Good luck !
Attachments
Wow... What a beauty... Thanks for those tips and the picture. Shops not half bad either... :cool2:
Do you think that the website you mentioned would have parts for an old Delta-Rockwell? Or is that Rockwell-Delta? 😕
Do you think that the website you mentioned would have parts for an old Delta-Rockwell? Or is that Rockwell-Delta? 😕
bellcr8v you did a fantastic job. Congratulation. I am sure that by now your rejuvenated lathe has finally some shavings and dust on it.
As far as the door/panel… just put a thin MDF or alike and spray paint it as you demonstrated to be quite a painter as well.
Enjoy it!
As far as the door/panel… just put a thin MDF or alike and spray paint it as you demonstrated to be quite a painter as well.
Enjoy it!
A question for you Veterans...
Thank you for your comments.
(especially the parts purchasing info)
I was thinking of putting casters on it.
Mostly for my convenience. You may not be able to tell, but I have to
share my garage with my son's home from college stuff.
(and get this... my wife want's to park a car in it!)
Will the weight of the machine be enough for stability if there are casters on it? ... or does it need to sit on the floor.
Granted, this comes from someone who has turned nothing but
money into metal so far.
???
Thank you for your comments.
(especially the parts purchasing info)
I was thinking of putting casters on it.
Mostly for my convenience. You may not be able to tell, but I have to
share my garage with my son's home from college stuff.
(and get this... my wife want's to park a car in it!)
Will the weight of the machine be enough for stability if there are casters on it? ... or does it need to sit on the floor.
Granted, this comes from someone who has turned nothing but
money into metal so far.
???
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2005
- Messages
- 13,037
- Likes
- 5,480
- Location
- Dalworthington Gardens, TX
- Website
- pbase.com
I think that the big heavy-duty locking casters would be steady enough or you could consider also having some large screw-down levelers that would raise the lathe enough to take the weight off the casters. You might possibly even find a mobile base that takes the weight off the rollers with large rubber pads.
Bill
Bill
bonsaipeter
Peter Toch
Refurbished Lathe
Very nicely done. Just curious, approximately how many hours do you estimate you put into the refurbishing this lathe? I did the equivilant job on a 1950ish Walker Turner 16" bandsaw which now is a real "dream machine." I estimated about 100 hours for mine.
Peter
Very nicely done. Just curious, approximately how many hours do you estimate you put into the refurbishing this lathe? I did the equivilant job on a 1950ish Walker Turner 16" bandsaw which now is a real "dream machine." I estimated about 100 hours for mine.
Peter
Hours spent
Peter,
Probably abt 45 - 50 hours.
(but I'm not through yet)
Still have to get a switch, replace the bearings,belts, spindle, and
who knows what else.
I know this.
If someone was paying me minimum wage, they couldnt afford this machine.
But I'm not complaining.
This part is probably more fun for me than turning will be.
JBell
Peter,
Probably abt 45 - 50 hours.
(but I'm not through yet)
Still have to get a switch, replace the bearings,belts, spindle, and
who knows what else.
I know this.
If someone was paying me minimum wage, they couldnt afford this machine.
But I'm not complaining.
This part is probably more fun for me than turning will be.
JBell
bonsaipeter
Peter Toch
Refurbishing
Sounds like by the time your done (if that's ever possible) you'll have about 75 hours into it. I know what you mean about not being able to afford this machine if you had to pay minimum wage for the number of hours you put into it. Like you, I'm a tinkerer and perfectionist that likes to have his equipment in top running order. There certainly is great pleasure and pride in taking "a pile of rusty metal" and turning it into a smooth running, looking like new instrument. That aside, the turning is so much sweeter on such a machine. When done, you will undoubtably have a better lathe than what you can buy new today in the same class of machine.
Best of luck and have fun with it.
Peter
Sounds like by the time your done (if that's ever possible) you'll have about 75 hours into it. I know what you mean about not being able to afford this machine if you had to pay minimum wage for the number of hours you put into it. Like you, I'm a tinkerer and perfectionist that likes to have his equipment in top running order. There certainly is great pleasure and pride in taking "a pile of rusty metal" and turning it into a smooth running, looking like new instrument. That aside, the turning is so much sweeter on such a machine. When done, you will undoubtably have a better lathe than what you can buy new today in the same class of machine.
Best of luck and have fun with it.
Peter